My trip to Macau, Hong Kong and Vietnam during Chinese New Year (January, 2025)
I recently visited Hoi An, Da Nang, Hong Kong, and Macau during Chinese New Year for seven days, and it was an amazing experience!
This was my second time in Hoi An, and even though it was more crowded because of the holiday, it was still very charming. The yellow flowers everywhere for the Tet Holiday made it feel so festive. Luckily, I managed to explore before most places closed, so it didn’t affect me much.
Da Nang was new for me. I’m not really into beach destinations, but I loved the coffee shops. I wish I had more time to visit Mỹ Sơn too. Photos 5 and 14 are from Lady Buddha, which was a bit busy, but the back side of the pagoda and temples is so peaceful.
In Hong Kong, the city felt quieter than usual because many people had left for the holiday, so it was great for exploring. But touristy places like Kam’s or Yat Lok still had long lines for roasted goose. If you want something fancy, I recommend Mott32 for their Iberico Pork Char Siu—it’s totally worth it! Attractions like The Peak (photo 20) get crowded after 9–10 AM because of tour groups, but having an Octopus card is super helpful—you can skip queues, which surprisingly not many tourists seem to know.
Macau was the most crowded place, especially on the Taipa side, but exploring the Portuguese heritage and eating Pastéis de Nata made it so worth it. St. Augustine’s Square, Our Lady of Carmel Church’s garden and Taipa House was so peaceful, weirdly not a lot of people are not interested. Immigration was a bit frustrating because I was detained for over 15 minutes, maybe because of my country’s relationship with the Mainland, even though I have visa-free access and landed from HK. It wasn’t a big deal, but it still soured my mood at first. Thankfully, the locals were so nice, which made up for it.
Photos:
- Mask Stall, Hội An | 2. St. Augustine's Square, Macau | 3. Municipal Affairs Bureau, Macau | 4. Sheung Wan, Hong Kong | 5. Lady Buddha, Da Nang | 6. St. Dominic's Church, Macau | 7. Church Interior, Macau | 8. Back Alley of St. Dominic's Church, Macau | 9. Temple, Da Nang | 10. Sheung Wan, Hong Kong | 11. Ruins of Saint Paul's, Macau | 12. Our Lady of Carmel Church, Macau | 13. Random Street, Hội An | 14. . Mandarin's House, Macau | 15. Lady Buddha, Da Nang | 16. Random Street, Macau | 17. Statue Square, Hong Kong | 18. Central, Hong Kong | 19. Nan Lian Garden, Hong Kong | 20. The Peak Trail, Hong Kong