Halong Bay 19th – 21st June

After looking at the dozens of tour operators for Halong Bay cruises, we decided to go with Alova cruises, although more expensive the boats were nicer and they didn’t cram dozens of people into a small space.

On the first day, myself, Hannah, Ylan and Jerry boarded a bus to Halong city, boarded our boat and headed out to the open sea. On arrival at our base we dropped anchor had a great lunch and although the wine bottles were on the tables we were given a complementary juice :(
After lunch we jumped in the kayaks, we went for a paddle around some islands; while the scenery is amazing the amount of rubbish floating on the surface of the water ruined the charm of the area.

Then we took a small boat to what looked like man made beach, where most of the other boats from the harbour had taken their guests, but with a high cost café, expensive deck chairs and pricey volley ball rentals we decided to just sit on the sand and admire the view, you know the view past the dozens of tourists in the water, past the jet skis, and past the rubbish floating about.

After that we had a cooking class, which was making spring rolls (again with the spring roll cooking classes!!). Then shortly after that we had dinner, spring rolls, prawns; crabs the list goes on, a great meal. Although the drinks were very pricey the little Vietnamese women from the surrounding floating villages would row up to the boat and sell cheaper beers, much to the disapproval of the bar staff.

Buy something!?!?

The next day we woke up early and took a small boat to Sung Sot cave, a huge cave that has had a path and some great lighting installed, our guide pointed out many figures that had been spotted in the cave; some obvious and some required a stretch of the imagination. 

 Later that day we headed out and took a look at the floating villages and the floating pearl farm. Our last stop for the day was at a small beach where we found a spot of water that didn’t have any rubbish and went for dip, which stopped promptly after a floating poo made its way towards us!
Later that night we made some more spring rolls and had dinner, we had smuggled a bottle of wine on board and sat on the deck in the warm night air talking with other travellers.

Reading back over this post I don’t sound too positive but I feel like it’s a fair review, Halong bay is marketed as a wonder of the natural world and boasts its UNESCO status, and yes the thousands of small islands and green water makes for a great view, but over the years this place has become the number one tourist attraction in Vietnam and I’m sure many years ago Halong bay would be a magical place, but the affects of tourism haven’t been managed well, the rubbish the over crowding, we were told in peak summer time there would be over 40 cruise ships anchored in the small area. Don’t let his put you off the idea visiting I think I was just a little let down due to the hype. 

Hanoi: 17 – 19 June, and a few other days

We arrived into Hanoi early but not so bright and despite everyone’s warnings, still ended up paying an extortionate price for a taxi to our hotel. Luckily the warm welcome we received at our hotel, Finnegan’s Hotel, made us feel much better. Owner Viet, his wife and brother, were all so lovely and helpful. Viet really went out of his way to give us advice on different trips we wanted to do to Halong Bay and the North, and detailed instructions on some fabulous restaurants to visit.

So after a shower and a bit of a rest, we met up with our Canadian friends Ylan and Jerry and headed to Hanoi’s best ‘pho’ (noodle soup) restaurant (another of Viet’s recommendations). The queue went out the door and onto the street. This place is so popular that the neighbouring restaurants have just given up trying to compete; the busy staff could be seen running into neighbouring restaurants with steaming bowls of the delicious soup.

Once refuelled, we set off to explore the city in the stifling heat. We visited the Military History Museum, which was interesting, although rather propaganda-like.

For a late lunch, we were tantalised by the smell of chargrilling pork on the street and sat down to some delicious bun cha, a popular North Vietnamese dish. Bun Cha is served as a broth with fish sauce, sugar and vinegar, with chunks of the grilled pork and a few other veges. Alongside this, you are given a plate of cold rice noodles and the ubiquitous plate of herbs, added as per your preference. You dip the noodles into the broth little by little and slurp up, also tasting the delicious grilled meat as you go. It’s also common to order a side of spring rolls, also dipped in the broth. Writing this is making my mouth water…  

Another taste sensation we tried in Hanoi was ‘egg coffee,’ or cà phê trú’ng. I think this is a Hanoi specialty, although it’s not so well known. We tried ours at Café Giang, which is a family-run Hanoi institution. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but is a cute, if simple, little café once you make your way down the dark passageway. Basically it’s Vietnamese coffee – so with sweetened condensed milk at the bottom of the cup, followed by strong coffee, (and ice if, like us, you need to cool down), and on the top is a layer of foam made from egg (I think both the yolk and white). To enjoy, you take a spoonful of each of the three layers. The result is amazingly creamy, rich and sweet – I’ve heard it compared to eating tiramisu.

Hanoi is centred around the Hoan Kiem Lake, a popular hangout spot in the evenings, by which time the temperature has dropped enough to be comfortable. Walking around the lake, you encounter young couples canoodling, older people getting their exercise in or performing some bizarre hula-like stretches, families eating ice cream, and others playing badminton. From here, many of Hanoi’s main attractions can be reached on foot, provided you can withstand the heat and humidity.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Other sights we enjoyed in Hanoi included; the One Pillar Pagoda (not impressive at all – looks like a tree hut and about as exciting, although there is some story behind it from memory), the Temple of Literature (a lovely complex set amidst a beautiful park), and the Women’s museum (interesting and very modern). Walking around the old quarter one day, we decided to visit the nearby Opera House. Somehow we managed to mistake the Hilton Opera House for the opera house itself, and found ourselves wandering around the hotel a little confused! To be fair, the hotel was rather grand, and gave the impression it could once have been an opera house, although we did feel rather silly when we realised our mistake.

Using Hanoi as a base, the four of us went on two trips – one to Halong Bay and one to the North – each time returning to Hanoi and comforts of our new favourite hotel and hotel owner.

Hue: 15 - 16 June

Our next stop was the historical city of Hue. Located along the Perfume River (which unfortunately does not smell like Perfume), Hue was the national capital, and base for the Nguyen dynasty, which ruled from 1802 until 1945, when emperor Bao Dai abdicated in favour of Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary government (thanks wikitravel).

During the Vietnam War, Hue’s location very close to the border between North and South Vietnam, resulted in some tough times and damage to some parts of the city, although we didn’t find this noticeable today.  

Interestingly, we were told that given the relative isolation of the centre of Vietnam during the War, the Vietnamese spoken here is very different and pretty much incomprehensible to Vietnamese from the North or South.

From Hue you can trek out to the Demilitarized Zone and the Vinh Moc tunnels, the former supposedly created as a buffer between the North and South, but which suffered intense fighting.  We decided to give this a miss and instead focused on the sights of Hue itself.

Throughout Hue, relics of the Nguyen dynasty are numerous, and include the Imperial Citadel, several pagodas, and the various tombs of the Emperors. The grounds of the Citadel were quite vast, but we found the Tombs to be the most beautiful – particularly that of Tu Duc, which is situated on a lake filled with beautiful lily pads.

There really is a lot to see in Hue, and we could have spent longer exploring the various tombs and pagodas.

As ever, we’re always keen to try the local specialties, and in this case, it was the Bun Bo Hue – a delicious noodle dish.

From Hue we took the sleeper train north to Hanoi. Arriving at Hue station, we ran into Ylan and Jerry, who were headed on the same train. The carriage Kylie and I were in contained two other beds, one occupied by a rather annoying Vietnamese woman. In the middle of the night, this woman suddenly decided it would be a good idea to watch home movies on her video camera, at full volume of course. She also carried on a number of lengthy, loud, phone calls. All this meant that by the time we pulled into Hanoi at 6am, we were pretty shattered.

Hoi An: 10 – 15 June

Hoi An is beautiful, with part of the city designated a UNESCO world heritage site. There are some truly stunning buildings and temples left over from French colonial times and before. The riverfront houses the historic area of town, but also some great little restaurants, food stalls, and markets. At night, this area really comes alive with beautiful coloured lanterns, and the hustle and bustle of people eating, shopping, and selling.

In Hoi An we met up with old friends Torika and Mike from NZ, also travelling around the region, and briefly saw Ylan and Jerry again. To combat the heat, (which reached as high 42 one day!), we enjoyed many a cold ‘fresh’ beer together. ‘Fresh beer’ or ‘bia hoi’ is beer brewed locally and available in restaurants straight off the keg. It goes for as cheap as 3000 Vietnamese dong a glass – roughly 18 cents NZ! A lot of it was quite tasty too.

Something else Hoi An is known for is tailored clothing. Many people come here expressly for some tailored clothes, and you can see why. Turns out we couldn’t resist the temptation either. Depending on the quality of the materials and workmanship, many times you could get some clothes tailored for you for the same price or less than you would pay for off the rack back in NZ. Kylie got a suit, some pants (oops, trousers to those in UK…), shirts, and a jacket made – which we’re sure will come in handy for job interviews in London. Meanwhile, I got a jacket, two dresses and some shirts as well. Not wanting to cart this around with us for the next month, we shipped it all off to my brother in London.

Hoi An also has a nice beach, which you can reach easily by bicycle, and we spent a nice afternoon there, cooling off in the water or with cold drinks. One real downside about the beach however, is the ladies hawking their wares. Never have we come across more persistent and annoying vendors, some were quite simply rude. In fact, also in central Hoi An, we found the many tailors vying for your custom got a little old after a while too. Sadly it seems as though many of the locals have grown weary of the mass of tourists which visit Hoi An, and have little patience or thought for marketing strategy. That said – the town is definitely still worth a visit.

In Hoi An, there are a few great places to eat. One street stall we found served the most amazing banh mi – this is a Vietnamese sandwich; served in a baguette, with all types of meat (including ‘head cheese’ (google it), cucumber, carrot, chilli, fish sauce, coriander, and sometimes egg – while it doesn’t sound like much, it’s simply delectable. We also discovered another delicious dish – bun bo nam bo – a type of noodle salad, served with grilled beef, fresh vegetables, sprouts, chilli, cucumber, mint, coriander and peanuts.  

Da Lat: 8-10 June

We suffered a long and very bumpy and windy ride from the coastal town of Mui Ne to Da Lat, in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Later we read that this particular journey is a bit renowned – so we didn’t pick it very well. In Dalat, high up in the central highlands, the cooler temperatures were a welcome relief from the heat of most of Vietnam. We stayed at a great little hotel there (Thien An), with the most amazing breakfast spread, complete with fresh avocadoes, mango, delicious bread, eggs, and more.
Over breakfast we chatted to some fellow travellers, including two Canadians, Jerry and Ylan, who we got to know quite well and ended up travelling with on and off for the rest of our time in Vietnam.

Dalat has a lot of local Vietnamese tourists, but not so many international tourists. We were there in the school holidays and many families were taking the opportunity to enjoy the cooler climes of Dalat, and the products that go along with that, like avocadoes, coffee, and roses. As a consequence, we found the town to have quite a different feel. At night, the markets in the centre of the town came alive with street vendors serving all kinds of delectable nibbles.

While in Dalat we enjoyed being able to walk around without feeling sweaty the second you step out the door. We visited Bao Dai’s palace, went up the cable car/gondola, for a view over the city, and spent some time just chilling out in a café.

The following day we went on an organised tour which took in; a factory producing silk garments (quite interesting to see the whole process), some impressive waterfalls, a coffee plantation, flower garden, a pagoda with a huge blue-ish Buddha, the Dalat railway station, and the ‘crazy house’.

As part of the tour, we were offered the chance to try the ‘weasel-poo coffee’ – which naturally, we jumped at. For the uninitiated, the story behind this follows that a particular animal (weasel, or civet cat in Indonesia I believe), naturally eats coffee beans as part of their diet. This animal has a finely tuned sense of smell and can detect the good beans over the average or bad. It then eats the beans, and what comes out the other end is the bean, still intact in its husk. These beans are then collected and processed as per normal, resulting in a particularly delicious brew.

In Dalat however, the weasels are simply kept in cages and fed coffee beans (rather than going and foraging for the best beans), so presumably the result is a little different. At any rate, we tried it, and can’t say that it really tasted any different to other coffee we had had in Vietnam, so that was a bit anti-climactic.

The ‘crazy house’ was really something different. I can’t remember the story behind it, but it’s basically a ‘house’ that has been created with the most eccentric, weird and wonderful architecture. It includes trees growing inside the house, odd shaped beds and rooms. Imagine a cross between Alice in Wonderland and an Antoni Gaudí building. You can also actually stay the night there, however while I’d recommend it for a visit, I wouldn’t suggest you stay.

After our marathon bus effort to Dalat, and given the distance to our next stop, Hoi An, we decided to fly out – our first flight in a number of months.

Mui Ne, 5 – 8 June

Next stop was some more beach time. We had heard that Mui Ne was a little less touristy than Nha Trang and so decided to try there. There turned out to be, however, quite an abundance of Russian tourists and resorts all along the strip of beach. The restaurants left a lot to be desired, unless you were prepared to fork out a decent amount for some seafood. We did manage to find a nice local food stall though, and enjoyed some good ole’ pho (noodle soup) for a fraction of the cost.
The main road along the beach was stiflingly hot at the time, but in our hotel high in the dunes, we were very glad of the breeze that made its way to us. We spent a few days enjoying a nice hotel, view, and a little bit of the beach, and then decided to move on.

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) 1st- 5th of June

Small alleyways filled with locals hunched over small plastic tables sharing food, children chasing each other through these alleyway suburbs. Swarms of motorbikes flying along the roads in organised chaos. Tourists standing on the side of the road trying to figure out the best way to cross the street, bright lights and designer stores; this is Saigon.

We had heard many stories that detailed the madness of Saigon so when we arrived it wasn’t as bad as we had anticipated. Our guesthouse owner in Can Tho had told us that the bus would stop far from the centre and that dozens of motos would try and take you there for an inflated price, but the bus company would provide free shuttles to the centre but generally don’t advertise it.
So as we watched confused tourists get off the bus and get mobbed by moto drivers we asked the bus driver where the shuttle was, and sure enough there was a mini bus waiting to the side.

We got into town and managed our first road crossing without incident, we knew from other’s experience that the only way to cross the road is to walk in a straight line at a consistent speed, so the motorbikes can predict your next step and avoid it. This works extremely well, just make sure they are looking at you, and not talking to the person behind them. We saw a few people who would hesitate or back track which caused chaos as they became unpredictable.
We found our guest house nestled in a small alleyway just off one of the main roads, hotels and noodle stands lined the alley.

Barber in the alleys of Saigon

Saigon alleyway guard dog

Just walk

We knew that with any big city the main star was the street food.
So the next day we ventured out to find the infamous “lunch lady” I had seen her on an Anthony Bourdain episode and there are many blogs that mention her, her stall has become a must do for foodies looking for what many regard as the best bowl of noodles anywhere. Every day she does a different soup, after becoming so popular her family members have opened up stalls to support her, there’s a fruit shake stall and fresh spring rolls also.
I could write on about here but lots of others already have, so to read more visit gastronomyblog.com

Lunch at "The Lunch Lady" oh my god.....these noodles oh my god....

We visited the war remnants museum which shows the horrific results of agent orange, but the museum is heavily focussed on the “Vietnamese heroes vs the American imperialist puppets”
which is a bit off-putting that such a tourist attraction in this day and age can be so filled with propaganda; it doesn’t mention much if anything about the years of war between the north and the south before the US joined in.
A more interesting visit is the reunification palace which was the home and workplace of the South Vietnamese president, and also the site of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnamese war.
There were lush meeting rooms, theatres and parlours upstairs, while downstairs there war bunkers and command centres. The place looks to be frozen in time, worth a few hours’ visit.

replica of the tanks that broke down the gates

Communications room in reunification palace

Reunification palace 

We booked a day trip to tour the Cao Dai temple and Cu Chi tunnels,
Cao Dai is a religion that was created in South Vietnam, but to be honest I can’t remember a lot about it and you would be better off checking out Wikipedia for more info on it Wikipedia
The Cu Chi tunnels are a huge network of tunnels spreading for hundreds of kilometres and gave the Viet Cong a huge advantage during the war; they even had underground kitchens with sophisticated smoke dispersion systems so they wouldn’t be seen from the air, hospitals and supply rooms.
At the park they have opened a section of the tunnels up to visitors roughly 100 metres long, which has been made wider (for the fat westerners). Even with the tunnels being wider the closed in space and the heat makes for quite the claustrophobic experience.
At the end of the park there is a shooting range where you can shoot down the range with some old war weapons ranging from handguns to the huge m60 mounted machine gun. I decided that this would be one of the only chances I would ever get to shoot the iconic AK47. Wow these things are loud, they walk you to the spot and hand you some ear muffs, the problem is that to walk there you walk past other people firing guns and without ear protection these things are scarily loud. It was a good bit of fun but at over $1 US a round it’s not cheap.

Cao Dai temple

Worshippers at the noon service

Worshippers at the noon service

Rakatatatatatata!

Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City (make sure the latter is used when speaking to police or any government official) is a great place to visit with a bit of pre-visit study online. It’s not as scary as people make it out to be.