The Divanun Guide is a one pager of everything to eat, see, and do in Vietnam

Historical

Hanoi
- Temple of Literature- hosts the first national university built in 1070
- Tran Quoc Pagoda- The oldest buddhist temple in Hanoi
- Old Quarter- a historic district
Phong Nha
- Caves- Phong Nha Cave and Paradise are the ones I explored but there are others here
Ninh Binh
- Hoa Lu- the ancient capital of Vietnam
- BIch Dong Pagoda
Hoi An
- My Son- ancient temple complex

Cultural

Hanoi
- Weekends in the Old Quarter- a great place to see how locals spend their time
Phong Nha
- Duck Stop- a duck farm where you can feeds ducks and make wishes.
Hoi An
- Museums- this city has tons of museums about history, art, and culture

Food

Hanoi
- Bun Cha Ta Hanoi- bun cha is a dish comprised of grilled pork and noodles that is dipped in a soup with aromatic herbs
- PIzaza 4P’s- amazing japanese pizza joint.
- Pho Cuon Huong Mai- get the pho noodle wraps and other dishes using the pho rice noodles
- Foodshop 45- a delicious Indian spot
- Pasteur Street Brewing Company- amazing Vietnamese brewery make sure you try their passion fruit beer- its divine
- The Hill Station- great cocktails made from Vietnamese rice liquor
Phong Nha
- D-Arts Zone- had some amazing bun cha here
Hoi An
- Madam Khanh The Bahn Mi Queen- the best Bahn Mi i had in Vietnam/ my entire life
- Dong Au Restaurant Hoi An- really great noodle dishes
- Lantern Town Restaurant- amazing dishes cooked in clay pots. I had this eggplant and beef dish that was phenomenal
- Central Market- tons of little food stalls. Make sure you try the white rose dumplings
- Boulevard Gelato & Coffee- really good place for an icy treat in the heat

Miscellaneous

Hanoi
- Accomodation: Vietnam Backpackers Old Quarter- really easy place to meet people and its near all of the travel agencies for when you want to plan your trip.
Phong Nha
- Accomodation:
  - Gecko Hostel & Bar is where I stayed very clean and nice
  - Easy Tiger Hostel- this place was highly recommended and I would have stayed here if I was in town any longer
Hoi An
- Accomodation: Tribee Kinh Hostel- one of the best hostels I stayed at in all of SE Asia. The people were super friendly, they always have events, and they genuinely created a warm atmosphere
- Tailoring
  - Bao Khanh Silk- this place is mid range price wise, however they have great quality and a really fast turn around. I would show them pictures of what I wanted and they would come out great. When it comes to alterations they really know their stuff.
  - Happy Day- this place is where you go for leather goods. I got a cute bag made and some shoes. My only advice is to ask them to stitch the soles instead of gluing them.
- Really great night market across the bridge.

My transition from Laos to Vietnam was marked by noise. It was faint at first but after an hour the soundtrack of the Vietnamese highway was reaching its crescendo. The beat which kept the tempo was the car horn. Whereas Laos was quiet, sleepy, idyllic; Vietnam was loud and brash even in the smallest villages that we drove through on our 24hr journey to Hanoi. Thankfully the journey was nowhere near as bad as the blogs I read titled “The bus ride to hell.” The only tense point being the crossing of the actual border at 6:30am in a dense fog. We were I dropped off in Hanoi at the southern bus station. Bonded by our journey we banded together so we wouldn’t get ripped off by the taxis circling around us like vultures. They tried to charge us double the price to head into the center of town but I haggled down so we only got ripped off by 25% instead of 100%.

I was only in Hanoi for 2 days before I headed south. My first stop was Ninh Binh Province, I was going on a tour organized by Vietnam Backpackers to save myself time and hassle since I had a tight two week window before I needed to be back in Hanoi. We arrived at the ancient capital of Vietnam- Hoa Lu to see some of the old monuments to the Le Dynasty. Hoa Lu was chosen because of the large limestone mountains that provided a natural barrier to everything except mountain goats. The temples that were rebuilt are in honor of emperors Đinh Tiên Hoàng and Lê Đại Hành, their sons, and Queen Dương Vân Nga.

I really appreciated all the detail they put into these temples. From the beautiful carved animals to the pillars and buddhist shrines. The tour took about two hours before we headed back in the van so we could see the Halong Bay of the Land- Tam Coc.

Halong Bay is famous internationally for its dramatic limestone mountains. Just as beautiful lies an area south of Hanoi called Tam Coc. A river winds between tall limestone mountains and rice paddies. The first thing I noticed when we got out of the van was the boats lined haphazardly against the dock. The second thing was the mountains green and sharp against the skyline. We were paired with a rower and a life jacket before climbing into the boats. The trip was smooth and languorous which was surprising given the boats are rowed by their feet which eases the strain on their back.

The boat goes along the Ngo Dong river and is 3km long. When I was looking up at those mountains I felt humbled by nature. The trip takes you through three caves that have been created by the convergence of limestone and water. One of the caves had a ceiling so low I could reach up and touch it, the stone cold to my hands. I asked our guide when the best time to come is and he said right before the rice is harvested, because then the banks of the river are a sea of gold and green. Unfortunately the rice is harvested twice a year once during the blistering hot season and then once again in the rainy season- so I’ll never get to see it in all its glory.

We ended our tour with a bike ride to see the mountains up close and see some burial grounds. Large bulls lay on the side of the road absorbing the setting sun as we biked along these dirt roads. When our tour concluded everyone got back on the bus and returned to Hanoi, I however stayed behind to continue south.

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