Adventures In Vietnam Part Two

Vietnam Is Quite The Adventure!

My second trip to Vietnam began with an intrepid re-entry!

It started with procuring an emergency visa whilst in Cambodia, then transport by tuk-tuk, 1 long overnight bus, a sketchy sunrise scooter ride, another long bus trip, a walk across the border by foot with luggage, and a nebulous bus drop-off outside Ho Chi Minh City. This all occurred without language translation and I was completely dependent on a business colleague, whom I’d had no communication with until we met face-to-face.

It all worked out! Do you travel with this bold level of daring adventure?

My wonderful Nuskin teammates helped me traverse Vietnam from south to north on that eventful first day, and I appreciated reconnecting with them over good conversation at lunch and dinner.

How much can you pack into 10 days? So much!

Vietnam is a long, skinny country in Southeast Asia, bordered by China, Laos and Cambodia.

This incredible nation is packed with jaw-dropping natural scenery, historic monuments & sites, fascinating culture & friendly people, and some of the most delicious food I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting around the globe.

My time in Vietnam was brief, however explosive with epic adventures and some outrageous stories that I still giggle over when in recollection.

Hanoi is the capital city and its bustling energy is quite electric, vibrant and unceasingly loud!

You can encompass much of the city center on-foot or by rickshaw, and I loved getting knee-deep in local culture as quickly as possible.

People sit on tiny plastic stools very close to the ground to eat their meals at restaurants or pop-up street vendor carts. I became accustomed to this immediately, and enjoyed some truly spectacular dishes for less than $3 US dollars.

When in Vietam you must try the snails!

Actually, sample as much fare as you can…it’s unique and surprisingly scrumptious!

2 days of my journey were spent trekking in northern Vietnam near the border of China, where I spent a night living with a hill tribe, slept on the floor, ate freshly-butchered hog and got tipsy on ‘happy water’ with the villagers.

Ha Long Bay is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and a must-do on your bucket list when exploring Vietnam. There is a variety of cruises to select from based on days, accommodations and price.

I chose a budget cruise and paid for it with my discomfort, as the food was unbelievably horrible, my cabin was grossly misrepresented, and I woke up with bed bug bites all over my body.

Fortunately there were many fun activities that balanced out my misadventures. I witnessed a gorgeous sunset in the limestone rock formations, jumped off the boat with fellow travelers into the south China sea, sang raucous Vietnamese karaoke late into the night, and kayaked blissfully at sunrise throughout the bay and its many caves.

Ha Long Bay bid me farewell in the most interesting manner. As I cruised back to shore in an old-fashioned transport boat, a poisonous centipede slipped out from the cracks of my wooden seat and stung (bit?) my hand. Wow did that hurt and I got quite the allergic reaction!

The animal kingdom likes to play a mischievous cameo role in of all my international quests! Life is never dull.

There were many regions of Vietnam that I have not discovered yet, and look forward to the day when I return for adventure part three.

Enjoy the Photo Gallery below. Did you miss Part One?

Join Amie On Adventures Throughout Vietnam

Trek through the amazing mountains and rice paddies of Sapa

Explore the food scene of Hanoi

Enjoy the culinary pleasures of claypot flying rice in Saigon

Adventures In Vietnam Photo Blog: Part One

Adventures In Vietnam Photo Blog: Part Two