Hello Fellow Travelers!
Wanderlog that we used to plan everything out. The interface is really simple and allows for easy collaboration. So many other cool features too!This post is going to be about my first-ever international trip. The trip lasted 7 days and covered two cities in Vietnam – Hanoi and Sapa. This was such a special trip because not only was it my first time traveling abroad, but I also got to explore a new country with Ramesh (@bighungrypanda). He had already been to Vietnam once and wanted me to enjoy the amazing experiences this country had to offer. Since he had prior experience, and is a professional trip curator, he planned almost everything to make sure our trip was smooth and exciting. And I have to say, he did a splendid job! He introduced me to this really cool app
A Snap of Our Itinerary on Wanderlog
A Snap of Our Itinerary on Wanderlog
Both of us like to have our itineraries packed and want to explore as much as we can. We hate missing out on anything and would rather be exhausted from sightseeing than feel like we wasted a day, or even an hour. I felt that the cold in Vietnam might derail this a little, since I have a very low cold tolerance. But we braved the weather and explored everything we possibly could.
We started our journey from Chennai, India. I had an early dinner and left my hostel at 8 PM to catch my Uber to the airport. Ramesh was already there waiting for me. But just when I thought everything was going smoothly, my Uber dropped me at the wrong spot. So, it was a bit of a struggle for Ramesh and me to find each other. After a few calls and some walking around, we finally met up and checked in.
Chennai International Airport
Chennai International Airport
We had a connecting flight to Bangkok. Our flight was supposed to depart at 23:25, but unfortunately, it got delayed by an hour. We had a 2-hour 55-minute layover at Bangkok, but because of the delay, we reached the airport just 45 minutes before our second flight was supposed to take off! I was freaking out the whole time. Since it was my first time traveling internationally, I had hoped everything would go smoothly. Missing our next flight would have been a disaster, but luckily, we managed to rush through the airport and board just in time.
Just as we landed in Bangkok, Ramesh realized that he had forgotten his jacket at the Chennai airport. Since Vietnam was going to be very cold, this was bad. However, he had his thermal wear and another jacket to keep him warm.
My Passport Getting its First Use !
My Passport Getting its First Use !
We landed at Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi, at 08:45. The immigration process was fairly quick, and we were finally in Vietnam! The first order of business was to withdraw cash. We used an airport ATM to withdraw Vietnamese Dong, and then headed to one of the many SIM card stores. We bought a Viettel SIM card with a 4GB per day data plan valid for a month. This cost around 13.67 USD, which we felt was a good deal for the internet coverage it provided.
The cash part was very amusing to me since the denominations in VND and INR are very different. For example, for 300 rupees, you need to have 100 thousand VND of notes. We withdrew around 2 million VND, which amounted to a lot of cash. It was overwhelming, but I was looking forward to learning this new currency system.
Pretty notes right? All of them equal to about 58 USD
Pretty notes right? All of them equal to about 58 USD
As soon as we stepped out of the airport, we were greeted by a gust of icy air. We knew Hanoi was going to be on the cooler side, but still, we were shivering under our jackets!
The fog all around....
The fog all around....
Our hostel check-in wasn’t until 2 PM, so we thought it would be best to start exploring right away. We booked a Grab taxi and headed to our first destination—Trấn Quốc Pagoda. We still had our luggage with us, which was only one backpack each, but even that felt like a burden while roaming around. Excited yet slightly tired, we were all set to start our adventure in Hanoi!
Tran Quoc Pagoda
Tran Quoc Pagoda
"Pagoda" in Vietnamese translates to 'Buddhist temple' in English. The Tran Quoc Pagoda is the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi. Exploring this place was a beautiful experience. From the moment I walked in, I loved how the entrance was decorated with lanterns. They were hanging all around, making the place look bright and colorful. It felt very peaceful and welcoming. Just outside the pagoda, vendors were selling different kinds of koi fish, their bright colors shining in the water.
The Pagoda on the Lakeside
The Pagoda on the Lakeside
Pretty Pretty Lanterns🏮
Pretty Pretty Lanterns🏮
Koi Fish
Koi Fish
The pagoda is built on a small islet, and a bridge connects it to the mainland. Since it is surrounded by a lake, the whole place looks very scenic. The water makes everything feel calm and quiet. I could see the reflection of the pagoda and the trees in the lake, which made it look even prettier. The entrance was painted in a vibrant yellow colour with ornate wooden decorations and a tiered roof.
Entrance to the Pagoda Premises
Entrance to the Pagoda Premises
Since the weather was cool and a little foggy, it added a special charm to the place. The fog made everything look soft and dreamy. It was nice to just stand there and take in the view. Even though there were other visitors, the place still felt peaceful. I was worried that the crowd and the cold would take away from the experience but fortunately it did not.
|
|
|---|
Met another Indian couple who clicked these cute pictures for us
Met another Indian couple who clicked these cute pictures for us
Another thing I really liked was the flowers. There were potted flowers everywhere, and they were so beautiful. Some were bright red, some were yellow, and others were pink and white. They were placed neatly, adding so much color to the pagoda. It made the place look fresh and full of life. Also, there were these potted kumquat trees, that look like smaller version of oranges. These bright orange fruits nestled among lush green leaves added to the natural beauty of the area.
There were many such small shrines all around the main Pagoda
There were many such small shrines all around the main Pagoda
|
|
|---|
How Gorgeous are these Flowers?!
How Gorgeous are these Flowers?!
|
|
|---|
Kumquat trees
Kumquat trees
Buddhist Banners
Buddhist Banners
Overall, I loved visiting Trấn Quốc Pagoda. It is a peaceful and beautiful place, perfect for just walking around and enjoying the view. The lanterns, the lake, the fog, and the flowers all made it feel magical. If you ever visit Hanoi, I think this is a place you should definitely see. It is simple yet stunning, and the peaceful atmosphere makes it a great spot to relax.
You can check out this post and your own profile on the map. Be part of the Worldmappin Community and join our Discord Channel to get in touch with other travelers, ask questions or just be updated on our latest features.
View or trade
LOHtokens.@yugadi, You have received 1.0000 LOH for posting to Ladies of Hive.
We believe that you should be rewarded for the time and effort spent in creating articles. The goal is to encourage token holders to accumulate and hodl LOH tokens over a long period of time.
This pagoda it's amazing 😍 I love the way you described your trip seems to be there and I like koi fish lovely and lucky 😍
Thank you so much! It certainly is a beautiful place❤️
Travel Digest #2486.
Become part of our travel community:
- Join our Discord
Hiya, @ybanezkim26 here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Your post has been manually curated by the @worldmappin team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!Thank you so much! Appreciate it ❤️
Keep up the great work 💪
Congratulations @yugadi! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next target is to reach 5000 upvotes.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPCheck out our last posts:
Congratulations @yugadi! You received a personal badge!
Participate in the next Power Up Day and try to power-up more HIVE to get a bigger Power-Bee.
May the Hive Power be with you!
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
Check out our last posts:
!LADY
View or trade
LOHtokens.Use !LADY command to share LOH! More details available in this post.@hive-124452, you successfully shared 0.1000 LOH with @yugadi and you earned 0.1000 LOH as tips. (16/50 calls)
Epic and Memorable this trip was 🥹❤️ wouldn’t have done it any other way ✨
Ugh let's pack our bags and go back againnnn!!!
Lets start saving first 😂🤌🏻
💔
Lovely place! I hope you enjoyed the trip!
I sure did❤️
Vietnam? Wow! That would be definitly a different experience! Stay safe and enjoy!
!BEER
!PAL
!PIZZA
It definitely was different in the best possible way ❤️
Thank you for the support!
Congratulations on two things, for your first international trip and for telling it as you have told it. So full of emotion. Yes, I imagine that in every trip unforeseen events arise but the important thing is to stay positive and focused in order to enjoy yourself.
I hope you can continue to explore destinations around the world!
That is so sweet, thank you so much! It truly means a lot that you could feel the emotions in my writing. Traveling comes with its surprises, but like you said, staying positive makes all the difference. I definitely hope to explore more places and share those experiences❤️
🧳🕶️📸... 😁 and 💵💰 -> ✈️
wow... what beautiful bright yellow... very warm in the cold weather. I am glad you could catch the second flight in time. And I felt your excitement in checking vietnam, the pagoda was lovely... the laterns and wat... around lake...how lovely...can't imagine.
Nice... looking forward to read more of your experiences.... good you had a great time! Keep travelling!
The bright yellow does give a beautiful contrast in the foggy whether!
Thank you so much for your lovely words and support. I plan to keep travelling and keep sharing ❤️