When we hear our friends visiting Vietnam, the first location comes to our mind will always be Ha Long Bay. Who can blame you, it's a beautiful must-visit tourist spot in North Vietnam. However, even the best places have its downtime. Just so happens your visit is during June to August, where it might be Typhoon season or between December to February, where it can be cold, wet and possible strong winds. So what are you going to do then?

To be honest, this was exactly what happened to us. We had the privileged to visit North Vietnam last June (2014) and obviously, Ha Long Bay was a no go. However, we manage to visit five other interesting places in just two short days! This is great for travellers or backpackers with minimal time to spend in the beautiful nothern part of Vietnam.

For Scenery: Tam Coc Wharf 

If you can't visit Ha Long Bay, why not try visiting the more accessible 'Ha Long Bay on land'? This is another popular destination located in Ninh Binh province, North of Vietnam, where you will have the opportunity to enjoy a sampan (small boat) ride along the stream of Ngo Dong River and through magnificent caves.

Tam Coc actually means three caves, named after the three caves along the Ngo Dong River. It is a zone in Vietnam that is filled with rice paddies (known by the locals as the Green Sea) and surrounded by sky-high karst towers. 

If you are visiting during the summer, like us, we highly suggest you to bring along a good hat, cap or an umbrella and sunglasses to shade yourself from the burning sun. If you have a mini electric hand fan and a bottle of water, you will be utterly thankful. Also, it is somewhat mandatory to prepare tips for your rower(s), each rower minimum 50,000 Dong. On top of that, when you get to the end of boat trip before the U-turn, be prepared for the locals selling items on boats. If you don't buy anything, they will persuade you to buy something for your rower(s) to appreciate their hard work. However, a few friends on tour with us said that their fruits, particularly pineapples and lycees, are deliciously sweet and juicy. Prefect to complete your boat ride back to the pier.

For Culture: Dinh and Le Temples

Located two hours from Hanoi, you will find yourself in awe in Vietnam's ancient capital of Hoa Lu. When you are there, you should stop by the cultural site of Dinh and Le Temples where worship part of the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Festival is held annually on the 10^th – 13^th March of the lunar calender in Truong Yen community. The festival is in memory of the Kings of the Dinh and Le dynasties, and it lasts for three days with traditional games and entertainments.

It was a peaceful and quiet place when we arrived but still managed to take our breath away due to the picturesque mountains and hills view. Definitely a place to visit whether it's to understand more about these meaningful 17^th century sturctures or simply just for a good, beautiful picture.

For History: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and House

Don't think you can skip this part of the tour because Uncle Ho is one of the greatest hero of Vietnam. The rest place of much admired Vietnam leader is located in the centre of Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi. This large memorial is protected by military guards in white uniforms and there are strict rules and dress code when it comes to visiting or paying respect to the late Ho Chi Minh. 

Unfortunately, we didn't have the chance to enter the mausoleum but if you do, remember to wear decently, as in no shorts and no miniskirts. You will also be asked to walk silently in two lines with hands free from pockets and not crossed. Of course, no smoking, drinking, eating, photography or videography allowed anywhere inside the mausoleum. 

As for his vestige in the presidential palace area (or in simple term, his house), it is located just right behind the mausoleum. This historical area is President Ho Chi Minh's living and working place for 15 years (December 1954-September 1969).

Presidential Palace – the former IndoChina's General Governor Palace. We were told that Uncle Ho chose not to live in this building because it is too big for a single man to stay in. He was never married by the way. 

So he lived in house no. 54 since 1954 for four years.

Then moved to the historic house-on-stilts for the next 11 years. This symbolises the simple and modest life he lived.

We loved this place even though it was crowded with other tourist. It was windy with light fragrance coming from the flowers and gardens around

For Shopping and Entertainment: Old Town

Also known as 36 Old Quarter because it consist of 36 streets with each street specialises in a particular trade or selling modern goods. The best time to shop this turf if during the night where you can find flea market style stalls selling items such as sports attire, clothings, bags, coffee beans and etc. Also, this will be the best place for you to try street food on Hanoi. It's cheap and delicious. If you are interested, you can stop by Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre to enjoy water puppetry, a popular traditional form of entertainment.

A warning beforehand, this place is exhausting. Not only because it's huge, it's also crowded and chaotic. You will find motorbikes coming from every corner and people coming from every direction, literally. We've never felt so challenged crossing the road yet exciting because we actually dared ourself to do it (we had no choice anyway). And oh, try not to get lost because we did. If you don't feel like exploring the street on foot, hey, order a trishaw ride.

For A Little Romance: Hoan Kiem Lake

The famous lake located right next to Old Town is a place where most tourist visit to escape the busy streets. Also known as Sword Lake, this place is not only special in history (linked to the legend Magic Sword) but also interesting in its own ways. For example, it's said that enormous turtles still live in the lake and if they are spotted, it claims to act as a warning of the death of one of the country's leaders. This is how sacred turtles are to Vietnamese culture.

Other than that, it's a beautiful place for couples to walk or sit to enjoy the breeze of the lake over simple street food or drinks.

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This trip was a courtesy of Vietnam Airlines.

Pictures taken with Canon 600D and iPhone 5. 

(Content sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

About Author JQ Lee talks and writes for a living. That's because she loves sharing interesting things to the world. With a Degree in Communication and Media Management, this petite Gen-Y will not stop chasing her passion in writing and broadcasting. She dreams to host a travel show and be a radio announcer someday, hopefully soon. Stalk this wacky fair Asian girl at www.jqtalks.com, Instagram and Twitter (@jqleejq)