Thinh Pham

Tag: travel guide

  • Hon Son Island Travel Guide

    Hon Son Island Travel Guide

    Tons of amazing things to see and do on this tropical paradise and this Hon Son island travel guide dare get you through the jungle of spectacular spots! 

    Why Hon Son island, Vietnam?

    At the first sight, I was knocked down by its dramatically majestic beauty: pristine beach lined with coconuts, well, there’s indeed a forest of coconuts on the island.

    Disembarking from the express ferry of the Superdong operator, I was spontaneously feeling the dynamic life of the island while walking on the bridge toward the crowded central residence.

    The islanders and tourists moving fast back and forth the backbone of the boat dock. Not so far, the platoon of colorful fishing boats anchored a couple hundred of meters offshore, floating up and down, or moving around the turquoise water. Another adventure awaits!

    Coastal Road on Hon Son island, Vietnam

    The first thing I would like to do on an island is to ride around. Whatever it was Con Dao or Phu Quy isle (but the larger ones like Phu Quoc or Cat Ba may require a whole one or two days, it’s still worth it after all).

    The short journeys around give me the best sense of the island, whether this destination is pristine or overcrowded, how its seaside scenery looks like.

    So a small island like this Hon Son island, I would recommend you to take a short circuit around the island first, just a couple of hours but it’s full of interest, most are best spots to experience, like an appetizer before the main courses in next days.

    Riding on this road is such a remarkable experience that you won’t want to miss any chance. Like Nam Du or Hon Tre island nearby, the road is closed round and every part has its own fun and interest. I will tell you in the clockwise order, from the harbour first.

    The Southwestern Harbour (Cầu cảng Bãi Nhà)

    This little town is your very first glance at the local living of Hon Son island after disembarking from the express ferry. From here, you can call the host to transit to the accommodation then get a rental motorbike to travel around right away.

    The town is also where you can buy most goods in the local grocery. On weekdays, the night market here is quiet, but things change on the weekend, when the locals open their various food stalls to serve the tourists.

     You may get attracted by this colorful decorated bar like this on Hon Son island!

    Moving away from the harbour and the landscape changes gradually from a crowded tourist hub to a quieter space, with shallow beach, lazy waves in sea and the rock platform protruding to make small capes. The trees on the roadside are ideal shelters to hide from the glowing sun at noon. Why not take a sip on some nice place like the little highly-decorated bar on picture above.

    Rái Cá homestay

    As one of the first homestay on the island, Rái Cá homestay looks like a travel complex, featuring an outdoor restaurant by the cliff, where you can pose on a swing (but be careful) along with various styled rooms on the other side. I prefer to chill here most of the day: have breakfast in the morning and get some chilled beer while admiring the sunset. The painting and doodles and writing are all funny and chill.

    The fishing village

    This is where you find the most of the local living. I got lost for the first (and second and third) time, as the map app was useless due to the density of residents and the overlapped roofs make it impossible to draw any road lines when watching from the above. This is where I buy some food and beverages to enjoy the best sunset spot on the island, just nearby.

    Sunset watching spot

    Following the coastal road just a few hundreds of meters, there you see a yard with lying rocks where you have a sit and watch the sun go down gorgeously at the end of the day, when the fishing boat moves back home, drawing lines on the water.

    Bãi Đá

    Located in the north of the island, this is not an ideal place for swimming as it is stacked densely by hundreds of rocks. But this view is stunning for posing on the rock (I traveled solo so there was no beautiful model to test). As my experience tell that there is a lot of sea creatures living around these rocks to explore and watch (or you may want to collect for a delicious grill in the evening at homestay). There are also premium resorts situated here.

    North Harbour (Bãi Bấc)

    There are two harbours but this one in the North is quieter while the other in the South is more touristy as it welcomes the express ferry full of tourists. Your frame should hardly overwhelmed by people moving around. The landscape is calm and still. Some local people come here for fishing. This area is also near the entrance to the hiking trail to Ông Rồng mountain top.

    The mountainous road

    There’s a route breaking through the island, connecting the Northern and Southern Harbours. The road is pretty steep, providing the panoramic view from the top of the island. This road sometimes gets kinda bad, making a temporary interruption (I got it on my first visit to the island). At the top is Hon Son waterfall, but you can only see its beauty during the rainy season.

    There is also Thanh Sơn Garden (entrance fee 50,000 vnd/ pax) on the top. Like its name, Thanh Son is like a decoration garden for photography purposes only, there’s nothing more special. There’s a farm named Phú Quang building nearby (2021), hopefully opening for visitors when it’s finished. The top provides a view to the Southern Harbour, highlighting the big reservoir at the center.

    Bo Beach (Bãi Bò)

    This beach is close to the Bấc harbour, with the signature figure of turtle painting on the big rock. Some budget guest houses to book like Island Homestay, Homestay Beach, Hòn Sơn Seaview. All are close to the beach, reasonable prices and friendly host.

    Bang beach (Bãi Bàng)

    This is the best beach on the island with the long sandy beach. You should buy at least some beverages like coconut (40,000 vnd) instead of “service charge” for entrance. The host also offers boat tours for fishing and snorkeling.

    Golden Camp Hon Son

    This is the best campsite on Hon Son island, Kien Giang. I stayed here for 4 days and had most of the experience at night here. Down to the sea is a small sand beach full of rocks, where you can do a swim and free dive to explore marine life. Staff is so friendly and helpful, and we had an amazing time playing and talking. I love this and highly recommend this campsite for camping enthusiasts and nature lovers. You got best of both world here.

    Xep beach – Lying coconut resort (Bãi Xếp – resort Cây dừa nằm)

    Along with Bãi Bàng, this is another sandy beach, good for swimming. From here you may see the colossal electricity columns line from the mainland.

    Phuong Breakfast Bistro (Điểm tâm Phượng)

    This is just like any breakfast store, but I mark it as a point of interest because this is near the entrance to the hiking trail toward Ma Thiên Lãnh summit. So you may like to have breakfast like me here or pack some drinks before the trip to the top. This bistro also features a view to the sea and is very romantic at sunrise. There are cute doves flapping around as well. The food is good, around 35,000 vnd/ bowl of seafood noodle. That’s pretty delicious!

    Protruding rocky platform

    It seems there will be a building situated here, but for now (2021), it is just a rocky and plain platform, where you can pitch a campfire and enjoy the panoramic view.

    Sao Bien coffee and homestay

    A good spot for sunset watching and nightlife in Hon Son island.

    Ma Thien Lanh trail entrance

    Out of the coffee store, toward the town, you will see a fork: Turn right and the other entrance to Ma Thien Lanh peak on the right, marked by an old lady vendor. Buy her some stuff and she will help you guard the bike if any.

    Back to the Sao Bien coffee, keep going on the coastal road down to the town. The journey around the island ends.

    Hon Son island accommodation

    The travel accommodations on the island are pretty cute: the original campsite that seduced me to stay for days, there’s also a lifestyle hostel great for breakfast. I love every inch of the island and you may spend a week here actually despite its limited dimension. For convenience, I collect all contact and booking links here for reference and price check.

    The Southern Harbour

    Like Nam Du or Hon Tre, the tourist hub is a stone’s throw from the harbour. This is where you can find good accommodation like several Hon Son island hotels in line with other coffee shops and bistros, along with every service available to meet traveler’s needs. This area has the most density of accommodation on the island, price is various.

    • Nhà Nghỉ Vân Tiến – The guesthouse located on the coastal road and has a good view to the sea. Check the price now!
    • Nhà nghỉ Bảo Hân – the guesthouse is at the heart of the town, close to the Superdong ticket and central park, just a stone’s throw to the night market. Check the price now!
    • Nhà nghỉ Yến Linh (location/phone)– guesthouse is on the coastal road, few step from town market. Friendly host with reasonable price (250,000 vnd/ single room).

    Fishing Village Residence – Hon Son homestay

    • Rái Cá homestay (location/phone/page)– One of the pioneers brought the concept of hostel/ homestay to this pristine island. Located by a cliff in the southwest of the island, so I see it does make sense to buy a beer and snack and enjoy the sunset here. The homestay is developed into a complex, including a bar and restaurant. You can have a delicious breakfast here.
    • Sake homestay – The homestay is located at the heart of the village and pretty confusing to reach at first. The room is comfortable, overviewing the cape far away with the spectacular sea landscape. Check the price now!
    • Nhà nghỉ Kim Anh (phone)- A guesthouse inside the fishing village, it’s actually a coffee shop which also serve breakfast, the local people have drinks on daily morning. There’s a foodstall opposite selling vegetarian meal. Friendly staff.

    Hon Son island resort – Northwest area

    There are local resorts that lie quietly from the road, which you have to walk down on steep slopes paved by stacked rock to turn into the lifestyle stairway. The price is mid-range to premium and the facilities like the bar or beach in these ones mostly are closed only for the hotel guests.

    • Nhà trọ Tám Ca (website/phone)- Good seaview, no hot shower yet, quiet ambience, rocky beach. Food is good, mid-range price.
    • Nhà nghỉ Bãi Đá (phone)- The thumbs-up are the sandy beach and seaside view. But service charge for cooking food is also pretty high if you travel on a budget. The staff is generally reviewed unfriendly.

    Norther Harbour – Bãi Bắc – Bãi Bò

    This quiet area features a couple of cute and budget-friendly accommodations to book, such as:

    • Thanh Duyên homestay (location/phone/website): this accommodation is very close to the entrance trail route to Ông Rồng mountain top.
    • Bấc’s Homestay (phone/location): Friendly host, clean and well-decorated rooms with common lounge for guests, but the seaview is limited.
    • Thương’s House (phone/location): brand new homestay in the area (2021) with white appearance. Well-decorated with styled furniture. Friendly host with good service. Seaview in some rooms.
    • Hòn Sơn seaview (location/phone): The guest house is located near the Turtle Rock, friendly host.

    Bang Beach

    • Bai Bang resort – This resort features the most beautiful beach on the island. Check the price now!

    Ma Thien Lanh Trails

    • Sohara Seamountain Bungalow (aka Lamien Lodge & Homestay or Mango House) – This bungalow is located on a very steep slope, so you should have a xe ôm (taxi motorbike) to ride you up. Heavy luggage would be punished hard, that’s a warning. Check the price now!

    At the Eastern edge of the Southern town

    • Sao Bien Homestay & Coffee – This accommodation is also a beautiful coffee shop, great to watch sunset and the Southern town from far away. Check the price!

    Hon Son beaches

    Bo beach (Bãi Bò, Bãi Bấc, Bãi Bắc)

    This beach is next to the Northern harbour. The sand is nice but some places are dotted with small rocks. The area full of public coffee and restaurant so you may enjoy a good price here

    Bang beach (Bãi Bàng)

    This is the best beach on the island, now closed inside a local resort. There’s no entrance but visitors should buy something instead, like a coconut.

    Xep beach (bãi Xếp, bãi Cây Dừa Nằm)

    There are strange lying coconuts here which the name refers to. There’s also a resort here so the entrance fee is to buy some stuff.

    Hon Son harbours

    Along with the sandy beach, some areas on the island have shallow waters enough for safe swimming like around the harbours. In the afternoon, children play in the water near the site. They swim and dive, as well as collect some kinds of seafood.

    Hon Son waterfall

    If you love to find the waterfall, better find it the the top of mountainous road in the rainy season, as it’s “hidden” in the dry season (I didn’t see it at all, as there’s no water at all).

    Hon Son hiking trails

    There are two note-worthy hiking trails in Hon Son that I would definitely recommend you to experience. Depend on your schedule on the island to take one or both hikes below (one per day should be best):

    What to eat in Hon Son island

    For the breakfast, you may have noodle at the homestay or traveling to the harbour or residence nearby for very reasonable food, such as a bowl of macaroni (nui) like this.

    If you are around the Southern Harbour, I bet you will come across a bistro which serve the rice with grilled pork ribs (sườn nướng) and Steamed Egg Meatloaf (chả trứng hấp) like Cơm tấm Sài Gòn. If you can not consume the local taste food, this one is the best option. The price is mid range. (45,000 vnd/ dish)

    A little snack for lunch while I was pedaling around the Southern town. This stall is located near the reservoir, selling fried chicken and milk tea with super cheap price (for poor student on the island, I guess. I travel around Vietnam and there are two area usually experience the local price: market and school)

    Mountain chickens are the specialty on the island and you should have the dish when hiking to Ma Thien Lanh summit, where people feed chicken and hot serve. The cooking process may be disturbing so to avoid the killing sound and long wait, you had better call the booking number to arrange a meal beforehand.

    Some homestay complex like Rái Cá homestay serving food and drink all day also.

    Nightlife on Hon Son island

    Most of the time at night I spend on coffee, bar and night market along the coastal road part in the South.

    I watched the sunset at Sao Biển homestay & coffee, this place also the best spot to observe the town from far above.

    The night market is crowded and has more vendors on the weekend. There’s an old lady selling smoothies outdoors here and I was her customer mostly every night, enjoying the fresh sea breeze and the starry sky.

    Rái Cá homestay is a good place for hangouts at night. There is even a bar newly opening nearby, just a stone’s throw away, named Quán nhà An. I had a chance to attend the opening, drink some cocktails and sing some songs along with an acoustic guitar band. The vibe is awesome. Highly recommended!

    The best itinerary for a trip to Hon Son

    Itinerary for weekends in Hon Son

    Office workers with fixed time may prefer to spend two day on the weekend. So you should start from the Friday (or extended to Thursday)

    The night before: Departure from Saigon to Rach Gia on sleeper bus like Phuong Trang busline or take flight to Rach Gia airport in the early morning and transit to Rach Gia ferry port.

    Day 1: Take a ferry from Rach Gia – Hon Son. At the Southern Harbour, you should call the host for transit to the homestay or hotel. Remember to get the return ticket at the Superdong office here, if you haven’t bought it.
    On day: Visit Bãi Bàng or Bãi Xếp – the best beaches on Hon Son, swimming and having coconuts. Then moving to the North for Bãi Bấc.
    In the sunset, ride to the view spot near the fishing village or Rái Cá homestay (or Sao Biển coffee), these are among the best spots for sunset on Hon Son island.
    Dinner time: visit the Southern Harbour for the best food stall available. Strolling around the town or visiting the bar near Rái Cá homestay or coffees.

    Day 2: Watching sunrise in Bãi Bàng, Bãi Xếp or Golden Camp Hon Son.
    Then have breakfast in Phượng breakfast, ready for the hiking to the Ma Thien Lanh summit. It should take you around 3 – 4 hours. After finishing, you should check-out, have lunch near the harbour and be ready to embark on the express ferry back to Rach Gia.

    (Day 3: in case you have an extended day

    You may spend time on the mountainous road and fishing village, as well as another hiking trail to Ông Rồng summit near Bãi Bò)

    Itinerary for a week in Hon Son

    Day 1: Take your time at the homestay first, eat full and enjoy the beach nearby.

    Day 2: Visit The Best beaches on Hon Son like Bãi Bàng, Bãi Xếp. You can book a boat tour here when traveling in a group.

    Day 3: Watching sunrise on the Eastern side of the island. Have breakfast and hike to Ma Thien Lanh summit. Enjoy the sunset in Sao Biển coffee.

    Day 4: Explore the mountain road: the homestay, the Thanh Son garden, the waterfall. Take your time on the trail to Ông Rồng summit (only 1-2 hour long). Swimming in Bãi Bấc.

    Day 5: Visit the fishing village, take photographs, sip coffee in the shop with the neighborhood. Watch sunset in the spot nearby, have dinner in Rái Cá homestay and nightlife at the bar closeby.

    Day 6: Take your time at the hotel/ homestay, swimming in your favorite beaches. Have dinner and buy some souvenirs at the night market.

    Day 7: Pack the luggage, enjoy the breakfast and coffee. Ready for the trip to express ferry.

    Budget reference

    Rental bike: 200,000 vnd/ day

    Budget-friendly single room: 200,000-250,000 vnd/ night

    Coconut: 20,000 – 30,000 vnd

    A Glass of Coffee: 20,000 vnd

    A Glass of Smoothie: 25,000 vnd

    A bowl of rice noodle (Breakfast): 25,000 – 35,000 vnd

    Thing to notice: there’s no ATM in the island so cash is king! (On my island-hopping journey, from the nearby Hon Tre, I accidentally found this fact so I had to manage to withdraw money from a Agribank ATM in Hon Tre island. This is the ONLY ATM in the area, even in the main island in Nam Du Archipelago).

    What to buy as souvenir in Hon Son island

    Dried seafooood! I saw them put under the sun mostly everywhere near a fishing village and residence like Southern and Northern harbour or fishing village in the Southwest of the island.

    Even from my eyes, the seafood here looks very fresh and yummy – that best souvenir for your family at home (assumedly your home is in Vietnam). All you need is to walk around the local market at the Southern harbour, where the local sell a lot of these.

    How to travel to Hon Son by bike, car, flight and ferry

    The island should only be reached from Rach Gia port, so you have to catch a bus, flight or take a road trip firstly from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho then to Rach Gia Port. Buy a ferry ticket to Hon Son and get onboard!

    To plan the transportation from your location to the island, I recommend checking platform rome2rio to explore various options of airline, busline and ferry so save you tons of time and find out the overall estimated budget.

    From Ho Chi Minh

    By motorbike/ car

    • HCMC to Rach Gia

    Presumably you were homestaying somewhere around Bui Vien neighborhood (that’s the most famous backpacker hub in HCMC, no doubt), now all you have to do is to ride following Vo Van Kiet boulevard (the scenic riverside route) to Highway 1A to Can Tho city. Turn right and follow Highway 91, then turn left to Highway 80 (for motorbike) or Expressway 02 (for car). The end of these straight lines meets Highway 61 (there’s also Rach Gia airport nearby), so turn right, following Nguyen Trung Truc street, then turn right again in the big Phan Thi Rang roundabout to 3 Tháng 2 street. Go to Cống Sông Tiên and the ferry port should be on the left hand.

    If you don’t have a motorbike yet, only staying at HCMC for a week or so, renting is a good choice.

    For rental motorbikes, the options are a dozen, you may reach the receptionists at your hotels, homestays or hostels in HCMC to ask for rental bikes. Or you may go directly to some motorbike rental services to get the best suit to your style (from semi manual, scooter, to real manual and big displacement motorbikes).

    For rental car, there is a good app named Mioto. Better give it a try first.

    By bus

    I prefer the big operators for their most convenient service: they have wide transits. Transit gets you to the station, you get on a bus to Rach Gia station and ask for transit to Rach Gia ferry port (Cảng Rạch Giá). There are names like Phuong Trang busline (futabus) or Kumho Samco busline to consider. Check Rome2rio for best bus price and options.

    By airline

    Bamboo airline now offers the route Tan Son Nhat airport (Saigon) – Rach Gia airport flight for less than one hour. Check out the latest price and schedule on 12go.asia.

    After landing on the Rach Gia airport, you can wave for taxi or motorbike taxi (xe ôm) to the Rach Gia ferry port. The distance is around 11km, so the fee for a taxi car should be approximately 150,000 – 200,000 vnd, motorbike taxi 100,000 – 150,000 vnd.

    From Da Nang

    There’s no direct flight from Da Nang Airport to Rach Gia airport yet: you had better take a flight from Da Nang city to Ho Chi Minh airport, then transit to Rach Gia airport city and transiting to Rach Gia ferry port like aforementioned suggestion.

    From Ha Noi

    There’s no direct flight from Noi Bai airport to Rach Gia airport (only transit to HCMC): you can check schedule and price as well as self-connect options via 12

    In Hanoi, to save money, you can take airport bus number 86, departing from Ha Noi railway station to Noi Bai airport and vice versa, only 35,000 vnd/ pax – the cheapest transportation for solo travelers; traveling by group can book four-seater or seven-seater car for 200,000 vnd).

    Express Ferry Rach Gia  <-> Hon Son island

    For the schedule and price, check rome2rio for up-to-date information to save time.

    More information Rach Gia – Hon Son speed ferry route and Superdong online booking at Superdong website

    Check the website for promo: from time to time, the ferry operator offers free of charge shipping cost for motorbikes if you buy a couple of tickets. I noticed a poster for this kind of promotion for the route Ha Tien – Phu Quoc.

    Belows is my short review on the Superdong express ferry departing from Rach Gia then Hon Tre island en route to Hon Son.

    The staff will distribute you a bottle of water (sometimes it has an interesting taste) along with an alcohol tissue to wash your hands to prevent the covid (do not wash your face). The cabin is equipped with a fixed monitor displaying movies for entertainment.

    When the ferry is offshore for around 5′, you can stay on your seat within the air-conditioned cabin or go out to the airy lounge at the back of the ferry. Be noticed that the wind is pretty strong there so it had better hold the things carefully or they may be blown away into the blue sea.

    The lounge is my favorite spot whenever I am on the ferry. I can enjoy the breeze and birds above the blue sea with a majestically panoramic view. When the ferry is approaching close to the island, the sea is dotted with fishing boats traveling back and forth.

    The ferry only stops for mere 5 minutes so activities at the Hon Son harbour are hustle generally, so remember to have ferryline staff and porters to collect all your luggage (in my case it is my bike).

    There’s a refreshment stall at the back of the ferry by the door to the lounge. The price is fixed on the same kind: 20,000 vnd for beer, 15,000 vnd for soft drink, cup noodle for 12,000 vnd; other snacks for 5,000-6,000 vnd.

    If you travel by cycle, the handling cost (getting the bike on and off the ferry) is 40,000 – 50,000 totally.

    The Superdong ticket office on Hon Son island is located on the right at the first crossroad, opposite the park. It’s not big so you may take a little time to find out.

  • Ultimate Budget Travel Guide to Vang Vieng

    Ultimate Budget Travel Guide to Vang Vieng

    So you’re backpacking Vang Vieng, a heaven for outdoor adventure, stunning landscape of caves, waterfall and ranges of mountain? This post is for you

    Accomodation

    We stayed in Chillaos hostel, quite a great place, we had a nice breakfast, enough for an active day, a billiard pool and soccer table to have fun together.

     Free Breakfast of Chillaos

    There’s no lounge but a space like a restaurant, just a few books on shelf. The shared bathrooms were clean and well-equipped, only for 5 usd/ person.

     Sunset over potholes on the road

    Biketrip

    Vang Vieng is really a great destination for short bike trips around the town. The roads like trails, so rough, potholes but very pure nature. I did love our biketrip in the rain, while sunset shine over head. It’s simply breathtaking, it’s beautiful !

    The gasoline price is higher than the capital, fixing service is available widely. If you can not afford buggy trips, then bike trip is also a good alternative.

    Vang Vieng is also a popular spot for 2nd bike sale. A lot of sale sticky posts on the hostel wall. Many of them are bought in Vietnam. Price ranges 200-400 usd/ bike.

     Buggy drive crossing the wooden bridge

    Activities and Attractions

    There are a lot of adventure games in Vang Vieng, but most of them are at a cost: Balloon, paramotor, buggy drive, rock climbing and tubing – the most famous.

    I read an information revealing getting on a balloon in Vang Vieng considered is very dangerous because of the lack of safety warranty. Is there anyone review it?

    We also missed Blue Lagoon due to time limit. It’s quite pity but I don’t think it would be beautiful in rainy season.

    To play all Vang Vieng, you need a big chunk of money. They are really suitable if you want to hold a teambuilding contest.

    Also, the weather also should be considered thoroughly, we saw a balloon ascending in a foggy day, which means you can not see anything beautiful while paying around 80 usd/ flight. Tubing in a flood sounds dangerous not adventurous anymore.

     Kaeng Nyui waterfall

    If you wish to spend less, there are some low-budget options: you can access Kaeng Nyui waterfall for 10000 kip/ person, and sinking enjoyably into water flowing strongly over a cement trail like a mini dam. Elephant ride is also available but you shouldn’t join it for natural violation concern.

    The wooden bridges crossing river the opposite river bank cost 10,000 kip. They are very romantic.

     Signboard leading to caves

    On the other side bank, there are a lot of caves to explore, most of them charge entrance fee about 10,000 kip, collected by locals (I think there’s no agencies working in these caves but the local purposely do)

    We also met a group of local playing spots at the end of Ex US airport, I think you could join them.

    For ones loving religious destinations then a temple at the center will be a good place to find quiet moments in your soul. But I think Vang Vieng is the best for outdoor adventures.

    https://instagram.com/p/BWqrxKnFgqL

    Food

    We tasted some specialties here: Boiled bamboo shots, Larp (a mix of veggie and buffalo meat), with a special sauce. I didn’t enjoy them at all.

    There are three popular street foods in Vang Vieng: Fruitshake, pancake and burger, around 10,000-20,000 kip/ dish. I also saw a foodstall selling fruitshake for 5,000 kip. Fruiteshake of Vang Vien is a bit not as sweet as those of Vietnam.

    There are also other dishes, I found a good restaurant opposite Army barracks guesthouse, they cook very delicious dishes, I had a wonderful Pad Thai (we’re late so fewer choice), 20,000 kip/ dish, it worths every pennies. Below is a page of menu, hopefully it’s useful. I also note a Korean restaurant offer 15,000 kip in market.

    Note: Instant noodle is called “Wii Wii” in Laos

    Small note for smokers

    I saw a warning “ DO not smoke in the street… you have to pay pine of 5 million kip” but you can do in bars, just not on street.

  • Luang Prabang Travel Guide

    Luang Prabang Travel Guide

    Luang Prabang, the ex-capital, destination of monks walking for offerings in a quiet morning, delicious and fresh food from legendary Mekong river, a place where you just wanna be lazy all days in an armchair and read Lonely planet (I mean old versions).

    And if you feel cramped a little bit then a ride following river bank and enjoy a cup of hot coffee in the fanstatic evening is your choice. Here we go!

     Alms ceremony monks at dawn

    Get around

    LP is a small town so you can choose either to walk, rent a cycle or motorbike and ride around. If you wish to travel further a bit like majestic Kuang Si waterfall (30 kilometers away), then rent a bike is a better choice, but remember you may be stopped by police.

    You can share ride with people to cut cost if you travel solo. I saw many tuk tuk full of travelers. Imagine awesome people from every corners in the world gather in a small vehicle to an awesome attraction. That is totally awesome!

    If your time is no rush, you should also take ferry for 8000 kip to the other river bank (we did it, it was windy and beautiful) and visit a local village, as well as the botanic garden (we haven’t been there, if you did, plz tell me how it looks like?)

    Accomodation

    The riverside is dominated by a lot of beautiful villas and hostels. Price maybe high here but the view is spectacular. My next time in Luang Prabang would be there absolutely!

    During our trip, we stayed at Moukdavan hostel. it’s a new guy in hostelworld app with a few good reviews, so I decided to give it a chance. The hostel locates just 500 meters away from downtown, so price is cheaper, 30,000 kip/ dorm bed without free breakfast. The furniture is vintage and some wooden. Honestly, I love it, especially its host Leon and his story.

    Attraction

    I pick two most typical destinations in our journey.

     phou si walk

    Phou Si

    To be honest, there’s nothing special but a highest spot to view the city. The religious complex situates on a hill at the center of the town. You will take steps to a small worship pagoda at the peak. Due to absolutely green surroundings, it’s very comfortable walking and take photograph.

    You can step inside pagoda, fire incense and pray. entrance fee: 20,000 kip/ pax

     kuang si waterfall

    Kuang Si

    The most worthy destination for its price. We had a wonderful time there explore many interesting things like bear rescue actitivies, photography, bathing, trekking. The landscape is amazing and I actually plan to return one day.

    entrace fee: 20000 kip/ person and 2000 kip/ bike parking fee if you ride a motorcycle.

    Food/ Fruit and drink

    The ex capital impresses travelers with its variety of cuisine. We enjoyed most Lao foods in Luang Prabang because their reasonable price and very delicious taste.

    The first evening we had roasted meat and sticky price at a food alley. Sitting under jumble steel roofs, brightly yellowish color from the old light and enjoy traditional Lao dishes is a must-do experience.

    For fruits, we tasted Mak Tong, a sort of local fruit, very sour, so it usually include a special mix of salt, sugar and seasoning.

     luang prabang fruit pineapple

    Pineapple is also popular and taste is sweet, just 8,000 kip. And there’s a foodstall at Kitsalat road which sells meat soup at remakably cheap price: 5,000 kip. I see it is the best price “restaurant” in town. Note that it’s only open in the morning.

    My friend really enjoy Khao Soy in nightmarket. Its smell is unique. You may want it with some Lao Beer.

    There is actually a morning market, not two far from night business location. You should get up early and take a visit there, and enjoy local specialties, big fish from Mekong river, colorful sticky rice with even a pie of plan cake.

    Veggie, meat and all cooking ingredients are available and incredibly fresh so it’s pity that I didn’t join any cooking class (if any). It’s better to buy some to make your own breakfast not only to save money but also to have deeper local experience. It’s absolutely worthy.

    Nightlife

    If you enjoy weed then a very bar named “Utopia” will be the best place to smoke. I saw an ambiance of twilight dense fog inside, it’s really an ideal destination for smoking travelers.

    We decided to enjoy more luxurious style so Joma coffee at riverside is perfect. Drink costs at 15,000 usd. But remember that most coffee close at 9 PM. You should take a walk following riverside, it’s very beautiful and gorgeous with colorful stores, coffees and villas while enjoy soft breeze from Mekong.

    Nightmarket is also good place to enjoy local food and souvenir. I bought a couple of natural soap for 10000 kip/ piece.

  • Phonxavan Travel Guide

    Phonxavan Travel Guide

    Phonxavan, land of fire and bomb in history, mysterious Plain of Jars and magnificent road trips along range of pines. Don’t miss it in your Lao itinerary.

    Power cut

    The city sometimes experiences power cut. When we arrived and was checking room before booking, all the lights were off. My friend admittedly was lucky because of not being trapped in the elevator at that time.

    Bike rental

    I saw many signboard for rentals, so no problem renting one, price ranges variously from 60,000-100,000 kip, depending on what kinds (manual or automatic shift), date and your bargain skill.

    Tips: it’d better choose manuals for safety concern.

    READ MORE: Sapa biking tips

    Hours of operation

    Most of Phonsavan stores closed at 8:PM. The first time visiting the city, I was surprised. You know, HCMc is mostly active by 11 PM.

    Fortunately, there’s still some Vietnamese restaurant open at night, offering soup, noodle and some specialties.

    Accomodation

    There are few option for dorm bed but private room is very cheap, just 60,000 kip/fan room, not including free breakfast.

    We stayed in Doukoun hostel, which is very large complex of motel. Room is spacious and comfortable.

    As Phonxavan used to be a fierce battlefield, like Cu Chi-Vietnam, so there are a lot of bullet and bomb shells stocked inside as a interior decoration.

     Phonxavan hot pot

    Eat

    Well, there’s a hot-pot restaurant by a Wat, quite popular with many locals having chill out. We saw a large party of employees celebrating there, so it’s possibly cheap and delicious.

    One set for 2 people cost 50000 kip, including a Lao style hot pot.

    The next destination is “che Hue” (sweet soup of Hue, Vietnam), 5000 kip with a big glass (I was full after it). It’s actually a hairdresser, only sell soup in the evening till night. The people are from Vietnam so you can practise Vietnamese (Hue accent). You should order Thap Kam for all ingredients mixed.

    We didn’t visit local markets but I think you should do before they close at 7-8PM

    At night, you can walk around guesthouse neighborhood to have Chao luon, Com, Pho. I saw no beautiful coffees in downtown.

     Phonxavan plain of jars site one

    Attractions

    we’re heading for Phonsavan mostly for Plain of Jars. Most travelers visit Plain of jars site one as it is the largest site in area. 3000 kip parking fee/ bike and 15000 kip/ foreigner, 10,000 kip/ Lao.

    After buying ticket, you can ride your bike to parking lot near the site or getting on transit car.

    What you expect is a dozen of Jars scattering on hills. Inside is water pool, or bushes. Far faraway, pine forest beautify the landscape. You should go uphill to see panoramic view. It’s worthy.

    A sunflower garden locates near the entrance, don’t forget to take photos.

    There’s a cave, quite creepy ambiance, stones stacked stones, piles and piles, an altar at the center, it reflects a small amount of outside light.

    Photography tips: visit in dry season, get up early and hunt for sunrise moment.

     Phonxavan pine hills

    Get out

    Toward Nong Tang, there are evergreen pine forest hills among rice paddy fields which is a great spot for shooting photography.

    Photography tips:

    Nong Tang also is there a small lake with giant rocks scattering, a bit like Ninh Binh (Vietnam), every late afternoon, local fisherman collects produce on boats moving slowly on water.

    I think it’s good for using tele len to shoot close up boat or portrait of rocks, fit also good if you wish for human portrait (ask to get onboard and shoot). A wide len for all sky, rocks and water with fishermans/ boats is good for landscape style.

  • Batu Caves: a Spot Not-to-Miss When Travelling to Kuala Lumpur

    Batu Caves: a Spot Not-to-Miss When Travelling to Kuala Lumpur

    vNo-one travels to Kuala Lumpur to miss a visit to Batu Caves – a very attractive destination close to the capital, featuring the popular Hindu festival – Thaipusam, holding the tallest Hindu god statue in the world and the labyrinth of spooky limestone caves in Malaysia. So amazing !!

    Besides, you will be given a challenge to take quite steep 272 steps to enter a giant dorm-shaped cave with numerous religious activities conducting inside and a panoramic view toward the metropolian area. Don’t miss it !

    Batu Caves actually includes three main caves featuring temples, Hindu shrines and a system of small-scale caves to explore.

    1 – The history

     statue on a rooftop

    Some quick fact to know:
    – The limestone forming Batu Caves is around 400 million years old.

    – The caves were first used by indigenous people (Temuan) for sheltering, then by Chinese pioneers collecting guano to fertilize their vegetable gardens in early 1860s.

    – Over 10 years after that, the limestone hills attracted an American naturalist William Hornaday (1878) and also colonial authorities including Daly and Syers.

    – But the turning point for Batu Caves was when K. Thamboosamy Pillai, an Indian trader, used it as a place to worship Hindu gods (Lord Murugan).

    – In 1890, Pillai, who also founded the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur, set up the Murti (consecrated statue) of Sri Murugan Swami in Temple Cave.

    – The Thaipusam festival in the Tamil month of Thai (late January-early February) started celebrating there in 1892.

    – Wooden steps up to the Temple Cave were initially built in 1920, then replaced by 272 concrete steps later.

    Trivia

    – Batu Cave is named after the Sungai Batu (Stone River), which flows through the hill. It is the tenth (Pattu in Tamil) limestone hill from Ampang.
    – Batu Caves is also the name of a nearby village.

    – Batu Caves is also referred as 10th Caves since there are six holy shrines in India and four in Malaysia, including three others are Kallumalai Temple in Ipoh, Tanneermalai Temple in Penang and Sannasimalai Temple in Malacca.

    2- System of Caves

    Coming to Batu Caves, you should pay enough time to visit totally 3 main Caves (Temple cave, Dark cave, The Ramayana Cave) and maybe some small caves.

     Inside Temple caves

    The biggest – Temple Cave, has a very high dome-shaped ceiling and features decorated Hindu shrines. Actually, it’s a joint of 2 separated caverns. The first cavern contains six abodes of Murugan carved into the walls and the second is where the temple of Valli Devanai, Murugan’s wife, locates

     Entrance to Dark Caves – regularly limited access

    Below the Temple Cave is the Dark Cave, with rock formations and a number of unique animals. It presents a network of intact caverns, but the most stunning things is that the harmony of thousands-of-years stalactites and stalagmites creates complicated formations such as cave curtains, cave pearls, flow stones, etc. It will blow your mind and make you fall in love at a glance.

    In order to maintain the cave’s ecology, access is restricted but there’re still regular adventure trips to Dark Caves organized by the Malaysian Nature Society. Along with Dark Caves, there are a variety of undeveloped caves holding a diverse range of cave fauna like bats.

     Lord Hanuman statue at Batu caves site

    The Ramayana Cave, featuring the story of Rama along the walls of the cave in a chronicle sequence, is situated to the left. On the way to the Cave, there are a 15m (50 ft) tall statue of Hanuman and a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman.

    At the base of the hill, there are Art Gallery Cave and Museum Cave with full of Hindu statues and paintings, which then was renovated as the Cave Villa in 2008.

    3- The gold statue

    One of the reasons making Batu Caves distictive and worthy your visit is virtually the huge gold statue right beside the steep stairs to the Temple cave.

     Murugan statue

    For your interest, that is the golden statue of Lord Murugan, 42.7 meter (140ft) in height (so highhhh!), and merely considered as the biggest one ever in the world.
    It took 3 years to accomplish the wonder. Wow !

    4- Annual Thaipusam Festival 

     A temple inside Catheral cave

    The Batu Caves is a renowned pilgrimage site, mainly dedicated to the annual Thaipusam festival of Hindu community worldwide. So you have a chance to take a close up to prestigiously religious activity if you’re kind of people interested in the topic.

    So this is how its take place: A Thaipusam march starts in the morning light from the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in KL, heading to Batu Caves as a religious undertaking to Lord Muruga. It takes about eight hours totally and devotees are required to carry containers of milk as an offering to Lord Murugan, either by hand or in large ornamented canisters on their shoulders called ‘kavadi’.

    “The kavadi may be simple wooden arched semi-circular supports holding a carrier foisted with brass or clay pots of milk or huge, heavy ones which may rise up to two metres, built of bowed metal frames which hold long skewers, the sharpened end of which pierce the skin of the bearers torso. The kavadi is decorated with flowers and peacock feathers imported from India. Some kavadi may weigh as much as a hundred kilograms” – Wikipedia

    Devotees are bathing in Sungai Batu (or Rocky River), then enter the Temple cave by making a arduous climb through the center staircase while influx of worshipper and observer filling the balustrades on the sides.

    Priests approach the kavadi carriers, sprinkle sacred ash over skewers and hooks on devotees’s body then carefully remove them. It’s noticable that no blood shed when people do piercing and removal, but it’s still very frighteningly watching the process.

    5-Travel to Batu caves

    The attraction is actually a limestone hill located in Gombak, Selangor, 13km north of Kuala Lumpurr, Malaysia. So there are various ways to reach the Batu caves:

    KTM train service: Batu Caves complex is easily reached by commuter train at Batu Caves Komuter station in KL Sentral. A one-way ticket cost RM 2.6, which is the cheapest transportation.

    Bus: From KL Sentral, take the monorail service to Titiwangsa station. Alight here and take the bus to Batu Caves, also bus 11/11d from Bangkok Bank Terminus (Near to Puduraya Terminus) or bus U6 from Titiwangsa

    Car/ Taxi: You can drive/ take taxi to Batu Caves because it locates beside the main highway of MRR2.

    6- Things to do

     

     You will see many paintings in temple at the base

    Cultural art hunting

    Well, there are paintings and scenes of Hindu Gods exhibits in the Ramayana Cave and the temples at the base.

    Photography

    As a iconic attraction of Malaysia, Batu Caves also an ideal place to perform your photographic skills on ritual, naturally dome-shaped caves and for the best, the giant Hindu god guarding at front.

     Stunning rock formation of Batu caves

    Rock climb

    Batu Caves is the hub of rock climbing in Malaysia recently, as you can see in Vang Vieng also. Actually, the caves locates on a limestone hills rising to 150mm, so it’s no surprising that the surrounding site offers many climbing routes scatteredly (I read that there are more than 160 climbing routes) . You should contact local adventure companies for your own safety, but some would seek to do it themselves by reaching Damai caves, locating in the north eastern area.

    Feed monkey

    Coming to Batu caves and I’m sure you would enjoy feeding its numerous macaques, except for someone involuntarily. These creatures may bites tourists so you can carry a stick as “weapon” against some “bad guys”.

    Tour de Dark Cave

    The cave is so famous that every one loves studying nature shouldn’t miss learning about the natural history in the area.

    7- When to visit

    The best time to visit Batu caves and enjoy all of its religious color is in late January or February when over thousands of pilgrims make their way to the Thaipusam festival.

    For the other day, you should travel to the complex in the early morning, 6-7 AM is the optimum choice, when you can enjoy the sunrise and sense of tranquility before the site are overwhelmed by influxes of tourists.

    If you want to see how Hindu rituals happen then notice that Prayers are held at 8.30am and 4.30pm.

    8- Budget travel tips

    You should notice that although the Temple cave is free, the other come with various entrance fees and opening hours.

    Ramayana Cave is RM5/ pax for entrance

    Travel by KTM at KL Sentral saves you most money and time.

  • A guide to Di Linh

    A guide to Di Linh

    Just a stop enrouting to Dalat, Di Linh somehow, has its own identity of unique landscape and food.

    Get in

    The best relaxation way is to take an open bus of Phuong Trang or Thanh Buoi for around 200,000 dong.

    Bike trip is good for adventure, the highway 20 condition is very good, flat and smooth, frequent bike service, so you have no trouble riding to Di Linh.

    Best local food

    I had a wonderful meal at a small food stall at 368 Hung Vuong. They cook very well, the dishes are cheap and tasty. I had yougurt with red artichoke flower, Xiu mai and chicken soup for only 32,000 dong in total.

    There’s not popular specialty for Di Linh, and well-known restaurants in the town, also. The popular dish is Banh xeo, I saw a lot vendors offered it. Pho and Com (boiled rice) is quite cheap.

     

    Attractions

    Play as a quick stop to Dalat, Di Linh is not quite popular but still owns some attractions:

    Bobla waterfall

    9km from downtown toward HCMc, by highway 20, the fall is abandoned now. At the time I visited, there were 2 little girls there, so I had them guard my bike and guide me to the fall, cost 20,000 dong for both. The fall was beautifully majestic and still very natural. I saw a lot of picnic leftover, so it’s possibly camping there. The fall flows fiercely in rain season so be careful when you travel that time.

    Li Liang waterfall

    Another waterfall, locating by highway 28, 13 kilometers away from Di Linh center. There’s not a high fall but rocks stacked not-quite-steeply, like a stream. Wild and pure, Li Liang waterfall is great for a stop and picnic, along with Bobla.

    Kala

    An artificial lake, 300 acre in square. It looks like a giant mirror reflecting the blue sky above, surrounded by shady pine forest. It’s quiet, poetry and fantastic. If you visit Li Liang, don’t miss Kala because they are very close to each other.

     Ta Dung lake

    Ta Dung lake

    A huge lake just 30 minute riding from downtown. There’s nothing to do but take a tour follow highway and observe the majesty of nature from above: a combination of water, mountains and sky, like a breath-taking painting. A bike trip takes 3-4 hours.

    You can follow a small road downward then rent a boat for fishing days. Price is negotiable.

    Tea plantations

    As many towns in highland, Di Linh offer an evergreen lines of tea on hills. You can park your bike and have stunning photography in sunny days, there’s almost no shades so it’d better pack along hats or umbrella for heat protection. You should spend 1-2 hours.

    Suggested itinerary

    Day #1: Tea/ cafe plantation in early morning, have breakfast in town, then heading toward Li Liang waterfall and have lunch, when it’s 3-4 PM, take a visit to Kala to shoot for the sunset. You should spend your evening eat local food.

    Day #2: a bike trip exploring Ta Dung lake, you can rent a boat surfing around for whole morning. I think setting up a picnic or camp right inside the lake is a good idea for adventure. The late afternoon should you spend on Bobla waterfall.

    Estimated budget for 2-day trip for couples

    Because there’s no dorm/ homestay for solo traveller, so it’d better travel in group to share cost. I list the cost for two people, a motorbike, staying a room for 2 days in Di Linh. There are a few option for food.

    Fuel 150,000 dong

    Motel: 300,000 dong

    Food: 250,000 dong

  • How to spend 24 hours in Hanoi, Vietnam capital

    How to spend 24 hours in Hanoi, Vietnam capital

    Visiting Hanoi as a transit (to Sapa like me) and don’t have much time researching ? My ideal itinerary 24 hours in Hanoi will help you save much time and enjoy Hanoi fully

    First, I don’t think we could use only one day for Ha Noi. It’s too big, too complicating, too many things to explore, from food to culture, even a street is able to get you lost in its own beauty.

    But sometimes, time is not our friend, especially when we don’t have much of it. If for some reasons that you can’t take a complete Ha Noi holiday week, then my 24-hour guide hopefully useful for you.

    Morning in Ha Noi

    6AM (for ones flying): walk out of the arrival hall of Noi Bai airport, turn right and search for red bus of Vietjet Air or bus #86 – shutter bus to city center. Bus #86 costs 30.000 vnd, offering free wifi (weak signal) and English-speaking conductor, English instructions by voice, issued before reaching any stops, highly recommend for its useful and professional. Some time taking taxi or local bus is quite frustrating because of the infamous overcharging in Hanoi.

    7AM: Breakfast with street food – if lucky, you’ll enjoy some delicious meal for only 10000 – 15000 vnd. If budget is not your problem then Pho is the best choice, Bun cha is also available widely. I had Banh Cuon for 15000 vnd in a sidewalk vendor stall near Quan Su street, and admittedly, I really like it. So delicious, so unique and so local way.

     Sword Lake – a beautiful symbol of Hanoi

    8AM: Sword Lake walk – see local do their daily lives: practising Tai chi, jogging, photography,… small lake round is suitable for a short run. Remember to photograph various unique tree poses as many professional photographers have done.

    10AM: The Huc bridge – Ngoc Son pagoda. Famous for their landmark role in Sword lake, the religious site offer you a central point of observe the lake, some ancient trees with incredible roots, deepen your sense of local culture via ritual and other activities, historical pagoda and for the most: the giant tortoise inside a glass box, that many local respects as a character in legend.

     Bun cha – Hanoi must-eat food

    11AM: it’s time to have lunch. Old quarter is a real place to walk for a meal. But, you’re expected to queue for some food stalls because of the customer overwhelming. The dishes are various: Bun Cha, Mien Ngan (duck noodle soup), Com (boiled rice),… cost from 30 000 vnd – 50 000 vnd. You’re likely to be full after only a dish.

    Ha noi at noon

     Street view from highland coffee

    12PM: getting away from sunburn and high heat. I recommend visit Highland coffee nearby, you’ll see it near Dinh Tien Hoang circle. Nice coffee, nice view, cost 40 000 vnd for mid-size local milk coffee. Very clear and quieter than crowded streets below. If you love sunbathing, take outdoor seats. Shady seats are depending greatly on time because of sun angle.

    14PM: Hanoi Cathedral opens from 2-5PM. A beautiful Roman architecture to selfie. You can even join a ritual, which is quite interesting even if you’re a Christian, because of the point: the Mass performed in Vietnamese way. The other reason why you should attend a Mass that is to see a “alive” church, not just dead architectural building.

     a walk in Old Quarter

    15PM: Old Quarter is glowing in sunsets. A deep walk through streets is get you more understanding local lives: products, occupations, chit-chat at the end of the day. Don’t forget to have little bowls of hot sweet soup or other kinds of traditional food, they really make sense.

    What to do in the evening til night?

    17PM: Cooking and Dinning. You can visit Ta Hien street with dozen of street food stall. But I recommend taking a cooking class in Hanoi Cooking Centre (44 Chau Long Street). This is quite a famous destination. Some one says that “you have to eat local to enjoy local (culture)”. For me, cooking a local dish is even a better experience, and you can eat your labour fruits.

     Water puppet sold at store

    20PM: Shopping along stores at Ta Hien street is so entertaining. But remember to bargain hard or you’re likely rip-off-ed. Some of souvenirs are very sophisticating, like ceramics or mask, some are funny like t-shirt, some are very cultural mark like Water puppet toys.

    22PM: Bar and beer. Ha noi is not a good place for night life because some strict policies (I don’t know whether government has put off them?). Remember to sip cheap beers at Bia hoi corner near Luong Ngoc Quyen – Ta hien intersection. They taste good and you enjoy watching local lives.

  • A full Ninh Binh budget travel guide

    A full Ninh Binh budget travel guide

    The reason why I write Ninh Binh budget travel guide is a huge request of ones who have watched Kong: Skull island movie and wish to travel Ninh Binh – the background, featuring Karst scenery like Trang An, Tam Coc,..

    A secret to reveal: they are just a part of majestic Ninh Binh. There are many destinations and experience waiting for you to explore. My Ninh Binh travel budget guide will include transportation options, destination list, what to do, food and drink section also, a recommend itinerary and FAQ for more handy information.

    For my experience, Ninh Binh budget travel is really possible – buses and accommodations are cheap and well-equipped. So don’t miss it when in Vietnam

    Top destinations to go in Ninh Binh

    One of the hottest question in Sping 2017 is “WHERE WAS KONG: SKULL ISLAND FILMED (In Vietnam)?”. And the answer is among Ha Long bay, Ninh Binh and Quang Binh. So I’d recommend you visit the destinations that many scenes were filmed in Ninh Binh first.

    Trang An and Tam Coc, also known as “the Ha Long Bay on land”, is famous for boat ride with skillful locals have the ability of rowing using only their feet. These two spots are quite close to each other. They are similar somehow: A river passing through rice paddy field, mountain cliffs and caves.

    While Tam Coc is still well-preserved nature, featuring mostly rice paddy field and cliffs, Trang An is stunning because of the system of caves dug by the river. Someone says that these caves have been compromised for tourism service, so they are likely less natural than Tam Coc. The tour is also getting you to visit some pagodas. It last for 3-4 hours, depending on how long you spend in each stop.

    Bike parking fee is 10,000- 15,000vnd. The ticket for a boat ride is 120,000 – 150,000 vnd, in case some touts telling you so. They are best visited in the morning (8AM) and last rides start at 4 PM (winter) or 5:30 PM (other seasons), when the bus from Hanoi bring more visitors to fill all the boat and your photos.

    Note: Because rowers are paid minium wage and eligible for few tours/ month, so you are kindly advised to tip them or buy some souvenirs.

    The next spot that you can see in film is just a few kilometers north, a large wetland called Van Long Nature Reserve, kinda rice paddy field, caves and … monkeys, yeah! 50,000 vnd/ pax.

    For one loving top of height, then Hang Mua peak is definitely a must-visit destination. From here, you can view 360 degree entire region: rice paddy fields, mountains,… everythings are simply like a 3D google map. To reach the top, you’ll hike 486 steps, so had better train a bit your strength beforehand. And one more thing, the fee entrance is 100,000 vnd

    Bich Dong Pagoda: a old pagoda complex with three levels in a quite steep mountains side, offering nice views, including: Ha, Trung, and Thuong Pagodas. Some temples are built into caves. After reaching the highest temple, you should climb up the rocky path to the top and enjoy the view, which is really amazing.

    Hoa Lu Ancient Capital is also a choice of culture explorer, but don’t expect much to do, because the city now includes only some archway and temples of Dinh – Le emperor. 20,000 vnd/ pax for entrance.

    Phat Diem Cathedral is once a “Vatican of North Vietnam”, built since 1874 in 24 years, mixing Eastern and Western style of architectures. A really holic place for pilgrims.

    Bai Dinh pagoda complex is also a must-visit architecture, owning many labels: The biggest bell, biggest buddha bronze statue, biggest well and most La han statues in Vietnam. My experience show that: you should take a walk around here, it’s completely worthy every steps.

    Cuc Phuong national park: A chance to live among forest, seeing wild life and hiking trails. 40,000 vnd/ person for an entrance fee.

    Kenh Ga hot spring: take a bath and relax, it’s a hot spring, natual massage, a lot of mineral good for your health. Usually it cost 200,000 vnd/ person (boat transit + entrance fee + bathing). Bathing until you get bored!

    Thung Nham bird field: Birds and birds, birds everywhere, If you love bird watching, you definitely come here! 100,000 vnd/ pax. It’s costly, I know.

    Top destinations Map

    https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1sqyhTOdrZplsM1GB-oKbRRmQwkc

    Top things to do in Ninh Binh

    Taking a Boat ride: (in Trang An or Tam Coc) is an amazing experience, offering boat riding along river through paddy fields and stunning landscape of mountain cliffs, pagodas inside caves and wet caves.

    Bike trip: it’s quite flat so you could follow Trang An/ Tam coc route to explore destinations and scenery privately.

    Mountain hiking: Hang Mua is a wonderful place to check-in because of panorama view. Besides, Bich Dong pagoda is also an alternative.

    History tour: Hoa Lu ancient capital bring you a flash of Vietnamese history with some temple and archway.

    Forest hiking: Cuc Phuon national park is a great place for trail hiking and wildlife exploration.

    Bird watching: Thung Nham bird garden is a spectacular spot to view birds and other animal, as well.

    Religion tour: Both Phat Diem cathedral and Bai Dinh pagoda are must-see landmarks that every pigrim should visit once

    Comfort tour: Visit Kenh Ga hot spring and enjoy your day of comfort. It’s also booking a homestay and live a local life for 1-2 days, it’s very peaceful ambiance here.

    Food tour: Enjoy the local specialities with list of must-eat below (along with local drink).

    Recommend itinerary

    Day 1: Trang An (4h) – Hang Mua peak (2h) – Tam Coc (4) (optional) – Bich Dong pagoda (2h)

    Day 2: Phat Diem Cathedral (2h) – Thung Nham bird garden (4h)

    Day 3: Hoa Lu ancient capital (1h) – Bai Dinh pagoda (4h)

    Day 4: Van Long natural preserve (4h) – Kenh Ga hot spring (3h) – Cuc Phuong national park (overnight)

    Day 5: Cuc Phuong national park (4h)

    What to eat in Ninh Binh

    Mountain goat (de nui) meat is a local speciality. The taste is good, and it’s usually served with fried rice. Cơm cháy is another dish of rice, specificly, burnt rice at the bottom of a pot, and you eat with pork cooked with fishsauce.

    Sometimes you see duck stores, which is quite worth a try if you haven’t eaten in Hanoi. And for the last, dog meat, very popular in the Northern Vietnam. If you love animal, I don’t think you love the food, but, yeah, it’s really a weird food that you should try in Vietnam.

    Some local restaurant you should try:

    Cô Hoa – Bún Canh Riêu (79 Luong Van Tuy, Ninh Binh city): good rice noodle soup with crab top up and veggie, 15,000 vnd/ bowl, so cheap!
    De Quy 135 (Trang An str, Hoa Lu, Tam Coc area): famous for Goat dish, the cheapest dish cost only 50,000 vnd!! But the menu is in Vietnamese, and it’s hard to translate to English. Huhm
    Lac Hong restaurant (near Hang Mua peak): it seems every specialities you can eat here. Nice design, both interior and dishes. Price is 50,000-300,000 vnd, you should have a group to share a big meal, which you can eat many food at budget price per person.

    For popular local drinks, you should enjoy Bia hoi along river bank for only 5,000 vnd/ glass. A plate of snack or peanuts is also a good companion!

    A glass of sugar cane with ice is also a good pick, same as beer: 5,000 vnd. I love sweet, I do enjoy Vietnam the drink.

    First thing to do a Ninh Binh budget travel – How to get there, cheaply!

    Because the province is very close to Hanoi – Vietnam capital, it’d better depart from here.

    Open bus: The best budget vehicle is open bus at Giap Bat terminal, Hanoi, for only 70,000 vnd (3 usd). They start at early morning, takes 3-4 hours, depending on traffic situation. Because of the strict policy in bus regulation of government, you should buy ticket in the hall. You’d better write down the destination (Ninh Binh/ Tam Coc/ Trang An/…) and show driver to let them know exact destination. Vietnamese is still not popular English-speaking country.

    Taxi: Though it’s not a budget option, but taking taxi as a share ride is sometimes a good choice, because you needn’t have to transit so much, save more time. For those departure from Hanoi, it cost 65 usd/ ride and plus 15 usd if getting from Noi bai airport.

    Tips: Asking people for a share ride, a 7-seat cab for totally 6-7 travelers only cost 10 usd/ person, and no transit, which means it’s better than bus (no extended time, transit budget and stress of language barrier).

    Train: it’s good news that the railway now offer e-booking, you’d better choose cushioned seats with air-con for more relaxing, but cheapest option – wooden seats (or “market carriages” for better local experience, I always get this because it’s a quick ride (2.5-3 hours) so no reason why we don’t enjoy more local culture. Fee: 60,000-150,000 vnd. Check the official booking website [http://dsvn.vn/] for more info.

    The cart will be strolling around, which offer meals, food and drink, even sometimes specialty cake.

    Tips: there’s a canteen at the end of the train, where you could buy a cafe and enjoy landscape, too!

    And don’t forget that the new train station (used by Vietnam railway now) is 1 kilometer away from the old one (referenced by most of hostel, restaurant,…).

    There’s no airport in Ninh Binh.

    Hiring motorbike or bicycle in Ninh Binh ?

    Motorbike is the best way to enjoy the city and surrounding sceneries. 10 usd/ day/ bike, plus 70,000 vnd for fuel and (in case you want) 5 usd for a guide. It’s cheapest and most exciting vehicle.

    For quieter and more eco-friendly, a bicycle would suit you, only 3 usd/ day. And you should bring more water and energy bars.

    Though some guides saying that Ninh Binh is walkable because it’s small and the attractions are close, walking is quite annoying because taxi bikes are mostly asking you to buy their ride. (I don’t really like it).

    Where to sleep in Ninh Binh

    Dorm is quite popular in the area. You’d better stay around Tam Coc area, which is very comfortable, but there’s still some hostel in old train station (town center) good to take. I see about 7 options that you can sleep under 10 usd/ night. Private room is range from 15-20 usd/ night, double is around 30 usd/ night.

    The most beloved one is Go NinhBinh Hostel, or an old train station. The room is good, Facilities are even better: “…free computers, free hair driers, free wi-fi, free paper map, free dart board games, pool table available and free car parking,…” (wikitravel.org). I do love the design, and backpacker smell here. It makes me hungry for a new journey whenever I see it. The only shortage is the location: city center, which is nothing to do at night but drinking beer and chit-chat. 6 usd/ dorm bed. So good.

    Ninh Binh downtown backpacker: high view from dorm (great!), free breakfast (we can save some pennies), price is super good: 6 usd.

    Tam Coc Homestay: Amazing local experience, from design to surrounding landscape, price is also good, 6 usd/ night/ dorm bed. You’ll lost in rice paddy field, bare brick and bamboo walls, dried-leaves roof and (ridiculously) a duck lake (you can feed them, ahha).

    More comforts, check in Hoa lu Backpacker homestay, everything is clean, and some are free: hammock sleep, fruit picking, mountain view from 2nd-floor toward. Price is higher: 7.5 usd/ dorm night

    Tam Coc bamboo Homestay: 8 usd/ dorm night, and you are living among mountain cliffs, it’s great, room is clean, free wifi. But I don’t love the design, it’s poor.

    Tam Coc Bungalow: free break fast, wifi. Only 6 usd/ night for a dorm bed. River view, well-equipped.

    Ha Trang Hotel: ok, it’s cheaper, only 4 usd. Not beautiful, no breakfast but wifi.

    Budget tips to Ninh Binh

    A typical expense for a day in Ninh Binh

    Dorm: 6 usd

    Food: 4-20 usd (normal or specialities)

    Attraction entrance fee: 5-7 usd

    Bike: 8 usd in total and 4 usd/ person (you could share ride)

    Totally: Only 20 usd/ day minium expense. For 5 days discovering Ninh Binh, you need 100 usd to see Kong: Skull island film background landscape and other amazing sceneries. It’s such a cheap trip!

    FAQ for Ninh Binh budget travel

    Q: Where should we depart for Ninh Binh

    A: from Hanoi

    Q: Where can I rent a bike in Ninh Binh

    A: most of hotels/ hostels offer bike rental, ask the receptionist. You should ask for helmet and go to gasonline station, get full tank and explore a full day.

    Q: Where to camp in Ninh Binh

    A: Cuc Phuong national park, Thung Nham bird gardens,…

    Q: How long should I spend in Ninh Binh

    A: 5 days is a fix time to explore most of attractions. A week is more relaxing.

    Q: Where can I rent a budget accomodation in Ninh Binh

    A: Near old train station and Tam coc.

  • Backpacking Tram Chim national park – Vietnam exploration

    Backpacking Tram Chim national park – Vietnam exploration

    Tram Chim national park is a very famous spot in nature trail along Mekong delta. Located in Dong Thap province, 4 hours ride away from HCMc, the park is really a great place for bird-watching activities with dozen of species, a promising photography destination, as well. The price is affordable if travelling as a group.

    What is the best route to Tram Chim national park?

    https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1a0w53_tYBJWKopUVymrCdW5awnE

    Routes to Tram Chim national park

    • Beaten-track: stick to highway
    • Off-the-beaten-track: Go northwest, follow countryside road.

    When is the best time to visit?

    Bird homing at the beginning of rainy season (March-April) when the water level rises bring more fish for them. So it is the best time for bird watching activity.

    Floating season (or rainy time) from September to December is also a good time because the whole landscape is painted in green and brand-new smell after hundreds of rain feed the forest.

     Sua hat sen – popular drink in Dong Thap

    Food & Drink & Take-away

    “Sua hat sen” (Lotus seed drink) is quite popular in Tram Chim.

    In general, Lotus is a speciality in Dong Thap, you can buy fresh lotus seed to eat fresh, or make it as ingredient for a dish cooked at home.

    Fish and dishes are quite popular here, well-cooked with delicious taste, truly local.

    Food is a real mean to explore culture.

    Accomodation

    Few people stay overnight because it’s quiet and almost nothing to entertain at night. But if you want to rest and enjoy peaceful countryside atmosphere, there’s several choices.

    The most interesting but still very budget friendly that you can sleep in a private room right inside the park center, price ranges from 7-15$/ day. At night, you can walk around a bit, but all you see is likely darkness and sound of (con trung va coc nhai’).

    In low season, it doesn’t matter booking in advance but in bird watching season, you should do so.

    Packing

    not too far from travel hub HCMc, so there’s no need to bring a lot in your backpack, just few essential stuff: mosquito repellent, sunscreen, t-shirt, hat, slippers and swimsuit in case you’d love to swim in the river.

    Activities

     tram chim national park information center

    Study

    A wide range of bird is really ideal for anyone who wish to study nature, you can collect many information in the park center complex and a real experience on boat into the park.

    Cruising

    very exciting and peaceful. You rent a small wooden boat, order delicious food and enjoy them directly, while surfing quiet along route into forest, seeing bird, listening to wild life. It’s simply amazing.

    Kayaking

    Young and active? Rent a kayak and you can explore the national park in your own way at your own speed. Gopro is definitely a good choice for sport shooting style.

    Speedboat cruising

    Wanna a brief visiting, rent a speedboat tour and a pretty-girl tourguide will take you around, representing all interesting facts and maybe answer all your queries

    Fishing

    A big fan of fishing love Tram Chim, many kinds of fish here, and a good rob can make you rich with fish.

     I’m on a speedboat

    Photography tips

    The cruise follows a route like a triangle: the first line is grass on water, the second leads you into the Melaleuca forest and the last one is really a lotus showcase.

    Photographers had better visit Tram Chim in the early morning or late afternoon, when the sun is in perfect color – orange – blended with blue clear sky if you’re lucky.

    To shoot birds, arrange your trips in homing season (see When session), to see most of them flying around.

    Tele lens are the best choice, and a CP-L filter will give you more power in shooting water and also, make the color better.

    Budget tips

     Price board

    You can buy a tour “Mekong Delta exploration”, including Tram Chim national park in Bui Vien, for 50$.

    Rent a bike (5$), get fuelled (5$) and make a DIY tour for a cheap trip on day. It’s not far from HCMc.

    Group travelling is advised because there are few options for a solo traveller here. Sharing is really ideal.

    Typical expense:

    Drink: no more than 20,000vnd/ bottle

    Lotus seed: 50,000vnd/ pack

    Kayak: 50,000vnd/ hour/ 2 seats

    Entrance ticket: 5000 vnd/ adult, 2000 vnd/ child (no need if you catch a boat at the port and directly deal with boat rider)

    Bike parking fee: 5000 vnd

    Transit to rest stop inside the park (electric car): 30,000 vnd/ pax

    Combo: 150,000 vnd/ person (for a group at least 6 people)

  • Phu Quy island travel guide

    Phu Quy island travel guide

    Phu Quy travel guide provides you transportation idea, things to do, travel map and also budget information for planning trip.

    Phu Quy, an island not two far from Phan Thiet – Mui Ne, a real unbeaten-track destination, still very pure scenery. Food is delicious and cheap, fantastic landscape. Totally it costs 1,000,000 dong/ 2-day trip. You won’t regret to be here !

    Get in

    There’s only one way to reach the island: on boat. You should travel to Phan Thiet Harbour second-gate to buy the ticket and boarding. You can park your bike at a nearby house (ask local for overnight bike park), 5,000 dong/ day and 10,000 dong/ night.

    There are two options: fast-moving: 250,000 vnd/ ticket/ 3 hour surfing and 150,000 vnd/ ticket/ 6 hours. The schedule is very unusual, so it’s advised to check beforehand.

    You can contact some hosts in the island to check the schedule: Gioi (0966661052) or Cot (0937194908). If you book their homestay, they will arrange for transit from the harbor to their house.

    Though your seat is in the basement, you should stay on deck because of the spacy, airy and landscape is stunning. Sunrise, flying fishes, feelings of adventure and freedom.

    https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=10fIXHi8U9KVh6SHQp5zpsgdB6n0

    Phu Quy Travel map, zoom-in for recommended restaurants, things to do and accommodation.

    Get around

    Phu Quy is a small island, so a motorbike is ideal to move around. The rental is very easy, and you can take the bike first and pay later, refill yourself, 20,000 dong gasonline is enough.

    Actually, it takes you only one day to explore the whole island, but for better experience like sunrise – sunset watching, you should stay for 2 days.

    To explore nearby isle, you can book boat (0972031325) to Tranh isle, Den isle or Trung isle,… from 300,000-400,000 dong/ boat (depending on the number of people joining to bargain).

     Phu Quy water is clear-as-crystal

    Accomodation

    There are a lot of hostels and a few hotel in Phu Quy. As far as I know, there are merely two homestays (Gioi and Cot, the contact above). The price is 50,000 vnd/ day (Gioi) or 100,000 vnd/ day (Cot), you are served meals with the family.

     Puffer fish dish

    Food

    I think the food is one of the best experience. Taste is amazing, price is super cheap. A tall cup of Nuoc mia (sugar-cane juice) costs 5,000 vnd, a 300g moon grab is 60,000vnd, even a set of six small Banh xeo (Vietnamese crepe) costs just 15,000 vnd and really full. A set of Nem nuong Cha lui costed me 30,000 vnd.

    I came in a small restaurant and order 3 dishes and paid just 45,000 vnd.

    Vo Van Kiet is a street food hub. Banh xeo is at 256 Vo Van Kiet street.

    Ong Gia (Old man) restaurant is also a great choice of seafood with reasonable price, locates at the end of Ly Thuong Kiet street, near 27/4 street. I tasted puffer fish dish for the first time here, very delicious. (puffer fish consideredly contains poison, so it seems I’m very brave to try it *LoL*).

     Check-in sunrise in Linh Son Pagoda

    Things to do

    My Phu quy travel guide suggests some activities below:

    Sunrise watching: You’d better visit Linh Son pagoda at dawn to see gorgous landscape.

    Biking: It’s great to bike around and see local life, eat local food and explore unexplored spots.

    Eating: Yeah, why not!

    Windmills: just for photography, we can’t climb up. they locate at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai road, near lighthouse. As far as I know, there are very few island in Vietnam located windmills.

    Get to the top of the island – light-house: travel to restricted mountain, with a radar station there, so it depends on your luck to get the light-house.

     Swimming and sunbathing at Trieu Duong bay

    Whale bone exhibition: There’s a temple of Whale bone with over 100 sets of whales and turtles. It’s usually closed, there’s a contact number attached so you should call to have people open the door.

    the cliff – my favorite spot for climbing and natural-pool relax

    Sunbathing and Swimming: The east beach (Trieu Duong bay) is the best beach of the island. Nice sand, clear water and beautiful panorama, suitable for outdoor activities, even sports. In the evening, many locals gather here to swim, eat and play sports or just di jogging.

    Adventurous climb: Actually, this is what I do-it-myself experience because there’s no tour for it. There’s a cliff (Ganh Hang) at the northeast (Stone ground), you can climb there, it’s not hard but scenery is awesome.