South to North - 3392 km

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This is my last day in Vietnam, at 5 pm I'll catch a bus to Laos. Although I am excited to discover a new country (not looking forward to more than 24 hour bus ride though) I feel very sad to leave Vietnam. This country has been just amazing and I have so many impressions and emotions in my head that simply cannot be described by words. In the last couple of weeks I had so many people writing to me, friends, people I know and people I don't know. Many asked about my trip, some just wanted advices on places to visit, others simply liked my pictures and wanted to tell me (this makes me very happy), some told me to keep on posting and others just told me how courageous I was to leave everything behind and start traveling. Actually, I don't feel that courageous, at all! I wanted to travel long term for such a long time and at one point I just realized that dreams are made to become reality. If we have a dream, we need to do everything we can to make it true and this is what I did. I don't think I had a choice. I believe everything happens for a reason and I am happy I'm traveling in this time of my life, as a woman. When you are in your 30s you see and experience things differently, you appreciate things that in your 20s you would not even see, your life experiences and background are wider and everything I am now is making of this an unforgettable time, which I am living exactly the way I wanted to. Plus I like the fact that I had to wait so long to realize my dream; this gives to it extra taste and extra appreciation. I like to desire things for long time before obtaining them :o) And I am glad people are liking what they see. This was the entire purpose of this blog: not a show off but simply the occasion for people that are not as lucky as I am to experience some parts of the world together with me. And also for my friends to follow me and stay in contact with me. I miss them very much. I feel lots of positive energies around me and the more you live positively the more great things happen to you. I hope that people in doubts can feel inspired in taking their life into their hands and finally get a grasp on their own time. Time is the most important of the resources and too scarce to let it pass by just like that. I could write for hours about this but I need to stop as the purpose of this post is to explain a little bit my itinerary and the places I loved the most in Vietnam. First of all, there are two ways of discovering this country: either you go North to South or South to North. Coming from Malaysia, I did South to North.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

The appointment was with a friend of mine from Napoli. This was his first time in Asia and he just needed a little bit of encouragement before flying solo. We have known each other for so many years now and I was so happy to see him after a crazy taxi ride where the guy tried to rip me off without much success but lots of arguments and shouting. Ho Chi Minh in itself cannot be defined a pretty city. It's very hectic, the traffic is just insane (going on a motorbike behind someone scared the hell out of me) and some say it can also be dangerous although nothing bad happened to me. The must see thing in this city is the War Museum. I love the States and its people but during that visit I hated what they did so deeply. There was no actual division between Southern and Northen Vietnam, this was just a fictive invention created with the pretext to invade this country and avoid socialism to spread even more during the Cold War. Vietnamese people only talk about the war against the Americans, not about a war between their own population. What happened in Vietnam is horrible on so many levels but what's amazing is the strength of these people. They resisted, fought for their country and eventually managed to have the enemies out of their territory (with way less resources).  With a war like that, there are no winners though and the population is still paying the consequences of what happened back then. There are still lots of babies born with malformations due to the use of Agent Orange. The only hope is that in some years from now all this will be behind. We need to remember these things though, so that huge mistakes like that shall not be repeated.

Eating Scorpion in Ho Chi Minh

Mekong Delta:

When you think about Vietnam, you think about Mekong Delta :o)

My friend and I spent there 2 days, going through floating villages, small river paths, rice factories and little islands. I really liked it there, also because we slept in the house of a local family where they gave us cooking classes and one of the best dinners I have had in Asia so far. You could reach this house only by boat, crossing the river. Each one of us had a little room made of straw, the roof was kind of open and I can definitely say that if I didn't get malaria there - surrounded by the jungle and the river - I will most likely not get it anymore :o)

The only down side of this trip was the road to get there, so bumpy and soooo slow! But that's the price to pay to see so many good things. If you go to Vietnam, I totally advise you to visit the Mekong Delta area in the South of Saigon.

Phu Quoc Island:

When I was studying my way through Vietnam before leaving for this trip, a small island located under Cambodia caught my attention. The more I read about it, the more I knew I was so going there! And I was not disappointed. This island is a wild, pristine paradise, still unknown to the majority of the people. Nobody I've met afterwards has been there and this is what I liked the most about that place. Deserted beaches all for us (which also meant lots of sand flies bites for me, stupid insects they adore me!), not so many people and a stunning nature. Until 4 years ago there were not even roads on the island, now there are 2 main ones but to get to the beaches you still need to pass through little villages and bumpy roads made of red sand. A part from the beaches, there are two beautiful waterfalls to explore and some fishermen villages to visit. Snorkeling is also very good and if you love seafood on this island you are in for a treat. I just loved the wildness of this island and it's definitely in my top places in Vietnam. Just go there if you can!

Phu Quoc Island

Mui Ne:

In Mui Ne I was on my own again! My friend decided to go to Cambodia from Phu Quoc and I was kind of glad he did as I love traveling alone and I missed my freedom. I enjoyed Mui Ne, although I didn't do much there. What I did was definitely worth the visit. I visited a fishermen village and went to the white sand dunes. They.are.amazing! I walked all the way up, and up and up again. You can also decide to rent a quad but I wanted silence and the feel of sand on my feet, so instead I walked. Walking through those dunes was so relaxing and I hope the wind up there listened to my wishes and eventually will bring them to destination :o)

White Sand Dunes, Mui Ne

Dalat:

Dalat was the French holiday destination during the colonial period. And you can definitely feel that. People still speak some French there and also the architecture reminded me of France. Some parts of the city don't feel Vietnam at all. Dalat is located in the middle of the mountains and the weather was definitely colder compared to the other places I visited before. And I had a cold so couldn't do the canyoning which apparently is THE thing to do there. I went to the hairdresser instead and felt like a woman again :o)

Near Dalat there is a very nice pagoda and also walking in the surrounding countryside was nice.

Nha Trang:

This is the only place in Vietnam I wouldn't advise people to go. This city is basically Russian. Russian stores, Russian people and unfortunately some of the Russian fights and criminality in the streets. I met a couple who was attacked by a band, they stole their money and hit the guy with a metal stick provoking the breaking of his head. And he almost lost an eye. Also his girlfriend was pulled by her hair and thrown on the floor. And the police didn't do anything, they just laughed at them apparently. I couldn't believe it when they told me. A part from that, the city itself is not even nice. The only cool thing I did was the mud baths, I spent an entire day in a SPA and felt born again. Oh, there is also a nice temple to visit, yes that was cool too.

Hoi An:

A corner of paradise! Absolutely in the top three places to see in Vietnam. When I was in this little town, I thought about how much I would have liked having with me people I love and show them what I was seeing. People should just shrink so that I could bring them in my pockets whenever I want! Hoi An is just that kind of city where you love walking around or just taking a bike and getting lost. Markets, river, beaches, countryside, lovely ancient buildings, nice restaurants, bars and shops, great street food, this city has it all. And it's full of colors, this is what I remember the most. I love colorful. And in the night it was full of lights, so romantic and so pretty. And that soft music playing in the streets...oh I loved Hoi An, it's a pearl. If you have time, visit also the marble caves, lots of little temples created in caves up on a mountain. Prepare yourself for some climbing! ;o)

Hoi An

Tam Coc:

In Saigon I met a French couple and we kept on bumping into each other in different cities. When we met in Hoi An once again, they told me about Tam Coc and I decided to go with them. This little village is a street and nothing more. And there are not even many turists, which once again gives to it part of its charm. In Tam Coc you can see what they call "Halong Bay by land": geologically the rocks are the same but instead of coming out from water they come out by land. The view was just mesmerizing! I really enjoyed it. There is also a pagoda to visit, you need to climb a little but it's definitely worth going.

Cat Ba:

This is my favorite place in Vietnam!  Of course, it's an island :o)

This paradise is located in the middle of Lan Ha Bay, not so far from the most known Halong Bay. I decided not to visit Halong Bay as I read the water there is very polluted and there are just lots of turistic boats which make kayaking there quite unpleasant. Instead I went to Lan Ha Bay and this is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life. I can't find words to describe it, you just have to experience it with your own eyes. I am so glad I went there. Coming back to Cat Ba, you can spend a week there. Beaches are amazing, you can do rock climbing, diving, you can do deep jumping from cliffs, there is a very nice national park to visit, you can rent a scooter and go around the island, its mountains and its villages, you can get massages and a room with a stunning view for 4 dollars per night which will make you want to stay even longer :o)

I just loved this island, its sunsets, its waters, its landscapes, its colors...and the stars. I hadn't seen so many, so big and sparkling stars for long, long time. It was just magical.

Lan Ha Bay, Cat Ba Island

Hanoi:

The capital! A very busy city and at the same time a very elegant city too, which maybe you would not expect from Vietnam. The atmosphere in Hanoi is just great, students, travelers, businessmen, people cooking on the streets, people selling any kinds of goods, everything and everybody is bustling in this city. The last day I was there I did what I always do when I am in a place for the last time: I took my camera and went out to take pictures. I can't wait to go home and download them, I am sure they'll be amazing.  Not because I am that good, just because people and things there are so alive!

Hanoi

My top places in Vietnam:

1. Cat Ba

2. Hoi An

3. Hanoi

4. Phu Quoc

I moved around by bus, booking the ticket always a day in advance. Transportations in Vietnam are very good and especially night buses are super comfortable. I never booked any accommodations in advance, you'll always find something good and cheap in any place you go :o)

I would book only if you arrive at 5 am in a new place, looking for somewhere to stay at that time is not fun!