• Age: 36
• Year: 2025
• Time of year: March
• Length of trip: 7 days
• Travel style: Adventure

The recap:
Lantern wishes
Squid fishing
Phở every day

Day 1

Flew from Chiang Mai, Thailand to Danang, Vietnam (note: would have been more direct from Bangkok). Took a Grab car to Hoi An (about an hour from the airport) and checked into the beautiful MaiChi Villa – by far the best deal of the trip at less than $75 CAD/night with impeccable guest service managed by 2 sisters, a gorgeous pool, and comfortable room. Went for dinner at the Dim Sum House and enjoyed a wonton soup along with the local Hoi An mot tea.

Day 2

Went for a swim in the pool before my sister arrived from Vancouver. Then it was time to explore the old town of Hoi An. Great shopping here – I had custom leather sandals made at the Leather & Suede Shop, and we stopped for lunch at Hoi An Heart Restaurant. The evening is when the magic happens with all of the coloured lanterns lit up along the streets and in the water – we took a boat tour and lit our own lanterns. Then went for drinks at Tiger Tiger and dinner at Restaurant & Bar 27, followed by late night drinks at the Hoianian wine bar.

Day 3

Went for breakfast at Nom Bistro, and then took the hotel car back to the Danang airport. Flew about 1.5 hours to Hanoi on Vietnam Airlines. Checked into the Sofitel Metropole Hotel, a splurge night thanks to our aunt’s AMEX points. Went for a dip in the pool and then had a delicious Vietnamese dinner at the Spice Garden, one of the restaurant hotels.

Day 4

Highlight day: Woke up early for our tour to Halong Bay with Indochina Junk – about a 2 hour drive away. Boarded the Dragon Legend cruise for an overnight adventure through Bai Tu Long Bay (adjacent to Halong Bay, and known to be quieter).

The boat/accommodations/food/service were all lovely – shout-out to our cruise manager, Kenny G.

And the activities were well-organized including cave spelunking, kayaking, and even night-time squid fishing!

Day 5

Early morning wake-up call for a tai chi class on the top deck of the boat, followed by breakfast and then a visit to one of the local fishing villages – Vung Vieng. The visit included a lovely paddle boat tour by one of the locals, and education on the making of pearls in the village.

Then it was time to pack up our bags and head back to Hanoi, but not without one more stop on the itinerary – a water puppet show at the Yen Duc Water Puppet Theater.

Checked into Le Premier Hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi and had martinis at the rooftop bar – The Luxe Bar. Went for dinner at Michelin recommended Cau Go (note: reservations required and entrance is a bit hidden). Then we had to check out the famous Beer Street and had drinks at The Blues Bar.

Day 6

More time to explore Hanoi – had to try the local bún chả (pork & vermicelli) in a pop-up restaurant Bún Chả Hàng Quạt in an alley to start the day. Then we went to visit the Ngoc Son Temple in the middle of the lake, followed by the Vietnamese Women’s Museum. Next stop was the famous Train Street – if you want to know the train schedule, ask one of the shop owners. And for our last night in Vietnam, we went to the symphony at the Hanoi Opera House.

Day 7

Went for breakfast at the hotel, as it was included as part of our stay. And then took a Grab car to the Hanoi airport for our flight to Bali (the SE Asia journey continues with the blog post here).