Drew Binsky from the US is a well-known travel blogger in the world travel community with his Facebook page attracting 5 million followers. He also has a YouTube channel with 700,000 followers where he posts videos featuring his experiences in culture, food and tourism.

Drew said he first came to Vietnam in 2017. The trip left a good impression on him, especially the beautiful landscapes and people’s hospitality. After many years of traveling to corners all over the globe, he decided to return to Vietnam last June.

The destination Drew chose this time was Hanoi. To experience the real life of local people, the American blogger and his girlfriend decided to go out with just $100 (VND2.3 million) to see what they could do with the money. 

“This was a very special experience. Hanoi is not only the place where I created the first tourism video about food in 2017, but also the place which witnessed our love when we began our official date here,” he said. “And Hanoi is one of the cities with the cheapest living costs in the world."

The first destination for them was the Old Quarter. After walking around the neighborhood, they bought coconut milk from a vendor and were surprised that they had to pay only $1.7 for two coconuts (VND40,000).

To fill in the empty stomach, the couple went to a bread shop on Dinh Liet street, a familiar address they knew when visiting Vietnam some years ago. They found it interesting that everything was nearly unchanged.

At the shop, they ordered two servings of bread with eggs and pate. Though the shop was crowded, the service was good and servings were available shortly after they ordered. 

“It was still the same crispy bread with the same taste as I had six years ago with full stuffing inside, including meat, eggs, pate, served with cucumber, onion, herbs with a sauce,” Drew said.

The next destination was a famous café on Nguyen Huu Huan street that has been open since 1946. He said that everyone needs to enjoy an egg coffee in Hanoi.

After enjoying egg coffee at $3.4 for two cups (VND80,000), they hailed a pedicab to sightsee on Hanoi streets. This cost $6.4 (VND150,000). They were carried to many places in the central area of Hanoi and the Cathedral with typical French architecture left the biggest impression on them. Dew and his girlfriend spent time relaxing there and tried iced tea at a street ice tea shop.

After a day of walking, they visited a massage parlor on Hang Bo street to have relaxing service and were pleased about the service quality. They had to pay only $12.8 (VND300,000).

For dinner, they chose a simple meal – pho bo, or noodle soup served with beef, at a pho shop with know-how handed down from generation to generation located on Bat Dan street. The two servings cost them $5.1, or VND120,000.

This was the place where travelers could see and feel the bustling daily life of local people. The area also attracted a lot of foreign travelers.

After the dinner, Drew and his girlfriend returned to the hotel, also in Old Quarter, where the room rate was $40 per night (VND950,000), which was clean and well equipped. 

“With $40, travelers can have free wi-fi and breakfast. Everything is reasonable and affordable to tourists when visiting Hanoi,” Drew said.

Finishing a day in Hanoi, the couple spent $90.3, or VND2.1 million in total, including the expenses on accommodations, food and travel, a very reasonable expense for the interesting experience they had.

Tuan Nguyen