Sneak Peek: Ho Chi Minh

Hôtel de Ville de Saigon illuminated at night.

Hanoi: Day 4

Another hearty breakfast at Calypso Boutique Hotel: Clubhouse Sandwich with Fries.

I love the French colonial architecture of the Hanoi Opera House. In my opinion, this is one of the neatest neighborhoods in the city.

Sidewalk eatery. Nón lá (traditional Vietnamese conical hat). Postcard hunting. 

Hoan Kiem Lake is often referred to as the Lake of the Restored Sword. This is one of the most picturesque places I've ever seen!

Scenes from downtown Hanoi. 

The Sunlight Bridge in Hoan Kiem Lake leads to the Jade Mountain Temple.

These are the numerous pagodas at the Jade Mountain Temple that are frequently visited by tourists.

Hanoi: Day 3

Good morning Halong Bay! We woke up to a beautiful view!

There are so many Vietnamese cruise ships that operate in Halong Bay.

Early morning cruise.

Intricate rock formations.

Scenic rock formations: Camel, Fighting Cocks, Alligator, Frog, Dog and Cat.

What a view! I can get used to this.

Look at the captain of our cruise ship. 

Hanoi: Day 2

On our second day, the staff at Calypso Boutique Hotel prepared a really good ala carte (main course) and buffet (breads and desserts) breakfast for us.

We rode a comfortable mini van owned by Oriental Sails going to Halong Bay. We slept soundly in the van for three long hours. 

When we got to the pier, there were so many Vietnamese cruise ships. We have made prior reservations at Oriental Sails. 

This is the common area as well as the main dining area in the ship.

The cabins in Oriental Sails are designed with rich wooden decor. Other cabin amenities include the following: air-conditioner, mini–bar, and private shower with hot water.

After we rested and freshened up, the staff started serving lunch in the dining area.

We lingered at the sundeck after lunch while gazing at the intricate rock formations reflected in the crystal clear waters of Halong Bay.

Look at these amazing rock formations! Truly a sight to behold!

Mid-afternoon, we visited the Hang Sung Sot, also known as the Cave of Surprises.  

Breathtaking Halong Bay from the top of Hang Sung Sot.

A wide range of activities were prepared by Oriental Sails. Before sunset, we went kayaking through floating villages.

We had an elegant dinner in the ship that night. 

Hanoi Hangover

Last October 26 to 29, my sister and I traveled to Vietnam's capital city, Hanoi. We took the budget airline, Jetstar, from Singapore via Ho Chi Minh City. We've been anticipating this trip since March when we bought our promo tickets online!

This is the Noi Ba International Airport in Hanoi. We had a free pick-up service from our hotel.

These are snippets from our afternoon stroll in downtown Hanoi.

Ho Chi Minh Museum. Tran Quoc Pagoda. One Pillar Pagoda.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

Presidential Palace.

I forgot the name of this pagoda.

This is such a beautiful sight.

West Lake Hanoi.

Truc Bach Lake.

Hanoi at night.

Calypso Boutique Hotel

During our vacation in Hanoi, my sister and I stayed in Calypso Boutique Hotel located in the heart of Hanoi's old quarter. We were given free pick-up service and welcome drinks upon arrival. The staff was extremely friendly and accommodating.  

We got a special 4 Days/3 Nights package from the hotel that includes the following:

- 2 nights stay in Calypso Boutique Hotel

- 2 days/ 1 night deluxe cruise in Halong Bay (overnight on board)

- Roundtrip shuttle from Hanoi to Halong (and vice versa)

- Meals (3 breakfast, 2 lunch, 1 dinner)

We stayed in a cozy 25 square meter superior room with ensuite bathroom, air conditioning, mini bar, DVD player, and even a desktop computer with internet connection. I really adore the red and white details of our room! It's so neat and stylish! I definitely recommend Calypso Boutique Hotel to everybody who's planning to visit Hanoi in the future!

Trung Nguyen and Pho

Trung Nguyen: Vietnam's Number One Coffee. My sister has been raving about this coffee brand since she first tried this in Ho Chi Minh City way back in 2008. When we went to Hanoi recently, my sister could not stop bugging me about trying this coffee. Good thing we were able to find a coffeeshop near our hotel which serves Trung Nguyen Coffee. Guess what's the name of the coffeeshop? Hi Friends. Haha so weird! 

Pho: Vietnamese Noodle Soup. For our last dinner in Hanoi, my sister and I ate at the airport. We were so famished that night so we ordered to our hearts content. Midway through our meal, we realized that we forgot to compute how much our food would cost us. We only had 343,000 Dong, our last remaining money after our four-day vacation in Hanoi. Patay! When we got our bill, guess how much was it? It was EXACTLY 343,000 Dong. Haha! What a coincidence!  

Cha Ca Thang Long

The friendly receptionist at our hotel recommended the Vietnamese Restaurant, Cha Ca Thang Long, for my sister and I to try. We braved the rainy streets of Hanoi to search this restaurant located a couple of blocks away from our hotel. We got a little lost along the way because the street signs were not so clear. On top of this, there was a citywide blackout on our way to the restaurant.

Cha Ca Thang Long literally means Vietnamese style fish with Turmeric and Dill. We ordered their set menu complete with vegetables, peanuts and noodles. We also tried their Vietnamese beer. The restaurant, Cha Ca Thang Long, only proved that authentic meals need not be expensive.

Cha Ca Thang Long is located in 21 -31 Duong Thanh Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Two Million Dinner

On our first night in Hanoi, my sister and I found ourselves strolling in Ba Dinh District after we checked out the nearby Truc Bach Lake. We were taking pictures outside Sofitel Plaza Hotel when my sister joked about having dinner in the said hotel since we haven't eaten a decent meal since we arrived earlier that day.

I don't mind spending a little more than usual for a good meal in a luxury hotel so we decided to enter the hotel and inquire about their restaurants. I love how the lobby of Sofitel Plaza Hotel exudes a certain air of grandness. 

We discovered that one of their restaurants, the Brasserie Westlake, was offering an Asian and International buffet dinner that night. 

While we were checking out the long buffet table in the restaurant, our hungry tummies started growling. It was then that we decided to ATTACK!!! Haha!

Our total bill was more than VND 2,000,000 or about Php 4,000. A funny moment took place when we were about to pay our bill. We didn't have enough Vietnamese dong because we failed to have our Philippine pesos and Singapore dollars changed in the airport! They won't accept my local Philippine credit card as well. My sister had to rush to the lobby of the hotel to have our moneys changed into Vietnamese dong despite the high currency exchange rate.