Hanoi - Halong Bay is a place you definitely have to go if you go to Hanoi. It's one of the cultural heritage places worth seeing, and best of all, it's near to coastline and thus you are surrounded by sea all around. We boarded "Emotion" Cruise for a 2 days 1 night package. We got to cruise along the beautiful scenery of Halong Bay, toured a huge black cave which was really cooling inside (as compared to the exterior 39 degree hot humid weather). We also get to experience life on a sampan, where fishermen worked for a living. Life is so much different there. Do not expect much on the food served on the cruise though, they are really simple cuisine, and on top of it all, beverage is chargeable.
The only downside traveling to Halong Bai is the 3-4 hours distance drive, not to mention the bumpy ride you have to endure. Taking a domestic flight to and fro Hanoi from HCM was another unpleasant experience as well. We got pushed around many times when taking the shuttle bus to where the plane was, and the people there don't really understand what is "personal space', so hold on to your dear belongings whenever you can on the shuttle bus.
Ho Chi Minh is definitely more exciting and vibrant, with many high-rise commercial buildings and shopping places to explore. Unfortunately, we had only 1 and a half day, which definitely not enough to go around whole of HCM. We did managed to go to Ben Thanh market where we did some price haggling for items that we fancy. It was quite an experience, seeing the sellers 'black face' when we managed to get our ways.
Overall, it's quite a nice experience traveling to Vietnam, but do take more days if you plan to travel to these 2 places at the same time.
