I'm so grateful that I'm given the chance to visit Vietnam again. Not only just going on a holiday, but going on a holiday with a few of my good friends- My graduation trip/our graduation trip. 'Graduation Trip' means without our parents and we were totally on our own. Without further ado, I'll introduce my travel buddies:
12/4/15-15/4/15: Ngan, Weixin, Evan and YanLun.
15/4/15-17/4/15: Ngan, Weixin, Thuy Anh, Evan and YanLun.
17/4/15-21/4/15: Ngan, Thuy Anh and YanLun.
Our group dynamics initially felt a little weird because we are not from the CCA or class. Evan and Ngan are my CCA mates, Weixin was initially an acquaintance in J1 turned good friend (who is Doan's classmate) due to the Heralds and YanLun is a friend met in J2 who I learnt that he was Weixin and Ngan's friend. Thuy Anh was also an acquaintance and she was Ngan/Doan's roommate. Yet, it wan't that weird or awkward after all and I hope they had as much fun as I did. I'm not sure how this whole jio to go Vietnam thing went as we are all different groups of people.
Day 1 12/4/15:
Evan, Wx, Yl and I met at the airport at 5.30am and I was pretty excited as it was my first trip on my own and I honestly couldn't sleep. Well, while preparing for this trip, I learnt that I've to buy baggage no matter what because no matter how I pack, my luggage exceeds 7kg. Its a really budget trip- 3 flights $300(?) And I added baggage so its $370. Also, we don't actually need to book seats because there are empty seats and we actually ended up sitting at the back row together. (We were the last 4 to board the plane). Fast forward, we reached Ho Chi Minh city and met Doan there.
After which, we cabbed to her house in district 12 and ate pho made by her mom which is really damn good. Its so much different from the Nam Nam that I always eat in Singapore. Next, we then headed off to the cu chi tunnels with doan's parents.
It was really impressive how the Vietnamese could make such tunnels and they could actually squeeze in side. (The current hole is widened for tourists). In addition to that, we got to see how they set up traps in the grounds with the limited weapons they have. We were really noisy as we duck walked through the tunnels. I bought cuchi tunnel sandals for bex but I ended up wearing them for myself. It only cost $5 SGD and its really cheap and comfortable. (No one else in SG will have the same shoes as me).
They were made of used car tyres and its my new fashion sandals as of now. Next, her parents brought us to eat rice paper rolls(?) Its a version of the many versions of Vietnamese spring rolls which I failed at making. I've also never eaten that much meat in a day. ('; But, seriously we wouldn't be able to try this if we do not have any locals since the menu was in Vietnamese.
After dropping her parents back at their house, we went to district 1 (HCMC label their district like the Hunger Games) and saw the church which we learnt that was built by the French and went to a random bookshop.
We then visited a mall which looks like any other malls in Singapore, so don't bother visiting before randomly walking on streets and stopping by random shops before heading towards the night market. We also stepped into vincom and it looked exactly like singapore's shopping mall- not worth visiting. We ate at a local coffee shop which one bowl only cost $2 SGD and bought Vinamilk!!!! I'm so glad to have doan because we could get stuff at a cheap price because she's a Vietnamese and she helped me to bargain too. So I managed to get a hat for $6 SGD and a sling bag for $10 SGD which I'm quite satisfied with. The night market is different from the night market I've seen in Thailand and it's really an interesting sight.
So that sums up day 1, we reached doan's home at 11pm and had to take turns to wash up.
After which, we cabbed to her house in district 12 and ate pho made by her mom which is really damn good. Its so much different from the Nam Nam that I always eat in Singapore. Next, we then headed off to the cu chi tunnels with doan's parents.
It was really impressive how the Vietnamese could make such tunnels and they could actually squeeze in side. (The current hole is widened for tourists). In addition to that, we got to see how they set up traps in the grounds with the limited weapons they have. We were really noisy as we duck walked through the tunnels. I bought cuchi tunnel sandals for bex but I ended up wearing them for myself. It only cost $5 SGD and its really cheap and comfortable. (No one else in SG will have the same shoes as me).
They were made of used car tyres and its my new fashion sandals as of now. Next, her parents brought us to eat rice paper rolls(?) Its a version of the many versions of Vietnamese spring rolls which I failed at making. I've also never eaten that much meat in a day. ('; But, seriously we wouldn't be able to try this if we do not have any locals since the menu was in Vietnamese.
After dropping her parents back at their house, we went to district 1 (HCMC label their district like the Hunger Games) and saw the church which we learnt that was built by the French and went to a random bookshop.
We then visited a mall which looks like any other malls in Singapore, so don't bother visiting before randomly walking on streets and stopping by random shops before heading towards the night market. We also stepped into vincom and it looked exactly like singapore's shopping mall- not worth visiting. We ate at a local coffee shop which one bowl only cost $2 SGD and bought Vinamilk!!!! I'm so glad to have doan because we could get stuff at a cheap price because she's a Vietnamese and she helped me to bargain too. So I managed to get a hat for $6 SGD and a sling bag for $10 SGD which I'm quite satisfied with. The night market is different from the night market I've seen in Thailand and it's really an interesting sight.
Day 2 13/4/15:
Woke up at 8am and it took us a really long time to wake up and wash up. At the same time, we laughed at each other's sleeping habits and ate at a local coffee shop for breakfast. Everything was in Vietnamese and its probably for locals but one bowl cost $1+ SGD which was really affordable.
Doan dropped us off at the war remnants museum while she went off to do some stuff. Honestly, the war remnants museum was really good and insightful.
We're not supposed to look that happy. Its quite sad how our human race tortured each other during the war due to different ideologies. (Mental note: bias) The museum was well put together which tells a story through a series of artifacts and pictures which gave me a clearer idea of what happened in the past. The museum closes from 12pm-1pm for lunch so we went off to eat some fried carrot cake on our own.
Along the way, we bought road side Banh My which cost less than $1 SGD and it tastes better than the Nam Nam one and lots of milk.
We were on our own anyway. We reached a local store that sells carrot cake. Evan's previous experience was able to bring us there and to recommend us Vietnamese carrot cake since he went there the previous trip. Problem: we didn't know how to order. So we called Doan and she ordered for us through the phone. The person was like '!!!?????' The carrot cake was like Singapore's but instead it is bland (there was no salted vegetable). After adding the sauce, it became so delicious- both a mix of sweet and salty, similar yet different from Singapore's carrot cake. It was an eye opener. We then made our way back to the War Remnants Museum as we didn't see finish and waited for doan. But we were too sleepy we just sat outside and slept. But the 3rd floor was really good.
There were pictures during the war and post war and some were really disheartening especially the effects of agent orange. Doan then picked us up and we went to Saigon Square before she disappeared again. Though we were dropped at Saigon square, we did go in immediately. Instead, we went to a random cafe (any how walk and cross random roads) and drank coffee there. Phuc long (pronounced at fooc lom) is their Vietnamese equivalent of Starbucks. The coffee there was cheaper and it was really thick! So it's a legit coffee cafe. And we sat there for a while- napped, used WiFi and chat.
We decided to head back to Saigon Square and shop. After Doan came back to join us, she helped me to bargain and got things at a cheaper price. Initially, Evan, Weixin and Yanlun were like following me around and I felt so PS because its mostly girl stuff which a a few stores that sell bags, winter wear, shoes, electronics and guy clothes that is of relevance to them.
We then went off to a book store and wasted some time before going to Hong Hac Hotel near Ben Tanh market (Ben 10 market) to meet Rosa! Its how ironic we don't meet in Singapore but all the way in Vietnam. Doan then brought us to eat road side bean curd- we sat on those stools (OMG ITS TOO GOOD). 6 people cost $2 in total only.
We them went to district 10 to eat 'whale'. This will probably remain in my memory as long as I can remember. Thinking we were going to eat whale, we agreed since its some exotic food that we will never ever eat in our lifetime. Our naïveness tricked us. It was quail! When we went there, our whales had bones and quail eggs came to our table. We were like 'how come whale lay quail eggs' and after talking about it, we came to a sudden realization that its QUAIL bird and its eggs that we were eating. Whales are not that small after all. (Watch my vlog). The guys then tried balute. I didn't dare. I learnt about balute in GP about how its cruel and I couldn't stand the sight of it.
We then went back to district 1 and went to a cafe called lusine and ate brownies and we took 15-30min to take pictures of our food such that it became cold. But lusine is a beautiful cafe, not really Vietnamese culture but a cafe worth visiting. Its still cheaper than Singapore's cafe.
We then dropped Rosa off at her hotel before returning back to Doan's house wash up and prepare for the night.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 2!
Day 3 14/4/15:
Day 3 was rather slack. We barely did anything much for day 3. Woke up really late and went for Vietnamese buffet together which wasn't as good as the street food we ate. Nonetheless, it was really quite cheap and we really enjoyed ourselves, maximising the time spent and gorging down food. When we were full, we played taiti and hoped that our tummies would quickly digest the food so that we could eat more. Scheming are we.
After which, we went for massage/manicure at district one near Tao Dang Park. Doan and the guys went for massage while I went to get my nails painted. It was really quite good and cheap. It wasn't a sleazy beauty palour but a legit one so I guess it was fine though the guys probably had a shock according to them. Next, we went to Tao Dang Park and slacked around, Weixin and Yanlun did a bit of Wushu since they were from Wushu while we sang some songs and walked around. The park was really interesting as people there really utilize the park- from dancing to exercising and even sleeping. It was in fact rather crowded at around 5.30pm and everyone was using the exercising machines. Well, it wasn't a quiet park per se, but it was probably due to the honking of the cars since it's a park in the really busy district 1.
We then walked towards the water puppet theatre but didn't managed to catch the show as we didn't have enough time and headed off to the sports street. I was so tempted to get myself a squash racquet but I can't even play squash properly and my luggage probably didn't have enough space. We went to a restaurant and it sold goats meat. You guys had no idea how shocked I was when I heard that we were going to eat Goat's meat and spinal cord. I thought that Doan was joking but no.
And I didn't eat a lot because I was still recovering from the shock that it's goats meat and I only ate chicken, pork and beef in my entire life. It tasted like mutton honestly, but it isn't mutton unfortunately. The goat's breast was quite chewy that I felt like I was eating fats. Evan, Weixin and Yanlun tried the spinal cord. That, I really didn't dare to try, so I have no comments but a few days later, I learnt that Trang An is famous for goat's meat and I really couldn't escape from it. Doan's mummy was laughing at me ): With her family and her sister, we went to CGV cinemas to watch Fast and Furious 7! I thought that I was going to sleep but it was really interesting. I'm not doing a movie review but Paul Walker. ): The cinema is just like Singapore's, maybe it doesn't have the surround system and extremely good resolution but the seats were comfy enough and there wasn't any disruption in the movie or whatsoever and one ticket was around SGD $3. So it was worth it! Went home at 12am. The streets was so empty that it was hard to flag a cab and it was really dark and scary. The roadside stalls were cleaning up and the entire road was deserted. We slept really late that night as Doan was packing.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 3!
Day 4 15/4/15:
We decided to head back to Saigon Square and shop. After Doan came back to join us, she helped me to bargain and got things at a cheaper price. Initially, Evan, Weixin and Yanlun were like following me around and I felt so PS because its mostly girl stuff which a a few stores that sell bags, winter wear, shoes, electronics and guy clothes that is of relevance to them.
We then went off to a book store and wasted some time before going to Hong Hac Hotel near Ben Tanh market (Ben 10 market) to meet Rosa! Its how ironic we don't meet in Singapore but all the way in Vietnam. Doan then brought us to eat road side bean curd- we sat on those stools (OMG ITS TOO GOOD). 6 people cost $2 in total only.
We then went back to district 1 and went to a cafe called lusine and ate brownies and we took 15-30min to take pictures of our food such that it became cold. But lusine is a beautiful cafe, not really Vietnamese culture but a cafe worth visiting. Its still cheaper than Singapore's cafe.
We then dropped Rosa off at her hotel before returning back to Doan's house wash up and prepare for the night.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 2!
Day 3 14/4/15:
Day 3 was rather slack. We barely did anything much for day 3. Woke up really late and went for Vietnamese buffet together which wasn't as good as the street food we ate. Nonetheless, it was really quite cheap and we really enjoyed ourselves, maximising the time spent and gorging down food. When we were full, we played taiti and hoped that our tummies would quickly digest the food so that we could eat more. Scheming are we.
After which, we went for massage/manicure at district one near Tao Dang Park. Doan and the guys went for massage while I went to get my nails painted. It was really quite good and cheap. It wasn't a sleazy beauty palour but a legit one so I guess it was fine though the guys probably had a shock according to them. Next, we went to Tao Dang Park and slacked around, Weixin and Yanlun did a bit of Wushu since they were from Wushu while we sang some songs and walked around. The park was really interesting as people there really utilize the park- from dancing to exercising and even sleeping. It was in fact rather crowded at around 5.30pm and everyone was using the exercising machines. Well, it wasn't a quiet park per se, but it was probably due to the honking of the cars since it's a park in the really busy district 1.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 3!
Day 4 15/4/15:
We woke up really late and had to rush to pack up to fly off to Hanoi.
Fast forward, we reached Hanoi and Thuy Anh's parents picked us up. The weather was really good and the temperature was around 25deg celcius and it was much cooler than Ho Chi Minh City. Upon reaching Thuy Anh's house, we unpacked and relaxed for awhile, playing cards before having dinner together with her parents. We tried a version of Bun Cha and Vietnamese Spring Rolls made by their helper, Thuy Anh and her parents!
We then headed out to Hoan Kiem lake (I was there in 2012) near the old quarters to have a walk. And took a picture of Ly Thai To. I could feel the difference between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in terms of accent and culture. Well, its hard to say but in general, I feel that it is less commercialized and so the vibe given off is more traditional.
Doan and Thuy Anh (They were roommates for 2 years in SA) went to get their picture drawn by a road side artist. We didn't as we didn't feel that it was that worth.
Hoan Kiem lake was really beautiful at night. I didn't get to see it at night before if I'm not wrong. After that, we went to a cafe in the old quarters to try egg coffee. It was really good! It tasted like pudding-ish and it was quite sweet. Except that we didn't know that we hard to stir our egg pudding and our coffee thoroughly so it was quite bitter at the bottom for us. (Maybe except for doan and thuy anh) but it was really nice!
We then headed back to Thuy Anh's house as we had to be ready 6.30am the next day to go to Halong Bay.
Vlog: Vietnam day 4!
Day 5 16/4/15:
Woke up at 6am. The night was really funny as Doan and I were laughing at our choir that only snore since we were not able to fall asleep due to that. Thuy Anh brought us to eat Hanoi's Pho. It really taste quite different in a sense that there is a more meaty taste and I personally prefer Hanoi's Pho. It was really nice!
We then headed to the opera house to take the bus to go to HaLong Bay. I said that I was going to go back there 2 years ago and yes, I went back to Halong bay, this time, I went back with my friends! We slept through our 4 hours bus ride, read some books and magazines and finally reached there and board the boat and had lunch. Unfortunately, nicnic here is allergic to seafood so I had my own dishes but nonetheless according to my friends, they said that the spring rolls were nice and in general it was fine. The trip cost US$30.
We then went to the upper deck of the boat and it was really beautiful!
We then stopped by a fishing village and took a small boat for sightseeing together as a group. It was a different experience from my previous trip as we didn't visit as many caves or climbed any limestone mountain. Yet, I appreciated the entire limestone landscape after studying about limestone terrains and tower karsts in H1 Geography that I could explain the formation and understand how they are formed.
We then headed to Thien Duong Cave which I think I visited before. (Tian Gong Cave) the ceiling was very high. Unfortunately, I felt that it was rather different because it felt less natural than it was 2 years ago due to more lights and the pavements. I couldn't really find any stalactites or stalagmites dripping which I was a little disappointed. The previous trip was good as the caves we visited was untouched and I really liked that.
We then headed back to mainland and went back to Hanoi and had broken rice for dinner at a restaurant. It was really nice. According to Doan and Thuy Anh, it originated from Ho Chi Minh. Unfortunately, I don't remember what is the restaurant called but it was really affordable and tasty. I swear I could eat the broken rice without any sauce.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 5!
Day 6 17/4/15:
It was Evan's and Weixin's last day and we decided to head down to the ceramics village with the courtesy of Thuy Anh's dad who offered to fetch us there. It wasn't easy to squeeze 6 people into one car but we did anyway. We paid approximately $1.50 to make our cup which obviously fail. Well, I vividly remember that I sucked at it in Secondary 2 and well, 5 years later, I'm still terrible at spinning the wheel. The locals had to do it for us in the end.
Well, I wouldn't wear jeans to do it and I'm glad I didn't. Because we couldn't spin the wheel properly and all, we just got our jeans and legs (for me) dirty. We probably didn't have the skill anyway and that we were terrible at it. While waiting for the ceramics cup that they made for us to harden, we went to the ceramics market to walk around. I would actually buy some cups back because they were really affordable and adorable, yet I didn't because my luggage obviously didn't have enough space.
We then went back to Thuy Anh's house for mok and wx to get their luggage and headed off to the airport. Thuy Anh wasn't with us as she had an interview so we got a cab to fetch us to and fro with discount. 300k there and 150k back!
At night, we had dinner before heading off to watch the water puppet show. The water puppet show was like what Doan said, better in Hanoi and more expensive in Hanoi than Ho Chi Minh as it originated from Hanoi. It was really cool, I wonder how they control the puppet and all. I'm glad I had translators or I'd be lost and not know what is going on.
It is definitely worth the watch. Its just small stories and all but it was an interesting performance.
We then headed to the night market nearby (at the old quarters - it's like the district 1 of Ho Chi Minh) and that was probably where the majority of my money went. Thuy Anh is really good at bargaining. She says that even though I like the product, I must criticize it so that they will bring down the price. Anyway, I really got many items and each item cost less than $5! I bought a few dresses and they look really pretty. I'm satisfied with my purchases but I went back on Sunday anyway. We went back early as we had to go to Trang An the next day.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 6!
Day 7 18/4/15:
Woke up early to go to Trang An! The bus ride was actually really long, of about 3hours instead of the estimated 2 hours on google. But Trang An this time felt really much more beautiful than Halong bay and I wished that I arranged Trang An before Halong bay for Mok and Pig. Upon reaching Ninh Binh, they brought us to eat goat's meat. I almost died honestly. Like I thought I was done with Goat's meat after eating it at Ho Chi Minh. But no, there's still goat's meat and Trang An is famous for that. I love their scorch rice! It was really nice.
We went to Bai Dinh temple first. Unfortunately we didn't climb all the way up to see the old temple. Bai dinh temple was semi-impressive actually. We sat the electric car to the gate of the temple before heading up to the top of the temple on the hill. We had to climb a lot and it was scorching hot that I almost died.
It was quite scenic and it was different from the temples that I visited in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, HongKong and Korea. It was worth the climb I guess. We had quite a lot of fun taking photos and complaining about the heat. There were 500 Buddha statues along the way to the temple.
Next, we head off to the main attraction that we were excited about. Trang An Grottos is so beautiful. We got on a boat upon reaching the area.
We went into 6 caves and it felt so good. It was cooling, untouched and the experience felt so natural and surreal.
This place is definitely a must visit and I hoped that it continues to remain untouched and hopefully more well preserved for many more years to come. There are 2000 of those kinds of mini boats and 2000 rowers. Yet they do not earn a lot as there wasn't many visitors there (according to the lady who row our boat- translated by Doan and Thuy Anh), we tipped her in the end and it was really a memorable experience to remember. Our tour group wanted to stay in Trang An for dinner so we had to and I couldn't escape from goat's meat again. We reached Hanoi at around 9.30pm and so we just head straight back to Thuy Anh's house to rest and sleep.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 7!
Day 8 19/4/15:
Sunday was just sightseeing around Hanoi. This time, I found Hanoi more interesting and we went to many places. So our first location was the Temple of Literature. It was really crowded as there were students there taking graduation pictures. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful temple as it was were all the scholars studied at. So hopefully after visiting the temple, I'd be wiser. Kidding. It's worth visiting if it wasn't that crowded as it was an interesting sight. Honestly, I felt that I was in China but it is true that it was made by the Chinese but fused with Vietnamese culture.
Thuy Anh then brought us to the Vietnamese Art Museum which is nearby and its actually really impressive. The past didn't have cameras so they drew everything out. There we see a range of statues to artists view and impression during the Vietnamese war and of Vietnamese women and it was really quite impressive.
It is definitely a museum worth visiting. We then decided to head off to Hoa Lo Prison. (I've visited that before!) It wasn't very scary and I've read the stuff before but this time I'm reading it with post gp mind and I'm better able to understand the history of the prison and what exactly happened, while noting that it can be bias against the Americans. But it was an interesting read 温故知新(?).
After which we went to the old quarters and went into the cathedral which I've seen before but didn't manage to go in. So I did something different this time!
My camera went out of battery and I didn't bring the spare so we had to use my phone's battery. We then went to city view cafe to relax after a long day. City View Cafe is near Hoan Kiem Lake and the view there is really beautiful. The drinks there were affordable (slightly more pricey because of the view actually), there's 10% service charge but it is definitely worth the view! Thuy Anh left for another interview.
After resting, Doan, Yl and I decided to head off to walk around the old quarters and dragged Yl from shop to shop. They sold many traditional/tribal bags and pouches with really beautiful designs so I wasn't able to resist the temptation and bought one for myself. We also crossed the red bridge at the west lake.
There were many Made in Vietnam shop and I swear they're a must visit. I didn't buy anything there because I thought I would spend my money at the night market which was true that I did so. But the clothes there were really nice. Not branded, in fact some were counterfeit goods but the material is really quite good. Even those at the night market. It wasn't shear material and all and it cost less than 100k which is around $7 SGD so it was worth it. We had pho for dinner before heading to the nightmarket to continue shopping. (Only Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and bought many items before heading back to Thuy Anh's house. I'm so glad that Thuy Anh was there to help me to bargain and because she's a local, everything we got was at a cheaper price.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 8!
Day 9 20/4/15:
Woke up and slacked till 2pm. Before that, we recorded a few songs together and had a lot of fun because the bloopers were really funny! (Part of it will be in my vlog) We then went to the Vietnamese Women's museum after lunch at Thuy Anh's house and it was such an interesting museum! I liked it because it told me the different types of marriage and I learnt that there are 54 races and they all had different culture and it was really insightful.
It gave me a glimpse of the role of Vietnamese Women in the society and it was quite insightful. Definitely worth visiting. (By the way, all museum tickets and tourist attraction tickets cost 30k VND) We then went to the one pillar pagoda before walking past the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and then sightseeing at the west lake. It was really a slack day so we didn't do much except for sightseeing and looking at pagodas and just sightseeing.
We then headed to Lotte Mart which is just a supermarket to buy our Vietnamese snacks back home. And well, I bought A LOT OF MILK. Its cheaper there. Its 6400 VND. 600VND cheaper. So Yl and I bought a lot without thinking that our luggage maybe overweight.
We then went to eat some icecream before heading back for dinner and celebrated Thuy Anh's dad's birthday! Thank God YanLun and I bought Bailey's to thank her parents.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 9!
Day 10 21/5/15:
It was our last day in Vietnam and I really dreaded the day because it meant farewell to my Doan and ThuyAnh. We packed up in the morning, ate bun cha which is really nice (vlog on how to eat) and I really love the pork balls! We then headed off the the airport and bid our goodbyes to Thuy Anh.
Honestly, I didn't know how I befriended Thuy Anh and I'm so grateful to have her as a friend. If you're reading this, thank you for everything in Hanoi and your effort in making our Hanoi experience a wonderful one.
Upon reaching Ho Chi Minh, Doan's mum picked us up for dinner and ate BBQ pork for dinner nearby and then headed back to the airport to check in our luggage and said our goodbyes.
We look so happy. Kidding. I cried tonnes and Doan, if you're reading this, I want to let you know that I love you many many and I believe that we'll meet again. I'll earn money and I'll visit you and all of us will see some white sandy bea-ches together. I went to Vietnam with 2 bags, I came back with 5 bags. Doan's mum bought for us our 90 rp pens. Whenever I write and study, I'll always remember of our Alevel journey together. To Weixin, Evan and Yl, thanks for joining me on my graduation trip and thanks for being my bodyguards and making this trip so fun.
Well, we really graduated. Thanks for making this trip possible for me and many years down the road, we'll reminisce those days when we were 18, when we were studying for alevels and when we were going on a holiday together and hopefully, we'll always find a way to create new memories together, including Doan and Thuy Anh. Kudos to globalisation!
Vlog: Vietnam Day 10!
See y'all soon! More pictures on vsco
Read my blogpost on my previous Vietnam Trip- I hope I matured.
Vietnam Day 1 2012
Vietnam Day 2 2012
Vietnam Day 3 2012
Vietnam Day 4 2012
Vlog: Vietnam day 4!
Day 5 16/4/15:
Woke up at 6am. The night was really funny as Doan and I were laughing at our choir that only snore since we were not able to fall asleep due to that. Thuy Anh brought us to eat Hanoi's Pho. It really taste quite different in a sense that there is a more meaty taste and I personally prefer Hanoi's Pho. It was really nice!
Vlog: Vietnam Day 5!
Day 6 17/4/15:
It was Evan's and Weixin's last day and we decided to head down to the ceramics village with the courtesy of Thuy Anh's dad who offered to fetch us there. It wasn't easy to squeeze 6 people into one car but we did anyway. We paid approximately $1.50 to make our cup which obviously fail. Well, I vividly remember that I sucked at it in Secondary 2 and well, 5 years later, I'm still terrible at spinning the wheel. The locals had to do it for us in the end.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 6!
Day 7 18/4/15:
Woke up early to go to Trang An! The bus ride was actually really long, of about 3hours instead of the estimated 2 hours on google. But Trang An this time felt really much more beautiful than Halong bay and I wished that I arranged Trang An before Halong bay for Mok and Pig. Upon reaching Ninh Binh, they brought us to eat goat's meat. I almost died honestly. Like I thought I was done with Goat's meat after eating it at Ho Chi Minh. But no, there's still goat's meat and Trang An is famous for that. I love their scorch rice! It was really nice.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 7!
Day 8 19/4/15:
Sunday was just sightseeing around Hanoi. This time, I found Hanoi more interesting and we went to many places. So our first location was the Temple of Literature. It was really crowded as there were students there taking graduation pictures. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful temple as it was were all the scholars studied at. So hopefully after visiting the temple, I'd be wiser. Kidding. It's worth visiting if it wasn't that crowded as it was an interesting sight. Honestly, I felt that I was in China but it is true that it was made by the Chinese but fused with Vietnamese culture.
After which we went to the old quarters and went into the cathedral which I've seen before but didn't manage to go in. So I did something different this time!
There were many Made in Vietnam shop and I swear they're a must visit. I didn't buy anything there because I thought I would spend my money at the night market which was true that I did so. But the clothes there were really nice. Not branded, in fact some were counterfeit goods but the material is really quite good. Even those at the night market. It wasn't shear material and all and it cost less than 100k which is around $7 SGD so it was worth it. We had pho for dinner before heading to the nightmarket to continue shopping. (Only Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and bought many items before heading back to Thuy Anh's house. I'm so glad that Thuy Anh was there to help me to bargain and because she's a local, everything we got was at a cheaper price.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 8!
Day 9 20/4/15:
Woke up and slacked till 2pm. Before that, we recorded a few songs together and had a lot of fun because the bloopers were really funny! (Part of it will be in my vlog) We then went to the Vietnamese Women's museum after lunch at Thuy Anh's house and it was such an interesting museum! I liked it because it told me the different types of marriage and I learnt that there are 54 races and they all had different culture and it was really insightful.
Vlog: Vietnam Day 9!
Day 10 21/5/15:
It was our last day in Vietnam and I really dreaded the day because it meant farewell to my Doan and ThuyAnh. We packed up in the morning, ate bun cha which is really nice (vlog on how to eat) and I really love the pork balls! We then headed off the the airport and bid our goodbyes to Thuy Anh.
Honestly, I didn't know how I befriended Thuy Anh and I'm so grateful to have her as a friend. If you're reading this, thank you for everything in Hanoi and your effort in making our Hanoi experience a wonderful one.
Well, we really graduated. Thanks for making this trip possible for me and many years down the road, we'll reminisce those days when we were 18, when we were studying for alevels and when we were going on a holiday together and hopefully, we'll always find a way to create new memories together, including Doan and Thuy Anh. Kudos to globalisation!
Vlog: Vietnam Day 10!
See y'all soon! More pictures on vsco
Read my blogpost on my previous Vietnam Trip- I hope I matured.
Vietnam Day 1 2012
Vietnam Day 2 2012
Vietnam Day 3 2012
Vietnam Day 4 2012
