Backpacking to Vietnam

The idea came about when I, sadly, decided to cancel my Mount Kinabalu trip due to lack of interested and serious people need to cut the cost of the climb. Serious issue when it comes to climbing 4,000 meters up and with only 70% of oxygen as compared to sea level.

I have always liked the idea of backpacking. Mainly because it is cheap, especially important when you have to save up for so many things installed for us (to pay) in the future. I have been on somewhat a backpacking trip to Penang, Malaysia. Booking only the air ticket there and nothing else. Malaysia is a relatively easy country to backpack, especially for a Singaporean who know a little Malay. It was a nice adventure, with 2 other good friends of mine, dodging in and out of hotel and lodges to find for the cheapest yet with acceptable living conditions (to us - meaning simple bed & toilet).

We spent about 5 days in Penang, and booked a bus to Kuala Lumpur (KL), after getting enough of Penang, don't get my wrong, its a marvelous place. Life is simple and slow, I can sit at the coffeeshop and watch the locals go about their daily routine. Even the tea tastes better than at home, maybe because it is cheaper. In KL, back to a crowded city, we didn't spend much time there and took a train back to S'pore, which too about 10 hours. Not something I would want to do again, but good to have tried it at least once.

Yes yes, back to the topic at hand, my next backpacking trip would be to Vietnam. Similar to the experience above, the flight there has been booked but not the return. However, I do not plan to travel by land or sea all the way back to S'pore. But thinking of what to do and where to go, most importantly where and when to fly back to S'pore so I can book the tickets soon. It would be a tight rush after coming back as the new semester would be starting the following week.

As for now, the plan is as follows: (all flights through JetStar)

Day 1 (10 Aug)
Singapore →Ho Chi Minh City

Day 3 (12 Aug)
Ho Chi Minh City →Nha Trang (320 km)

Day 4 (13 Aug)
Nha Trang → Hoi An & Danang (412 km)

Day 5 (14 Aug)
Hoi An → Vinh (418 km)

Day 7 (16 Aug)
Vinh → Halong City (318 km)

Day 9 (18 Aug)
Halong City →Hanoi (122 km)

Day 11 (20 Aug)
Hanoi → Hue (580 km)

Day 12 (21 Aug)
Hue → Dalat (508 km)

Day 13 (23 Aug)
Dalat → Ho Chi Minh City (234 km)
Ho Chi Minh City → Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) (418 km)

Day 14 (24 Aug)
Siem Reap → Phnom Penh [6am at the airport for 7:45 am flight]
Phnom Penh → Singapore

*Distances are a rough gauge of the traveling time, however not according to highways but absolute displacement from one city to the other.


I hope that we will have enough time to travel from place to place, the numbers do not look comforting. But as a backpacker, I cannot plan too much and have to just leave it in the hands of God.

Anxiously anticipating,
Darren

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Kiasu Espresso @ 100 AM

Image
It seems that Singaporeans are increasingly searching for a good coffee fix all day long. No longer are the Starbucks and Coffee Bean sufficient to quench the thirst of a coffee addict. Many stalls are not coming up with their own coffee drinks and adapting their marketing strategy to suit the market. Rightly so, as I paid a visit to Kiasu Espresso, a branch-off from the popular 40 Hands in Tiong Bahru. Only a few days old and already popular with the working crowd in Tanjong Pagar and in the coffee circles. The owners still making plans of adjusting the fixtures and fittings in the shop. The concept is targeted at people who do not have to time to sit and chat but want their coffee fix. Friendly staff greets potential customers at the entrance of the shop, with the espresso machine behind them. The interior is a little hard and lack the cosy warmth feeling when one says the word ‘café’, but it suits the concepts of a take-away coffee joint well. I had the  café  
Read more

My first post!

Question is why did I want to start a blog? Well very simply it all started when I had to complete an ICT module, where I had to get my hand dirty, by actively using blogs and evaluating them. The idea of starting a blog is not new, and I guess I have been asked by some to start one, posting about food and traveling, which are my interests. Only problem is when I do not have the time to regularly come online to check on the traffic flow and reply comments. But well its free so why not, good experience for using ICT to teach in the future. On hindsight, I look forward to posting articles about the world around us, unique situations and things, which can only be found in certain parts of the world and also my food and travel discoveries. Cheers, Darren
Read more

Review: Chock Full of Beans

Image
Interestingly popular place despite the distance from the city. Filled with the average working crowd you would expect in town, you can find them at Chock Full of Beans during the lunch hours. Attracted by the appealing set lunch ranging from $12 to $14, for a main and a drink or a soup, is not too bad of a choice, especially if the drink is of premium coffee. An average size shop, like any other along the Changi Village shops, the owners make full utilise the space by offering al fresco dining. Quite a number will be sitting outside, for 2 reasons. Firstly because they have been in the office for too long and want to defrost, and secondly because there is no other space. We ordered the BBQ Pork Sandwich ($12) and the Salmon Penne ($14). The lunch sets come with either a soup or a drink. We took one of each, Mushroom Soup and a Café Latte. Food didn’t take very long to come despite the full house. Latte came first, then the soups and the mains, as expected.
Read more