📍 Ninh Binh & Phong Nha, Vietnam 🇻🇳

Day 1: We returned to Ha Long Bay and didn’t really have a plan. My dream was to do the Ha Giang Loop, but the weather wasn’t great so we made the decision to skip it (and now we will HAVE to return to Vietnam to do this). A few people had told us to go Ninh Bihn, so at around 5 pm we decided to book the 10 pm train there (another shout out to the strong man that biked us to the station on time mentioned in the Hanoi blog).

We arrived in Ninh Bihn a bit after midnight and since it’s a small town it was EMPTY. Thank gosh we had booked a car to pick us up because there were no cabs in sight. While we were getting off the train, two guys from France were telling us they were not as smart as us (well they didn’t exactly say that, but they did say they didn’t pre-book a ride) so we offered them to join our car. Honestly, you are very welcome strangers. We arrived at our hotel, Tam Coc Lion Kings and went to bed.

Day 2: After not sleeping much over the last five days, we finally slept in and it was the most refreshing feeling. Like showering after a plane ride kinda satisfaction. We took our time getting ready and planning our day. When we finally made it out of the hotel to go to the Bich Dong Pagoda, we took about six steps outside before the skies opened. Torrential downpour. The hotel gave us umbrellas and we were on our merry way. We walked to the pagoda, took a few pictures, and then decided the rainy time was a good time to eat. Fun fact: the Ninh Bihn/Tam Coc area specializes in goat.

Once we were done eating, the rain had let up so we went back to the pagoda and explored. It was actually quite big. There was a dark staircase that we were unsure where it led, so naturally J went up while I stayed down trying not to pee my pants because it was too dark for my liking. (Am I five?) Turns out J found another hidden gem, so once he okayed the trail I joined him to enjoy the views.

We went back to the hotel to plan our next moves and this is where things took a turn. We borrowed a motorbike to go to dinner and decided to make a quick pit stop at the train station to get tickets for the next day (it was a solid 15 minutes out of the way; it was not a quick pit stop). We made it there successfully, bought our tickets, and started making our way to dinner. We made a right turn and the front wheel started to wobble rather aggressively. Turns out we had a REAL flat tire (the inner tube came flying off) and we had eaten WAY too much over the past few months so the poor bike could not handle both of us on it. If this isn’t a wake up call to eat some salad I don’t know what is. I digress. We didn’t really know what to do, so we started pushing the bike and walking toward the town which was almost a mile away. A few people had stopped to ask if we were okay but they were unable to help. Finally, a sweet angel stopped, whipped out his trusted Google Translate, and asked what happened. We translated back and he told me to get on the back of his bike, told J to drive the busted bike, and for us to follow him. We stopped at a few bike shops but, because it was late, they were closed. We somehow made it to the restaurant downtown (Ncoc Linh Restaurant) which was close to the hotel and I was dropped off. MAJOR shout out to the sweetest man, and to J for not crashing the bike into a wall. Someone from the hotel came to bring us a new bike and after we stress ate copious amount of spring rolls (you read that right, not salads), we made it back to the hotel. Safely. In one piece.

Day 3: We woke up and decided it was good idea to get on a bike again. What are the chances we have bad luck two days in a row? We went to Trang An for a boat tour and it did not disappoint. On the boat, we were with on other couple who were actually on their honeymoon. We spent three hours on the boat making different stops at pagodas and going through a few tunnels.

As soon as we stepped off the boat it started pouring again. It would have been great timing seeing as we had just gotten off the boat, but the problem was we were on a bike. We decided to drive to a hike with a viewpoint, but the rain was NOT letting up. So instead we found a VERY local restaurant and stopped in to wait out the rain and grab something to eat. Even after a long lunch the rain did not want to quit, so it was time to give up on the hike and get a massage at Tam Coc Lotus Spa. Not the worst compromise we’ve made.

After our massage, we met up with some friends from Ha Long Bay and the couple that was on our boat tour earlier in the day for a big dinner at Family Restaurant. We then went to the bar next door until we had to quickly go back to our hotel to grab our bags and make it to the train station on time for our overnight train. This time, we took a 4-wheeled vehicle to prevent any unforeseen delays.

When we boarded the night train, we went to find our beds and opened the door to two sleeping men on the bottom bunks. It was dark and quiet, so we quietly climbed into our top bunks and tried to sleep. I can sleep ANYWHERE but the train was freezing, I thought I was going to fall off the top bunk when the train turned, and I was unsure who the men sleeping below me were so I can’t say I had the most sleep. Can’t win ’em all.

Day 4: We made it to the next stop, Phong Nha, and checked into Sy’s Homestay. We had some breakfast and got ready for our day. We took a motorbike about 45 minutes out and ended up at Paradise Caves. The caves were absolutely amazing and the drive was just as beautiful. We drove through back roads that felt like a jungle.

As we drove back from the caves, we saw two tourist on the side of the road with a broken bicycle. We pulled over to ask if they were okay. Turned out his bike was broken and they were pretty far from their hotel. Oof, been there! We obviously wanted to help them, so the guy held on to J as J drove us back toward this strangers hotel. We decided that wasn’t the safest option, so I held his hand instead and we pulled him home.

We tried to make it to Phong Nha Cave, but we were starving. We couldn’t find any street food, so we stopped at a convenience store, which was really just a store in the front of someone’s house. They sold cup of noodles so we asked if they had hot water. They kindly made us hot water in their home and we sat in their living room and watched TV while eating our noodles. Scoot over, we’re moving in.

We proceeded to the cave but they were closed by the time we got there (we had gotten a little lost). We were still hungry so we decided to go to a real lunch at Bamboo Chopsticks. If you read any of this blog, you clearly know I am not vegan, but when I saw the table next to me order the tofu it sounded SO good I had to order it. Turns out it was as good as it looked. Highly recommend.

We went back to the homestay for a bit to hang out and eventually Sy’s wife cooked dinner for us. It was delicious.

Day 5: We woke up and successfully made it to Phong Nha Cave.

We then went to the most unique stop of our whole trip…The Duck Stop. We got to be duck leaders, then they ate food from our hands, from our feet, and then from our legs. Standard day…

After learning to be duck leaders, we went to The Pub With Cold Beer and had the best noodles I’ve had in my life. This is a restaurant in the middle of nowhere and the name does not lie. This is the only place we found cold beer on our trip. They also had live chickens that you could pick and they would cook right there for you.

We went back to the homestay to get our stuff and get ready for our five hour bus ride to Hue. Sy’s wife made us a sandwich to go and waited with us at the bus stop. We hopped on the bus and we were on our way to our next stop!

And as always…outtakes. Biggest outtakes go out to the unphotographed rat, cockroach, and lizard I saw within two minutes of each other. Almost booked a flight back to the States.