Impressed by my previous trip to Cambodia, this time I had no doubts that I wanted to visit Southeast Asia again. Without thinking twice, my choice fell on Vietnam. This is Cambodia’s neighbor, the country is similar in mentality, but more economically developed.
Chengdu Airport, China
Before arriving in Vietnam, we had a long flight with a connecting flight in China in the city of Chengdu. The layover was 8.5 hours. I hoped that I would be able to go out into the city and walk there a little. I even explored the metro plan and what I can see in the city.
But, alas, this could not be done. The first employee I met was just distributing the flow of passengers. He directed locals towards passport control, and foreigners in the other direction. I tried to ask him if it was possible to go into the city, but he didn’t understand a word of English and stubbornly showed me the direction of where to go. I was tired, I didn’t argue with him, I went where he showed me, to the transit zone. I won’t say that I really wanted to walk around the city that day.

To get into the transit zone, I had to go through as many as four controls! First, they checked boarding pass and passports, and put a signature on the boarding pass. Then there was some kind of quarantine zone where they let people through in groups. At the same time, the employee checked the signature on the boarding pass, placed at the previous stage. At the third point, passports were checked again. This time meticulously. And the last is the inspection area. There they take away all the water, even the water given on the plane. I had a box of juice left from the plane, I drank it on the spot so that it wouldn’t be taken away.
Please note, this is an international airport, security checkpoints in the transit area. And not a single employee speaks English! I’m shocked!
The airport itself is huge! However, it is empty! There were very few people around. Also there were very few shops and restaurants there. But there were reclining seats and tables with chargers.
Ho Chi Minh City
What can I say, this is a big Asian city. It has a French heritage, many old European-style buildings, churches and other attractions. But mostly there is architectural chaos mixed with glass skyscrapers in the city center.
Regarding road traffic, it is mainly streams of scooters. But there are also a lot of cars. It is striking that the Vietnamese are less cultured in terms of driving compared to the Cambodians. In Cambodia, as soon as you start to cross the road, the entire traffic slows down, allowing you to cross calmly. And here no one even thinks of slowing down! Yes, they try to go around you, but if this turns out to be impossible, and you are already on the road, then they are forced to brake sharply right in front of you. Even at the pedestrian crossing near the embankment in Ho Chi Minh City, I got a significant dose of adrenaline 😱.
We checked into a hotel located 10 minutes walk from the tourist center. There are both pros and cons. Pros: It’s quiet in the evenings, there are almost no pedestrians. Cons: there are few shops. There were several banks near the hotel, we changed currency there. They only accept new banknotes. In theory, the best change rate is in jewelry stores. There are many of them in the tourist area, they have signs indicating currency exchange, so there are no problems with purchasing dongs in the city.
There is a party street in the tourist area. I don’t remember its name. The place is very colorful, but not everyone will like it. But this street is worth a look 😄
Of the attractions, I liked the central post office. It is a beautiful building from colonial times and still serves its purpose as a post office. There are a lot of tourists sending postcards to themselves 🌇 And also there are the cheapest souvenir shops that I have seen.
On the first morning, our group got up early and went to visit the tourist spots around the city. First we went to the famous Mekong River. It’s huge! In some places it reaches two kilometers in width. There are islands there where our group was taken by boat. This is a purely tourist place, where a traditional village with the life of old times is supposedly recreated. There they let you take pictures with honeycombs with bees, treat you to honey, and then offer to buy this honey. On a nearby street, people are treated to fruit while women sing national songs, and then they offer to make a donation to the singers. There is a pond with crocodiles where you can feed them for money. In general, the usual tourist business.
Local women also took us on boats with oars along the canal. This is what I really liked! Because even though the canal is small and dirty, it is very cozy and peaceful 😌 It’s quiet there and the canal pleasantly hidden with overhanging palm trees providing shade.
After the islands we visited a Buddhist temple complex. It’s beautiful! There are several temples with altars and several pagodas. There are many statues on the territory, and a couple of incredibly huge Buddha statues. There are also a lot of beautiful flowering trees and bonsai.
We spent the second day in a museum dedicated to the war with the USA. The place is worth it. This is an open-air museum, you will have to literally walk through the jungle from exhibit to exhibit. True, there are a lot of people there, which sometimes creates inconvenience. We were accompanied by a tour guide who showed us all sorts of traps and told us about the life of the partisans and how they dug tunnels. The museum also has a shooting range where you can shoot for an additional fee.
Dong Hoi
We got up at 4am on the third day and flew to Dong Hoi, a small town near a river famous among tourists for its caves. But we stopped in the town of Cuo Lac (territory of the Phong Nha National Park), which is located in the Dong Hoi region. We checked into the Central Backpackers Hostel. It’s a vivid hostel! I have rarely seen such a turnover of tourists. There are always a bunch of tourists with backpacks sleeping at the reception. Some people have already checked out and are waiting for their bus, while others have already checked in and are waiting for their number. It is interesting that the majority of tourists are young people (probably students) from Europe. If you like to chat with travelers, I highly recommend staying here 😄 Well, our group rented two six-bed rooms at once.
This town lies along the river. After checking in, we went boating along it. The boats are operated by two women. At first we sailed and enjoyed the scenery around us, on the right there was a ridge of small mountains, and along the river there were either small houses, or huts, or decent-looking summer cottages. I really liked the local fishermen, in their long narrow boats, with poles and in a conical straw hat they look as traditional as possible 😌
And then the most interesting thing began, the river entered the mountain! The water went further into the cave. Once inside, the boat’s engine was turned off, and the women rowed in silence. The cave was large! Even those suffering from claustrophobia are unlikely to feel any discomfort there. And the cave is also long; we probably swam at least 500 meters.
On the way back, just a little before reaching the exit of the cave, we were dropped off on the shore, where there was still a pedestrian part of the cave, through which we eventually went outside. And there you can go up the path along the mountainside, and there will be another large beautiful cave. In general, the land of caves 😄
Dima, a member of our group, told me that in Vietnam you can find a cafe where they make unusual coffee with an egg ☕️ In the evening we went to look for such a place. As a result, on the outskirts of the town, in a back street, there was a cafe where we could order such coffee. I must say that this is not some kind of crap, the coffee is really tasty! And unusual 🙂
Our second day in Dong Hoi was again dedicated to caves. On this day we were to visit the “Paradise” cave and the “Dark” cave. On the way to the Paradise Cave we visited a small park with a museum. The museum is a sad sight with stuffed local fauna behind cloudy glass. But there is a path nearby, after walking a short trek along it, beautiful views of the green mountains open up.
To get to the Paradise Cave, tourists will have to walk about 500 meters up a zigzag walking path. I was surprised by the number of toilets there! Almost after every turn, a tourist can relieve himself in a civilized manner. This is what my country really lacks 😞 In front of the entrance to the cave there is a large area with awnings, benches and snack stands. Before entering the cave, tourists must watch a video about the rules of conduct in the cave.
A steep descent begins immediately from the entrance to the cave. There are wooden scaffoldings with steps erected there, so there is no need to climb anywhere. Immediately from the entrance begins the largest room of the cave with a high vault. There are wooden platforms laid out inside the cave, and you cannot step off them. And the cave is equipped with lighting, so you don’t need to take flashlights with you 🔦 This cave is 1 kilometer long! And along the way, here and there, the traveler encounters beautiful stalactites, stalagmites and even works of art created by nature 🗿 I really liked this cave 😌 Unless there are large and noisy groups of tourists that interfere with taking a photo.
Then we went to the Dark Cave. There is a restaurant there where we were generously fed lunch 🍚 Then the tedious procedure of preparing to enter the cave began:
- First, you must sign a risk waiver.
- Next you need to change into a swimsuit. This is the only way to get into the cave. Even women in denim mini-shorts were not allowed. They argue that too much valuable dirt is carried out of the cave with clothes.
- Next, you need to put your things in the locker. There are many of them, you choose any, but they are tiny, not every woman’s bag will fit in there.
- Then the groups stand in line, where they wait to be let through. And for us, it was a long time. There are a lot of people there.
- When the group is let through, you find yourself in another waiting area. There, everyone must choose a life jacket according to their size. The main route to the cave entrance is on a zipline across the lake. But there are those who, for one reason or another, refuse, and they are given kayaks
- And now that you’ve got your life jacket, you wait an endless amount of time for the group to be allowed onto the zipline. The thing is, there can only be one group in the cave.
- After the zipline, when you find yourself at the entrance to the cave, you take off your life jacket and wait for the previous group to come out of the cave.
- When they leave, they give the next group helmets with flashlights. After all, the cave is not called Dark for nothing 😄
And now, finally, you are walking through a dark cave. At first spacious, but then only one person wide. The damp clay underfoot at some point becomes wet and very slippery, and then turns into a liquid. And at the end you will find a chamber with a mud lake 😈 This place is amazing, it’s fun to swim in this mud! We were lucky that our group was the last, and no one urged us on, so we turned to the exit only when we had splashed enough and covered ourselves with mud 😊
By the way, I took a waterproof case for my phone with me, which allowed me to be the only one taking photos. On the way back to the base, everyone is already moving in kayaks. By the way, you could spend some time swimming in the lake. It is not necessary to do this, because you can wash off the dirt in the shower.
For my entire trip, the Dark Cave left the most vivid impressions on me! 🦄🌈✨
The next morning we went to Da Nang on a sleeper bus. I hate these buses 😖
Da Nang
If I ever have the opportunity to go to Asia for the winter with a remote job, there is a high probability that I will choose this city! It is a large Asian city, but at the same time it is located on the coast of the South China Sea. There you can feel like a lazy tourist, sunbathing on the beach and buying coconuts with a straw to quench your thirst. And at the same time you can enjoy the benefits of civilization, there are both markets and shopping centers. There are not many Russian tourists here, compared to Phuket, for example. And I liked it. Another thing, the food in the restaurants is tasty and inexpensive, and the portions are impressive 🍜
After arriving and checking into the hotel, we simply walked around the evening city. We went to look at the bridges. There is a pedestrian bridge along one of the bridges. It was interesting to visit there. Locals just sit on this bridge in groups and have dinner. Mostly young people.
On our first full day we first headed to the marble mountains. There are various pagodas and temples located both on the mountainside and in the cave. What caught my eye was the unusual fact that the statues had a swastika depicted on their chests (not connected in any way with Nazi Germany, as it is older here).
In this same mountain there is a cave of Hell and Heaven. Upon entering, you first find yourself in a huge room with high vaults. It’s nice to be there on a hot day. From the central room there is a tunnel going down, I went there first. There are steps there for tourists. As you descend into hell, you periodically pass by various decorations and scenes with demons. They are not made seriously at all, rather childishly, there is nothing impressive about them.
Returning to the central cave from hell, I moved up the steps to heaven 🌄 The steps there are very steep, you have to be careful. There are Buddha figurines placed along the way, I liked where they were stacked in a whole bunch. At the very top, steps lead you outside to a small open-air area where several more sets are located.
After the Hell and Heaven caves, our group went for a walk in the city of Hoi An, which is a suburb of Da Nang. It is a small town with iconic Vietnamese architecture. It is very popular with tourists. This was especially noticeable in the evening when we arrived there, it was hard to push through the streets. But I must say that it is beautiful there, it is pleasant to walk among the old houses decorated with colored lanterns and other traditional decorations. There are mostly restaurants, cafes and shops there. You can ride a boat with lanterns on a small river. We had dinner there and some free time for a walk.
Ba Na Hills
The second day we dedicated entirely to the Bana Hills amusement park. Located in the suburbs of Da Nang, it was originally a mountain village built by the French colonialists. They chose this place for a holiday because of the more pleasant climate, it is cooler at the altitude, and the French spent time there in the summer.
Now it’s a bit like Disneyland for adults. At the foot of the mountain, tourists are greeted by huge gates, gardens and various buildings that look traditional. There, tourists move in huge queues, and the employees manipulate the queues so that there are no crowds and people get to the cable car faster.
Riding in a cable car is really cool! The cable car itself stretches for several kilometers! As you rise, you will see the lush jungle spread along the slopes of the mountains. At some point we entered a cloud and visibility became almost zero. At first I thought we were unlucky that we would have to spend the whole day in a damp cloud. However, after a few minutes the air began to clear, we rose above the cloud and the Hands of God appeared before our eyes. Our cabin was moving towards them.
After leaving the cable car cabin, we went to the bridge, which was a semicircle over the abyss, supported by two huge hands. This is the key attraction in this place. There is an incredible crowd on this bridge. Everyone is taking pictures. You won’t be able to take a photo without strangers in it.
Beyond the bridge there were paths, cafes, flower beds, and all sorts of mini-attractions. Overall, it is a large park that is pleasant to walk through, with lots of flowers and greenery everywhere. Moreover, it is difficult to immediately estimate the size of the territory available for walking, because the park forms several tiers along the slope. At first I walked slowly, thinking how to kill time, but in the end it turned out that in the far part there was another area with temples and pagodas, which I barely had time to drop into and take a look at out of the corner of my eye.
We returned to the cable car and went even higher. At the very top there was another park. This one really resembles Disneyland, because it is divided into thematic zones. There is a very noticeable pink castle 💒, where there are some entertainments. Several more castles 🏰 In the center of the park there is a cathedral in the style of Notre Dame and a village in the European style (probably closest to the Bavarian style) surrounding cathedral. I will note, however, that upon closer inspection all these castles look like children’s houses: the armor in the corners is plastic, the brickwork is false, the organ in the cathedral is also plastic (or something like that, but it looks so-so). In front of the cathedral there is a stage where actors perform. When we passed by, they were dancing the Cancan.
In the far part of the park there is an Asian zone. I liked it there most of all. It starts with steps up. There is a lot of greenery there, and beautiful decorations. From the top there is a view of the European village area. There are various pagodas and temples here. There are also fewer people here. Sometimes there is no one at all in the temples. There is a huge altar in the Hindu temple, and the mantra “Om mani padme hum” was playing. It was noticeably cooler in this temple, I sat down on a pillow there to rest for a short time.
There is also a cool teahouse in the Asian zone. The guys and I had a great time there 🍵 😌 You have to sit there at low tables on cushions.
We spent many hours walking around this theme park. For photography lovers, it’s a real paradise 📸 There is a huge dining room with a buffet on the territory. You can enter it with an additional ticket, which we were given along with the ticket. You can eat your fill there 😋
We started leaving the park shortly before sunset. A little lifehack: you can look at the Hand of God Bridge on the way back, at this time there are already few tourists there.
I spent the next two days in Da Nang as an ordinary tourist. I visited museums, walked around the city, went for a massage and lay on the beach ☀️ The main tour officially ended the day after Bana Hills, on that day we had our final dinner together. Some left immediately the next morning. And some stayed for an extended tour program (for another 3-4 days) in the north of Vietnam. I was planning to continue the journey on my own.
Kuala Lumpur
When I arrived in Kuala Lumpur I knew what to do, I knew that I needed to go buy a bus ticket to the central bus station, I knew that I needed to take the red metro line there, I knew how to buy tokens. After all, I’ve been here before 🧐 A year earlier, I had a long layover here, and managed to get to the city center for a couple of hours, then I managed to do the route described above and visit the central landmark of the city – the Petronas Towers.
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At that time I was impressed by the city, its skyscrapers, lots of greenery, the driverless metro, moving partly above ground, which offers a stunning view of the city. I decided that I wanted to visit Malaysia again and get to know the city better. So I took 4 days out of my trip to come here.
I stayed in a very comfortable apartment in a skyscraper in the city center. I checked in in the evening, and I went out to look for food 🤤 The Petronas Towers weren’t far from me, so I decided to go and look at them and eat somewhere along the way. I reached the towers, took a photo, but I only saw a couple of restaurants and cafes, and I didn’t want to eat in them. I can’t imagine that in my city center a person can’t find a cafe to his liking 😲 In the end, I bought instant noodles in a small store. And I was surprised how expensive these instant noodles are! I’m used to them costing pennies. And it doesn’t even have any soy pieces, just noodles and seasoning (super spicy) 🥵 The prices for food there are +- the same as in Moscow, some things are noticeably more expensive (for example, Lays chips are 2 times more expensive), and some things are noticeably cheaper.
Climbing gyms
A couple of times I decided to go to the climbing gyms. One is simpler (Camp5 Climbing Gym KL Eco City), the other (BUMP) is considered the best bouldering gym in Kuala Lumpur. In the first one they gave me such climbing shoes that they tore on me after 20 minutes of climbing, it is of course a shame to rent out such equipment. The gym itself is quite normal for one-time climbing. In the second gym they also rent out crappy climbing shoes. The gym is big, enough to go there a couple of times. But still, this gym is not even close to the climbing gym I usually go to in my city.
Batu Caves
I spent one of the days visiting the caves located in the very north of the city. It’s quite convenient that the metro goes there. However, to get onto the line leading to the caves, you had to get out and buy a new ticket. This caused some confusion, because the cashier at the checkout had gone off somewhere. There was a terminal nearby, and the Japanese guy and I had to spend 15 minutes figuring out how to buy a ticket.
Since I mentioned the metro, it is more of a railway network; there are few underground sections. And each line has its own owner. And if the lines intersect, it doesn’t mean that there is a transition there. When buying a token at the terminals, you need to clearly look at which station is offering the transition and go exactly there. I took a different route a couple of times, and in the end I couldn’t use the token to go to another line, I had to go out and buy the token again. And in some places there are no transitions at all. It is assumed that the passenger will always get off and buy a token again, as on this branch leading to the caves.
When I got out at the caves, I found myself in India 👳🏾 The area, including the caves, is controlled by the Indian diaspora. There the road to the main square resembles a market, full of stalls selling flower wreaths and other souvenirs. There are several Hindu temples there, some of them have an entrance fee for tourists (they are positioned as attractions), I did not go to them. There are some animal-like colored statues in the squares; to be honest, they look pathetic. In the central square in front of the mountain with the main (Temple) cave there is a huge statue of the god Murugan. Behind it, colorful steps lead to the cave.
In general, there are quite a lot of monkeys around the area, and there are especially many of them on the steps. Tourists flirt with them, feed them and take pictures. But in reality they are aggressive and I found them unpleasant from the start. One woman stood next to the monkey to take a photo, and it bit the woman on the shoulder. She was wearing a thick burqa, which the monkey did not bite through.
After climbing the steps, you find yourself in a huge cavity in the mountain. Everything is arranged there, the flat floor is made of concrete, and there are some altars near the walls. It was as if I had found myself in a square, but not in the open air. At the end there are more steps that lead to a smaller area. There is another temple there. And the main charm of that place is that the sky opens up, even the sun shines there. This second site is located in a natural well with lush greenery growing along the walls.
But in general, in terms of grandeur, these caves do not reach the Vietnamese ones. And if they were in a wilder state, it would be nicer here. But as it is, there is noise, hubbub and a bazaar.
The city
Well, the rest of my free time I spent walking around the city. It was hard because it was very hot! And the humidity was high 🥵 At the same time, when you enter any shopping center, you start to feel cold; the air conditioners there are fierce. I don’t understand why they make them so frosty, as if this is the last coolness in life that you are obliged to absorb 🥶 Because of these temperature changes I got sick on the last day, which made the journey home not very pleasant 🤢
I walked around the very center of the city, where the Petronas Towers are located and in their surroundings. This is a glass jungle area, full of high-rise buildings. And, although there are green spaces all around (and even some of the towers have gardens on the walls), you still feel like you are in a glass and concrete kingdom. And there is absolutely nothing to do there! Only shopping malls and a small park in the courtyard of the Petronas Towers, where there are jogging tracks, otherwise there is nothing interesting there.
While walking around the city, I decided to take a shortcut through the park, because it was nicer than walking along the roads. I entered from the back end, and the good-natured tourists coming out from there gave me a ribbon on my arm, as if I had paid for the entrance. It turns out that walking in the park is a paid activity! There is nothing unusual there, just wooden paths laid there. I went out through the entrance, didn’t meet anyone, and no one demanded anything from me.
Then I reached Merdeka Square. There are the central buildings of the former British administration when Malaysia was a colony. In that area the city has retained its colonial style, I walked along the streets where there are many cafes. I will note that the central building on the square is still in good condition, but as soon as you turn the corner, there are abandoned old houses with broken windows or peeling plaster. That is, in places where tourists don’t go, not everything is as ideal as on travel agency websites.
Then I visited the central mosque. I didn’t immediately understand which side to enter from, because there is a separate entrance for tourists. Admission is free. Tourists are asked to fill out an electronic form at the entrance and are given a funny purple robe 👘 There is limited walking space for tourists, but it is sufficient. I quickly walked around this place, in general, if it’s on your way, it’s worth a look here.
I also visited the oceanarium. Probably the most interesting place I’ve been to (although I also liked the bookstore). It is worth admitting that the St. Petersburg oceanarium is not much inferior to this one. I didn’t visit the observation towers because I’m not very impressed by the views of cities from above. I didn’t have a chance to visit the bird park, but it’s been praised. I think there are still some interesting streets that are worth visiting.
Conclusion
I liked Vietnam. If I had the opportunity to go somewhere for the winter with remote work, there is a high probability that I would choose this place. Especially Da Nang, here you have a huge city with all the benefits of civilization, and a warm sea nearby with a good beach. And I haven’t been to the northern part of this country yet, there’s also something to see there.
I both liked and disliked the group I was traveling with. On the one hand, everything was thought out, and we managed to see a lot of things. It’s difficult to plan this on your own, and a transfer is always cheaper with a group. On the other hand, we didn’t even have a group introduction, which is why many people weren’t interesting to me. We formed a small group, and from time to time we would break away and go for walks on our own.
When I got to know Malaysia better, I was disappointed. The food was not tasty, and all my expectations were somehow dashed when I started to get to know the city better. I’m not saying it’s bad there, it’s really worth visiting. It just so happened that I got an incredible first impression when I first visited it, that I expected something like this everywhere here, but it didn’t happen so great.
But overall I’m happy with my trip. Asia continues to delight and attract me. And there are still many places I will visit in the future.