Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam shocked us with what it had to offer. We deciding to start our journey of Vietnam from the north and made our way to the south. Starting in Hanoi, the capital, Ha Long Bay, Da Nang, Hoi An and finishing in Ho Chi Minh City.
Our First Impressions.
We did not know what to expect from Vietnam, and were not sure how difficult it may prove with three children. We planned to travel faster through Vietnam compared to the previous countries, spending less time in each location due to the length of time we were allowed on our visa. However there are now longer visa options available and we would recommend slowing down more than we did.
Vietnam had the most motorcycles we had ever seen, so much traffic, and its mind boggling as to how they navigate the roads. A lot of beeping and shuffling, this was one place we knew we did not want to trial driving. Incredibly, this was the first time we saw a completely unique helmet style, like a shape of a cap but in helmet design worn by everyone! There is also a style of crossing the road that had to be mastered, basically walk across and hold your space and everyone will go around you.
Was the language barrier?
Yet again we were unsure if there would be a strong language barrier but we found there was hardly one at all, there were many English speakers and if not local venders were easy to negotiate and communicate with.
Everyones Favourite, Food.
The food was incredible from Banh Mi, pho and Vietnamese rice spring rolls, everything was absolutely delicious. Due to faster travel we actually ate out the most in Vietnam. The value for money was excellent and this made eating out doable every day.
Transport and Getting around places.
Our main form of transport in Vietnam was Taxi’s, we could easily book these using the grab app. The cost was very reasonable, and we didn’t feel like taking on the roads ourselves.