It's a big town where I quickly felt lost as there is lots going on and no signs! I had just arrived from Ninh Binh and had no idea where the bus had dropped us. It was difficult to find out where we were or to make contact with someone to ask them.
Haiphong is a place people usually stop during a trip to Vietnam mainly because you can get to Ha Long Bay from there! I advise you to prepare the trip in advance or you will be assailed by Vietnamese on the jetty and you won't know what to do with yourself! What route should you choose? And for how much? Where? How?
From Haiphong you can take a speed-boat to Cat Ba island, a natural reserve which is only 25 km from the town.
In brief, the only thing that I remember I liked in Haiphong was the bridge of Haiphong's imposing port, which is also called Binh bridge. It was impressive - big and pretty!
The first thing that comes to mind when in Haiphong, is that it is not really a city that lives for tourism. Passing the touts at the station that jump on you as they do throughout Vietnam, the city is relatively quiet and you can move around freely without being solicited at every step.
I walked along the tree-lined promenade that runs along Tran Phu past the theatre, a vestige of Indochina and that continues towards Sat Market, alongside the canal. Let's be clear, Haiphong is not a beautiful city but it has a certain calm and this, believe me, is significant in Vietnam.
A walk through the busy shopping streets around the station is a must, especially in the morning around the fish and seafood market, still impressive when you are not used to it. Most of the temples and pagodas are situated to the east of the city. But everything is done on foot. To the south, I headed to Ben Binh pier to continue my journey around Vietnam via Cat Ba island.