We chose to go to Ba Be rather than Sapa because it was closer to Hanoi and less touristy. While I don’t know what Sapa is like, I was very happy with our choice and (despite the rain) we had a wonderful time. We took local buses from Hanoi all the way to the small town of Bak Ngoi. The scenery is amazing; huge lakes, mountains, rice fields, stilt houses, and water buffalo. This is what Vietnam really looks like. We stayed in a homestay for 170,000 dong ($8.50) per day, which included breakfast, dinner, and the night’s stay. The owner of our homestay was Mr. Tu and he was a truly wonderful guy!

Our homestay with Mr Tu

We had lots of laughs trying to communicate with each other, and he made us feel very welcome (and gave us a lot of green tea!).  On our second day we went out on the lake with Mr. Tu’s son, who was very quiet, but a good boat driver! We visited a cave (which was wonderful), a waterfall, and a pagoda on an island in the middle of the lake. It was a fantastic day besides the lunch. We were taken to a place where they give you a set meal without telling you the price. It was similar to the food served to us at the homestay so we assumed it would be a similar price ($3 per person), but it turned out to be $6 each, which was ridiculous! I would suggest either not eating here or agreeing on a price before the meal. Ba Be was a great place though, and the cramped bus ride to and from Bak Ngoi is all part of the non-touristy cultural experience.

Ba Be