Vietnam - 40 Days
- Eoin O'Meara
- May 6, 2019
- 9 min read
Updated: Aug 12, 2019
(Based on March/April 2019)
High Season - March to May and October to December
Low Season - June to September and January to February
Total Spending - 32,910,000 VND (1,265€)
Total Accommodation - 4,850,000 VND (185€)
(Not Including Flights or Bike)
Disclaimer
This post will be based on driving from North Vietnam to South Vietnam by Motorbike.
You can still follow the same route using night busses which you can book through your hostel and save yourself some time.
Motorbike:
Bought for: 7,000,000VND 300$ (270€)
Sold for: 5,200,000VND 225$ (200€)
Petrol: 20,000VND per Litre
Entering Country:
Visa Requirements: Purchase either a 1 or 3 month visa approval online for 25USD.
Website link: https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/
Bring 2 passport photos and fill out the immigration form in the Airport.
Pay 25USD for your official Vietnam Visa in the Airport (Single Entry).
ATM withdrawals cost 3% of the total amount each transaction
Max 2,000,000VND per transaction
Laundry 20,000/30,000VND (1€) per Kg
30 Day Unlimited 4G Sim 250,000VND (9€)
Hanoi
Stayed Near: Old Quarter
Hanoi Central Backpackers 140,000VND (5€) a night
3 Nights + 1 Night (After Ha Giang)
- Get GrabTaxi from Airport to Hostel 250,000-300,000 VND
Itinerary
Train Street
Hoan Kiem Lake
Tran Quoc Pagoda
Hoa Lo Prison 30,000VND Entry Fee
Advice
Don’t spend too long in Hanoi if you plan heading north because you will more than likely be stopping off for 1 more night in Hanoi after Sapa/Ha Giang.
Theres a good nightlife scene in Hanoi espically when you do the Pub Crawl with your hostel its a great way to meet other backpackers.
You can also get a pretty chill hostel in Hanoi for quite cheap if you want to avoid party hostels.
Theres alot of food options in Hanoi from popular western fast food restraunts to local vietnamese style restraunts.
Ha Giang
Stayed Near: City Center
Ha Giang Backpackers Hostel 100,000VND (4€) a night
5 Nights
- 300km Drive from Hanoi by motorbike.
Itinerary
Ha Giang Loop
Day 1 - Ha Giang to Yen Minh 100km 6-7 hours
2A Homestay 80,000VND (3€) a night
⁃ Bac Sum Pass
⁃ Quan Ba Heaven Gate
⁃ Lung Khuy Cave
Day 2 - Yen Minh to Dong Van 85km 5-6 hours
Cnd Hostel 80,000VND (3€) a night
⁃ Tham Ma Pass
⁃ Lung Cu Flag Tower
⁃ Unmarked *Illegal* Border Trail to China
Day 3 - Dong Van to Du Gia 80km 6-7 hours
Du Gia Backpacker Hostel 80,000VND (3€) a night
⁃ Ma Pi Leng Pass
⁃ Nho Que River
⁃ Meo Vac
Day 4 - Du Gia to Ha Giang 70km 4-5 hour
Ha Giang Backpackers Hostel 100,000VND (4€) a night
⁃ Rice Terraces
Advice
Day 1 - Great drive really easy to start off with. The road to Lung Khuy Cave is quite rough and downhill.
Day 2 - Another fairly easy road much more turns than day 1 but a much nicer drive and better views.
Day 3 - The Ma pi Leng pass was the best drive of the whole trip. Once you get past
Meo-Vac the roads start to get a bit rough with a few potholes.
Day 4 - We went the southern route which was a terrible decision the roads were terrible and alot of down hill and uphill turns on rough roads. best take the northern route which is longer but alot safer.
If you don’t want to drive a motor bike around Ha Giang but you want to go north vietnam you could book a treking trip to Sapa which is another popular tourist attraction up north.
You can book this though your hostel or a tourist office they do 2 day 1 night trips.
After driving from Ha Giang to Hanoi we stayed one more night in Hanoi in the same hostel as above to recover and service our bikes before driving to HaLong.
Halong
Stayed Near: City Centre
Ha Long Fancy Hostel 115,000VND (4€) a night
1 Night
- 150km Drive from Hanoi
Itinerary
Bai Tho Mountain
Advice
If you get to Halong before 3pm you can catch a ferry straight to Cat Ba instead spending the night in Halong.
But if you do choose to stay in Halong you can visit the shopping center and climb up the mountain.
To get to Bai Tho Mountain you must drive to Le Thanh Tong and ask the locals for help getting to the mountain they will guide you to a womans house which you walk through and she will bring you to the gate which you must climb over as the mountain is closed off to the public.
We paid 100,000VND per person to get up others we met only paid 50,000VND but the hike and views at the top were priceless.
Cat Ba
Stayed Near: Cat Ba Town
Cat Ba Central Backpackers 95,000VND (3€) a night
3 Nights
- Ferry from Ha Long to Cat Ba 80,000VND
Itinerary
Lan Ha Day Tour 423,000VND
- Kayaking in Hang Ca Cave
- Cua Van Fishing Village
- Snorkling in Ba Trai Doa Beach
- Monkey Island
Cannon Fort 30,000VND Entry Fee (Sunset Viewpoint)
Advice
Cat Ba is the more popular area to stay for backpackers than Halong Bay.
On the tours you will still visit the bay but Cat Ba has alot more to offer.
To get around Cat Ba if you have your own motorbike you can take it on the ferry to Cat Ba for just 20,000VND more.
It would be worth bringing a motorbike or renting one on this island as Taxis are expensive and not regular and also it gives you the option to visit Cat Ba National Park which I didnt get the chance to see myself but heard good things from fellow backpackers.
Public bus from ferry port to hostel 30,000VND per person if you dont take your bike.
Ninh Binh
Stayed Near: City Centre
Ninh Binh Central Backpackers 115,000VND (4€) a night
2 Nights
- 175km Drive from Halong
Itinerary
Hang Mua Mountain 100,000VND Entry Fee
Trang An and Tam Coc 270,000VND Entry Fee
Advice
Ninh Binh for me was a very quite town not much happening but a nice stop between Halong and Vinh if your driving a motorbike.
You could get a bus from Halong to Ninh Binh and spend 1 night here and get the two main attractions done in the 1 day and leave to Hue by nightbus the same day if your tight for time.
You dont have to stop in Vinh or Ninh Binh if your taking a bus around vietnam its only recommended if travelling by motorbike.
I skipped the Tam Coc tour because i didnt do my research and tried to do the main attractions myself which was not possible.
Also reccomend staying near Tam Coc than Ninh Binh town you'll meet alot more backpackers up that way and your closer to the attractions.
Vinh
Stayed Near: Vinh City
Thanh Dat 2 Gueshouse 80,000VND (3€) a night
1 Night
- 200km Drive from Ninh Binh
Advice
We stopped in Vinh to break up the long drive to Hue from Ninh Binh (560km).
You dont have to stop in Vinh or Ninh Binh if your taking a bus around vietnam its recommended if travelling by motorbike.
Hue
Stayed Near: Hue Town
Khe Sanh Homestay 70,000VND (3€) a night
3 Nights
- 370km Drive from Vinh
Itinerary
Tomb of Khai Djinh 100,000VND Entry Fee
Thein Mu Pagoda
Abandoned Waterpark 20,000VND Entry Fee
Hai Van Pass 20km Long
Advice
Hue is another small town with not alot happening.
You dont have to spend too long here either but theres alot more resturaunts and sights than Ninh Binh so 2 nights should be plenty to see everything.
The Hai Van Pass is 70km from Hue on the way towards Da Nang which is another small town before Hoi An.
You can get a bus straight from Ninh Binh to Hue or Hoi An but if you have time it would be worth checking out Hue instead of Ninh Binh in my opinion.
Da Nang
Stayed Near: City Center
City Hostel Da Nang 140,000VND (5€) a night
2 Nights
- 110km Drive from Hue
Itinerary
Ba Na Hills & Golden Bridge 750,000VND Entry Fee
Lady Buddha
Dragon Bridge
Advice
Da Nang is another small town just before Hoi An I recommend staying 1 night if your interested in checking out the Golden Bridge.
Its more of an ammusement park than what its portrayed online and its quite expensive and far out from Da Nang town.
If you wish to spend the night in Da Nang and dont want to spend 40$ to go to the Golden Bridge you could do Marble Mountain its 50,000VND Entry Fee i didnt get time to do this but other travelers i met have said it was worth visiting.
Theres a couple of beaches off Da Nang aswell but you can visit nice beaches in Hoi An aswell if you skipped over Da Nang.
Hoi An
Stayed Near: Hoi An Town
Backhome Hotel 160,000VND (6€) a night
5 Nights
- 30km Drive from Da Nang
Itinerary
Lantern Street Festival
Night Market
Japanese Bridge
Hoi An Old Town
An Bang Beach
Hoi An Basket Boats 200,000VND
My Son Ruins 150,000VND Entry Fee
Advice
I Spent the most time in Hoi An it was a great city to just chill out and relax for a few days from your busy schedual.
Most backpackers who i met in Hoi An actually spent the most time there for the same reason.
Theres An Bang beach 4km from the old town its a long beach and the more quiet area away from resorts and resturants is the far left side of the beach.
You can also partake in water sports such as jetski, parasailing and banana boats on the beach.
The Old Town was a 10 minute walk from our hostel theres many souvineer shops and resturants down here and its a really beautiful town to just walk around. They also have a night market everynight down here too.
The My Son Ruins was an interesting visit its 40km from Hoi An Town on Bike but its a beautiful drive and the ruins were very interesting and you could go inside some of the temples. Only downside was there wasnt much english information on the ruins until the last part in the museume.
The basket boat tour was also really ejoyable it was packed with tourists but actually very peaceful and theres a suprise halfway through the tour that i wont say but worth checking out.
Also Tribee Hostel is the main chain of hostels for backpackers in Hoi An they were fully booked when we where there but i would recommend staying in one of the Tribee hostels they would be alot more social than Backhome but we had a nice Bar area which a few Tribee guests would come over to Pre Drink and hangout anyways.
Quy Nhon
Stayed Near: City Center
John & Paul Inn 140,000VND (5€) a night
1 Night
- 290km Drive from Hoi An
Advice
We stopped in Quy Nhon to break up the long drive to Nha Trang from Hoi An (520km).
You dont have to stop in Quy Nhon or Nha Trang if your taking a bus around vietnam its recommended if travelling by motorbike.
Nha Trang
Stayed Near: Nha Trang Beach
Le Petit Prince Nha Trang Hostel 135,000VND (5€) a night
2 Night’s
- 230km Drive from Quy Nhon
Itinerary
Nha Trang Beach
Ba Ho Waterfall 100,000VND Entry Fee
Omega Pass 20km Long
Advice
Most people skip over Nha Trnag and go straight to Dalat because Nha Trang doesnt have a great reputation online from backpackers.
If travelling to Nha Trang by motorbike and about 80km from Nha Trang you will pass through the Omega Pass which in my opinion was much more beautiful than the Hi Van Pass.
Nha Trang also has a beautiful long beach aswell which is nice to walk along in the evenings or chill out durining the day if you miss the beach in Hoi An.
We also done Ba Ho Waterfall this wasnt much of a waterfall more of a trek and climb to 3 sections which all each have cliff jumping oportunities so would be worth the visit for clifjumping and rock climbing but not the waterfall itself.
Other than the beach and waterfall nha trang doens't have much more to offer it would be worth 1 full day if you have the time if not i’d recommend going straight to Dalat.
Dalat
Stayed Near: Dalat Town
Dalat Friendly Fun Hostel 100,000VND (4€) a night
3 Nights
- 140km Drive from Nha Trang
Itinerary
Crazy House 50,000VND Entry Fee
Dalat Night Market
Maze Bar
Elephant Springs 20,000VND Entry Fee
Dalanta Waterfall 150,000VND Entry Fee
Has Son Dien Trang 30,000VND Entry Fee
Advice
I recommend 2/3 nights in Dalat its defiantly more beautiful than Nha Trang and the waterfalls there are much more interesting.
You cannot swim in the waterfalls in Dalat but you can do canyoneering and abseiling on the waterfalls it will cost about 75USD if you have the budget.
The Crazy house in Dalat is pretty interesting aswell its more of an art gallery but its really interesting and you can see the plans for how they designed the house and the artist who made it all possible.
The Maze bar in Dalat is a must do for a night out you meet many other backpackers there and the maze itself is quite fun.
Mui Ne
Stayed Near: Mui Ne Beach
iHome Hostel 180,000VND (7€) a night
3 Nights
- 200km Drive from Dalat
Itinerary
Mui Ne Beach
Sunset Tour 150,000VND
- Fairy Stream 15,000VND Entry Fee
- Mui Ne Fishing Village
- White Sand Dunes
- Red Sand Dunes
Advice
Mui Ne has alot of party hostels such as Vietnam Backpackers and Mui Ne Backpackers Hill i was hoping to stay in either of these hostels but i was in Mui Ne on a Vietnam Bank Holiday so they were fully booked and i choose to stay in iHouse.
iHouse was a much better choice for what i was looking for much more of a chill social hostel than the others which are much more heavy full on party hostels which i found out from other backpackers who stayed there.
Also for anyone looking to drive to Mui Ne on a motorbike from the north make sure you take the QL28 road towards Phan Theit you'll avoid the police who love to fine travellers heavy amounts or even confiscate your bike.
Just do your research for routes and avoid driving near Mui Ne town and the Sand Dunes.
Theres either the Sunrise Tour or Sunset Tour to see both the sand dunes so you really just need 2 nights there but i stayed the 3 because really enjoyed the hostel and people i met.
Ho Chi Minh
Stayed Near: District 1
Hideout Hostel 150,000VND (6€) a night
4 Nights
- 210km Drive from Mui Ne
Advice
In Ho Chi Minh I just chilled out i didn't get up to much I spent 2 days getting my bike ready to sell and sold it on to another backpacker.
The other 2 days i just hung out with people from my hostel and checked out the markets and food courts in the city.
There is war museums and tunnels you can visit in Ho Chi Minh the tunnels was 150,000VND entry fee and the Tour to get there with a guide was 175,000VND as its 2 hours out from Ho Chi Minh City.
The war museum is only a taxi drive away and thats only 15,000VND entry fee.
Theres also a couple of cathedrals you can also check out in Ho Chi Minh.
Comments