We arrived in Hanoi after a 48-hour bus journey from Chiang Mai in Thailand, including a crossing of Laos and two border crossings. Already tired from the journey, the city gave us no respite... Very polluted and noisy, each visit to Hanoi drained all our energy. All we wanted to do was take refuge in Vietnamese nature! And we weren't disappointed.

Northern Vietnam welcomed us with lush green landscapes, where mountains mingle with forests and rice paddies, and karst rocks are overgrown with pretty trees. The cold, rainy weather in January allowed us to discover these beautiful landscapes through the mist.

As we headed south, we found more arid landscapes but also more western towns, offering a great deal of diversity to our trip.

Moving around such a long country requires a lot of time spent in transport, with numerous and often very short stopovers, leaving us exhausted.

We realised the importance of slowing down a little to take full advantage of each experience, even if it meant discovering fewer places.

‍

What's for dinner?

All I could think about when I arrived in Vietnam was eating a banh mi. This Vietnamese sandwich, inspired by the baguettes introduced during the French colonial period, is rarely vegetarian... It is often filled with Vietnamese pâté or meat, raw vegetables and coriander. Nevertheless, we ate several delicious ones, and according to several sources, vegetarian banh mi are more elaborate and better than their meat versions!

‍

‍

‍

In Vietnam, it was particularly difficult to eat vegetarian in a normal restaurant. Fortunately, there was one dish that always saved us: tofu with tomato. Found in almost every restaurant, this dish is simple but delicious served with rice.

(While writing this newsletter, I learnt that oyster sauce and/or fish sauce are often used to make this Vietnamese dish...)

‍

‍

‍

Finally, we'd like to introduce you to a dish that we’re delighted to have discovered : the Vietnamese crepe, or banh xeo. The dough is made from rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric (for the yellow colour!). The pancake is then filled with raw vegetables, a protein and aromatic herbs. Finally, roll up small pieces of crêpe in rice paper, like spring rolls, and dip in the sauce! These Vietnamese crêpes are both delicious and fun, and are like a gastronomic DIY project :)

Our favorite place

‍

Halong Bay, in north-east Vietnam, attracts travellers from all over the world and is THE must-see destination in South-East Asia. This is not without consequences: cruise ships and the many infrastructures in Halong Bay discharge plastic waste, sewage and industrial waste, all of which are disasters for the site's flora and fauna. The quality of the water has also deteriorated considerably, with high concentrations of ammonia, heavy metals and microplastics.

To minimise our impact on this fragile site, we refused to take a cruise in Halong Bay. Instead, we chose to discover Cat Ba Island, located in Lan Ha Bay, a smaller neighbour of Halong Bay and less frequented by cruise ships.

On Cat Ba island, we were charmed by the fishing village of Viet Hai, accessible only by boat or by a hike of several hours through the island's hills. There, we cycled around and hiked to a beautiful viewpoint on the island. The boat trip back also gave us a great view of Lan Ha Bay.

‍

‍

‍

We discovered Vietnam in three intense weeks. Although we didn't fall in love with the country, we were nonetheless moved by its history, inspired by its resilience and enchanted by its dense vegetation.