Winter break from teaching in Korea, decided to solo tackle Northern Vietnam in a quick little sprint. Pictures at the end.

Dates: 12/30/17 - 1/7/18

Bag: Used an older NorthFace Hotshot (26L version), worked fine for 8 days, I usually had everything on my back except for SaPa where I had a single and left most the clothes there while I trekked the rice paddies.

Departure: Vietnam Airlines VN417 Seoul-Incheon International -- Hanoi Noi Bai

Flight was great, would really recommend Vietnam Airlines. Prices were a little high but I was using credit card miles to subsidize the trip so the price was negligible.

Hanoi: Used the 86 bus from the airport to Hanoi Old Quarter that took about 30 minutes to my stop. Cost was 30,000VND ($1.50), while an Uber, motorbike, or taxi would be faster this seemed to be the cheapest and was not uncomfortable or incredibly slow. Bus attendant spoke okay English and with maps.me I was able to locate the closest stop to my hostel.

Accommodation #1: Vietnam Backpackers Hanoi - Downtown

This hostel is pretty modern (fob keys) and pretty accessible on the north side of the Old Quarter, though it seems to have a split reputation online. It really pushes the drinking/partying aspect which was nice for New Years but I understand where some of the negative reviews come in. The staff is very friendly either way, the food is a little pricey looking at the menu, but they also offer great opportunities to meet other travelers. Also a free half keg twice a day. The free walking tour wasn't anything special but it's capped off with a great egg coffee by the lake (not included, 20kVND). My favorite Bun Cha restaurant was right around the corner from here, exit right and take your first left. It has a big removable red sign on the left, but closes early, around 5pm.

Hanoi was mostly a party/food situation for me, so theres not a lot to touch on. Beer Street is fun late at night, otherwise I just jumped around to different food/beer options with some New Zealanders and South Africans.

The hostel helped me book a night train ticket to Lao Cai. I really like this option or a night bus so you don't waste daytime travelling. The night train ticket was 400,000VND with a 100k service charge, on the way back I just booked it by myself. From Lo Cai you have a ton of options to get to SaPa, I got a van that dropped me off downtown for 40,000 from Lao Cai. They all look very similar and I think 30,000-60,000 is typical.

Accommodation #2: SaPa Backpackers Hostel

Would really stay away from this one in the future. They only have singles and they are kind of pricey. I paid $15 for one night, but I wanted a single anyways and was in a perceived time crunch to get hiking and didn't want to wait to check in anywhere else. I got there early enough that I was able to sneak breakfast without having a room key yet as well. They have you take off your shoes at the door (assuming because they're usually muddy) but then don't have large enough slippers for most foreigners so I would go barefoot to my room. The stairs aren't inside the building and get wet so its treacherous and miserable to go up the stairs. Karaoke is on Tuesday nights from 9-11pm, and it is very, very loud.

For trekking the first day, I just walked to Fansipan cable cars. It was only a mile, and a great way to see the town. The fog was incredibly thick the first day and so I was skeptical to go up top but paid the cable car fee (700,000VND, and funicular up was +70000VND). I got lucky that the clouds cleared about 5/6ths of the way up, giving a view of a carpet of clouds with islands of mountaintops peaking through. Probably one of my favorite views I've ever seen. I spent about 2 hours just wondering around the top and taking pictures. The funicular up fee is the way to do it, so you don't have to climb up the 600 stairs from bottom to top. Going down is way easier.

After the ride down the cable cars, I got a bike back to town for 25,000VND. From there I just kept walking down to Cat Cat village. Here I messed up and paid for "ticket" to go into the village. It's a scam you don't need to pay for. I noticed on the way back up there was a sign that said not to pay for any services in the park, with a large van conveniently parked in front of it. The Cat Cat village was mostly a tourist trap but I did enjoy the waterfall at the bottom. I was pretty jaded so walked back up instead of a bike which I felt in my quads.

On top I started looking for a trekking option for the next day. I settled on Sapa Sisters, a venture started and operated by local Hmong women that is for a great cause. Check out their website for more details: http://ift.tt/2Ekqfdf . It's pricier than other options but I got private trek to 3 Hmong villages with a friendly woman who never got tired of my questions about the local life and her opinions. Lunch was included as well as transportation back to SaPa.

Nightlife in SaPa was lackluster as expected. I stopped by three bars at the end of the day, Nature (warm fireplace), Wooden (fun owners with great music), and Hmong Sisters which was pricier but would've been the most fun I think with a group. Sapa Sisters recommended me to the Little Sapa restaurant for some food and it was really good, it's on the main drag but modest enough I wouldn't find it without looking for it.

Getting back to Hanoi was pretty straightforward, walk into any hostel and book a van to Lao Cai, then at the Lao Cai train station book a night train ticket. Again, I think the bus was cheaper but I knew I could sleep on the train and I needed to be on the west side of the Old Quarter for my next hostel anyways.

Accommodation #3: Vietnam Backpackers Hanoi - Original

I got into the hostel around 630am, and the staff was still very accommodating. I grabbed some breakfast (not included) and dropped off my muddy clothes for laundry. The vibe here was much different and relaxed than the Downtown, large couches rather than benches and tables.

Hanoi round 2 I decided to check out Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton). I thought it would be really interesting but was overall disappointed. The Vietnamese/French side is heavily stressed (not surprising) but the American/Vietnamese period is sugar coated to put it lightly. They stress that the Hanoi Hilton moniker was non-ironic but because how well the prisoners were treated. For $2, it was an interesting experience, albeit very quick (1 hr is a long time in the confined area).

Accommodation #4: Halong Bay - Golden Bay Party Cruise (2D1N package)

Another accommodation I can't recommend. I paid $95 before the trip began for the package which is on the low-end of acceptable according the little research I did. If you wait until you're in Hanoi you will be able to find better deals I'm sure, but I "needed" mine booked earlier as it was a gift for Christmas. There wasn't Tai Chi, or squid fishing as mentioned on the website or on the bus ride to Halong. The food was so-so at best, the staff were curt with guests, and the weather was dreary which didn't help. The thing that I can say is that the people were incredible. We had a great time partying at night and were all very friendly for the kayaking excursions/relaxing periods. I would try and make it 2Nights with a different company if I could do it over.

Return Flight: Vietnam Airlines VN416 Hanoi Noi Bai -- Seoul-Incheon International

Flight was great again. Took the 86 bus back to the airport, got off at the wrong terminal (1 is domestic only), but security and cleanliness was fine. Two Tigers cafe wifi password is "twotigersvietnam" and is much better than the default free wifi in the airport. I was asked several times to move to a different gate with a London flight because they thought I was lost going to Korea which I found funny.

Pictures Album

• View from Fansipan
• Fansipan
• Street view in Hanoi
• Pho 10, best pho I had on the trip, seemed like a single person could be seated most times
• Hanoi Hilton Prison
• Halong Bay
• Halong Bay ship I spent the night on