September – October is always considered the best time for us to make journeys to the Northwest and Northeast routes of Vietnam. Tip review has been to these lands and I was truly overwhelmed by the beauty of the scenery, mountains, rivers and people here. In this review, I will share with you the experience of backpacking the Northeast for 9 days and 9 nights that I and my friends have just done in the past few days. The special point of this journey is that we can explore many places at a super economical cost. Come on, let’s find out with Tip review right away, everyone.
What to prepare when traveling to the Northeast
Many people are worried that the Northeast road is mountainous and zigzag, so weak steering will make it difficult to ride a motorbike. However, according to Tip review’s experience, this route is relatively easy to travel (even easier than the Northwest route), the road is quite beautiful and not too many cars, so as long as you drive safely and according to the law, you will be completely safe. You can conquer this palace.
Another point to note is that the nature of this journey requires you to drive continuously every day, so in the first 1-2 days, try to get used to the back fatigue and butt pain, to compensate for the night. When you return, you will sleep very well and in the following days, those feelings will gradually disappear because your body has adapted to the “show running” schedule mentioned above.
Similar to the Northwest, we fly from the city. Ho Chi Minh went to Hanoi and rented a motorbike here to start the journey. Tip review to choose Bon Bon motorbike rental shop – Alley 127 – Quan Tho 1 Alley – Dong Da (see Mr. Quan – 0855.222.555) because the motorbikes here are very good, the rental procedure is quick and the price is very ok, 120k/car/day.
For accommodation, Tip review recommends that you book a room in advance based on information online or Booking. Especially because the Covid-19 epidemic is still complicated in the world, Booking allows users to cancel reservations comfortably and without worrying about money being deducted, so if possible, you should choose your room in advance to help. You can be more proactive in building a schedule and be careful when entering a remote place and not being able to find a place to stop. I will share details about the hotels I booked on the Northeast arc in the next section.
Regarding clothing, in September and October it’s not really too cold in the Northeast so you don’t need to bring too many warm clothes. Bring your most comfortable clothes, especially brightly colored clothes, so when photographed, they will look more sparkling against the background of the Northeast landscape. In addition, even though the journey lasts 9 days and 9 nights, you don’t need to bring too many clothes, just bring enough for 3-4 days, then when you go to places where you can wash clothes, take the opportunity to wash and dry them. , so it will be more convenient and lighter for the trip.
Itinerary, what to eat and do on the Northeast road for 9 days and 9 nights
Day 0: Fly from City. Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi
Tip review flies to Noi Bai around 10:00 p.m. I used the airport shuttle service (097.296.5555 – Trang) for 310k for a 7-seat car, picked up from Noi Bai to Ngo Si Lien street.
I booked a room at The Wooden Apartment (63 Ngo Si Lien), rented an entire apartment room for 650,000 for 6 people. The room was very good, beautiful and spacious, but that day the room had a rather unpleasant odor. However, because it was late and we only needed to spend the night and it was quite close to the Bon Bon motorbike rental shop, we tried a little harder. After returning to the hotel, we all went to a nearby night noodle shop to have a snack and then went back to rest early to prepare for the journey starting tomorrow.
Day 1: Hanoi – Hai Phong
The goal of this Tip review is to go through provinces that I have not yet had the opportunity to visit, so instead of going straight from Hanoi to Hai Phong, I chose to go through Hung Yen, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, and Thai Binh. Just arrived in Hai Phong. This trip will take a little longer, but in return you will have the opportunity to see some more beautiful scenery and enjoy the unique dishes of these provinces. On this journey, we stopped at Cao Thon – a famous incense making place in Hung Yen (we got lost and couldn’t see the village anywhere), passed Hung Ha bridge (connecting Hung Yen and Ha Nam), visited the Temple Ceiling, Flagpole and Main Cathedral in Nam Dinh.
Around 4:00 p.m., we arrived in Hai Phong. The food here is super delicious, so we took the opportunity to store our luggage and quickly go “destroying” Hoa Phuong Do city until the end of the night. Because I have a friend from here, I don’t have to bother finding hotels and places to eat. She took us out to eat so many times that I don’t really remember where we went, but Hai Phong’s food is really delicious, especially the snacks. In the evening, remember to stop by Tam Bac Lake to feel the nighttime beauty of this city.
Day 2: Hai Phong – Do Son – Ha Long – Binh Lieu
Early in the morning at 7:00 am, Tip review and his friends went to eat Crab Rice Cake on Cau Dat Street for 50k/bowl but extremely worth the money. After we were full, we immediately headed to Do Son, about 20km from the city center. Do Son beach this season is not very beautiful and quite empty, however the road around Do Son is super beautiful and cool. We stopped by the old Casino here to take hundreds of pictures before returning to the city to pack our luggage and continue our journey.
At around 11:00, Tip review started leaving Hai Phong to go to Quang Ninh. We chose the route passing Hoang Van Thu Bridge to experience the “Sea Bird Wing” of the newly inaugurated Hoa Phuong Do city. Indeed, this bridge is super beautiful and majestic.
We kept busy like that, making fun of ourselves on the bus through many districts of Quang Ninh province. Well, in Hai Phong and Quang Ninh there are many police stations, so please remember to obey traffic laws. I admit that Quang Ninh’s roads and infrastructure are really good, guys, the roads are beautiful, wide and rarely encounter potholes or duck holes.
After a long trip, around 5:00 p.m., we arrived in Binh Lieu. Tip review for hotel booking from Anh Thanh – Ms. Nga (0915.368.883) right next to the center of Binh Lieu town. This room is newly built, beautiful and fully equipped, but the price is only 75k/person/night. The owner is extremely cute, enthusiastic and lovable. That night, our brother and sister introduced us to a restaurant that many people here choose, especially the local chicken hot pot dish is very delicious but the price is a bit expensive. Never mind, it’s reasonable to eat and drink to gain strength after a long journey.
Day 3: Explore Binh Lieu
At 7:00 am, we went to have breakfast at a restaurant not far from the hotel. Please note that in Binh Lieu, there are very few shops that sell breakfast. However, the shops that do sell do not have any signs, so just ask the hotel owner so they can point it out for convenience.
After that, Tip review and his friends followed the route directed by the hotel owner to reach milestone 1305. The road to this milestone is super beautiful but there are a lot of “mines” to worry about the cows and goats. again. We arrived at the foot of the stairs to climb to mark 1305 at 10:00 but still decided to climb up to see what was interesting up there. Wow, the stairs here are steep, climbing takes a lot of effort. Besides, it’s still sunny, so we only climbed halfway, took everything in, then climbed down.
We continued through this border patrol road to reach Hoanh Mo border gate. Because the epidemic is still going on, we are not allowed to go in or out of the border gate right now. So we stopped here to rest and have lunch. Unexpectedly, the restaurant we visited was quite ok, the cooking was delicious, especially the banh chicken dish (eating it twice and still not getting bored) but the price was very cheap, only 340k for 6 people.
After recharging our energy, we continued on the road to Mount Cao Ly. Even though it’s only 3-4 pm, the clouds are already covering this place, guys. Never before have I felt so close to the clouds. I really like it, guys.
Our goal was to run back to mark 1297 to watch the sunset, but a member of our group fell off the bike so the whole group had to miss the above plan and go straight to the hotel so he could rest. Luckily, your injuries were relatively light so you could still drive and that night you sat and chatted with local people at a pub right in the square. The restaurant’s food is delicious, but everyone’s laughter is the most precious thing that evening.
Day 4: Binh Lieu – Lang Son
We said goodbye to Binh Lieu around 7:30 am after enjoying a huge stir-fried pho for 30k/plate. After that, Tip review continued the journey to Lang Son city. The road is relatively convenient, but be careful not to wear too many floral clothes, otherwise the bees will follow and sting you. There were 2 people in my group who got stung.
In Lang Son city, we rented a room at Then and Now homestay (No. 3, Lane 19 Ba Trieu, Lang Son) for 510k/6 people. This homestay is super good, the decor is extremely artistic and the furniture is very good. That afternoon, we went to eat the special sour Pho from Lang, but it didn’t seem to taste very good so we felt it was still not as excellent as people praised.
At around 3:30 p.m., we visited Tam Thanh Pagoda with an entrance fee of 20k/person. After that, we continued climbing To Thi Mountain to see the rock formation of Lady To Thi holding her child and waiting for her husband. It was already dark when we climbed down, so we stopped at Quan Thuy Roast Duck restaurant, bought a roast duck for 230k and brought it back to the homestay to spend the night.
Day 5: Lang Son – Cao Bang (Chung Khanh – Ban Gioc)
This morning, we ate banh cuon – also one of Lang Son’s specialties. After that, Tip review continues to move to Trung Khanh – Cao Bang and stay overnight at Yen Nhi Homestay for 70k/person. After lunch and rest, the group started exploring Ban Gioc waterfall at 3:00 p.m. Entrance fee is 40k/person and parking ticket is 10k/car.
Visiting Ban Gioc waterfall only takes about 1 hour, so after that we walked around to feel the simplicity and freshness of this place. That night, we had dinner at the homestay for 80k/person and listened to the homestay owner play traditional musical instruments. At night here, you can go back to Ban Gioc waterfall to watch the water music on the Chinese side.
Day 6: Ban Gioc – Pac Po – Cao Bang City – Bac Kan (Ba Be Lake)
From Ban Gioc, it takes about 4 hours to get to Pac Po. Even though the road is far, the scenery in this tourist area is really beautiful. Sightseeing tickets are 45k/person and there are many interesting places for you to visit. To fully explore this place, it will probably take you 2-3 hours.
After resting and having lunch, we decided to go straight to Ba Be Lake. It wasn’t until 9:00 p.m. that we arrived at Minh Quang homestay in Pac Ngoi Village, Ba Be for 380k/6 people. The homestay was the only one of us, so that night the whole group sat sipping a glass of rice wine with a plate of stir-fried wild vegetables and fried stream fish. Even though tired, singing and laughter always resounded on everyone’s faces.
Day 7: Ba Be Lake – Thai Nguyen
In the morning, we spent time exploring Ba Be Lake. There are tour packages here for you to choose from with prices ranging from 150k – 800k/boat. We chose the most expensive tour so we could explore many places, but because the attractions weren’t anything special, we returned halfway through the tour. It was already 11:30 a.m. so we packed our luggage and moved back to Bac Kan city to rest and have lunch.
Our destination today is Thai Nguyen city. Because we had been gone for many days, we stopped by the side of the road to change the oil in the car. Hotels in Thai Nguyen are very expensive, we couldn’t book them on Booking so we decided to go to the city and then book them. Luckily, I found Happy Hotel (31 Phu Lien, Hoang Van Thu, Thai Nguyen) for 650k/6 people.
Day 8: Thai Nguyen – Tam Dao (Vinh Phuc)
That morning, we visited the famous Tan Cuong tea hill in Thai Nguyen. However, while driving around, we couldn’t see any tea hills, so we stopped by a tea hill on the side of the road and took beautiful pictures here. Our next destination is Vinh Phuc.
The reason why Vinh Phuc is included in the list of destinations in this itinerary is because we have completed the entire Northeast arc but still want to go, so Tam Dao is a very suitable destination for relaxation after days of traveling. long grinding butt on the car. Before going to Tam Dao, we stopped to check in at the super giant Dai Lai Lake of Vinh Phuc.
Around 2:00 p.m., we arrived at Tam Dao. Because this location was unexpected, we also looked for a hotel ourselves and were lucky to find Huyen Trang Guesthouse for 800k/6 people. The atmosphere in Tam Dao is really nice, guys, the fog spreads and reminds us of Da Lat. That night, we had dinner at a restaurant opposite the hotel with many special dishes such as wild vegetables, wild chicken, wild boar, and bamboo-tube rice. The price is quite expensive but in return it is very delicious and satisfying.
Day 9: Tam Dao – Hanoi – City. Ho Chi Minh
Taking advantage of some morning time, we walked around Tam Dao and enjoyed coffee here. It wasn’t until 12:00 noon that we returned to the hotel to check out and leisurely drive back to Hanoi. Around 2:00 p.m., we were already in the capital, so we took the opportunity to have lunch, buy gifts, and walk along the West Lake shore before returning to Quan Tho 1 to return the motorbike.
We continue to use the airport shuttle service for 250k/7-seat car. I don’t understand why Noi Bai airport doesn’t allow online check-in for Vietjet tickets, so we had to check in at the counter and encountered a bit of trouble related to the weight of our luggage. Therefore, please be careful not to buy too many gifts and bring too much luggage like us on such a long journey.
Total cost of the trip: 3,100,000 VND/person (not including round-trip airfare 980,000 VND and motorbike rental 540,000 VND/person).
So, Tip review has shared with you my super economical 9 days 9 nights backpacking experience in the Northeast. Although this palace is not as popular as the Northwest palace, this is one of the journeys that you should experience once in your life. Surely what you get after 9 days of traveling on the road is not only beautiful photos but also many unforgettable youthful memories.
