Vietnam 🇻🇳 | FindPenguins

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Trip start
November 17, 2025
Vietnam 🇻🇳
Arrival in Hanoi
November 17, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Finally arrived after a mammoth but pretty comfy journey with Cathay Pacific. Pleasantly surprised.

After a little bit of faff at the airport we made it in time to get out this evening in Hanoi for some Pho and a couple of beers. Although the tiny chairs are going to take some getting used to.

Real adventure starts tomorrow.Read more
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Vietnam 🇻🇳
Rainy Hanoi
November 18, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Bit of a wet start to the holiday but we still got out and about to explore Hanoi. Ticked off quite a few of the foods/ drinks we wanted to try - egg coffee this morning, Banh Mi for lunch and Bun Cha for dinner - all delicious.

Visited the Hoa Lo prison museum which started off interesting but turned into a bit of a propaganda exercise. Daisy took respite from the rain and had a pedicure. Then we went to Train Street this evening but didn’t bother waiting around for a train to pass through.

We have a cruise booked to Halong Bay tomorrow. We’re unfortunately not expecting sunshine, but hoping the rain stays awayRead more
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Vietnam 🇻🇳
Ha Long Bay
November 19, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Ha Long Bay cruise today!

Early start for a 2 and a half hour bus to Ha Long bay. The boat itself was pretty immense with a swimming pool and putting green, which obviously Robbie was excellent at.

A bamboo boat ride through the caves and then swimming were scheduled but the weather didn't quite cooperate so we decided against the swimming and just took in the beautiful views instead.

The staff were very cute and fed us about 5 million calories.

Headed back for around 8pm and went out for a couple of drinks and some more pho before basically collapsing out of exhaustion.Read more
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Vietnam 🇻🇳
Hanoi
November 20, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Took advantage of a late checkout time and had a lazy morning today after our busy day yesterday. Although when we finally left the hotel at midday we walked 20,000 steps in 6 hours!

Most importantly it was sunny! And hopefully more good weather to come. We ate more delicious street food, shopped for some (actually very good quality) knock-off jackets, and explored a bit further afield before treating ourselves to a rooftop cocktail before our 6 hour sleeper bus to Ha Giang this evening.Read more
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Vietnam 🇻🇳
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Ha Giang loop - day 1
November 21, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Today we started our 3 day motorcycle tour of the Ha Giang loop. Where we were a bit unlucky with the weather for Halong Bay, we’ve struck gold for the loop and it’s forecasted nothing but sun.

After about 2 hours sleep (a combo of “sleeper bus” and arriving to the hostel at 3am) we met our group and got kitted out in all the safety gear. We both opted for the easy-rider option which means we ride on the back with a Vietnamese driver, and it was absolutely the right choice, these roads and conditions are no place to learn to ride a bike. And we can sit back and enjoy the incredible views.

We rode for about 6 hours, stopping every 30 mins or so for coffee, lunch or viewpoints. I think by the end of the day our nerves had steadied but were replaced by dead butts. But it was so worth it.

Hotpot and beers this evening with our group and easy riders.

Bring on day 2!Read more
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11/22/25Reply
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Vietnam 🇻🇳
Ha Gaing Loop - Day 2
November 22, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Chilly start to the morning after a cold sleep in the mountains but another phenomenal day biking around the loop.

Stops today included a view of the Chinese border and a bamboo boat on a river. The boys all went for a very cold swim in a river we were promised (tricked) into thinking was warm and were also only told about the giant python that lived in a nearby Cave after getting out.

The night ended at the Wild Orchid hostel where we ate the usual mountain of Vietnamese food, drank some beers and happy water around a fire and enjoyed some terrible, terrible karaoke.

The group we are with are great. An American couple, a Danish couple and 2 fellow Brits. Every single corner seems to provide an even more spectacular view. This is definitely one of the best things we've ever done.Read more
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Vietnam 🇻🇳
Ha Giang loop - day 3
November 23, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Final day of the loop today and whilst our bodies are ready to not be on the back of a bike any longer, we’re definitely going to miss it. It’s felt like its own little holiday within a holiday and we’ve absolutely loved it. I had high expectations but I think it’s probably the best adventure experience we’ve had.

We’ve been able to see parts of Vietnam we never would have otherwise. It’s been quite sad seeing the poverty in the villages and the work that small children and the elderly do. It doesn’t seem to matter what time you drive through the villages but everyone is doing some sort of work; farming, construction, cleaning, they never seem to stop. And you see children walking along the side of the roads and then drive for ages before seeing where they must be headed. But the tourism of the loop definitely seems to be positive and has brought lots of opportunities so hopefully it’s a good thing.

The last day started with an early visit to a waterfall where we both chickened out of jumping in. Then more riding and more views. Day 1 was definitely the busiest on the roads, at one point hitting a mammoth traffic jam on hairpin bends that the hundreds of bikes had to wind their way through. By today we were only occasionally seeing other bike groups. There have been plenty of hazards and hairy moments, with suicidal chickens, dogs, piglets and water buffalo darting in front of the bikes or blocking the road. At one point we came round a corner to meet another scooter dragging an entire tree trunk that spanned the width of the road. Our drivers have been incredible though and kept us feeling very safe throughout.

After a return sleeper bus and a sad farewell to our group, we’re back in Hanoi for a night and then off to Ninh Binh tomorrow.Read more
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Vietnam 🇻🇳
Ninh Binh
November 24, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Late night bus last night and a lie in this morning before treating ourselves to a full English breakfast and an English breakfast tea, because we are basic.

We then got a Vietnamese limousine (read minibus) to Ninh Binh and arrived around 2pm. Our hotel is lovely and tranquil and we went for a cycle through the rice paddies and countryside, which is so much more chilled than the craziness of Hanoi.

Our intention was to go for lunch and a drink and then explore some more but we ended up meeting Ben and Amy, who left the Ha Giang loop a day earlier than us, and ended up having a load of mojitos in the sun. We left our bikes at the bar and went for an adventure up to Hoa Lu Ancient city for more drinks and dinner.

Woke up with slightly sore heads this morning... but an excellent night!Read more
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Vietnam 🇻🇳
Ninh Binh (day 2)
November 25, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Today has been a lovely chill day. We went to pick the bikes up this morning and then traded them in for some electric bikes instead.

After a bit of sunbathing around the pool at our hotel we cycled into town for a late lunch and then to the Hang Mua viewpoint. It’s 500 steps up one of the limestone karsts, and we timed it to be there for sunset along with absolutely everyone else - there were so many people all crammed onto incredibly steep steps. After finally reaching the peak we chose not to hang around for the sun to set as it was too busy. Nice views but probably not worth it in hindsight.Read more
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Vietnam 🇻🇳
Ninh Binh to Ho Chi Minh City
November 26, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
Bit of a travelling day today.

We had a few hours to kill before our taxi to the airport and still had the electric bikes so went for a last little cycle. Ninh Binh is famous for rowing boat tours and whilst we decided not to do one as we'd already done a few boat things, we did want to take a look at the area and see the boats. But without tickets we werent able to get anywhere near so just explored some of the lotus fields instead. We then headed back towards Hanoi to fly south to Ho Chi Minh City/Siagon.

We made it to our hotel for about 8pm after a busy drive through the HCMC traffic. Headed up to the rooftop for a beer and then out for some street food. There are quite a few Michelin recommended street food spots in both Hanoi and HCMC so we tried one this eve and it was very tasty. HCMC seems amazing, really looking forward to exploring tomorrow.Read more
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Vietnam 🇻🇳
Ho Chi Minh City
November 27, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Today was our only real full day in HCMC so we were up early and ready to get out and explore. First stop was the War Remnants Museum - very good but pretty devastating.

By the time we finished there it was about 11am and hot (30 degrees) so time for an iced coffee. We had a wander down book street (a street full of book shops) and then went for Banh Mi.

HCMC is much more modern than Hanoi (although that may just be because we stayed in the Old Quarter of Hanoi). The roads are very busy but they use traffic lights and a grid system so it all appears a bit more controlled.

It was hot so we had a quick dip in the pool back at the hotel and then had a street food tour booked for this evening. It was on the back of scooters so we were thrown straight back into the mayhem but it was good fun. We had 7 dishes and saw different areas of the city. Most surprising dish was grilled banana in sticky rice with coconut milk which Daisy is now obsessed with after thinking she’d hate it. We also had beef noodle soup, grilled beef in betel leaves, banh mi and banana crackers.Read more
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Vietnam 🇻🇳
Cu Chi Tunnels and HCMC
November 28, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Last day today :(

This morning we had a private tour booked to the Cu Chi tunnels which were used by the Viet Cong during the war. It was really interesting and very claustrophobic. Another confirmation that we’d both be pretty useless in war.

Back in Ho Chi Min we went for a walk for our last Banh Mi and a couple of drinks before deciding to head back to the food market from last night for some last street food, ticking off getting a scooter taxi through Saigon. It was absolutely delicious and super cheap as always (we shared 5 dishes and spent about £3.20)

We walked the 50 mins back home taking in all the side streets and people randomly doing karaoke in the street and then had a final drink on the rooftop of our hotel before going to bed.

Sad that we are leaving tomorrow. It’s been an excellent trip.

General observations to end on

- All the transport has been amazing. Every bus was on time/early, all the tours were well organised, and we had no issues with taxis

- Everyone we came across was very friendly and helpful and tourism is obviously very important

- The only downside to this is there seems to have become a big reliance on 5 star reviews and some companies bribe people for reviews so it’s hard to know what to trust. We only came across it twice, no bribes but they did expect us to give a 5* review in front of them

- Every single shower we had was amazing. Hot (often too hot) and powerful, even in the hostels and homestays

- Everywhere we’ve been has felt very safe. We also expected to come across begging or aggressive selling outside bars and restaurants but we experienced it very little.

- The Vietnamese love christmas, there were decorations absolutely everywhere, and stockings on our final hotel door which was cute

- Cheap food (street food) is generally better then the more expensive restaurant food, in our experience

- Aside from bahn mi baguettes which were excellent, the bread is rubbish

- All the landscapes are beautiful, and generally unspoilt by litter

- The roads and traffic are crazy and seem manic when you first encounter them, but everyone is hyper aware of everyone else and it works. We felt much safer on the back of a bike than we would in London

- Karaoke is huge and there are karaoke bars everywhere. We also quite often saw people sat around on the street having dinner whilst one person sang into a microphone, seemingly being ignored by everyone elseRead more
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Trip end
November 29, 2025