Most times there will be a language barrier but this shouldn’t stop you from trying food carts. At first, we would move cautiously up to the food cart, looking at each other, whispering ‘do you think it’s safe to eat? What is that?’ and then point to something asking ‘how much?’ If you do ask how much, it may cause the street vendor to stop, think, and decide to tell you an inflated price. We now confidently walk up to the cart, have a look, put two fingers up, nod, hold out some cash, and hope for change. Just pretend you know what you’re doing! At times you will need…
-
-
Two Months in Vietnam – Photo Gallery
It is hard to express the intensity, emotion and colour of Vietnam in photos alone. Here is a selection of some of our experiences from the claustrophobic cities to the remote countryside of Vietnam. Enjoy! Lionel & Emma TWOGREENBACKPACKS.COM/VIETNAM
-
Laos to Vietnam Border Crossing & Vice Versa
Border crossings can be interesting to say the least. They are basically the wild west of immigration offices. Where anything goes. Here we have our experience of going from Vietnam to Laos, and how we got majorly scammed. But it also works the other way, as a Laos to Vietnam border crossing. Either way, be warned and on the lookout for scam artists posing as immigration officers. Unfortunately, they know you have no choice! Vietnam to Laos Border Crossing We left Sapa on an overnight sleeper bus heading to Dien Bien Phu. Luckily we had bumped into an Aussie couple at a hotel. We were both exchanging money the same…
-
My Personal Nat Geo Photographer
Emma taking pictures in Ha Giang province near Dong Van. Our favorite travel destination so far.
-
Bus Troubles
A family of Italians claimed our water bottle as theirs today on the bus. Then they drank from it, or mauled the bottle more like. We didn’t know what to do, should we have claimed it back? Did we even want it back? Then we were really thirsty.
-
First Impression Of Sapa
This picture sums up our first impression of Sapa pretty well. Unfortunately, the town itself is very hectic with people constantly trying to sell you things, and not taking no for an answer. It can get quite overwhelming when you are constantly surrounded by strangers questioning why you won’t buy their stuff. We are currently afraid to take too many pictures, as it seems you can get charged for even just leaving your guesthouse! Later Emma found some kids that would interact with her without a fee.
-
Waiting for our bus to leave Dong Van at 6am
-
Ma Pi Leng Pass: Riding A Motorbike From Dong Van To Meo Vac
The Ma Pi Leng pass is quite possible the single best kept secret of intrepid travel in Vietnam. A fellow traveler had told me about these very remote towns deep in the north of Vietnam. One called Dong Van and the other called Meo Vac. I had never heard of either of them. Of course that fact alone peaked my interest. It was not so much the towns themselves, but what lay between them. What connected them was the Ma Pi Leng pass. The single best bit of road in all of South East Asia in my opinion. This drive was so special that we did it twice. Yes, two…
-
The Ride From Dong Van To Lung Cu, Ha Giang Province
We arrived in Dong Van at 10am after a 5 hour bumpy local bus ride from Ha Giang province. Dong Van is small and sleepy. We had a very good and incredibly strong coffee and some lunch before we met up with Ha and her friend for the ride to Lung Cu, the northern most point in Vietnam. This is a very important place for Vietnamese people. We were the only tourists on this road and locals were a bit surprised to see us. The road is narrow and hugs the steep mountain side, curving charmingly through the hilly landscape. The Matterhorn in Vietnam. The scenery up here is very…
-
What To Do in Hanoi Blog Journey in 25 Days
Hanoi is a fascinating city and we chose to take a break from ‘backpacking’ to spend nearly a month in this place. (Though mainly because I needed to get my stitches out and fix my teeth from my bad motorbike accident in Danang!) We met expats, went on walking tours with uni kids, and visited some interesting museums. Below is our what to do in Hanoi blog post in case you need inspiration or want to know what else to do in this bustling city! Hanoi, Vietnam Hanoi in Vietnam is a pretty cool place. I actually prefer it to Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon). The Old Quarter in the…
