Vietnam!!!

Vietnam has been at the top of my travel list for quite some time now so when it came time to decide where to go for slow season this year, my mind was already made up.  The last time I was in SE Asia was 2.5 years ago so I was long overdue to return.  There is something about that part of the world that I just love!  I chose a travel company called Intrepid for this trip as there was so much I wanted to see and thought a company would make it easier.  Plus meeting new people and having new friends to travel around with is an amazing experience.  Intrepid is now my new favorite company and I hope to book again with them soon because the trip was amazing.  Our TD was Thanh and he made the trip so smooth and exciting!  We had 12 people on this trip including myself, most being from Australia.  

We started in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam.  It was a bit crazy because they were celebrating their independence day during our trip but I still loved seeing the city.  The old quarter was so cute and being able to take a motorbike everywhere was such a treat.  I swear they are the best drivers there.

We also stayed the night on a boat in Ha Long Bay which is a World UNESCO Heritage Site.  So beautiful and the boat was very nice as well!  We went swimming on an island and toured a massive cave and kayaked!

Then we took a sleeper train down to central Vietnam to the city of Hue.  This is something I have always wanted to do but I will say I do not think I want to do it again.  The train wasn't very nice and kind of dirty plus the bathroom situation wasn't great. I knew when our TD kept calling it a five star train, we were in for an interesting ride.  All good experiences though!  We took more motorbikes around Hue and visited the Imperial City.  

Then we drove down to Hoi An which is the cutest city!  Saw more temples and the old town. Very photographic city!  I also got to spend a day at the beach!  

Our last stop was Ho Chi Minh City which we flew to.  This city has so much to offer and I definitely need to go back to see more.  We saw a few historic sites and went shopping at the markets.  Our last full day was spent exploring Mekong Delta which was gorgeous!

Vietnam is an amazing country and I barely scratched the surface.  This is a return country for me one day!  Everyone was so nice and welcoming which made me want to return more!  Thank you Thanh and Intrepid for an unforgettable trip! And to all the new friends I made, I truly hope we can travel together again soon! Below are my camera photos from the trip using my Canon 5D Mark IV.  My iphone photos are already posted to my IG:  @kelseynicolesmith

I'm currently planning my next trips for 2026!