• Travel experience in Vietnam
  • Travel experience in Vietnam

  • on May 10, 2018       By: Ngoc Tu DINH

You may hear about Vietnamese’s pristine pagodas, colonial structures, geological wonders, and delicious cuisines, which earned our country reputation. However, there are also plenty of travel experiences in Vietnam that you wouldn’t find somewhere else. In spite of rapid modernization, Vietnamese still remains relatively authentic in many parts of this S-shaped strip of land when its local communities taking great efforts to preserve their traditions, their beliefs as well as their country characters. 

And that is the reason most tourists have tried these crazy travel experiences in Vietnam when visiting this wondrous land though they were warned that some may be unsuitable. From cruising around Halong Bay to crawling through the Cu Chi Tunnels or drinking snake wine, some of them could be named must-do activities for those who want to experience an unforgettable journey to Vietnam. 
Let’s check how many activities that you can enjoy on your trip.

1. Tasting  a shot of snake wine

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Can not be missed in your Vietnam food tour, snake wine which produced by infusing whole snakes mostly venomous ones in a glass jar of rice wine. Interestingly, local people believe that the more venomous snake is, the tastier wine gets. This unique drink is considered as the ultimate exotic drink to try when coming to Vietnam. 

Where to taste this “scary drink”? 
Tourists could find snake wine sold at most local markets and touristy shops with the price between VND 600,000 and VND 1 million, depending on kind of snake you choose. Don’t forget to sample the snake wine – one of the crazy experiences in Vietnam.

 

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2. Crawling through Cu Chi Tunnels

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A visit this historical site will also give you a chance to shoot weapons such as AK47’s. It sounds crazy, isn’t it? After spending a day at Cu Chi Tunnels that is located 70km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, you may partly get a sense of how the extent the Viet Cong went to stage secret attacks and remain hidden during the war in the 1960s and ’70s. Though you only get to explore a small part of the over 120km of underground tunnels which fitted with trapdoors, living areas, kitchens, storage facilities, armory, hospitals, and command centers, you will fully understand the meaning of claustrophobia when lower yourself into these tiny tunnels under the ground and spend a few minutes in the pitch dark drawing through them.

    >>> Do you know: Mai Chau is the most beautiful place in North Vietnam, which you much visit once at least. 

3. Riding a Cyclo through Hoi An Ancient Town

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Hoi An Ancient Town is well known for not only its great food, cozy atmosphere, skilled tailors, interesting shopping, friendly people but when visitors come to Hoi An its incredible beauty just took their breath away. Ancient Town draws people a picturesque with a living museum, a pedestrian-friendly, a Japanese-designed bridge, houses Chinese temples,  traditional markets, wooden shop-houses, French- colonial houses, and old canals.
While it small enough for you to easily explore on foot, there is a crazy experience when riding a cyclo around this UNESCO-listed town. This is a fun and relaxing way of getting around with some local cyclo drivers who can speak English or French and who are happy to give you various local insights, things to do, what to eat or where to buy souvenirs during your visiting in Hoi An.

4. Getting grossed at the local markets

Exploring local markets is a good chance to taste the authentic flavor in Vietnamese food, experience bustling atmosphere, and admire a colorful display of stalls selling fresh produce, household items, and apparel and also are great for lots of other things. You’ll also get to see unusual sights such as old ladies smoking huge hand-rolled cigarettes and freshly butchered meat and fish on display. Besides, If you have a tendency to buy something, the best way to get a decent price is haggling with the vendors. 
And in some local market or rural markets in Vietnam don’t turn your stomach when sawing animal carcasses, the huge chunks of raw meat or bowls of blood on display. And somewhere in your walking around these market there are pretty upsetting to see things like dog. Selling and eating dog meat is a long tradition in Viet Nam. This must be a crazy experience in Vietnam and you just could take this very unique thing in Viet Nam, for sure.

5. Learning how to ride a buffalo

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You know what? Even Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook founder recognizes the value in riding a Buffalo! You could saw this kind of crazy experiences was advertised as part of local operated day trips and many other tours. Viet Nam may be the great place for you to get the chance to try it out yourself. While some might consider Vietnam suitable for backpacker trail, it feels like you are miles away from motorbike-mayhem and all-night parties. 
Therefore, learning to ride a buffalo is surely a crazy experience in Vietnam that you could complete your great life skill. Riding through the rice paddies, stopping only to let a herd of buffalo cross the road or take a dip in a fresh-water stream. This is just such a relaxing activities you could have in Vietnam. While stopping tourists have chance to play with local kids or watch how the farmers who are very welcoming working in their fields and even take some stunning photographs. The green of entire valley is almost hurts your eyes, and there are lots of challenging routes for those looking for a little more adventure. There are also good budget Vietnam tours that go all the way to Vietnamese villages such as Sapa or Mai Chau.

6. Traveling the Mekong Delta in a traditional boat

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Travel in the Vietnamese tradition boat is the best way to explore this unique part of Vietnam. Spending about 3 day tour then you actually could stay in the Mekong Lodge area that is used as a base for your adventures. Trips through the Mekong Delta usually include travelling around a large ferry then getting to the smaller islands.  
The most exciting part is travelling by smaller dug – out canoe with beautiful Vietnamese female guide who wearing a traditional cone hat to meander through the narrow, overgrown canals. She is assumed to row visitor through the narrow waterways, and at that moment when whoever had to sit back must think “WOW, Vietnam is here.” This really worth if you are looking for some travel experiences in Vietnam.

7. Trying street food

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Unlike ThaiLand or HongKong, street food in Vietnam have somethings very special that have no word could describe. For any tourists have tried Vietnamese street food when recalling the tasty “wow …how I miss you so” is things that they could utter. On the side of the street, you will find yourself the best food in diversify options, try in freshly made spring rolls or enjoy chicken feet grilled on a small BBQ spot or get a sit and take the sugar cane man to but a delicious sugary treat. You may feel a little scary and worry about getting sick, all you need to do is get over your fear and just dive straight in.
In Vietnam there are many young local guide who will guide in a street food in case you are not sure where to go and what to eat. You will be introduced all the best street vendors, and the good point is they will take you to places they know are high in quality and taste! 

 

8. Spending a night at a traditional homestay

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You may have familiar with homestay; however, kind of traditional Home Stay may be not quite common like homestay you usually took while traveling. And signing up to stay in a traditional Home Stay makes the most unique things to do in Vietnam. If you can you could arrange a homestay for yourself or going through a tour company or agency. If luckily enough after you got off the bus you could ask local people to agree to take you to their village the next day. 
One thing for sure, this special experience is unlike anything else that you have backpacking around Southeast Asia, even in some Vietnamese neighbor countries such as Thailand or Cambodia. Seeing how the locals live, eating the traditional food, how they cook it and indulging yourself in that amazing atmosphere. Or simply just appreciating the beauty of the landscape, stay away high buildings or noisy cities. There is no interruptions.That is a highlights point and the best experience in Vietnam that you never forget.

If you are on this page you might have a plan to travel this beautiful country or just review or check how many travel experiences in Vietnam trip of yours. Whether you are travelling Vietnam on a budget by tour or are planning to do it in your own style, these above experiences are things you must do and in Vietnam you should check out as much of these experiences as possible.


 


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Ngoc Tu DINH possesses an enduring passion for uncovering the treasures of Vietnam. His love for travel inspired him to dedicate more than a decade to guiding tours across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. This extensive experience has not only enriched his knowledge of Vietnamese culture but has also equipped him to eloquently share its profound beauty and intricacies with travelers from around the globe.

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