Three weeks backpacking through Vietnam; travelling doesn’t have to be expensive!

As usual I'm concluding my long revue of posts about my most recent travels with a round-up of my budget and expenses of the trip. As South-East asia is known to be a cheaper region, the budget for my three week backpacking trip through Vietnam was also a lot lower than for my trip last…

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My three week backpacking itinerary through Vietnam

Over the past couple of months, you've been able to read all about my backpacking adventure through the beautiful country of Vietnam. During those three weeks, we were able to check off most of the hightlights, but of course one could easily spent half a year travelling this country as there is just so much…

Visiting the Perfume Pagoda complex from Hanoi

On our last full day in Vietnam, we had plans to leave the city of Hanoi once more. We boarded a bus to take us to the famous Perfume Pagoda about 60km south-west of the city. This pagoda is part of an entire complex of pagodas and shrines up in the cliffs of Huong Tich, but the…

Two day cruise through Halong Bay with Dragon Gold Cruise

After the two day trek through Sapa, it was time for some relaxing. And what better way to relax than enjoying a cruise through one of the most famous UNESCO heritage sites? Halong Bay is one of the most visited places in all of Vietnam and it's not hard to figure out why. The beautiful islands…

Hanoi; the city that comes alive in the evening

It was already pretty late in the evening when our train from Ninh Binh arrived in the capital of Vietnam; Hanoi. On our way from the train station to our hostel ‘Little Hanoi Hostel’, it already became clear that Hanoi was a bit different than Ho Chi Minh City. The first thing that struck us…

Peace and tranquility at Tam Coc, Ninh Binh

After experiencing the very busy Trang An on Sunday afternoon, we made sure we were completely prepared to beat the crowds at the supposedly more touristy Tam Coc.  Just as Trang An, Tam Coc is an area with beautiful limestone mountains but here you're also sailing through the the typical Vietnamese rice paddies. In the…

Treated like a VIP at Trang An, Ninh Binh

After a refreshing shower and lunch at our lovely hotel, we were ready to explore the beautiful region of Ninh Binh. Ninh Binh is often skipped by people travelling through Vietnam due to lack of time, but in my opinion, it's one of the most beautiful regions in the country. It's mostly known for its…

Worth the 450 stairs: View from the Lying Dragon Mountain

One of the best things about travelling is always discovering unexpected things. As an avid planner I don’t often come across this feeling, but in Ninh Binh, on top of the Lying  Dragon Mountain it hit me full force. We had planned to only visit Trang An and Tam Coc while in Ninh Binh, but…

Four reasons why ‘Hoa Bien Hotel’ is thé place to stay in Ninh Binh

Over the course of three weeks backpacking through Vietnam, we have stayed in many hostels and hotels, one more comfortable than the other. But when it comes to price-quality, there is one that's head and shoulders above all the rest; Hoa Bien Hotel in Ninh Binh. This hotel offered everything I'm always looking for in a good…

How I experienced my first time ever on a night train in Vietnam

Even though Vietnam wasn't my first trip far away from home, it was my first time actually backpacking and hence taking care of our own transportation to get places. For Cuba everything was done with buses and arranged by the agency we booked with, and in America we travelled everywhere by car. Since we would be…