Vietnam city walking map｜Ho Chi Minh City｜Da Lat｜Hanoi, the country on the back of a motorcycle

After my friend quit her job, she planned to backpack around Southeast Asia. I joined her on her first stop, which was Vietnam. We visited four cities in ten days, from Hanoi to Da Nang, then Dalat and Hanoi. Frankly speaking, this trip was too fast-paced for me, but I still found some surprises wherever I went, which made me want to write a pure city travelogue. For example, although Vietnam is a "country on motorcycles" and like many Southeast Asian countries, transportation is not very convenient. There are often various motorcycles on the road causing chaos, but the urban cultural atmosphere is surprisingly strong, and there is order in the chaos. There are many spaces worth exploring in the environment.



I only spent a day or two in each city, which was far from an in-depth experience of local life, but I was still able to feel the different temperaments of each city. For me, this is probably the most important gain from traveling. I didn’t do any planning before going to Vietnam. I just bought a plane ticket and sent myself to the airport in Hanoi at nine o’clock in the morning. On the one hand, my friends have already made their itinerary arrangements, so I can be said to be "sitting back and enjoying the benefits." On the other hand, for me, the joy of random encounters is far greater than checking in at a planned destination.

Everywhere I go, I hardly go to any iconic attractions. "Walking" is how I measure the city. Therefore, my travel writing style is not to have any practical guide, but to record my feelings about the places I visited. Although I often say that cities are too noisy and people need to often return to the natural environment to absorb energy, it is undeniable that I sincerely like cities with distinctive characteristics. I think cities are the culmination of regional culture, where we can see the coexistence of nature and humanity, tradition and modernity. In a place with extremely high precision, if you can find a casual and relaxing space, it will be even more surprising than the natural environment.



Ho Chi Minh/Saigon

Ho Chi Minh was my last stop after arriving in Vietnam, and it was also the sunniest day of my entire trip. The reason why I want to write here first is probably because of the feeling it brings me, which is most in line with my original imagination of Vietnam. The bright sunshine, lush tropical plants and French architecture make you feel good when you walk on the road.




Stop and go around, visit cultural and creative shops and various designer shops, buy some cute bookmarks, postcards and canvas bags. When you are tired, you can go into an air-conditioned cafe for a cup of iced latte. Lazy, bright, brisk. From this aspect, Ho Chi Minh City is perfect for city walking.





We arrived in Ho Chi Minh at night, slept until we woke up naturally the next day, and went out to have lunch with locals at a roadside shop. My friend returned to the hotel first, and I hailed a motorcycle on Grab and went to a cultural and creative store alone.
  

• The craft house original
• Address: 28 Đ. Nguyễn Trãi, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
  

This store has several branches in Ho Chi Minh City. The one I went to is on nguyễn trãi road, surrounded by many restaurants and clothing stores. Because I wanted to bring some souvenirs to my friends, but I felt that the products in the souvenir market were too assembly-line, so I found it specifically. Although compared to the average price in Vietnam, the things inside are not cheap, but because the prices in Shanghai are expected to be low, I think these are completely acceptable. Various bookmarks, postcards, canvas bags, tableware, etc. with Vietnamese cultural labels are simply a paradise for souvenirs.

• The E.Y.E Saigon
• Address: No 42 Đ. Nguyễn Huệ, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000
  

After leaving the craft house, I took a walk to the famous coffee apartment nearby. This is a place for Internet celebrities to check in. There are many cafes, restaurants and various small shops hidden in an old building.
  


But I mainly went to a store that specializes in selling canvas bags. Before I came to Ho Chi Minh City, I found that their store was very popular on Xiaohongshu, and the text on the bags was very creative.



A bag costs about $10. The store does not accept cash, but you can pay by credit card. After sifting through it, I finally bought this canvas bag. It’s really fun and I like it. Although the price is relatively high compared to its ordinary fabrics and styles, it is considered as paying for design inspiration!

• The New Playground
• Address: 26 Lý Tự Trọng, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000
  

There are some brand stores here, most of which are local fashion brands. I saw a lot of very fashionable handsome guys inside. But that's not the point. I actually came here for the apartment building next to it.
  


I found that Vietnamese young people are really interesting. They open shops in some old apartment buildings. They often have to enter an inconspicuous-looking door, only to find that there is a hidden world inside when they go upstairs. Various cafes, restaurants, clothing and vintage stores, home furnishing stores and art collection stores, etc., all have unique decoration designs. There is such a building opposite the vcomecentre, and the entrance is next to The New Playground. Without someone to guide you, it is difficult to discover that there are so many interesting shops inside.





I actually like visiting stores like this, but I don’t go there often in Shanghai. Maybe it’s because of the high prices in Shanghai. Every time I open the price tag, I feel like I’m robbing money. Moreover, many stores are filled with an unattainable fashion atmosphere right from the window display, making people feel burdened before even walking in. Relatively speaking, these small shops in Ho Chi Minh are much more friendly to the people, and the decoration and interiors also have a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere unique to Southeast Asia.
  

• Lacàph Coffee Experiences Bar
• Address: 151 Đ. Đồng Khởi, Bến Nghé, Quận 1 , Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
  

I searched online in advance to see if there were any unique cafes, and then I came to this one. It took some effort to find the exact place though, because like many cafes, it's on the second floor of an old apartment building. I found the place with the guidance of the man downstairs.




There is a cafe operating at the entrance. After entering the lobby, you feel like you have entered a new world. Both the decoration and the music played have a very refined and old-school French style and jazz flavor. The bar is a place for drinking, but the bartender was the only one there almost the entire afternoon. There is a door next to it that even allows access to a barber shop.



I sat on the soft sofa, blowing in the air-conditioning, and looked out the window at the bright sunshine. My whole body seemed to be enveloped in an atmosphere of the past.
  

• Hoff Coffee Brewer
• Address:42bis Lý Tự Trọng, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
  

After walking around for a long time, I felt a little hungry, so I found this cafe on Google Maps. I really liked the balcony full of green plants in the photo. I intuitively thought it was a very comfortable store, so I walked there.



I have to say that there are too many cafes in these cities in Vietnam. I think there are more cafes than in the so-called "coffee market" Shanghai, and they are more unique, not to mention that a cup of coffee is five to ten yuan cheaper than the average price in Shanghai. . I also entered an old apartment building. There was someone sitting at the door watching TV as if no one else was around. I walked around him and walked to the stairs, only to see the sign for the cafe.



As I walked to the door, I could already feel the relaxation through the glass window. The people sitting in the cafe are all local young people, some are chatting, and some are working freely. I ordered a coconut latte and cinnamon rolls and sat by the window.Perhaps due to the addition of coconut water, the latte tastes sweeter. But when I stepped into the shaded room under the sunshine at four o'clock in the afternoon, I still felt refreshed.
  

• Reading Cabin
• Address:Hẻm 18A/33, Đ. Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Đa Kao, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 71000
  

After dinner, I went to another cultural and creative store recommended on Xiaohongshu. As soon as I walked nearby, I saw a few young people sitting at the door playing guitar and chatting.



This store not only sells some exquisite cultural and creative products, it is also a cafe and bookstore with a public reading space. The clerks and customers are also very cute. I bought a lot of postcards here. It can be said to be a paradise for us young people.
  


Da Lat

When I first arrived in Dalat, my friend mentioned, "It is said that this place is very similar to Dali." When we walked up to the residential area with some slopes, we saw row upon row of small colorful houses from a high place. Each house was surrounded by green plants and flowers. We really felt the leisure and comfort of Dali. Often when walking, you will see a gorgeous church, with people sitting on the steps at the door, basking in the sun.




Compared to Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, the most interesting place in Dalat is not the urban area, but the various residential areas. Wandering around aimlessly, just soaking up the sun and blowing in the wind.



Because it has cool weather all year round, and the temperature remains over 20 degrees even in the hot summer, it is said that Vietnamese people also like to come here for vacation. Sure enough, in the courtyard of the B&B where we stayed, we met several Vietnamese people from other cities. We all ate and sang together around the bonfire at night. Even if we didn't understand the language, we were still very happy.




Since the urban area of ​​Dalat is relatively scattered, it is difficult to explore around on foot, so we rented a motorcycle. In Southeast Asia, where the road conditions are very bad, motorcycles are a very necessary but extremely risky means of transportation. Despite this, we still hit the road on streets with no traffic lights.

• Clay Tunnel in Clay Sculpture Park
  

On the afternoon of the first day we went to a clay sculpture park Sculpture Park has an artistic sense of order in chaos that is unique to Southeast Asia. As soon as you enter, there are various animal statues, and then there is a hodgepodge of various religious elements, such as Buddha and God, and even Vietnam’s national vehicle: the motorcycle.



There were no people in the whole park, except for us, there were some Korean tourists and a few Europeans and Americans. The garden looks like it has not been taken care of very often. The statues are in tatters and overgrown with weeds. The staff are sitting next to them taking a nap. There is even adjacent farmland below. But it's very mysterious. All of this is unexpectedly harmonious. It's boring and full of absurdity and weirdness. It feels like you've mistakenly entered a fake version of the Garden of Eden.




Of course, the most interesting thing is that there is a small garden to fight against covid 19. There are various anthropomorphic statues of punching and kicking the virus. It can only be said that the Vietnamese are serious about fighting the epidemic.

• Quán Đương
• Address: 152 Đường Phạm Ngọc Thạch, Phường 6, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng
  

This cafe is the biggest surprise of my trip to Vietnam. It may even be my favorite cafe among the many cities I have visited! The entire cafe is quite large. There is a small courtyard surrounded by green plants when you enter the door. You can see beautiful scenery from the windows on the second floor attic. The backyard also has tables, stools and hanging chairs, as well as a tatami wooden house with ventilation on all sides.Every corner of the store is exquisitely decorated, filled with flowers and books. Sitting inside, you will feel surrounded by happiness.








The owner of the cafe is also very friendly. Seeing that I came alone, he even took the initiative to bring me a tripod so that I could take selfies. I was bitten by a mosquito while sitting in a wooden house. I asked if there was any mosquito repellent. They also apologized profusely and plugged in an electric mosquito repellent for me.I spent a very comfortable and restful afternoon here, and I even felt willing to come to Dalat again just for it.



During this period, I was a little hungry and there was no food in the cafe to satisfy my hunger, so I went out to look for food nearby. I accidentally walked to a pink church. Later I learned that this is an iconic attraction in Dalat.

• Maria Monastery
  

Since I didn’t do any strategy in advance, when I walked here, I suddenly saw One light.The weather is fine, and the courtyard and church under the sunshine look like a fairy tale world. The high-saturation colors without filters are so dreamy that they are almost unreal.






Hanoi

Hanoi was actually my first stop after arriving in Vietnam, but unfortunately it rained for several days. Even so, just walking around the old town can still make you feel the interesting aspects of this city. In the chaotic traffic, various food stalls are intertwined on the roadside, which is lively and market-like, but there are also some very exquisite small cafes mixed in, and there are always young people sitting at the door chatting. Various seemingly contradictory elements coexist in perfect harmony.





Many locals will sit in front of small vendors on the roadside to drink tea. But maybe just around the corner is a place lined with luxury stores. The street scene with French-style buildings is very much like Shanghai. Past colonization, current tourism and the original local atmosphere unexpectedly complement each other.





I also went to several cafes in Hanoi, basically I found them randomly on Google Maps. . Although there is nothing very special, the overall impression is good, and the coffee is cheap and delicious.

After staying for two days, I found that the young people here also speak English very well. Basically, anyone on the street can communicate fluently. I even feel that compared to domestic boys, young boys in cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh have quite good aesthetics. They are more or less particular about their hairstyles and outfits, and they look quite fashionable and decent.

It rained all day before leaving. I went to the Hanoi Art Museum for a while and then found a nearby cafe. Looking at the constantly changing street scenes along the way, there were many moments where I suddenly felt like I was in Shanghai.





But compared with the exquisite and orderly Shanghai, Hanoi obviously has a more chaotic aesthetic. Those places that seem to lack rules and order actually hide the most vivid and organic moments of the city.






I think Hanoi is the kind of place where if you come to this city, you will want to have some stories happen.

As for Da Nang, because our stay was very short and it happened to be a thunderstorm, we only really felt it for half a day. For a seaside resort city, this is an almost disastrous travel experience. So I can't give an objective evaluation. I can only say that if I have the chance, I hope to come here on a sunny day and be able to lie on the beach drinking juice, reading a book, and just sunbathing. I think this is the best experience in a resort city.