K M Cheng-Travel Journal: March 2023

" The universe is so big. In free & easy travelling, you can't be everything everywhere all at once. You bound to win some & you lose some. That is LIFE "

One for the album - my travel buddies (my wife, Thompson Tham + wife & K F Wong) - thank you all for the wonderful time we spent together in this 20 days free & easy exciting trip (simple & no frills) to Northern Vietnam (Hanoi, SAPA, Lao Cai, Haiphong, Tam Coc) & Central Vietnam (Hue, Danang & Hoi An) ! No major hiccups in this Vietnam visit during the winter month of Feb 2023 (thanks to Vietnamese tourism, service & transport industry which are tourist-friendly & efficient) & our group was able to visit the major highlights as planned ! Another chapter of my travel to Vietnam accomplished & a happy outcome ! But I should mention that the biggest challenge was crossing the streets & main roads of major cities in Vietnam due to the sheer number of motor bikers zooming & zig zagging on the roads, day & night ! It really require some skills & courage for older folk like me to cross the streets !

My last visit to Hanoi, Halong Bay & Catba Island was in May 2007 (a lapse of 16 years) & in Jan 2014, I visited Ho Chi Minh, Hue, Danang & Hoi An - so a bit of a down the memory lane visit for me to greet & yell a Good Morning Vietnam one more time as soon as I land in Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi, accompanying by my wife & 3 travel buddies ! For sure, time really flies !

Vietnam currently has 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. To date, I had visited 5 of them. For this 20 day Vietnam trip, I had the opportunity of visiting (including re-visit) 1) Imperial Citadel of Thang Long 2) Complex of Hue Monuments 3) Hoi An Ancient Town & 4) Trang An Landscape Complex. Perhaps I should make another visit come early 2024 (if I am still fit & able) to visit My Son Sanctuary, Halong Bay (I skipped this trip), Dalat, Nha Trang & say hello to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) one more time !

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long (visited Feb 2023)
Citadel of the Ho Dynasty (yet to visit)
Complex of Hue Monuments (visited Jan 2014 & Feb 2023)
Halong Bay (visited May 2007)
Hoi An Ancient Town (visited Jan 2014 & Feb 2023)
My Son Sanctuary (yet to visit)
Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park (yet to visit)
Trang An Landscape Complex (visited Feb 2023)

DHC Marina, Danang

Mua Cave, Ninh Binh

Chua Ling Ung Temple
Ba Na Hills, Danang

Sun World Ba Na Hills Resort
Danang, Vietnam

My travel itinerary: Kuala Lumpur > Hanoi > SAPA > Lao Cai > Hanoi > Haiphong > Tam Coc > Ninh Binh > Hue > Danang > Hoi An > Danang > Kuala Lumpur (Home Sweet Home)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia >
Hanoi, Vietnam (approx 2,798km)

Hanoi > SAPA > Lao Cai >
Hanoi > Haiphong > Do Son Beach
> Haiphong > Tam Coc > Ninh Binh >
Hue > Danang > Hoi An > Danang
(approx 1,700km)

A summary of total expenses incurred (20days): Rm3,498 (US$795) per pax

Air Ticket (KL>Hanoi+Danang>KL): Rm730
Travel Insurance: Rm112
Hotel (17 nights): Rm642
Food: Rm568
Airport Bus (Hanoi): Rm10
Express Bus (SAPA, Lao Cai, Haiphong & Danang): Rm201
Taxi & Grab (Hue, Danang & Hoi An): Rm110
Cable Car (Fansipan): Rm185
Train (Lao Cai>Hanoi & Ninh Binh>Hue): Rm363
Entrance fee: Rm129
Sim Card: Rm49
Day Tour (Ninh Binh & Ba Na Hills): Rm395
Sundries: Rm4

Exchange rates: 10,000dong = Rm1.95; US$1 = Rm4.40

An update of my travel activity in February 2023 provided by Google Map ! For this February Vietnam trip, amazing to note that I had chalked up 52km (17 hours) of intermittent walking in 9 major cities / towns in Northern & Central Vietnam !

Travel Highlights (Hanoi, SAPA, Lao Cai, Haiphong, Tam Coc, Hue, Danang & Hoi An):

1) Hanoi, Vietnam

Total expenses incurred (2 nights): Rm240 (US$55) per pax

Hotel (2 nights): Rm87 (US$20, twin sharing) per pax
Airport Bus (Hanoi): 50,000dong (Rm9.75)
Food: 379,000dong (Rm74) per pax
Entrance fee: 100,000dong (Rm19.50)
Sim Card: 250,000dong (Rm49)

Temple of Literature, Hanoi

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hanoi

Presidential Palace, Hanoi

One-Pillar Pagoda, Hanoi

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Hanoi

Hanoi Night Market

Hanoi City Centre

2) SAPA, Vietnam

Total expenses incurred (3 nights): Rm558 (US$127) per pax

Hotel (3 nights): Rm147 (twin sharing) per pax
Bus (Hanoi > SAPA): Rm78
Cable car (Fansipan): 950,000 dong (Rm185)
Entrance fee (Cat Cat Village): 150,000 (Rm29.20)
Bike: 60,000dong (Rm11.70)
Taxi: 20,000dong (Rm3.90)
Food: 517,500dong (Rm101) per pax
Sundries: 10,000dong (Rm1.95)

Fansipan Legend

Trinh Pagoda, Fansipan

Stoned Church, SAPA

SAPA Town

SAPA Square

Cat Cat Village, SAPA

3) Lao Cai, Vietnam

Total expenses incurred (2 days): Rm108 (US$25) per pax

Hotel (1 night): Rm25 (twin sharing) per pax
Bus (SAPA > Lao Cai): 40,000 dong (Rm7.80)
Grab (5 rides): 85,000 dong (Rm17) per pax
Food: 298,000 dong (Rm58) per pax

Lao Cai International Border Gate

Den Mau, Lao Cai

4) Hanoi, Vietnam

Total expenses incurred (3 days): Rm328 (US$75) per pax

Hotel (2 nights): Rm92 per pax (twin sharing)
Food: 273,000 dong (Rm53)
Train (Lao Cai > Hanoi): Rm153
Taxi: Rm18 per pax
Entrance fee: 60,000dong (Rm11.70)

Phung Hung Mural Street, Hanoi

Hoa Lo Prison Historic Relic, Hanoi

West Lake, Hanoi

Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hanoi

Ngoc Son Temple, Hanoi

Beer Street, Hanoi

5) Haiphong, Vietnam

Total expenses incurred (3 days): Rm171 per pax

Hotel (2 nights):Rm78 per pax (twin sharing)
Bus (Hanoi>Haiphong): 11,000 dong (Rm21)
Food: 240,000dong (Rm46.80)
Taxi: 40,000 dong (Rm7.80) per pax
Bus: 90,000 dong (Rm17.50)

General Le Chan Statute
Haiphong, Vietnam

Le Chan Temple, Haiphong, Vietnam

6) Tam Coc, Vietnam

Total expenses incurred (3 days): Rm381 (US$87) per pax

Hotel (2 nights): Rm62 per pax (twin sharing)
Bus (Haiphong > Tam Coc): 300,000 dong (Rm58)
Package tour (Ninh Binh): 990,000dong (Rm193)
Food: 318,000 dong (Rm62) per pax
Taxi (4 seater): 30,000 (Rm6) per pax

Tam Coc Boat Ride
Tam Coc-Bich Dong-Ninh Binh

Bai Dinh Pagoda
Tam Coc

Lying Dragon Top
Mua Cave, Tam Coc

7) Hue, Vietnam

Total expenses incurred (3 days 2 nights): Rm429 (US$98) per pax

Train ticket (Ninh Binh > Hue): Rm210
Hotels (2 nights): Rm70
Grab car (4 seater): 500,000dong@125,000 (Rm24) per pax
Entrance fees: 150,000dong (Mausoleum of Emperor Khai Dinh) + 200,000dong (Hue Imperial City = 350,000dong (Rm68.25)
Food: 294,000dong (Rm57) per pax

Imperial Citadel, Hue,Vietnam

Royal Antiquities Museum, Hue

Emperor Khai Dinh Tomb, Hue
Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue

8) Danang, Vietnam

Total costs incurred (4 days 3 nights): Rm478 (US$108) per pax

Hotel (3 nights): Rm80.60 per pax
Bus (Hue > Danang): 170,000dong = Rm33.15 per pax
Grab Car 4 Seater (Danang > Hoi An > Danang): Rm39 per pax
Grab Car 7 Seater (Hotel > Danang Airport): Rm4 per pax
Day Tour Package (Ba Na Hills): 1,038,000dong =Rm202
Food: 598,000dong = R117 per pax
Sundries: Rm2 per pax

Golden Bridge, Ba Na Hills
Danang, Vietnam

Sun World French Village
Ba Na Hills, Danang

Dragon Bridge, Danang

9) Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An Old Town, Vietnam

Day 1 Sunday Feb 5 2023 - after approx 3.5hrs of flight from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) > Hanoi (Vietnam) & a late afternoon hotel check in, our group made use of the evening & visited Hanoi Night Market & the Old Quarter area before retiring for bed ! A great start & I believe the best is yet come as our group has 19 more days to explore in Northern & Central Vietnam ! After Hanoi, our group's next destination is SAPA (3 nights) & Lao Cai (1 night) before returning to Hanoi to extend our stay for 2 more nights.

Travel itinerary: Kuala Lumpur (by air) > Hanoi, Vietnam (2,803km).

Total expenses incurred (2 nights): Rm240 (US$55) per pax
Hotel (2 nights): Rm87 (US$20, twin sharing) per pax
Airport Bus: 50,000dong (Rm9.75)
Food: 379,000dong (Rm74) per pax
Entrance fee: 100,000dong (Rm19.50)
Sim Card: 250,000dong (Rm49)

1) Arriving in KLIA2 Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 & boarding Air Asia flight departing 12.05 from KLIA > Hanoi, Vietnam (arriving 14.20).

2) Arriving in Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi & boarding an airport bus to Old Quarter, Hanoi; my 1st glimpse of Hanoi after a lapse of 16 years (my last visit to Hanoi was in May 2007 !) as the bus headed towards the city. Welcome back, KM & my wife too, a newbie !

3) My 2 nights accommodation in Hotel Bel Ami, 244 Hang Bong, Hoen Kiem, Hanoi; room tariff Rm87 (US$20) per night (twin sharing); upon our return from SAPA & Lao Cai, our group stayed for 2 more nights in Little Diamond Hotel which is closer to Hanoi Old Quarter area !

4) Dinner in a local duck meat noodle shop near our hotel; ordered a plate of duck meat, bamboo shoot soup & rice vermicelli totalled 320,000 dong (Rm62)

5) As our 1st day arrival in Hanoi was over a Sunday weekend, our group made an explorable visit to a Night Market, Old Quarter & Hoan Kiem Lake area to get a feel of the market place & also each of us bought a local Sim card (250,000dong = Rm49) to make local calls & have access to our WhatsApp messages, communicating with my travel buddies etc during the duration of our 20 days stay in Vietnam !