Vietnam for 3 weeks was the plan and what an amazing 3 weeks it was. I had always wanted to see this unique country with so much fascinating history & culture, not to mention legendary cuisine, so we jumped at the chance. Unlike the rest of the countries we visited on this trip, we weren't able to get a Visa on arrival in Vietnam by arriving overland. Just like I did for our China trip, I had to go to the Embassy in Thailand & apply with an overpriced fee which was very annoying. That said, we couldn't spend 3 months traveling around SE Asia and not visit Vietnam! We were lucky to be able to see so much of it. After arriving from Laos on the bus from hell, we settled down in the North and slowly made our way down South.
The first city we actually saw was Thanh Hoa. After arriving from Lao, it was quite an intimidating place! Such activity & craziness on the streets compared to the quiet, desolate Lao towns we had become accustomed to. Very difficult to adjust to a completely different way of life so quickly. After decades of growth & tourism, the Vietnamese have become used to 'westerners' & we were definitely taken advantage of. Needless to say, our first impression wasn't all that good. We struggled for a few hours haggling with a dishonest taxi driver & barely communicating with some generous locals, but were able to flag down a bus heading to our first real destination - Ninh Binh. It's worth noting that if you're visiting Vietnam, you should really do some intense research. Knowing how much things should cost or how to say even a few words will save you loads of money & trouble. We knew this bus should have cost 50,000 dong or $2.35. Yet, they were charging us double. Immediately, they dropped the price to 80,000 then 60,000 and finally the correct price (all the while the driver was blaring his horn). I know $3 doesn't seem like a lot to haggle over, but when an amazing meal cost a grand total of $1, every cent goes a long way. This bargaining & insisting became a theme in Vietnam & we quickly realized that we weren't in Kansas anymore. We found a hotel room & immensely enjoyed a cold beer & the quintessential Vietnamese noodle soup - Pho.
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| Foot Rowing |
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| Beautiful Place! |
We made sure to make Ninh Binh a must-see destination on our Vietnamese adventure for one reason - its countryside. It is one of the most beautiful, natural places I have ever seen. Called "Halong Bay on Land", we took advantage of our time here by renting bicycles & strolling leisurely through the gorgeous landscape. Looking back, I wish we had taken motorbikes because the trek to Trang An Grottoes & Bai Dinh Pagoda was long and exhausting - about 40KM round trip and it was HOT!! The Trang An Grottoes were simply special. We hopped on a rickety rowboat with another Vietnamese couple & spent 3 hours slowly flowing down this beautiful river, surrounded by jagged Karst mountains, squeezing through dripping caves & past grazing mountain goats. It was an absolute pleasure & so romantic! Near the end of our ride, our rower offered me a hit of his tobacco bong and I couldn't refuse. I immediately regretted the decision. My head started spinning, I couldn't breathe and I felt extremely nauseous. I've never felt like that in my life and I am honestly surprised I didn't fall into the water & drown! After minutes of agony, it started to get better. Now, I'm not a smoker so maybe I just couldn't handle it, but I still persist that it was some extremely strong stuff! That said, I'm glad I was able to provide some entertainment for the locals...they were absolutely cracking up!
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| Speaks For Itself |
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| Bia Hoi - a Hanoi Must-Do |
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| Crazy Traffic |
Hanoi was my favorite city we visited in Vietnam. I absolutely loved the atmosphere. Despite being the capital of the country and the 2nd largest city, it is largely unscathed from decades of war & walking through the hectic streets of the Old Quarter was pure delight. You won't find many skyscrapers or neon lights here. The colonial architecture & narrow alleyways make it seem like you're walking back in time. Everywhere you look, there is activity. Despite the craziness, it's an is organized chaos. No traffic lights so cars stop & go as they please honking the entire time. Sidewalks are parking spaces for vehicles forcing you to stroll on the street & play Frogger with oncoming motorbikes. Amazing smells tease your nostrils behind every corner where family-run joints cook up amazing food on the street. Hoards of locals take breaks from their busy day to sit on the side of the street in plastic stools & drink home-brewed beer. A real Hanoi treat - Bia Hoi. There's nothing like posting up on a major street corner with a fresh 35 cent beer & watching the craziness go by. It really is an assault on the senses & I long to return to this amazing city someday. After a few days, we left the charm of Hanoi for one of the natural wonders of the world - Halong Bay. Our Halong Bay experience was pretty miserable actually. It consisted of a 4 hour bus to the bay followed by 1 hour waiting on the boat and lunch (with a distant view of the bay), then we were told we couldn't go to the bay because of weather. Then, we spent another 4 hours back to Hanoi on another cramped bus. What a waste of a day and so disappointing because we were so close! Oh well, next time I suppose, plus it was a bit of a blessing. We got to spend a few more days in Hanoi! It pays to be positive during travel. Things don't always go as planned but you make the best of it.
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| Bummed Out on our Halong Bay Boat |
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| Lions at the Citadel |
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| Hanging With the Soldiers at the Emperors Tomb |
We spent a total of 5 nights in Hanoi & loved every minute of it. Alas, it was time to move on. We took a smooth overnight train down south to the center of the country and the ancient city of Hue. Despite only being a few hours away, Hue was in rainy season and unfortunately, it did rain the entire time. Hue was the capital of Vietnam for 150 years during feudal times and it was well worth a visit for 2 nights. We checked out the Forbidden City inside the Imperial Citadel where trespassing used to mean death. A beautiful complex of intricate gardens & ornate architecture, it was fun to wander around. This part of the country was a big battleground during the Vietnam War and remnants of that time still exist today. Bullet holes dent the ancient walls and provide a reminder of scary times past. A most random memory was upon exiting the citadel, we were approached by a rickshaw driver who talked to us for a good 20 minutes about his friend - Sam Elliott of Big Lebowski. Apparently, this Vietnamese man had showed Sam Elliott around the grounds when he was visiting the area. He was so proud & excited to show us his autograph & picture. Random indeed. The next day we biked through the rain to check out the tombs of some of the ancient emperors. It all seemed very Chinese to me but beautiful & peaceful in it's own right.
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| Hoi An Lights Up at Night |
Next up was the quaint town of Hoi An - an extremely well preserved trading city since the 15th century. Actually, Hoi An possessed the largest harbor in all of SE Asia dating back all the way to the 1st century! Nowadays, it's a beautiful, charming town on the banks of a river & absolutely glows at night because of traditional lanterns. We stayed in an awesome family run bed & breakfast a little outside town & really enjoyed our 3 night stay there. Equidistant from our hotel was a beautiful beach where we watched the local fisherman navigate their strange round boats. Yep, Hoi An is a great place to relax & soak in traditional Vietnamese food & culture. (More about food in the next post - it deserves a blog post to itself!)
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| What a Blast Riding Through Crazy Saigon |
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| Barely Fitting In the Cu Chi Tunnels! |
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| Propaganda |
We decided to fly down south to Ho Chi Minh City next. The 1 hour flight was much easier than a bus or train & not much more expensive actually. Unlike Hanoi, HCMC is a modern, bustling metropolis. This is one overwhelming place to take in and absolutely massive at 9 million people. It was clear to us that this place has been developing for decades. Still, it was interesting to stroll through it's narrow alleyways, run in its leisurely parks & stare in wonder at the sheer growth & power of the city. We joined a food tour one night that took us to the lesser known areas of the city to try local specialties - a great night. We entered one section of the city and it seemed like we were back in the states. Apparently, this district was where all the expats live & traffic is monitored, Carls Jr's were everywhere. Very interesting. Ho Chi Minh City, previously Saigon, is famous for really being the turning point of the Vietnam War. The Reunification Palace is where the war actually ended and that building was fascinating. Not remodeled at all since the time of the siege, everything inside is straight out of the 70's. We also were flooded with anti-American propaganda at the War Remnants museum. It was terrifying to see pictures of the devastation & pain that we caused during the time. Particularly disturbing was the exhibit on Agent Orange where there were 2 real deformed fetuses that were affected by the deadly chemical. We left a horrible scar on Vietnam and its people that can still be seen today. We took a day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels. Yes they were horribly touristy, but still interesting to gain appreciation for the intricate maze of tunnels the Vietnamese built to escape American capture. This underground network went all the way to Cambodia - amazing!
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| Floating Market 'Veggie Store' |
We needed a little R&R after 3 crazy days in Ho Chi Minh City, so we took the 4 hour bus south to the city of Can Tho in the Mekong Delta. We had come full circle. You see, our trip started a month back on the very same river! I really appreciate the grandness of the great Mekong now. It was Jody's birthday, so we took a wonderful cruise through the canals & into the Cai Rang floating market to get a look at local life on the water. Every boat had a large stick with all the food they were selling skewered on it for people to see. A clever way to display your product no doubt. After the cruise, we enjoyed a wonderful hot stone massage and delicious goat hot pot! I hope it was a great birthday!
The last stop on our tour through Vietnam consisted of more beach time in the beautiful island of Phu Quoc. Located at the southern tip of the country & right next to Cambodia, Phu Quoc is an absolutely gorgeous place. I imagine it's what Phuket used to be before being overrun by tourists. There are definitely signs of development here so we felt lucky to visit & explore before it becomes another Disneyland. We explored the island by motorbike lounging on beautiful, secluded beaches, touring a terrifying wartime prison and eating the best seafood Vietnam has to offer. It didn't hurt to sleep 40 feet from a beautiful beach. It was a great end to 3 weeks in Vietnam!
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| When In Phu Quoc, Motorbike Around! |
