Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Next off, Vietnam. I barely made it. For Vietnam, I had to apply for my first visa ever. Can you believe it? Country number 42 and the first visa. Only an e-visa, but still. I messed up. I applied a month before and got the approved visa 4 days later. I was prepared, but at the airport, they rechecked the information and saw that the passport’s expiration date wasn’t correct. I must have mixed up a number while filling it in. This meant, visa invalid, not possible to board. I was shocked, but couldn’t just cancel everything, this would be very expensive. I normally book things non refundable (flights and accommodation). So I was texting my Airbnb host to tell him the situation that I probably won’t arrive today. He responded so fast to my surprise and told me he has contacts to do a emergency visa. Within 10 minutes he managed to do so and I had a formal letter to show at the check-in, which was valid and they let me progress. Even the guy at the counter was impressed. Finally, I was able to make it to Ho Chi Minh City on the day as initially planned, thanks to my Airbnb host.
In Saigon, the old name of the city, I met an expat from the Philippines who showed me some nice areas in town. We for sure also went for some Pho, their most famous dish besides spring rolls. Overall HCMC is a very chaotic city. That’s also why overall I didn’t like the city too much, althought, in the Eastern part where a lot of expats life, it’s quite modern and more quite. But I stayed right in the center which was crazy. My apartment was very nice thought, quite high up and a great sunset view always.
Chinese New Year was happening by the end of January, and it is the big holiday for Vietnamese people. So many shops and co-workings closed and also a big firework in the city, which I couldn’t miss.
Hanoi, Vietnam
I was looking forward to arriving in Hanoi. I have a Vietnamese friend who lives in the city and did an exchange year in Germany while I was travelling there. So we managed to meet, and she wanted to show me around. I always love that—the local vibes. The day after my arrival, she came with her electric scooter and picked me up to go around a bit.
The days were quite cold and rainy mostly. So it was good that I always bring a proper jacket with me. I needed it and wasn’t expecting it. In the South, the weather was tropical. Up here, it was wintertime. I learned something new. Also, the houses are not isolated, so it’s even colder inside if it’s cold outside. I just had a small electrical heater, not much. My Airbnb was super local residential. Really integrated. A typical Hanoi house in the old town. I had a balcony with many flowers and a swing which I modified to be a stand up desk to work from.
I only spent 10 days in Hanoi and had a week of holidays afterwards. Despite the cold, I enjoyed my time in the capital. My friend is an excellent tour guide and went around a lot. I could work very productively during the day and in the evening going out to explore or for food.
Sapa, Vietnam
Next to a very touristy location. Sapa, a town up in the mountains. I was on holiday for a week and a friend from Indonesia wanted to visit it. I had no idea about that town and just agreed to join. On a Friday evening we boarded a sleeper bus. They even have proper double beds in the bus, I never saw that before. After endless hours we arrived in Sapa very early in the morning. Luckily we managed to go to the hotel at this time and do the check-in (I already booked the night before just so we can stay inside and nap). We treated ourself and got a fancy chalet. Sadly also up in Sapa the weather wasn’t the best and it was quite cold. Sapa is also famous to have a lot of fog, and it was exactly like that, almost no surprise for us but still sad.
After we rested and rented a scooter, we hoped for a better day. Down in the valley, it looked better, but when watching up to the hills, there was still a lot of clouds. we wanted to go up to the highest mountain in Vietnam (Fansipan), at 3100m above sea level. To go up there, you can take a cable car. For sure, Asians don’t walk.
As we entered the cable car and slowly started to climb, the clouds came closer and closer until we were right inside the clouds. We could see maybe 5-10 meters. That continued on our short walk to the summit and the temple. It’s so sad if you know what the view could be (based on pictures) and what we saw.
We didn’t spend much time up there since it was pointless (and also cold). The temperature dropped to 3°. When we came down into the sunshine, we decided to drive around with the motorbike and went to a coffee with a viewpoint. At least there we could enjoy some lovely scenery.
Hà Giang Loop, Vietnam
After 2 nights in Sapa, we continued to the trip’s highlight. A German friend told me to do the Ha Giang Loop by motorbike and even connected me with a tour guide. Since we were fancy, we booked a premium tour with a personal motorbike driver, the so-called “easy rider”. The motorbike I got was pretty fancy, and that was my seat for the next 3 days. To accomplish the loop there are different lengths and durations. We took a 3 days trip. Each day includes driving between 5-8 hours. There are many stops on the way to visit. It was impressive and very special. I ever did a motorbike tour. The landscape is stunning and since I don’t had to drive, I could enjoy the scenery completely.
It was exhausting but beautiful. It’s a trip I could recommend to everyone. Since it was a loop, we returned to the same place again where we could leave our big luggage. We only took the most necessary items for 3 days/2 nights.
From Hà Giang, we had another sleeper bus back into the capital. It took us around 8 hours, and I was sick from taking sleeper buses. Yes, you can sleep, but it’s still quite uncomfortable. The sleep quality isn’t good. It’s the same as taking flights.
Hanoi, Vietnam
In Hanoi, my best friend from Germany joined. I already made many trips with her in the last year. This trip was a spontaneous one again and just fitted perfectly. She booked a connecting flight via Hanoi to Bali, and I joined her in Hanoi. But first off, we had two full days in Hanoi. Since it was her first time, I was the tourist guide this time and showed her my favourites.
