Hai Phong　

Ninh Binh to Hai Phong

From today we are heading to Hai Phong by bus. Hai Phong is a city located around 100km east of Hanoi. It is known as one of the largest cities in Vietnam and is famous for Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island, but we skipped those this time.

On the way to Hai Phong, we saw many people preparing for Tet Holiday — Bánh Chưng, chickens, flowers, fireworks and more.

What is Tet Holiday?

Lunar New Year or Tết Nguyên Đán, is Vietnam's most significant celebration. Across Vietnam, during this time families reunite and honour their ancestors, while praying for luck, prosperity and health in the new year. It’s like "Oshogatsu" in Japan.

What's Banh Chung?

Bánh Chưng is a traditional Vietnamese sticky rice cake, typically made for Tết (Lunar New Year). It's a square-shaped cake made of glutinous rice stuffed with mung bean paste and pork, all wrapped in banana leaves and boiled for several hours. It's one of Vietnam's most iconic holiday foods.

We had to change vehicles three times, probably because the Ninh Binh to Hai Phong route isn't very popular. But we safely arrived in Hai Phong at night. I still remember the smile of the third driver — he seemed to be heading to a drinking party right after dropping us off. It's "bōnenkai" (year-end party) season, after all.

Stay in Hai Phong

Hai Phong has many popular foods. It's famous for crab noodles, but sadly I can't eat crab, so we tried other local specialties. Bánh Mì Que is a popular breakfast — a smaller version of Bánh Mì with pâté inside. They served 10 baguettes and it cost only 30,000 VND (about 180 yen). So reasonable! We also tried chamomile tea, which is a local specialty, at a café.

We also went to the pagoda called Chùa Cao Linh. We visited on New Year's Eve and there were fewer people — everything was very organized and quiet. I saw some people preparing for the celebrations (we passed by the next day and it was packed).

New Year Count Down and Pray

Hai Phong is my girlfriend's hometown. I was honored to be invited to her house and to meet her family. I was nervous, but they warmly welcomed me and we spent a wonderful time together. I had lunch and dinner with them and tried Bánh Chưng and many other great dishes. I loved everything, but the stir-fried squid was the best!! Thank you again for having me — I could feel the strong bond of her family (everyone was so nice).

At night, as midnight approached, we gathered again for the countdown. But it's not just about counting down — they also pray at the family altar. It's called "Cúng," and I heard that Vietnamese people do Cúng on many occasions during Tet.

What is Cúng?

Cúng is the Vietnamese practice of making offerings to ancestors, spirits, or deities. People prepare food, incense, and other items on an altar and pray — commonly done on special occasions like Tết, death anniversaries, or the 1st and 15th of each lunar month. It reflects the deep importance of ancestor worship and spiritual life in Vietnamese culture.

After the countdown hit zero, fireworks erupted everywhere — literally every single house was shooting them off. We said "Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!" (Happy New Year!) I was so happy to experience a real Tet celebration for the first time after 4 years of living in Vietnam.

Good Bye Hai Phong and head to Laos

On the first day of the new year, February 17th, I left Vietnam and headed to Laos. From here on, it's going to be a solo trip.

~Continuing to Luang Prabang~