Halong Bay

Accommodations

• Paradise Luxury Junk Boat: 4-star boat accommodations. I'd put this in the boutique category as there are less than 20 cabins on the boat. The rooms and all areas on the boat are great, even the showers were a decent size. I specifically got a room with a balcony but didn't even end up using it as I was rarely in my room and the view from the sun deck is far better than any balcony. I was surprised at how many times I was the only one up there or only a handful of people. I came to bask in the rock formations in the water, so I wanted to spend as much time outside as possible! While on the cruise, assume you will be technically disconnected the whole time as wi-fi is mostly not working in the bay. As a T-Mobile subscriber in the US, I usually have international service but Vietnam is one of the countries that is not included in coverage.

Sites/Tours

• Halong Bay 3 Days/2 Nights Cruise (Click here for sample itinerary): When we first boarded, we had a group on the boat there for only the afternoon, which was insane to me. A lot of people also only did a one night cruise, which still seemed too fast to me. I hate being rushed traveling and love being on boats, so I really enjoyed the two night cruise. Some of the interesting sights included; Cua Van Floating Village, Sung Sot Cave, and Titov Island. At night, you could squid fish off the back of the boat, watch a movie, order a spa treatment, or just have some drinks with new friends (my favorite pastime). In the morning you could also join Tai Chi on the sundeck, which I only did once. 

Food

• The food on the boat is delicious and they do a good job of mixing up the cuisines, but they just serve far too much food at every meal. You will never go hungry on the boat and will probably need to add more cardio to your workout after you disembark.

Hanoi

Accommodations

• Essence Palace Hotel: 3-star hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi. Good and comfortable rooms, breakfast was decent, the location is great and the service is 5 stars fantastic! The staff is what makes this place, they are so friendly and helpful. I also booked my Halong Bay cruise through Essence and they were on top of everything, excellent communication prior. Check out my TripAdvisor review.

Sites/Tours

• Vespa Adventures Tour "The Insider's Hanoi": My fourth tour with Vespa Adventures in five weeks, this was a great way to see areas outside of the old quarter. Read more about where we went in my blog post.
• Hỏa Lò Prison: This is where John McCain and John Kerry were both held as POWs during the Vietnam war. I recommend checking it out with the caveat to remind yourself that there's a heavy slant of propaganda inside. Do not take what you read as historical truth.
• Hoàn Kiếm Lake Saturday night market: This is definitely worth spending a couple hours strolling around to see the double-dutch teams, women dancing to the Hustle, kids singing and locals of all ages playing games. 
• Water puppet show: If you have time to kill, not a bad ticket to pick up. The show itself was entertaining but I think I could have done with a 10 minute version vs a 45 minute show. The children in the audience really enjoyed it and it reminded me of the Punch and Judy puppets with the slapstick type humor except this one was on water and with Asian dragons. 

Hoi An

Accommodations

• Little Hoian Central Boutique Hotel: 4-star hotel in a great location in Hoi An, walking distance to the old town. I wouldn't call this boutique though considering it has over 100 rooms. It has a pool but it's inundated with kids all day. The rooms are elegantly decorated and large in size. I only stayed here one night as this was a change I made in itinerary and my other hotel booking in Hoi An couldn't accommodate an additional night. I would stay here again.
• Lasenta Boutique Hotel Hoi An: 4-star new hotel in Hoi An. I wouldn't call this boutique because of the size. The rooms are wonderful, really big and a fresh, clean lines decor to it. The room doors open to the outer atrium area so a gecko snuck in and made himself homey in my room but staff were able to re-locate him. I would stay here again if it weren't for the location. It's just not an easy walking distance to the old town, especially with the heat. I also used the shuttle and taxis but prefer to be close enough to comfortably walk if there isn't public transportation. Check out my TripAdvisor review.

Sites/Tours

• Old town: Walk the streets, try to decide between tailor shops, see the Japanese covered bridge, the markets, and take in all the lights. You can also buy and send off your own floating lanterns from sellers by the water. 
• Heaven and Earth Countryside Bicycle Tour: This is a great opportunity to see the more local side of Hoi An. The guides are friendly, patient and honest. Just make sure you bring PLENTY of water! The heat and biking will kick your butt if your dehydrated. Read my TripAdvisor review.

Food

• Bánh Mì Phượng: Supposed to have delicious bánh mì sandwiches but go for the pork, I got the chicken which I think was the wrong choice.
• Morning Glory: In the heart of Old Town so lots of tourists but the food is pretty good and has local dishes.
• The Chef: Located on the top floor of a shop that sells books and trinkets. There's some great balcony seating here to people watch and enjoy the apple and custard smoothie.

Hue

Accommodations

• Orchid Hotel: 3-star boutique hotel with less than 20 rooms. The rooms are decent size and are comfortable enough. Breakfast isn't anything to write home about but the staff is super friendly. In conversation it sounded like new management was going to be taking over so I hope the staff were/are able to remain for the change. If yes, I would stay here again.

Transport

• Hue Private Cars: Many visitors going to Hue make the trek from Hoi An. There are a few different transportation methods you can take from Hoi An. You can take the bus, train (from Da Nang) or take a car/motorcycle. For a driver, I had pretty good experience with Hue Private Cars. I choose to take the scenic Hai Van Pass and on the way north you also have the option to check out Marble Mountain and Lang Co beach.  

Sites/Tours

• Citadel and Imperial Palace: The former Imperial capital in Vietnam, this is definitely worth spending a few hours at and tickets aren't very expensive.
• Countryside motorbike tour with Stop and Go Tours: Super fun experience on this tour and was able to get out and see places such as; Thanh Toan Wooden Bridge, Tu Hieu Pagoda, Vong Canh Hill and the Royal Arena.  

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

Accommodations

• Lief Boutique Saigon: 3-star boutique hotel in Saigon. The staff here were very friendly and helpful. The rooms decor is a very colorful pastel and the size is quite roomy. The rooftop is a nice area to wind down for a drink at the end of the day, and the food served for breakfast/dinner is delicious. The big downside to this hotel is location, as it's not walkable to anything and no convenient public transportation. Unfortunately, I wouldn't stay here again because it's just too far out.

Sites/Tours

• "The Foodie" tour with XO Tours: Highly rated tour for a good reason, this tour rocked! From our Vespas, we zipped to three local places for food and in those three places had 11 different Vietnamese dishes to dig into and try. Everyone should try to do this, won't be disappointed!
• "Cu Chi Tunnels Half Day Tour" with Les Rives: The only tour operator I'm aware of that can get you to the Cu Chi tunnels by boat to avoid a stuffy bus. Really interesting to see and even crawl in a portion of the tunnels yourself. Keep in mind though that some pieces (the video) are propaganda. 
• "The Insider's Saigon" with Vespa Adventures: Always love hopping on the back of these Vespas. If you are a newbie to Saigon and haven't started your sightseeing, this is a good way to lay the ground work and show you some of the highlights but also some of the outer districts of Saigon. The temple with 1,000 Buddhas was very unique.
• A O Show at Saigon Opera House: This show has a bit of a cirque du soleil feel to it. Great to do for a free evening, you can tell how enthusiastic the cast is and they stick around for pictures after the show.
• War Remnants Museum: This is another I'd recommend and you need 2-3 hours here as there is a lot of content and you should pace yourself. The pictures are sometimes tough to absorb but incredibly powerful. It's difficult not to walk away thinking how similar tragedies are still happening in present day in other countries. Do keep in mind that everything you see will still be one-sided within the museum.
• Ben Tanh Market: Pop in here in the morning to feel the hustle and bustle of the local sellers and buyers. Get a snack at a food stall and peruse the aisles.