I planned our first international trip together. Just me, a lot of research, a spreadsheet I was way too proud of, and a husband who trusted me enough to just pack his bag and go. We ended up in Hanoi, Vietnam, and that 2016 travel experience honestly changed the way I look at the world.

We chose Vietnam. Hanoi, specifically. And honestly, looking back now, it was one of the best decisions I ever made for us.

This post is going to cover both trips because yes, we went twice in 2016. July and October. Because one time was not enough. Vietnam has a way of doing that to you.

Vietnam Hanoi Travel 2016: Our First Time

The moment we landed in Hanoi, I knew this trip was going to be a lot.

Hanoi in July is hot. Like, really hot. The kind of humid where you step outside and immediately feel like you made a mistake. But also the kind of city that is so alive and loud and full of energy that you forget to complain about the heat.

We tried street food the whole time. Not always knowing what we were ordering. Just pointing at things and hoping for the best. Some of it was amazing. Some of it was a little mystery. All of it felt like part of the experience.

There was something really freeing about being in a place where we didn’t know the language, didn’t have a strict plan, and just figured things out as we went. It was our first international trip together and I think that’s exactly how it should have been.

Trang An — The Quiet Part of the Trip

If Ha Long Bay was the wow moment, Trang An was the peaceful one.

We took a small boat through the water, surrounded by tall limestone mountains covered in green. The boatwoman rowed through caves and narrow passages while we just sat there and looked around. It was quiet. A little surreal, honestly. Like being inside a painting.

I remember thinking it didn’t feel real. The water was so still in some parts. The caves were dark and cool. And then you’d come out the other side and the green mountains were just right there, close enough to touch.

It was a slower kind of beautiful. The kind you don’t forget.

Ha Long Bay — Sleeping on the Water

This was the part I was most excited about and it did not disappoint.

We booked an overnight cruise and slept on the boat. Waking up in the middle of Ha Long Bay with limestone islands all around you and the water just sitting there, quiet and green, is something I cannot fully describe. You just have to be there.

The cruise itself had its own little world. Other travelers on the sun deck. Meals served on board. Kayaking through the karsts. Visiting a cave with stalactites going all the way up to the ceiling.

It was the moment of the whole July trip for me. Not because it was glamorous or perfect. Just because I was there with my husband, somewhere we had never been before, and everything felt a little magical.

October 2016 — We Went Back

We got home from that first Vietnam trip and I was already thinking about going back to Hanoi.

So we did. We booked flights again for October 2016. Same destination, different energy. Our second round of Vietnam Hanoi travel that year, but it felt like a completely different trip.

This trip was less structured. More adventurous. A little chaotic in the best and worst ways.

We rented a motorcycle to get around. I will never do that again. I will say that with full honesty. Vietnam traffic is not something you just casually navigate on a motorbike as a tourist. My heart was in my throat the whole time. But we survived and honestly it makes for a good story now.

We also visited the Perfume Pagoda this time, which is about 60 kilometers outside Hanoi. It is a whole complex of Buddhist temples and shrines built into limestone mountains. You take a boat ride along the river to get there and then hike or take a cable car up. The scenery along the way is honestly beautiful. Green rice fields, limestone cliffs, small boats on the water. It felt very different from the touristy parts of Hanoi. Quieter. More sacred.

And then there was the shopping.

If you’re Filipino and you know someone who’s traveling, you know what Pasabuy means. Our October trip had a lot of that. We were on a mission. North Face bags, North Face jackets, things you can’t easily get back home without paying double. We did our rounds and found what we needed. Then we packed very carefully on the way home.

No regrets.

The Trip That Almost Happened

We had originally planned to do a backpacking trip all the way from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. North to south. Slow travel. See everything in between.

It didn’t happen on this trip. Life got in the way, schedules didn’t line up, and we had to let that one go for now.

But we did end up doing an almost two-week Indochina backpacking trip that I will write about separately someday. It was its own whole adventure and it deserves its own post.

Vietnam started something in us. That trip to Hanoi in July 2016 turned into October. October turned into bigger plans. And the bigger plans turned into even bigger trips.

These photos are from 2016. They’re not perfect. Some of them are a little blurry or cropped funny. But every time I look at them I remember exactly how I felt.

Excited. A little nervous. Happy. Grateful that I married someone who would just pack a bag and trust me to plan the whole thing.

If you’ve been thinking about going to Vietnam, I genuinely hope this little post nudges you. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You don’t need a full itinerary. Just go. Figure it out when you’re there. And if you love slow, meaningful travel, this trip with my high school friends might give you the same feeling.

That’s what we did. And we ended up going twice.

If you love slow travel and random adventures, you might enjoy reading about our Zhangjiajie trip in China too. Vietnam started that whole chapter for us.

Have you been to Vietnam? I’d love to hear about your trip in the comments.