When you say “Vietnam,” most people think of the Vietnam War but Vietnam is so much more. My exploration began in Ho Chi Minh City, which is a huge metropolitan city. The first thing you notice while there is the main mode of transportation is motorbikes. Motorbikes are everywhere! Now the two main tours I recommended you do while in Ho Chi Minh City are Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta Tour. First, the Cu Chi Tunnels tour is a history lesson of the Vietnam War. The tour takes you to where the war took place close to Ho Chi Minh City. What you will take away from the tour is how clever the Vietnamese were with all the booby traps and tunnels which made the war difficult.

The second tour is the Mekong Delta Tour. The highlights of this tour are canoeing in the Mekong Delta and biking in the village. Also, you visit a Buddhist monastery on this tour.

Ho Chi Minh has a vibrant night life. The most popular place to hang out at night is Pham Ngu Lao. Pham Ngu Lau is located in central part of the city in District 3. The area is also known as the backpacker hub. You will be able to find several places to grab a drink and restaurants serving Vietnamese cuisine. I highly recommend you stay in the central area of the city to avoid the need to take a taxis. If you have to take a taxi make sure you give the driver the address of the destination of where you are going before you enter the taxi. Taxi cab drivers there are like any other place in the world meaning some would try to take advantage of tourists by running up the meter.

The next destination on my exploration of Vietnam was Da Nang. Da Nang is a coastal city that is a two hour plane ride from Ho Chi Minh City. The vibe in Da Nang is much more laid back than the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City. I highly recommend you stay at the Adamo Hotel (https://www.adamodanang.com/). The hotel is across the street from the beach and they offer a complimentary breakfast and the staff is great. The main attraction in Da Nang is to visit Ba Na Hills. Ba Na Hills is Vietnam version of Disney World. The amusement park is located on top of several mountains. In order to reach the amusement park, you have to take a 20 minute cable car and from the bottom to the top is 3.125 miles. The only reason I even went to Da Nang and made the trek to Ba Na Hills is to see the Golden Bridge.

Pictures don’t do this bridge justice. It is breathtaking how they made it look like hands are holding up the bridge over a cliff.

Besides Ba Na Hills while in Da Nang go see Lady Buddha Da Nang. Lady Buddha Da Nang is the tallest Buddha statue in Vietnam. You can’t help from seeing the Lady Buddha from any point in the city center of Da Nang because of its height.

Last, make sure you go and enjoy the beach in Da Nang. The beach is clean and the water is fantastic. During the day, the beach is filled with mostly tourists because the Vietnamese come to the beach in the late afternoon and early morning. The locals are very nice and curious.

Note: The tours were found and booked on TripAdvisor.