Vietnam , always potrayed with wars, is a beautiful country with such warm people I was glad we chose to spend our time there and its one of my favourite destinations and vacations we went.
When Vietnam is considered for destination Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi are highlighted as possible places to visit. It would be great if you can visit both but if there is less time I would choose Hanoi.
We spent 3 full days in Hanoi travelling the additional days leading to 5 days of total days.
Visa:
For Indian nationals its visa on arrival. We have to register online and once approval comes take the print when arrived with a set of photos.
Stay:
There are many hotels/ service apartments available in Hanoi city. We stayed at Atlanta Residences service apartments with kitchen. The location and the apartment was very good with full kitchen ware and a mart within the apartments and lots of nearby supermarkets and vegetable vendors for fresh local foods.
Our Itinerary
Ha Long Bay
A trip to Hanoi is unfulfilled without visiting Ha Long Bay. The beautiful scenery brings you close to the nature and it does look like Pandora straight from Avatar. The best way to visit Ha Long Bay is to take a cruise . There are a lot of cruise options available and the best thing all cater to food restrictions. I had the best Vietnamese veg food in the cruise.
https://www.dragonlegendcruise.com/2-day-1-night-cruise/ this is the cruise junket we went. There are lots of tour companies offering junk boat cruises.
Hanoi City Visit
Im a huge fan of google maps and use it extensively to travel around in a new location. We try to walk around more or take public transport than take cab/taxi. Renting a Bike / Car is another option to get by. I usually find all the places I want to visit and check the distance from our residence and find the shortest path to cover all the attractions.
Some places like the Thang Long Imperial Citadel , Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and One pillar Pagoda can be covered by walk. The whole below plan we completed in one day with lounging around the Haon Kiem Lake where Turtle tower is.
Bai Dinh Pagoda and Trang an Boat Ride
We took a day tour to Bai Dinh Pagoda and Trang an for the Boat ride. It was a great decision. From great architecture to scenic beauty brought a great end to our trip. My son enjoyed the boat ride more than everyone. The Boat ride last for long time through mountains , inside caves was a great experience.
Travel In Pod 