Northern Vietnam is interesting and diverse. We saw and learned a lot and really enjoyed it. Parts are incredibly beautiful, but there are also things that are just plain gross. The poverty level is sobering and really made us appreciate how fortunate we are. We have seen some poverty on this trip, but Northern Vietnam was next level. Because of the history and the communist regime, there were so many years that starvation was common. As a result, people did whatever they needed to survive (thus some of the really disgusting food!). The average income is just $3,500/year in Vietnam.

Mai Chau and Pu Luong were incredible. The landscape was gorgeous with the mountains and terraced rice fields, and treking through rural villages and seeing how locals lived was unforgettable. We chose to go here over Sapa. Sapa is a highly recommended area to see because of the terraced rice fields and beautiful landscape, but after much research, we chose Mai Chau instead because it was closer, warmer, and less touristy. Per our guide, we made the right choice. He may have just been saying that, but we liked it.

Ninh Binh/Tam Coc was pretty awesome. The limestone karsts everywhere were beautiful, and the town of Tam Coc was charming (for Vietnam).

Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island cruise was great. We were very glad we did the 2 night cruise (rather than a 1 night or a day trip) as it allowed us to get further out and away from the Ha Long bay crowds. The views were gorgeous, the staff on the cruise ship were so attentive, and the whole experience was very relaxing.

Hanoi is chaotic and dirty! But still interesting, but we had 2 full weeks there which was a bit too long! We loved Train Street and the museums and did several really good tours, but we had a hard time with the air quality (we both ended up sick), and crossing the roads was straight up terrifying!