I made a real-life treasure hunt in Vietnam!
A special guest post from one of our TEFL course graduates sharing an awesome challenge for all those teaching and traveling in Asia…
That’s right, I made a real-life treasure hunt, on an island, off the coast of Vietnam. Now i’m challenging you to find it!
While living and teaching in Beijing, I took advantage of the Chinese New Year holiday and went on a 4-week trip south into Vietnam. During this trip I left a treasure hunt for my friend who was visiting the following month.
Unfortunately my friend, who shall remain nameless, sucked at riding motorbikes and ended flying back to Europe early, with a broken arm.
Now, i’m calling on travelers, overseas teachers, and generally awesome people of the internet to see if they can find my coin!
1. Get to Cat Ba Island
It’s a nature reserve island near the world famous Ha Long Bay. You can get organized trips there from Hanoi including bus-boat-bus transport and accommodation for a few nights.
Update: That map pin isn’t the exact location of the coin (but nice try, guys!)
2 – Find these structures.
The center of the island is really small. Walk around the waterfront and you should notice these temple-looking things up on a hillside.
Note: I thought these were temples, but a local told me they’re actually graves of rich families buried here to overlook the island. So be super respectful 🙂
3 – Spot this house.
There’s a public path which goes between them.
4 – Head behind the house.
A hiking trail goes behind this house and splits left and right. One trail is a dead end, the other will lead you to the top
[EXPAND Click for a spoiler]Take the left one ;)[/EXPAND]
5 – Climb to the top.
You’ll have to hike up the hillside, but be careful it’s really steep!
6 – Find these rocks, get the coin!
At the top of this hill you’ll find these two rocks. I placed the coin into this deep hole in the rock.
7 – Enjoy the view, now it’s your turn!
When find the treasure, please take a photo with it and leave a coin from your own country. Lets keep this thing rolling!!
If you’re heading to Vietnam, teaching there now, or know someone who is, please spread the word and share this post!