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Post "To Vietnam, until we meet again!" by "justchikna" with body:
It had probably been just about a month since I came back from Thailand, and somehow I was already missing travelling. It was my first international trip after all, and boy, didn't it make me want another one almost immediately. I kept looking around for destinations, watching random reels, randomly checking flight prices when I had absolutely no business doing so, and somehow Vietnam kept popping up in my head.
But maybe this time, I thought solo wasn't the way to go. Let me ask the boys once and see. I expected delays to confirm an answer, but these lads actually said yes, and I still don't know how that happened, but in a few days, we all were planning for a 2026 trip... in 2025.
Flights were done early, itineraries mapped felt were too much to cover sometimes or way too less, using Klook for almost everything we possibly could, discussing budgets, and just like that, months left and hours started ticking. Not to forget the departure day traffic adding to the tension, a tiny fear sitting in the back of my head that we'd actually miss our flight after planning it for almost a year. Somehow, we made it. Claps?
Hanoi was definitely the perfect place to begin. The Old Quarter had its own charm, and I loved how the mornings there started with the markets opening up and the streets slowly getting busier. It was fun just walking around with people everywhere, and cafes tucked into almost every corner was the best part, I had no trouble of getting food.
Somewhere during the first day itself, I unknowingly gave myself a mission to try every coffee I could find. Egg coffee? Done. Coconut coffee? Done. Salt coffee? Done. Normal Vietnamese coffee? Obviously. Every café looked like it had something different, and I wasn't going to let my stomach complain before I tried it.
Talking about stomach, if you're wondering why there are zero food photos, maybe I galloped it down before my camera could click it. So yes, you'll have to trust my word when I say the food was absolutely worth it.
Hạ Long Bay was one of those places that somehow looked exactly like the wallpapers you see online. Ninh Bình was another surprise altogether, but the scorching sun definitely drained every bit of hydration from our bodies. The views were absolutely worth it though, would have loved it for a few extra hours if only we had enough bottles of water.
In no time I was on my flight to Da Nang. Oh yes, the beach! I had awkwardly a not-so-beach-wear on so I wouldn't be the right person to tell you about the beach experience, but wow... Da Nang, you made me fall in love.
Everything about this city felt calming. I loved just exploring the streets, walking around with nowhere specific to be. Then there was the Korean Street, where I found a Reply 1988-themed cafe. I was genuinely excited and kept telling the three tagging along about it, while they had absolutely no clue why I was making such a big deal out of it. Their loss, honestly.
The Airbnb we stayed at had a cafe downstairs, which introduced me to something I still think about randomly, egg cocoa. I genuinely wasn't expecting much when I ordered it, but one sip later I was wondering why nobody back home makes this. It's been more than a month now, and I still haven't found anything close to it.
Ba Na Hills is where I genuinely felt like a kid again. Cable cars, little attractions everywhere, games, rides, the Alpine Coaster, random corners to explore, but I felt the friends enjoyed extra thanks to the free beer coupons from my side too. We went early and stayed too late ig, since we were on the last stretch of cable cars. We walked far more than we realised, but I don't think a single one of us complained, nor did our tired legs.
Due to the change in the iterinary after we booked flight tickets, we had to fly back to Hanoi and then explore Sa Pa. I'd say the weather wasn't exactly on our side, drenched in rain is a memory I'll recount every single time. I sneezed my way back to the room afterwards though, so my suggestion is to not purchase those 80,000 VND raincoats because mine decided to split apart almost the moment I wore it.
It's been roughly a month and a half since we (I) came back, and as I'm writing this, I'm wearing the Argentina jersey I bought from a kind woman at Han Market. My wallet definitely has a few extra holes in it now, but I feel so happy about it. I joke around going "few more days to go, packed yet?" to my friends and I could see that smile coming back and then going "wasn't it an experience?" I guess that's how you know a trip was worth every penny.
We left out Phú Quốc and Hồ Chí Minh City from our plans, partly because ten days disappear much faster than you think, and partly because we knew we couldn't fit everything in. We know it is the perfect excuse to come back to this place, and hopefully, soon.
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