How To Spend One Week In North Vietnam

Day 1 – Hanoi (Old Quarter – Night Life)

This one week in North Vietnam itinerary starts in Hanoi as it is the common gateway for travellers exploring the North of Vietnam. Depending on what time your flight arrives I highly recommend dedicating this day to simply exploring the Old Quarter of Hanoi and enjoying the nightlife (you’ve earned a beer or ten after your day of travel). 

Be at the rooftop by 8:00pm to enjoy the incredible views of the city and sunset while enjoying FREE BEER! At around 10:00pm the hostel bar crawl will commence. Go to the first couple venues then convince your new BFF’s to break away from the pack and go on your own crawl. Keep an eye out for Beer St where you can get beer for $0.05. Or, Club 1900 if you are looking to get rowdy. Fun fact: Club 1900 is ranked 68 in the world and number 1 in Vietnam!

Day 2 – Hanoi (Walking Tour – Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum – Ba Dinh Square – One Pillar Pagoda – Train Street)

Be sure to start your first full day off with a free walking tour of the city. Anybody can search things to do, but having a fellow traveller guide you around the city sharing their recommendations and telling the stories of the city in their edgy traveller slang is a great foundation for a day of discovery.

Head towards the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Ba Dinh Square where you can spend the afternoon exploring the museum and surrounding area. This includes the beautiful One Pillar Pagoda. This area is a place of respect and history so dress appropriately. It is best to do your research before attending this area. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Ho Chi Minh Museum have varying open hours. Even so, just being around this area is an experience worth seeking. You can definitely feel the significance of the site while you are there.

As the sunset draws near it is time to make your way to the infamous Train Street. This is a feature truely unique to Hanoi! The towering residential estate full of make shift cafe’s and bars are split by an incredible train track. Trains still operate on the track. The best time to view trains are between 7:00pm and 9:00pm. You still might get lucky throughout the day as well.

You will see and read all over travel sites that Train Street is closed to tourists by Vietnamese Police. Unfortunately this IS true, but fortunately there are ways to get access. 

Accessing Train Street

Myself and a couple others thought we’d try our luck during the day. As expected there was a police officer stationed at each of the entrances we walked past. One particular entrance had a heap of cafe bar owners that called out to us. One of them eventually snuck us in through his store. He even gave us his whatsapp in case we wanted to come back later.

Once we were in Train Street, the police did not seem to care that we were there. It honestly felt like their sole purpose was to deny access but if you were already in then oh well.

Here are a few tips that worked for us:

>> Enter through this area (map below)
>> Do not be holding a camera or anything that makes you appear as an Instagramer
>> Go in a small group 4-5 people max
>> Arrive to the entrance holding a beer (this is what we think worked for us, as the bar owners assumed we wanted to drink in their bar, not just get a selfie on the street)

Day 3 – Hanoi / Sa pa (Hoe Lo Prison – Vietnam Military History Museum)

Through Central Backpacker Hostel I was able to organise a 3D2N guided tour of Sa pa in the countries North. Being December, weather in Sa pa was very cold and extremely foggy. I still was determined to get there. Mostly to enjoy have a different experience to what most travellers experience in peak season. 

Details of my tour:

>> Return sleeper bus tickets Hanoi – Sa pa
>> 1 night accomodation in hotel
>> 1 night accomodation in home stay
>> 3 days of trekking with local guide
>> All meals included

With my bus to Sa pa departing from Hanoi at 9:00pm I still had time to see more of Hanoi.

This is a good time to visit the Hoa Lo Prison (“Hanoi Hilton”) and the Vietnam Military History Museum. Both sites are worth a visit. Be sure to plan ahead as most museums in Hanoi have funky opening times. Hoa Lo Prison is one of the few places I’ve visited around the world that is an eerie depiction of what the people actually went through. You can really imagine yourself there.

Day 4 – Sa pa (Arrive – Cat Cat)

Arrived in Sa pa just before 6:00am. OMG! This fog was like nothing I had seen before! As I struggled to see 5 meters in front of my face, the mini bus driver pointed to my hotel from the road – the Roxana Hotel Sa pa. I met up with my guide Shue and my fellow trekkers and we set off for Cat Cat. This was a 6km circuit trek that took us up and down steep mountain paths and villages. 

As you step on the wooden foot bridges in Cat Cat you will be completely amazed at the magic of the village. With a stunning water fall on one side, an expansive river with ancient water wheels on the other, both surrounded by mountain sides and wooden shops – your eyes won’t know where to look! Take a look here.

Head back to your hotel and spend the afternoon exploring the town of Sa pa. There are plenty of cafes and bars, a really cool market place and town square.

Day 5 – Sa pa (Trekking – Homestay)

Depending on your package, the second day in Sa pa is generally a full day of trekking. Your day will be full of breathtaking views of valleys and mountainside with endless Vietnamese rice terraces. Be careful as you shuffle along the edges of the rice terraces! One slip and you will drenched in rice terrace water. Nasty.

TIP: There are next to no directional signs in Sa pa for trekking, taking a guide is highly recommended. Not only will they save you from getting lost, but they are not expensive and are interesting companions.

Spend the evening in a traditional Vietnamese homestay. The family will make you feel very warm and welcome. See out the night playing cards and bonding with your tour group.

Day 6 – Sa pa / Hanoi (Trekking – Sleeper Bus)

Being woken up in the cozy homestay with a warm egg coffee and being able to look out over the endless rice terraces as the sun came up was truely a memory I will never forget. Say goodbye to your hosts as you and your group continue trekking through the Sa pa country side. 

You will reach the end point by mid-afternoon. A bus will pick you up and you will begin you journey back to Hanoi. This will again be by sleeper bus. But. This time, you will commence the journey in the daylight. If you’re lucky enough to have a window on the right side of the bus you’ll enjoy the mountain views. They are truely stunning.

Day 7 – Hanoi / Departure (Final Sites)

Vietnam is such a popular destination for travellers, you will have probably received more recommendations than what you could remember! Depending on time and energy levels, spend your final hours seeing some last minute sites!

 

That is how you spend one week in North Vietnam!