5 things you will like in Vietnam

Love it or Hate it

Before talking about 5 things you will like in Vietnam…

Before I went to Vietnam, I asked many people what it’s like in Vietnam. Some said they loved Vietnam so much, while others said they didn’t like Vietnam at all, so I didn’t know what to expect from Vietnam.

The trip to Vietnam finally happened in February 2017. Here are the things I liked about traveling around Vietnam for one month.

1.Vietnamese coffee

Vietnamese coffee is the number 1 on my 5 things you will like in Vietnam list! As a coffee lover, I’ve already heard so much about how fantastic Vietnamese coffee is. I would like to say that Vietnamese coffee is love. It’s strong and bitter. It also leaves a sweet flavor at the end. It’s perfect for any time of the day. If you feel tired from a hangover or lack of sleep, this small strong Vietnamese coffee will make your eyes open wide instantly! 😉

Vietnamese coffee - Hanoi - Vietnam - Southeast asia — Can you see the bottom of the glass? It’s a lot of condensed milk! This is a typical Vietnamese coffee! If you don’t like it too sweet, just ask them to give you the milk separately! 😉

A typical Vietnamese coffee is a black coffee with a lot of condensed milk. It is loved by many coffee fans. Usually, I’m not up for sweet coffee, but I liked it a lot. You can taste what it’s like to be in heaven while having a cup of sweet Vietnamese coffee. If you don’t like sweet coffee, you can simply ask for a black coffee.

It’s also so much fun watching what’s happening on the street while enjoying your Vietnamese coffee! 😉

2.Vietnamese hat

I saw Vietnamese people in their Vietnamese hats in pictures many times. The Vietnamese hats looked so lovely but I thought the pictures were just for promoting the authentic image of Vietnam for tourism. But as I arrived in Vietnam, I started to see many people, especially Vietnamese women wearing these cute hats! They wear the triangle-shaped hats while they are working in the field, selling things on the streets, and walking in the rain!

vietnamese hat - chao doc - vietnam — She is a lady I met on my way to hitchhike to Can Tho (floating market) from Chao doc (border town)! She was so beautiful with her Vietnamese hat with yellow flowers! She was so lovely! 🙂

It was really really cute on them and I loved it. I literally fell in love with these hats on the ladies and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of them! You will fall in love with it too and you might want to buy Vietnamese hats as a souvenir for you, friends and family. (After trying and seeing cute Vietnamese hats, you will be one who will truly understand why Vietnamese hat is on 5 things you will like in Vietnam list. 😉 )

Vietnamese hat - Marble mountain - Hoi An - Da nang - Vietnam - Southeast Asia — These are the aladiesI saw at Marble Mountain near Hoi An. They were selling lottery tickets with their Vietnamese hats! When I tried to take pictures of them, they just turned their heads towards the other direction! See? Vietnamese hats can give you privacy too! 😉

3. Vietnamese mask

vietnamese mask - vietnam - southeast asia — This is a picture of me and my friend in Hanoi. Unlike other parts of Vietnam, there were so many police on the streets. We didn’t want police officers to charge us for nothing just because we are tourists! To look like “locals”, we bought the mask to cover our faces! Maybe because of these funny masks, we were good. 😉

When you are in the cities of Vietnam, you will see many people wearing colorful masks when they are driving a scooter. One guy told me it doesn’t look sexy when a girl is wearing a mask and it turns him off. Yeah, maybe they don’t look very sexy, but I find wearing a mask with weird prints so funny that my friend and I bought masks and wore them when we were on a scooter. It protects you from vehicles’ smoke, and it keeps you warm while driving in the cold weather in Vietnam. Two birds with one stone! Why not?

4. Pho

When I bought a ticket to Vietnam, I was really excited to eat Pho since I am a huge fan of Pho! Pho is a Vietnamese rice noodle. Vietnamese people usually eat Pho for breakfast and dinner. (But nobody judges you even if you eat Pho for lunch! No worries! 😉 ) You can find easily Pho everywhere, at the restaurants or on the streets of Vietnam, especially if you are in the old quarter of Hanoi.

vietnamese pho - pho - food - hanoi - Vietnam - Southeast asia — This is Pho I had for breakfast for several times. I found this Pho restaurant on my very first day I arrived in Hanoi. It was 40,000 VND. It wasn’t too cheap, but it was so tasty that my Spanish friend wants to learn how to make this Pho in Spain! You can add fresh chilies if you like it spicy! You must try Pho! 😉

The deep flavor of the broth of the beef bones, rice noodles, slices of beef, and some fresh bean sprouts will be another reason for making you want to stay longer in Vietnam! 😉 (If you eat a real good Pho, you will understand why Pho is one of top 3 on favorite thing on 5 things you will like in Vietnam list. 😉 )

5. Vietnamese sleeping bus

Most complaints from fellow travelers around Southeast Asia is the bus rides. Small seats, narrow gaps between seats, so you can’t stretch your legs. But unlike normal express buses, Vietnamese sleeping buses have long seats where you have more space to stretch your legs and you can actually lie down!

vietmanese sleeping bus - bus ride in vietnam - vietnamese bus - vietnam - southeast asia — This is a typical Vietnamese sleeping bus. I can’t say it’s the most comfortable way to travel by bus in Vietnam, but it’s cheaper than trains or flights and it’s comfortable enough to fall asleep. 🙂

I really enjoyed my bus rides in Vietnam thanks to these comfortable Vietnamese sleeping buses! I could sit, I could put my stuff near the feet, and I could even sleep on the comfy seats. I wish Korea also had these amazing Sleeping buses! You will be less stressed after your long hours of bus rides in Vietnam! 😉

Which one do you think you will like in Vietnam? Or Did you like something else in Vietnam? Please leave a comment below. 🙂

Thank you for visiting Explore Your Life Now. I hope this post: 5 things you will like in Vietnam give you ideas about Vietnam and help you to enjoy traveling in Vietnam more. 🙂 If you have any questions about traveling to Vietnam or other parts of Southeast Asia, don’t hesitate to visit my facebook and send me messages! I’ll help you as much as I can! 🙂

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4 thoughts on “5 things you will like in Vietnam”

Martin says:

April 16, 2017 at 1:25 pm

Nice Post! I agree with all except the night buses, they are still semicomfortable 😉

My Top 5 in Vietnam would be:

– The people (especially outside the tourist industry)
– The landscape (especially the north)
– Hoi An (what a beautiful place)
– Cao Lau
– Vietnamese coffee

1. explorey says:
  
  April 17, 2017 at 5:11 pm
  
  I agree with you Martin. Vietnamese people are so lovely if we are out of the city! And Landscapes are amazing and I love Hoi An, Cao Lau, and Vietnamese coffee as well! I will write separated posts about beautiful Vietnamese people, beautiful places! 😉 I will keep you updated!Thank you for visiting my blog!:)
  
Bene says:

April 20, 2017 at 5:29 am

I’m not into coffee, but i totally agree with you about Pho (one of my favorite food on earth) and sleeping buses too. I remember I had a bus ride with just my brother and I in a huge sleeping bus (day ride, not even night). I was really surprised they didn’t just cancel this ride as there were buses every hour anyway. Seats were like on your pic, and i could actually sleep, so it was pretty different from the other bus trips I had in SE Asia indeed!

1. explorey says:
  
  April 22, 2017 at 4:24 pm
  
  Hahaha you are missing out the good one! But fair enough! Not everyone likes coffee for some reasons. Pho is my favorite as well! Some people might laugh at me but I can totally go back to Vietnam just for the Pho! Hahahahaha. The bus is way better than any other bus trips both in Southeast Asia and Europe. Vietnamese sleeping bus is the best! 🙂

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