If you have always wanted to travel and see places at your own leisurely pace, you can do so. To get started, here are some tips to go about it. For instance, in the recent CNY break, we covered Vietnam (Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Long Bay & China (Yuanyang). The whole trip was 8 days.
Here's how you can plan the same trip or any trip you like.
With AirAsia, you can take advantage of the regular promos & plan ahead for your holidays.
1. Book your airlines ticket
We chose Hanoi as the entry point into Southeast China. The destinations we selected included Hanoi, Sapa & Yuanyang in Yunnan province.
To visit China, you need a visa but not for Vietnam. After selecting your destinations, do some research on them so that you have an idea of the places you are about to visit.
2. Book your hotel & getting there
The next thing you do is book your hotel. You can visit Hostelbooker.com or
Bookings.com to check the rates, the location, read the reviews, etc.
Once you are comfortable, you can book online. Always choose a centralised location that will give you easy access to the places you want to visit or close enough to the transportation hubs like train or bus stations.
We booked the Hanoi Lakeside hotel (email :- hanoilakesidehotel@gmail.com). Once when we booked online, we also requested the hotel to secure our train tickets to Lao Cai, which is the last stop next to the Chinese border at Hekou.
They also arranged for airport pickup and took us to the train station where we got our train tickets for the night journey to Lao Cai.
The train journey to Lao Cai was about 9 hours & for your comfort, book a soft bedder.
Once we reached Lao Cai at 6am we went straight to the immigration which opened at 8am. From there, we crossed over to Hekou.
At Hekou, we walked to the bus station and took the bus to Nansha and from Nansha to Yuanyang. The whole journey took about 6 hours.
3. Arrival in Yuanyang
We checked in at Yuan Ti Hotel for 260 yuan per night.
Yuanyang is known for its 1,500 year old rice terraces which are naturally carved into the sides of the mountain slopes. The water that irrigates the fields comes from the mountains and the views are breathtaking especially during sunrise & sunset.
To enjoy and experience them, be at Laipenshuay by 7am for sunrise and at Laohukuo at 7.20pm for the sunset. They are at 2 different locations and you can charter a 3 wheeler scooter to get there that for 100 yuan per trip.
We spent 2 nights in Yuanyang & took the minibus to Laomen to catch the local festival on the third morning. There were many different tribes in Yuanyang and the dominant ones were the Hani & Yii tribes.
From Yuanyang, we took a bus down to Nansha and from Nansha to Hekou.
From Hekou, we crossed back into Vietnam at Lao Cai and spent the night at Terminus Hotel which is across the road to the Lao Cai train station.
The hotel cost USD10 per night.
4. Day trip to Sapa
The next morning we took the bus from Lao Cai to Sapa, a hill resort that's colourful & charming. The journey up took about an hour and cost 40,000 dong per person per trip. The attractions in Sapa are trekking and at market place and you can see the Hmong tribes in their colorful tribal gear. The architecture carried French influence and it was cold with temperature at between 5-10 degree C. There was a lovely garden in Sapa with a variety of orchids and a range of flowers from the European garden to the Four Seasons garden and the cherry blossoms were blooming everywhere.
From Sapa we travelled back to Lao Cai and caught the 6.45pm train to Hanoi. We arrived in Hanoi at 5am the next day.
5. Back in Hanoi
The day in Hanoi was relaxed and we explored the many streets with their own specialties. For instance, there was this street that sold jackets. The next sold handicrafts, shoes, silk, bags, etc.
Since this was still within the CNY period, most of the shops were closed.
Local street food stalls cluttered the high traffic juncrions.
Grilled hotplate, Pho and other delicacies were found at these points. The more crowded, the more popular they were.
6. From Hanoi to Ha Long bay
It took about 3.5 hours by bus. We paid USD57 per person for a 2-day & 1 night trip. Upon arrival at Ha Long city, we were transferred to a 'Junk' with accommodation. The room came with an attached bathroom and was clean & cosy.
Lunch was served as we made our way across the bay. The sun came out and with the limestone formations as the backdrop, it was really breathtaking. No wonder UNESCO awarded Ha Long Bay the World's Heritage Site in 1994. The first stop was at the huge limestone cave famous for its stalagmites & stalactites. When you observed closely, some of these formations produced recognizable shapes like a monkey's head, a monk, a couple in embrace and much more.
After the cave tour, some took to kayaking while others just relaxed on board.
Dinner was served on board and included in the package. Beverages were charged separately.
There were about 33 boats anchored around the bay and their lights danced and shimmered in the night like a floating village against the limestone backdrop.
After breakfast, we headed back to the harbour and had lunch there before heading back to Hanoi.
7. Back to Hanoi
Some of the shops at Dong Xuan market were opened and you could get local handicrafts at wholesale prizes.
The other shops along the streets also offered a variety of local fare of clothings, shoes, lanterns, silkwear, ceramics and bags.
Try their fried rice or noodles with beef & salted vetables at the street corner and they cost 40,000 dong each.
8. Total Budget for 2 = USD1750
Points to note
When you travel during the CNY period esp to places that celebrate CNY, be prepared to experience some disruption to transport schedules and in certain cases, a mark up in prices. Other than that, it's always good to plan ahead and secure both hotels & transportation tickets if you plan to move around. If you are the type who makes last minute decision, then be prepared to queue or wait in line for your bus or train tickets. It is fine if have the luxury of time but if you don't, it's more advisable to book in advance.
If you plan to get Vietnamese coffee. get Trung Nyuyen. Don't try to clear your dong at the airport on this famous brand as it will cost you almost twice as much compared to downtown Hanoi.
Local food
Try the local pho (Vietnamese noodles), the grilled beef, the papaya salad & the Vietnamese coffee. Try eating at the corner street stalls and do what the locals do.
There are also many cafes and bakeries along the streets but with the chilling weather in February, any food that's hot like steam boat is more welcoming.
Local annoyances
You meet some nice and some not so nice people everywhere you go. For instance, be wary of not being charged the tourist price when you eat at the local street stalls. Before you order your food, ask for the price and buy anything, always remember to bargain.
The incessant honking can be quite a nuisance but I guess that's the local driving behaviour
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