Fascination Vietnam and Cambodia

We set off on our planned adventure trip to Vietnam and Cambodia on 20 October. After 21 days full of impressions, the trip ended on 9 November 2024.

The journey begins

Our non-stop flight to Hanoi took off in the early afternoon.

Welcome to Hanoi

In the morning, we landed at Hanoi International Airport, the capital of Vietnam. We were immediately captivated by the vibrant old town, where narrow alleyways are lined with houses, shops and centuries-old craft workshops. We explored the most beautiful places by electric car and visited Hoan Kiem Lake. A cheerful hustle and bustle at the market, colourful fruit on display, fragrant food from the best cookshops – and we were right in the middle of it all. Not without sampling the many delicacies ourselves, of course! Marvel, stroll, discover! It couldn’t have been a better start to Vietnam.

Day trip to Halong Bay

One of the most popular destinations in Vietnam is undoubtedly the mysterious Halong Bay. Early in the morning, we travelled by bus on CT04 and later on CT06 to Tuan Chau International Marina on the island of Dao tuan Chau, to our jetty in Halong.

Before that, we made a stopover at the Legend Pearl. The tourist buses should/must stop here. The vivid presentations on the production of cultured pearls were interesting. There were also neat and clean toilets. The atmosphere in the shop was relaxed and unpressurised. The journey to the harbour was short.

After a relaxed trip on a tender boat past the Fighting rocks islet and numerous limestone rocks, we reached the jetty at Hang Luon. We travelled through the Hang Luon Cave in a bamboo boat driven by a nice Vietnamese lady – please keep your head down. The view of the rocky mountains and lush plants was breathtaking. However, the tourist boat traffic was enormous. Traffic jams in the cave were of course included.

We then travelled on to Hang Sung Sot. After a steep climb, we reached the Sung Sot Cave – also known as the Surprise Caves or Surprise Grottoes. Upon entering the cave, one is overwhelmed by the sheer size and cool rock formations. You can admire impressive stalagmites and stalactites in the two chambers. However, you are accompanied by masses of tourists. After travelling a total of 300km by bus, we were back in Hanoi.

One Hanoi highlight was still missing from our travel itinerary, the famous ‘Train Street’. Passing many colourful houses and shining lanterns, we were able to get a seat in a café on Train Street right by the tracks and enjoy a drink. Suddenly there was a flurry of activity, we had to pay quickly, tables and chairs were folded up and put to one side. Then, at 7.15 p.m., the time had come: a lone locomotive drove swiftly past us – what an adrenaline rush. You simply have to see it.

On the way back to the hotel, we enjoyed the atmosphere in Beer Street.

The day was very eventful! Incredible!

From Hanoi to Hue

Today’s city tour was all about Ho Chi Minh. We took a look at his mausoleum and his house and visited the Temple of Literature. Afterwards, the night train took us to Hue in central Vietnam.

The further experience report will follow soon ………………..