Thread by @kpsiddhu

I went to Vietnam in the 1st week of July and here is my summary of the same!!

Day1:
Landed at Hanoi Airport, we were outside the airport within 5mins.. looked like a Tier 1/2 airport with hardly any distance from runway to exit gate..

Checked in Sheraton, hanoi west!

Day 2:
Took a day trip to Ninh-binh.. it is a country side place.. takes about 2.5hrs ride from Hanoi.

At Ninh-binh, you would do a boat ride for about 45mins passing through caves surrounded by lush green hills.. I would say, it is a good ride.

Post lunch, we had 2 options

1. Do cycling around the place covering nearby paddy and lotus fields
2. Short trek to nearby hill (450 steps)

We opted for a short trek in monsoon weather.. It was rewarding.. excellent views from the top of the hill and a short spell of rain made it even more lively!

That was the end of the Ninh-binh trip and we returned to Hanoi at about 9pm.. Mind you traffic in Hanoi city isn't any better .

Day3:

We started for Halong bay cruise at 8AM from Hanoi. It is about 3.5hrs drive from the city.

In between stopped at a pearl extracting place!

Reached halong bay at 11.30 and got into the ferry immediately which will take us to the final cruise..

Got into the cruise at about 1pm, had lunch on a cruise (Indian food on a cruise is much better than many restaurants in India) ! Glimpse of the cruise here!

After lunch, stepped out for kayaking! It was a fun ride for about 30mins..but the water wasn't maintained well..

Back to the cruise by 4pm.. cruise is docked at a place by 5pm and doesn't move till the next day..

Sunset views are the best part 🤩

Day 4:
Early morning 7AM, went on a short hike to Trung Trang caves at Cat-Ba Island.

Left the cruise at about 10.30 AM and reached Hanoi by 3.30 PM.

This time checked-in to a different hotel near the old quarters area.. Ideal for someone planning to do lots of shopping

The night market is active during weekends, a good place to buy first copies.. For a coffee lover, vietnam is the best place to try out different flavours.. Apparently vietnam is the 2nd largest producer of coffee in the world.

Another happening place is Beer street for party

Day 5 :

Tried the famous King Roti chocolate bun.. must try it when in Hanoi..

Visited historical places like "Temple of literature" etc.. Headed to Lotte Mall, thanks to @chakris64 for the tip.. It had offers on certain brands like Nike,

Sketchers etc, but the biggest deal was on Aldo (70% discount compared to Indian prices). Last stop was the famous Train street.. frankly i didn't find it exciting but good for instagram pics..

Headed to the airport by 5pm.

Don't forget to use the lounge at the airport and the best part of it is Full body Massage Chair available FOC.

Overall, the Hanoi trip has been a good one.. #Hanoi #Vietnam

since this post is reaching many, please feel free to explore my previous trips to Leh-ladakh, sikkim here.. thanks!

Leh - x.com/kpsiddhu/statu…

Sikkim - x.com/kpsiddhu/statu…