The Best Vietnam Food ideas & Attractions we visited in 2019
The Best Vietnam Food ideas & Top Attractions we visited in 2019
We are happy to share with you our travel guide about Vietnam, based on our personal experience. Discover insider tips about Vietnam food ideas, saving tips, tours, attractions , flights and shopping spots. Enjoy reading about our adventure in Vietnam!
Table of Contents
Vietnam Map
Informations
Vietnam is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Its capital city has been Hanoi since the reunification of North and South Vietnam, with Ho Chi Minh City as a historical city as well.
Temperature: The best months to visit Vietnam are: December, January, February, March. Between December to march you can expect cold weather in the north but sunny weather in the south.
Language: Vietnamese is the official language; English is increasingly favored as a second language. French, Chinese, Khmer and various highlander languages are also spoken.
Currency: Vietnamese Dong aprox. 1 USD=22,927.34VND
1 EUR=27,908.54VND Vietnamese Dong
Food Prices: Cheap Restaurant 15 EUR/person, Mid-range Restaurant 2 persons 60 EUR
Informations about Visa you can find here.
In September 2019 we decided to make a round trip to Asia and we found at Lidl Holidays, a very good offer. We found a round trip to visit 3 countries: Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand-Bangkok for 12 days with all visits included and breakfast .We paid 1300 euros per person and honestly I did not have high expectations from hotels considering that these countries are quite poor.
Surprise, however! Lidl company exceeded all expectations, we had some beautiful hotels and rooms in this trip, and the breakfast was always rich and tasty.
We were extremely satisfied with the conditions offered in relation to the price, and the tourist guides who accompanied us during the trip were very nice, joking and helping you with whatever you needed, at any time.
Of course, although we had visits included, we also had a day off, sometimes. We chose to visit as many as possible. We did not stayed at the hotel at all.
Now that we have told you about the good conditions we had, we will continue to tell you about the trips we made. In Vietnam we had the trips included every day and we did not have to pay anything extra, except lunch and dinner, which were very cheap. With 15 euros 2 people can eat everything they want, including drinks.
Things to do
Vietnam War Museum
Day 1- We visited the Vietnam War Museum where we were told about the horrors of war. Honestly I was very sorry for the people and there were some people wounded in the war who sold various souvenirs. It was nice to see how these people who were hard tried by fate were helped by some tourists.
After visiting the museum ,we went to visit the Post and the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saigon:
Saigon Post
Cathédrale Notre-Dame
After this visits we decided to explore the crowded city of Ho-Chi-Minh on our own. You can also chose to have this City Night Tour: Bitexco Tower and Dinner Cruise. These are our memories:
Day 2- We headed to the Củ Chi tunnels and saw the traps made by the Vietnamese in the war. As the round trip to the tunnels takes almost 2 hours, we had the rest of the day off.
Cu Chi tunnels
Day 3- We left Ho-Chi-Minh and headed to Cambodia and we made a few stops. The first was at a lotus field:
The second stop was a crocodile farm and there was a nice restaurant near the farm. They also served crocodile meat, but we didn’t have the guts to try it.
The Crocodile Farm
The last and last stop was the province of Bến Tre:
Tuk Tuk ride
On our last day in Vietnam we sailed in the Mekong Delta and saw the mangrove forest. It was a wonderful experience!
Where to stay
A good night’s sleep is particularly important when you are travelling. Vietnam offers its guests a host of luxurious, charming and also out-of-the-ordinary accommodation.
Whether in the heart of the city, near the lake or surrounded by nature – Vietnam’s hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses guarantee a relaxing and invigorating stay.
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Here is the top hotels we recommend in Ho Chi Minh City: Maison Royale, MAI HOUSE Saigon , The Hammock Hotel Fine Arts Museum.
Here is the top hotels we recommend in Hanoi: Hanoi Esplendor Hotel and Spa, Royal Holiday Hanoi Hotel , Hanoi Hotel Royal , The Oriental Jade Hotel.
Vietnam Food and tradition
- Pho – consisting of a salty broth, fresh rice noodles, a sprinkling of herbs and chicken or beef
- A good banh xeo is a crispy crepe bulging with pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts, plus the garnish of fresh herbs
- Cao lau – pork noodle dish
- Nem ran/cha gio – crunchy spring rolls
- Bo bit tet Vietnam’s equivalent to steak and eggs fills the void when you’re hankering for some greasy pub tucker. The thin flank steak is usually served with eggs, thick potato wedges, and Vietnamese meatballs on a sizzling cast iron plate.
- Ca tim kho – Eggplant, diced and sauteed in a clay pot along with tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and minced meat
- Bot chien – Saigon’s favorite streetside snack. Chunks of rice flour dough are fried in a large wok until crispy and then an egg is broken into the mix. Once cooked it’s served with slices of papaya, shallots and green onions, chili sauce and rice vinegar.
- Bun dau mam tom – tofu and noodle dish is served with mam tom sauce
- Banh uot thit nuong – grilled pork in fresh rice paper rolls that are popular in Central Vietnam.
- Ga tan – chicken noodle soup
- Che – visible layers of bean jelly, coconut milk, fruit, and ice.
- Vietnamese doughnut – Banh Tieu
- Hoa Quả Dầm – fresh mixed fruit, coconut cream and shaved ice.
- Kem Xôi – Green pandan-flavoured sticky rice with coconut ice cream
Restaurants
In Hanoi
- The Hanoi Social club is one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Hanoi. . The restaurants bring a unique menu of wraps, sandwiches, salads, pasta juice, and other simple dishes.
- Cau Go – vietnamese cuisine with views over lake
- Mâm Cơm Việt Restaurant – vietnamese cuisine
- French Grill – JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi
- Cloud Nine restaurant – They have some of the best authentic flavorful cuisines including dishes from all regions. There is also an extensive range of international cuisine
- The Essence restaurant offers authentic dishes and western menus
- Pho Gia Truyen – It is the most famous among the many pho restaurants in Hanoi, and customers flock to try pho noodles
In Ho Chi Minh
- Baba’s Kitchen is one of the first restaurants in the city to serve authentic Indian fare.
- NOIR – enjoying dinning in the dark? This is the perfect place for you!
- Banana Mama is reserved for afternoon and evening dining, allowing guests to enjoy the beautiful sunset views of Ho Chi Minh as they dine on a rooftop bar!
- Cyclo Resto – enjoy meals like stewed fish in a clay pot, spring rolls, egg coffee, green melon soup, and lemongrass fried chicken.
- Quince Saigon – Mediterranean dishes like: Quince’s lobster miso pasta, Israeli-spiced lamp rump, or their wood-roasted bone marrow with caviar.
- The Secret Garden Restaurant and Teahouse Rooftop – it serves sweet plates alongside their assortment of herbal teas
- Pho Phu Vuong specializes in one of the most traditional and popular Vietnamese dishes: Pho, a typical rice noodle soup.
- Bánh Mi is a street food staple of Vietnam; this softer baguette-inspired sandwich can be made with meat, cilantro, and pickled veggies.
Saving Tips
- When making long journeys, sleep on the overnight bus
- Use a local phone SIM
- Eat local food
- Bargain before buying an item
- Take advantage of public transport in Vietnam to save your travel cost
- Ask more information from the local people
- Book tours in advance
- Check your Vietnam visa requirements
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Shopping
In Ho Chi Minh
- In the highest concentration of souvenir vendors set up shop in Ben Thanh Market during the day
- Central Market is a much smaller market with a few souvenir stalls and some food options
- There are two markets in Ho Chi Minh City where you’ll find the largest selection of designer knockoffs – Saigon Square and the Russian Market.
- Virion 334 Cao Thang primarily carries Forever 21 and Zara
In Hanoi
- Bat Trang Ceramic Village
- Metiseko – silk products
- Hang Dau Street – shoes
- Hang Da Shopping Mall which is considered one of the best shopping malls
- Hanoi Weekend Night Market – products like clothes, accessories, shoes, sunglasses and an array of food items.
- Dong Xuan Market – souvenirs and fresh products, clothing and accessories to household and electronic appliances.
- Hang Gai Street (Silk Street)
Getting Around
Self-drive in Vietnam is not yet an option for tourists and other short-term visitors. However, it’s easy to rent a car, jeep or minibus with driver from the same companies, agencies and tourist offices that arrange tours.
Motorbike rental is possible in most towns and cities regularly frequented by tourists, and pottering around on one can be an enjoyable and time-efficient method of sightseeing.
Self-drive in Vietnam is not yet an option for tourists and other short-term visitors. However, it’s easy to rent a car, jeep or minibus with driver from the same companies, agencies and tourist offices that arrange tours.
Motorbike rental is possible in most towns and cities regularly frequented by tourists, and pottering around on one can be an enjoyable and time-efficient method of sightseeing.
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Getting Here
Vietnam boasts numerous land crossings with all of its neighbours and international flight connections to Australia, Cambodia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the USA (among others). You can also enter by boat from Cambodia and by train from China.
Vietnam has two hub international airports, Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. A third airport, Da Nang Airport, in Da Nang, accepts a far smaller number of international flights.
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