Vietnam (Day 92-99)

Day 92 Da Lat

We were already woken up by rain in the morning, which put a damper on our plans. First, we packed our things and then checked out of the wonderful hostel. The hostel was very cheap at €4 for 2 nights and 2 people. However, we were in a dormitory with 12 beds. The bunk beds were lined up so closely that you were right next to each other and could only pull a curtain between you. Jan was unlucky to have a couple lying right next to him who cuddled almost all night!

After check-out, we went for breakfast first. We then decided to ride through the city on a scooter. Initially, we wanted to play Mario Kart with small cars, but that was not possible due to the rain. Therefore, we first went to a café. When it finally stopped raining, we walked around the city and the shops.

After that, we made our way back to the hostel. After having lunch, we got some Banh mi for dinner. We spent the remaining time until around 3 PM in the hostel before taking a taxi to the bus station. Our big sleeper bus was scheduled to arrive at 4:30 PM, and we had a 13-hour journey ahead of us. To make this a bit more relaxing and comfortable with slightly larger beds, we had specifically booked the slightly more expensive class.

Day 93 Hoi An

After a short night, we were woken up just after five by “Chery Chery Lady!” In Hoi An, we first took a taxi that brought us to the hotel. Fortunately, when we arrived at around six, an employee was already waiting for us.

Although we couldn't check in yet, we could at least use the bathroom and we even received a coffee. After the hotel owner provided us with some tips, we made our way to the old town. First, of course, we got a Banh mi. Then we sat down in a café, and I tried coconut coffee for the first time.

Later, we walked through the old town, where there were many small shops. On a whim, I decided to visit a tailor. Hoi An is known for its many tailoring shops. The tailor designed a dress and a top with the help of my inspiration pictures. After that, I was measured. The next day, I could already have the first fitting, and some adjustments were made. Together, it cost a total of €120, which isn’t much for a tailored dress. However, for me, that was still quite a lot of money at the moment. But when would I get such a good deal again?

After that, we continued to stroll through the city and browsed in some vintage shops. After lunch, we could finally check in. Jan immediately laid down in bed, and I went back to the pool. Later, we went to a restaurant. Unfortunately, since it had rained again, we had to postpone further activities to the next day.

Day 94 Hoi An

For breakfast, we had toast and jam for the first time in a while. After breakfast, we were thankfully able to get our laundry back, which we had dropped off the day before. Then we rented a scooter and rode to the beach. We spent the rest of the morning there. Naturally, there were beach vendors, but fortunately, they weren’t too pushy. A vendor asked me if I wanted anything, and when I said no, she thanked me and moved on. It was really nice for a change, as you often get harassed by vendors or taxi drivers on the street. After that, we returned to the hotel and quickly got ready since I was supposed to be at the tailor by around 2 PM. I tried the pieces on, and some minor adjustments were made.

Next, we headed to a vegan restaurant for lunch that we had stumbled upon. The restaurant was in a small side street. Upon arrival, we first had to remove our shoes before entering. It felt more like a small private house, but it was still very beautiful and cozy.

Through the GetyourGuide app, we booked a tour and headed straight to the river. There, we rode in coconut boats across the river. We received a traditional Vietnamese straw hat and had our own driver. Jan decided to go into the boat, which spun quickly. By the way, the river was full of these boats. After about 40 minutes, the tour was over, and we quickly made our way back, as the clouds were getting darker. Just before our hotel, it started pouring rain. After a short break, I jogged for a while. By 6 PM, we had to be back at the tailor to try on the clothes. Only a small change was made, and I could take both pieces with me. We quickly walked over the night market and grabbed a small snack. Then we went to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner.

Day 95 Hoi An

For breakfast, this time there was a new variation of cold toast with jam, namely baguette with jam. After the delicious meal, we rode the scooter to Marble Mountain. This is a small mountain with temples and caves. Of course, we opted against the elevator at the mountain and climbed the stairs. Afterward, we were completely drenched in sweat again, but we had a really nice view of the city and the sea.

We looked at the various temples and went into a small cave. From the cave, you could also climb higher and enjoy an even better view. Afterward, we continued on to San Tra Marina. This is a small restaurant that looks like the houses in Santorini. After descending, we drove into the city and checked out a vintage shop. By chance, we even found a small restaurant with a vegan buffet.

Afterwards, we hopped from shop to shop and made our way back to Hoi An in the afternoon.

Once there, we went for a coffee first. For me, there was again a delicious coconut coffee. At the hotel, we took a short break. In the evening, we went to the old town and rode one of the famous lantern boats. Very much like tourists, we also let a floating candle glide into the water and made a wish. After that, we quickly walked over the market before heading out for dinner.

Day 96 Trip to Hue

In the morning, we left for Hue at 7:30 am by bus. We arrived in Hue just after eleven and went directly to our hostel, where we had booked a room with a private bathroom. Upon arrival, a woman who could not speak a word of English showed us to a dormitory! We tried to explain to her with gestures that we had booked a double room. Eventually, she brought us to another dormitory and demanded that we pay immediately. But we asked her if there would be other people sleeping there. She told us something about drunken workers. The room was not only different from what we had booked, but she also wanted more money for it! We decided to go to another accommodation. So we walked down all the stairs with our backpacks and looked for a restaurant where we could have breakfast.

There we looked for a new place to stay and luckily found a cheap hotel nearby that also had an elevator. Since we only wanted to stay one night, we went straight to a scooter rental. Unfortunately, with all our luck that day, the first scooter rental had no scooters left, and the second one didn’t exist anymore. At that point, I would have liked to just lie down in my bed and sleep. However, we made our way to the next scooter rental and at least had luck with renting there. But when we set off, it started pouring rain after 5 minutes. If it rains, it pours! Frustrated, we decided to return to the hotel and wait for the rain to stop. However, it took quite a while. By now, it had become evening when it was only drizzling, and we could finally ride the scooter to a market. There, we had dinner and later checked out a few shops. I was really glad when the day was over. As a crowning conclusion to this day, there was a party with very loud music taking place next to our hotel.

Day 97 Journey to Phong Nha

The day started with a vegan breakfast in a restaurant. Afterwards, we walked a bit through the city and had another coffee. I tried almond coffee for the first time. The coffee tasted delicious but was a bit too sweet for me. Since we wanted to check out of the hotel by 12 PM, we headed back. From the hotel, we made our way to the bus station. Our bus was supposed to leave at 1 PM but was delayed by over half an hour. While we were waiting, we were approached by a man. He told us that his daughter could speak German and really wanted to see German money. I had only a bit of change left, which I ended up giving him. The wait was quite annoying because we were completely drenched in sweat, even though we were just sitting there. After a long wait, we were finally picked up by a minibus, of which we were the first passengers. On the way, the bus picked up other people until it was completely full. The ride lasted almost 5 hours and was quite relaxing. The only annoying part was that people constantly honked. Our driver had to overtake everyone everywhere, which sometimes gave me anxiety. Upon arriving in Phong Nha, we could walk directly to our accommodation. There, we immediately set out to have dinner.

Day 98 Phong Nha

First, we walked to a small café for breakfast. There, I finally had avocado toast again after a long time. After that, we got a scooter and rode to our first stop. The first stop was the so-called Duck stop. Upon arrival, I first saw many small puppy dogs. After that, everything was explained to us, and we got a drink. Afterwards, we could already feed the ducks, and each of us briefly became the duck leader. Then we got a little snack. Our next destination was actually the Dark Cave. However, since we stopped too early, we arrived at the water park. The water park was right next to the cave. Since the water park was cheaper than visiting the cave and also had a zipline, we decided to go to the water park, where we were the only tourists. At first, I was quite annoyed because the locals kept pushing ahead and shoving. We had to wait quite a long time for the zipline. However, I felt that the pushing and shoving here didn’t feel as unfriendly as in Germany. Most were actually very nice to us, and we were often approached. We chatted longer with a girl who was learning German and wanted to study in Germany one day.

After the water park, the sky got darker and we could already hear thunder. Therefore, we rode back and had something to eat. In the afternoon, it rained again. In the evening, we went to a restaurant and returned the scooter.

Day 99 Journey to Ninh Binh

My alarm clock rang at 7:30 AM because I wanted to go for a little run. After jogging, we met straight at the café and had breakfast there. Afterwards, we rode directly to the Monkey Bridge on the scooter. It's a narrow bridge that leads over a small lake. Here, we first got life jackets and protective clothing. Each of us had three attempts to ride a bike across the bridge. Jan went first and fell into the water on his first two attempts. Then I tried and also fell into the water. My second attempt was successful, and I made it to the other end. Jan had one more attempt, but he fell into the water again. As a prize, I got a beer, which I exchanged for a Sprite. After that, we had to rush back to the accommodation since our bus was leaving at 11:00 AM. So we quickly packed our things and were taken to the bus by a staff member. The staff member said goodbye, and we waited until we could board the bus. It was only there that we were told there was a problem and we might not be able to ride, even though the staff member had previously spoken with the staff. Fortunately, another staff member from the nearby hostel came and translated for us. After a short time, it was clarified that there had been a misunderstanding, and we could ride the bus. This time we traveled again in a sleeper bus with larger beds, although we had to share a bed. After three hours, we took the first break, and I had to rush to the restroom. After that, I got some rice and tofu for lunch. After over 7 hours, we finally arrived in Ninh Binh. We decided to walk the twenty-minute path to our accommodation. On the way, we also stopped for dinner.