Sapa is a small town way up in the mountains of northwestern Vietnam. It is a popular spot on the tourist trail for its trekking, homestays, cool weather, and beautiful vistas. Even though I had heard good things about Sapa, I had a hard time deciding if I would go there, or instead to a town called Mai Chau which is not as touristy. In the end, I decided to follow some of my travel buddies to up to Sapa on an overnight bus from Hanoi.
In Vietnamese, “halong” means “descending dragon.” Legend has it that Halong Bay was formed thousands of years ago by dragons who came down from the heavens to protect local inhabitants from invaders. The Dragon Mother and her children spat giant emeralds into the sea battlefield, which created a defensive barricade against the invaders. The emeralds eventually turned into the islands and islets that majestically dot the ocean landscape off the northern Vietnam coast.
Lovely Hanoi
Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city, became my jumping off point for different areas of northern Vietnam. I stayed there a total of four nights in three different hostels. It was my hub for Halong Bay, Sapa, and back through to fly to Da Nang.
After Hoi An, and en route up to Hanoi, we decided to stop at Phong Nha Ke-Bang National Park (frequently shortened to just Phong Nha). We heard about Phong Nha’s caves from other travelers and thought it sounded worth checking out. We are so glad we went.
Continue reading “Incredible Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park”
Da Lat is a MUST DO in Vietnam. There are so many awesome things about this city…
This post is going to sound like a straight advertisement for Singapore’s Changi Airport. It can’t be helped because this airport is the best one I have ever been in and I actually found myself wishing that my 5-hour layover between Bali and Vietnam was LONGER.
Bedbug bites are torture.
The World Is My Boyfriend 