TRA QUE VEGETABLE VILLAGE, HOI AN

Hoi An will charm you at the first look but as you spend some time in the city wandering the little alleyways of the ancient town admiring the rustic architecture it can make you forget that there’s a lot more to Hoi An than this. The best way to explore this Vietnamese gem is by a bicycle. Just paddle through the fields that surround the old town and within a couple of kilometers of it you will reach Tra Que Vegetable Village. This village is a complete contrast to what you will experience in the main town area, 150 odd farmers with 400 homeowners, this farm produces vegetables through the algae found in the nearby lagoon without any use of pesticides. This village produces around 8 tons of vegetables every year. Park your bicycle anywhere and just walk around the fields growing all kinds of vegetables and watch farmers going about their day. The sunset time is the best hour to go here, as the weather is a bit cooler and after you’re done walking around the village, you can have one of the best barbecue meats whether its chicken/lamb/pork at Kumquat Restaurant, which is setup in one of the fields. The whole picture of the farmers working in the field, with sunset in the background, beautifully cooked Pork Rib and a beer in hand just fills your heart up and makes you wish that this moment doesn’t end.

DEAR CATHERINE BAR, HANOI

Hanoi can be quite an overwhelming city with everything happening in front of you, street hawkers selling all kinds of food to shop owners selling everything from clothes to cooking utensils to jewelry shops, Scooters coming in from all directions, pedestrians walking by at a pace which is hard to match, few people just sitting at the roadside smoking tobacco from the local bong and the nightlife matches the same feeling when you go to the Bia Hoi Corner, cheap beers coming from every directions, hot pots set up everywhere and among this lies this charming hidden bar well not exactly among this, you have to travel 20 mins away from the center to get a taste of cocktails at Dear Catherine, with no mention of the location on Google, you have to contact them through their Instagram page and get an approximate location, call them after reaching there and one of their staff will come and get you, set-up in a normal looking house, with living room converted into a bar station and every room has a different decor this bar is one of the best experiences you will have in Hanoi or all of Vietnam. Take your partner for a date night in the quietest corner of one of the most chaotic cities in the world.

BUN CHA DAC KIM AT HANG MANH, HANOI

Ho Chi Minh is known as the origin of Pho, Hoi An is known for Banh Mi and Hanoi is known for Bun Cha. It is found in every corner of the city, and you will be spoilt for options as to how many you can try in a short amount of time. If not the best in the city then arguably the best is found at Bun Cha Dac Kim Hang Manh, with a modest setting of plastic stools and table, it is possible you will have to wait a little while to get a seat but the wait time isnt long as people come there for one thing and one thing only get their bowl of Bun Cha and eat it without wasting any time. There are multiple shops of the same owner at one corner so you can eat anywhere you can find a space. A bowl of fish sauce, onion and garlic with pieces of grilled pork served with noodles and herbs on the side. This meal will set you back just USD 3-4 or Rs. 300 but will fill you up for the next 5-6 hours, easy. The standout part about the place which is common for many places in Vietnam is there is no make-up done on the place, you’re eating probably the best food in the world on plastic table and chair set-up on a pedestrian path with cars and scooters passing you on by 5-6 ft away from you.

14 TON THAT DAM CAFE APARTMENT, HO CHI MINH

Ho Chi Minh is bigger than Hanoi with high rises everywhere, but the chaos is similar. The Vietnamese know how to make use of space in the most efficient manner and that’s how the concept of cafe apartments came into being. Seemingly a normal apartment building from the outside, you may think these are homes but step into one of them and you’ll quickly realize that this is a world in its own with cafes and bars spread on all levels. That being said there are also normal folks living there with families. One such apartment building is the 14 Ton That Dam, it is quite possible you may miss the entry as it is such a modest and eerie one but step on to the stairs and as you reach the first level, you see all the cafe’s lined up with one another sharing walls. Whisfee Cafe for coffee and Snuffbox speakeasy Bar are the best you will find there.

THE LUNCH LADY, HO CHI MINH

A place as famous as Ho Chi Minh after the Anthony Bourdain’s visit is on most days filled with more locals than tourists. It is setup in a local neighborhood and following the Vietnamese trend of open-air dining with plastic table and chairs, the lady Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh famously known as the Lunch Lady has been serving different kind of noodle soups on different days from this food stall since 1995. As you order and tell her what all condiments you need, take a seat at the table and look around to see what’s so special about this place, as she brings the bowl of soup at your seat, you take that first bite, and you know exactly why this place is as famous as it is. It is one of those meals where you can’t wait to have the next bite. The food is served only till the stock lasts so it’s better you reach there early to have a better chance of getting your bowl of soup.

BAI DINH PAGODA, NINH BINH

Sitting in an open area and just watching the time go by as you admire the rice fields and lake of Ninh Binh is the best thing one can do here. Bai Dinh Pagoda is the only thing that should put a spring in your step skipping on a lazy morning. This monastery spread over an area of 5 Kilometers is one of the biggest monasteries in the world, has 4 temples and many gardens. It aptly encapsulates what Ninh Binh is all about, slow, peaceful, green and a lake surrounding it. The large Buddha statue in the main temple is as massive as a statue can be. An experience for a real culture vulture, if you must do just 1 thing in Ninh Binh, this must be it.

CAVES OF PHONG NHA

Vietnam is the land of all variety of caves and none more than Phong Nha. Phong Nha Ke Be National Park is known for Son Doong Cave which is the largest cave in the world but to experience that one has to spend a lot, i mean a lot of money and dedicate a whole trip for it. One doesn’t always have that but that shouldn’t stop you from visiting this must visit place of Vietnam, Paradise Cave, Phong Nha Cave and Dark Cave will offer you a similar experience if not the same. Paradise Cave is one of the most magnificent sights you will see with massive limestone rocks spread over 32 km but only 1 km of it is accessible to the public. The idea of a cave has always been one of those small holes through which one has to drag themselves, but the sheer size and scale of the cave will take you by surprise when you realize a whole city can be fit into it or a whole plan can fly through it. Along with this there’s a Dark Cave, a relatively small one but you not as touristy as paradise, there is absolutely no light and so you will be given a torch for the whole tour, take zip line to reach the entry of the cave, walk through a river to reach a mud lagoon where you can indulge in your own mud spa. Phong Nha is not for everyone, but it is for people who are looking to go a little offbeat to see these natural phenomena.

HAI VAN PASS

Travelling from Hue to Hoi An through the Hai Van Pass is one if the best coastal drives in Vietnam. This 130 km drive will take you through Lap An Lagoon and Lang Co Bay. But the best part about the drive is a 20 km stretch when you have ocean blue waters on one side and the lush green hills on the other. There are plenty of ways you can do it, opt to take an electric bike from either Hue to Hoi An or vice versa, take an open jeep with a driver (the most fun one), or take a private car. A Road trip in another country always has a special place and when it is one like this, it is a definite must do.

SAPA

Imagine yourself in a well-furnished homestay living with Vietnamese locals, eating with them, going on village walks on rice terrace fields, clouds surrounding you, a bit chilly weather, that’s what essentially Sapa is, a slow hill station vibe. But the best thing one can do here is basically nothing at all, just sit on the balcony from your homestay, sip endless amounts of Vietnamese coffee and admire the gloomy weather. Don’t give-in to the pressure of exploring the Cat-Cat village or other touristy things here. Go for short hikes nearby, live Sapa very slowly.