Hanoi

15 Unusual Things to Do in Hanoi (Local Gems Guide) in 2026

Most travelers arrive in Hanoi and make a beeline for the same checklist: the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, a water puppet show, maybe a bowl of pho. And don't get me wrong, those things are...

Ninh Binh One Day Trip from Hanoi – An Unexpected but Adorable Journey

Taking leave from the office to travel is always a little difficult because you want to cover as many places as you can in a limited number of days. This time, we planned to visit two neighboring...

How to Spend Two Days in Hanoi

If you are heading to Vietnam for the first time, the capital of Hanoi is a less intimidating initiation to Vietnamese city life than high-energy Ho Chi Minh City in the south. Sure, dodging...

Top Five Places to Visit in Vietnam

I had the pleasure of visiting Vietnam, back in 2017. At that time I had no experience traveling to an Asian country, and really had no idea what to expect. Landing in Hanoi I was instantly greeted...

Travel Interlude: The Only Black Person on The Planet (Sapa)

I would like to note that this blog piece is specific to my experience in northern Vietnam; specifically Hanoi, Cat Ba, and Sapa. There are plenty of people of color who have traveled to these...