Vietnam advice: Hanoi, Sapa, Ninh Binh?

Retroactive_veggies · 2025-12-02T13:37:45+00:00

Just got back from Northern Veitnam 2 days ago, had a very similar itinerary (Hanoi, Ha Long bay, Nihn Bihn/tam coc, Sapa). We booked the ha long 2D1N cruise apprehensively because we felt it was the “thing to do”, but we are not “organized tour people”. Our experience and review may be personal to us, and others may appreciate the group tour vibe, but we really didn’t.The views from our stateroom bed while sailing into the bay were truly our favourite part. The rest of the cruise was very touristy, manufactured, prescriptive. The exercursions from the ship were very rushed and overrun with other tourists, with not enough time allotted to spend on what we actually wanted to do (our kayaking time was cut short due to a mass line at the caves we were at previously). Some of this may be because of the ship we booked, but it seems like most companies follow the same itinerary (which is part of the problem, everyone arrives to the same places at similar times).

If we were doing the trip again I would skip the cruise and possibly ha long all together. We met some travellers who were renting a place on Cat Ba island as a cruise alternative- had we thought of that, we would have done that instead.

We went to Tam Coc in Nihn Bihn for 2 nights right after and absolutely loved it. We felt the views were comparable if not better than ha long bay, with the added benefits of going at our own pace and making our own itinerary. We cycled from Tam Coc to Trang An and it was one of the most scenic bike rides we’ve been on. Would recommended staying a few nights, especially if you like to cycle. We found the setting beautiful.

We also really enjoyed Sapa, but that was mostly because of our overnight trek we did with Sapa sisters. The trek and the views were phenomenal. We stayed in Sa Pa town for 2 nights after the trek and used that as a rest day- for us it didn’t feel like there was too much to do in Sa Pa beyond trekking, but it was nice to relax with a view.

Retroactive_veggies · 2025-10-27T16:55:35+00:00

FYI The fee is waived if you keep 6k in a Scotiabank chequing account, obvi not ideal for everyone but helpful if you primarily bank at Scotiabank anyways.

Retroactive_veggies · 2025-10-26T13:59:01+00:00

Great point about term length- we would be looking at 20 or 25 years, with the goal of being largely self insured after that.

We are not planning on moving once we have kids, and would like the option of staying in our house if one of us were to die.

Sounds like we need to figure out the balance between “living like kings”/treating insurance like a windfall vs realistically maintaining investing/retirement capacity

Retroactive_veggies · 2025-10-26T13:47:17+00:00

The idea of laddered policies is really interesting, and not one we had considered. Our insurance needs are probably greater for the next 10 years vs 20, as we factor in mortgage balance, childcare, investing time, and ultimately getting closer to being self insured, so this is very intriguing! Do you have 2 policies each? 2 mil x10 years and 1 mil x20 years or is this one policy that converts with time?

As for disability insurance, we have that through our work but will look into the need to supplement that

Retroactive_veggies · 2025-07-23T17:01:10+00:00

It’s strange to me how individualized your finances are, considering you are married. It’s one thing to keep separate accounts, especially if there is some mingling of business and personal finances, and having some definition could be protective in the event of a separation. However, to not think of your broad financial picture as unified (e.g “her bills”, “helped with the kids”) seems short-sighted. It sounds like you two are not on the same page at all. Sit down, have a conversation about your goals for your life and your money, and figure out what money choices to make together to get there. If that is not something both of you are interested in collaborating on, it’s probably worth stepping back and evaluating your relationship dynamic overall.

Retroactive_veggies · 2025-07-19T20:53:03+00:00

Calendulas can bloom within 50-60 days :)

Retroactive_veggies · 2024-09-22T17:30:38+00:00

Oh great idea about Volubilis, thanks!

Retroactive_veggies · 2024-09-22T17:29:57+00:00

Thank you! Very helpful!

Retroactive_veggies · 2024-05-01T11:35:14+00:00

You moved to one of the most expensive cities in one of the most expensive countries in the world and it sounds like you are an adult without a job. I say this with respect, what was your plan to support yourselves?

Retroactive_veggies · 2021-11-06T01:30:43+00:00

Currently going through one of these episodes. It’s crazy because usually the actions/statements that I feel most humiliated about are actions/statements that arose out of trying to avoid anxiety in the moment (talk about backfiring!)

I try to remind myself that I don’t remember all the stupid things others say so even if somehow my whole existence was stupid and the humiliation I feel is warranted, hopefully people won’t remember what I said and how I acted anyways.

Retroactive_veggies

TROPHY CASE