Southern Vietnam
Southern Vietnam gets often overlooked: I didn’t have very high expectations myself. Big mistake. The landscapes, the people, the food, the coffee. Don’t skip it.
Mekong Delta: 2 Days
We crossed from Cambodia by bus and headed straight to the Mekong Delta: skipping Ho Chi Minh City for now. In hindsight I’d spend one night in the city first to rest after the border crossing, but the Mekong was worth the rush.
We stayed at Coco Homestay Mekong → a family homestay where you sleep, eat and spend the day with the host family. Long communal table, food cooked fresh every meal, and a warmth that’s hard to find in a hotel. Easily the best memory of the whole trip.
Getting there: around 2-3 hours by bus from Ho Chi Minh City. The bus drops you in the middle of nowhere: check the route on Google Maps before you go. Nobody speaks English but you’ll always find someone to help. Once you’re close, the family will come and pick you up by scooter.
One small welcome surprise on arrival: a snake on the bed. It left on its own. Not the best night’s sleep.
Day by Day
📅 Day 1 → Arrive at Coco Homestay. Settle in, meet the family, share dinner at the long table.
📅 Day 2 → Full day with Amy, the host mother. Into the jungle to forage ingredients for lunch: shrimp, cassava, bananas. Then a swim in the Mekong. Back for a communal lunch with everyone at the homestay. One of those days you don’t forget.
📅 Day 3 → Morning bike ride through the village and local markets, then 2 hours by bus back to Ho Chi Minh City to catch your flight to Huê.
Huê: 1 Day
Morning bike ride through local village markets, then 2 hours by bus back to Ho Chi Minh City to catch a flight to Huê. One full day in the city → enough to get a feel for it, not enough to do it justice. Worth a longer stay if you have the time.
Huê was the imperial capital of Vietnam. The city is quieter than Ho Chi Minh, very beautiful with great coffee spots. Worth the stop.
📅 Day 4 → Visit the Imperial Citadel, then the Tomb of Emperor Tự Đức. Quick stop at the incense village: great for photos and to buy souvenirs, but not much to do.
☕ Coco House → excellent coffee, beautiful setting.
🍽️ Bánh Bèo restaurant → local Huê specialties. Exquisite. Don’t miss it.
Hải Vân Pass: 1 Day from Huê to Hội An
📅 Day 5 → Full day from Huê to Hội An via the Hải Vân Pass. A very spectacular coastal road: much better to stop along the way than just take a bus. Mountains, ocean, incredible views. The photos speak for themselves.
Hire a motorbike with a driver or rent your own scooter. Your backside will need a rest by the end. Worth every minute.
Hội An: 3 Days
Hội An is the kind of place that makes you want to extend your trip. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site: lantern-lit streets, merchant houses, tailor shops, very good restaurants. The city is beautiful and you could easily spend several days here. It is very touristic though, so perhaps less authentic than other stops on this trip.
First thing to do on arrival: try Cao Lầu. A noodle dish found only in Hội An, made with local water from ancient Cham wells. You’ll find it everywhere in the Old Town.
What to Do
🌆 Old Town stroll → just walk and get lost. Pass by Quan Công Temple, the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Ancient Houses, and the Hội An Night Market.
🏮 Lantern boat ride on the Thu Bồn River → best in the evening when the Old Town lights up. Buy your tickets from the official booth — other boats will try to sell you tickets at a higher price.
🚴 Bike ride through the rice fields → 10 minutes from the city.
🍳 Cooking class → market shopping, coconut boat ride, then the class. A great half-day activity.
☕ Coffee class → learn to make coconut coffee, salted coffee and egg coffee. The salted coffee is my favourite.
👗 Custom tailoring → Hội An is famous for it. Go with a clear idea in mind, simpler designs work best. Bags and shoes are a great option. Pricier than expected and results can vary.
Where to eat
🍜 Cao Lầu → the dish to try first. Only made here.
🥖 Bánh Mì Phượng → one of the most famous bánh mì in Vietnam.
🍲 Phở Ngân → tiny local restaurant, no frills, excellent phở.
🥟 Giao → bánh bao buns. Simple, delicious, very local.
🍜 The Noodle House → solid lunch spot.
☕ Uncle Juan → strong coffee, beautiful setting in the Old Town.
Ho Chi Minh City: 2 Days
I really enjoyed Ho Chi Minh City. Loud, fast, chaotic and completely addictive. Still called Saigon by most locals. Two days is enough for the highlights but you can definitely stay longer.
Day 9 → Củ Chi Tunnels in the morning: fascinating and sobering insight into the Vietnam War. Lunch at coffee apartment. Afternoon: War Remnants Museum. Evening on Bùi Viện Walking Street.
Day 10 → Saigon Central Post Office (Bưu Điện Thành Phố): a beautiful French colonial building, still working. Perfect for sending postcards. Statue of Hồ Chí Minh nearby.
Where to eat
🍜 Phở Vị → the best phở stop in the city. Don’t skip it.
🍽️ Bếp Mẹ Ín → traditional Vietnamese home cooking. Go for the yellow crepes (Bánh Xèo).
🍫 Maison Marou → Vietnamese craft chocolate shop. If you have a sweet tooth, careful — we visited about seven times on this trip 😅
☕ Café Apartment → not one café but many, stacked across several floors. A Saigon institution.
🌃 Bùi Viện Walking Street → the place for evening drinks and rooftop bars.
Southern Vietnam completely won me over. The food is extraordinary, the people are warm, and there’s enough variety across ten days to never feel like you’re standing still. The Mekong homestay alone made the whole trip.
Don’t let anyone talk you out of the south.
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