The Open Tour bus is great way to travel around Vietnam. You buy a ticket and can get on and off in just about any town in Vietnam. We’ve been taking the Open Tour from Hanoi to Saigon. The busses are like cheap versions of business class seats on a plane. They lie down fully which is great when you’re on an overnight route. Sleep is still tough however because they honk like mad here, like every 5 seconds. We arrived from our overnight journey in Huė, the capital of the Nguyen emperors of Vietnam built in 1687. The old city is a Citadel inside a Citadel inside a Citadel. The reconstruction of the sites is still underway as Huė was the site of many battles and of the bloodiest battle in 1968, Tet Offensive, and was the only city in South Vietnam to be held by the Communists for more than a few days. We had 3 days and 2 nights to explore the old city and taste the Imperial cuisine that is famous here. Royal rice cakes called Banh Khoai, were among our favorite. We stumbled on an article in a magazine about a little place in Huė and ventured out for dinner. It wasn’t the sort of place you’d just decide to pop into. It is more of a locals spot, you know, child sized plastic tables and chairs and not looking too clean. We went in anyway and had an incredibly delicious dinner and a couple of beers for next to nothing; seriously, the entire meal was barely 3 dollars! Additionally, we had the star of the restaurant, a def fellow who makes beer bottle openers out of wood and a screw. He gave us a couple as souvenirs. He was written about in the article (it was in Vietnamese and English), so we left him the article to put up in the restaurant. After walking Huė for 2 days, sweating ourselves silly and Rawson taking quite a tumble (sidewalks appear to be reserved exclusively for motorbike parking in Vietnam), we were on our way south to Hoi An.
Four nights was just enough in this charming old town famous for custom made clothes and shoes. We rented a scooter so we could maximize hopping from one tailor to the next without wasting too much time in between fittings. Oh yes, and there is also culture there. Hoi An oozes with French charm. It’s set upon the Thu Bon River and is lined with cobblestone streets and cafes with balconies overlooking the streets and river. Across the river is the mostly residential An Hoi Peninsula. We took our scooter over to get a feel of the local neighborhoods and stumbled on a little riverside café, definitely locals only. We stopped and took in the relaxing setting as well as some “what are you doing here” looks from the locals. We liked this spot so much we came back the next day at sunset.
We definitely got swept up in the moment and had a few items made. We decided to try out a few different places; one for shirts, one for shoes, one for a suit etc. That meant we were hopping around town on our scooter from tailor to tailor trying on clothes all over town. We came away from Hoi An a little heavier than we arrived, one orange duffle bag heavier.
Vietnam in late July/early August is hot, really hot. The heat and sweat has slowed us down a bit. Even the beach is too hot. We look forward to a break in the mountains of Dalat, but not before we hit the beach town on Nha Trang. Nha Trang is kind of like Vietnam’s version of LA, Santa Monica or Venice. There are multiple high rise hotels lining the beach road along with dive shops and restaurants. Sadly, the beauty of the beach is lost with the trash at the shore line. The Vietnamese haven’t quite figured out that litter comes back to haunt you. Sadly, people in the town literally dump their trash in the river flowing into the sea at Nha Trang, which of course, in turn end up littering the beach. It’s kind of a known local fact that you don’t want to swim if it has rained as the river washes all that trash right into the otherwise beautiful bay. In spite of this, it is a truly a stunning area, looking exactly like the northern California coast with rugged mountains spilling right down to the South China Sea. Off the coast there is some great diving/snorkeling. We took a snorkeling day trip to a reef nearby and saw some amazing sea life; colorful fish, scallops, sea urchin, sea cucumbers etc.
Street food was on our agenda in Nha Trang. We stopped at one plastic table and chair place and pointed to some items and waited to see what would come. We weren’t sure if it’d be cooked or not. We ended up with some local snails in the shell and what we think were Vietnamese scallops. What we learned for sure is that this mollusk has a penny sized plastic-like foot and Rawson got one stuck in her throat for several minutes. Luckily she finally coughed it up! Next street food experience was much less eventful, but possibly the best lobster we’ve ever had. Live lobster, split and grilled street-side, at plastic table and chairs of course. Now these are not normal plastic tables and chairs, they are child sized, like you are having a tea party. A trip to Nha Trang is not complete without a stop at the several famous ruins and pagodas. Over two days of HOT walks, we got to see the giant Buddha of the Long Son Pagoda and the ancient Cham temple of the Po Nagar Towers, initially constructed in the 7th century and still a revered temple in the Vietnamese and ethnic-Chinese versions of Buddhism.
On to Dalat to escape the heat! So, arriving in Dalat is like a hop across continents and cultures. The town of Dalat sits in the central highland mountains (travel more than 60km west and you are in Cambodia) which look and feel like the European Alps. The town itself was a favorite spot during the French colonial rule as can still be seen by the villas and other architecture throughout the town. The 5,000 ft altitude allows for mild weather all year, pine trees and a real alpine feel. The surrounding mountains, waterfalls and villages make this one of the most unique and beautiful geographies in Vietnam. Unfortunately (as visible in the photos) we were faced with more rain than good weather and spent our time dodging thunderstorms as much as getting to see the sites. That aside, Dalat is a truly beautiful place and one of the most comfortable (temperature-wise) places in Vietnam! On our last day we decided to brave the weather and rent a scooter to check out some nearby sites. We scooted over to the Valley of Love which is one of Vietnam’s favorite romantic spots with all of the kitch of Pigeon Forge or Lake of the Ozarks. In reality it’s quite a lovely spot, lake surrounded by pines looking very much like north Georgia. Back south through town and another 14km away is the Tiger Falls. The ride over was stunning, save the rain. We walked down a steep path to view the falls. With all of the rain the water was rather muddy, but lovely none the less. It got its name from a local legend of a ferocious tiger that lived in a nearby cave and was killed by a Chinese hunter. There is a massive ceramic tiger to commemorate the event. Very cheesy. We were sorry not to have gotten better weather in Dalat, but enjoyed it none the less and definitely recommend it as a must stop in Vietnam.
Next stop, Phan Thiet to enjoy the beach for a few days. Hopefully the hurricane out in the China Sea doesn’t hang around too long!
Hue
Hoi An
Nha Trang
Dalat
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