Central Viet Nam - Hue, Hoi An, Nha Chang, Dalat

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 7^th 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

North Vietnam - Hanoi-Halong-Sapa

North Vietnam: Hanoi – Halong Bay - Sapa

Apparently the 3 month, multi-entry visas we arranged at the Vietnamese embassy back in San Francisco are not that common at the Hanoi airport immigration department. We were at the front of the passport line after getting off the plane (hustling to the front of the line has become part of our routine). However, after watching the immigration agent inspect her passport for about 5 minutes, Rawson was surprised when the agent stood up, walked out of the booth and asked her to follow him. Dragging her cohort husband along they followed the agent to another counter and were told to wait there. 30 minutes later the agent came back and put us back in the original line with no explanation whatsoever, stamped us through, and off we went to baggage claim. 30 minutes later, and an empty carousel we still had no bags. We were a bit nervous but finally they came through, last two lonely bags; How that happens when you only had a 45 minute layover in Hong Kong, who knows?! LIFO anyone? But thankfully, arrive they did! And we’re off to Hanoi! Charlie’s friend from growing up in STL, Adam S. has lived in Hanoi for the past 8 years, unbelievably lucky for us as Adam has acted as a sort of personal travel agent extraordinaire pulling out all the stops in treating us to his connections with EVERYTHING. None of his suggestions/connections has yet to disappoint. First stop, Horison Hotel Hanoi. Adam hooked us up in the 5 star hotel on the executive club level for two nights at a great rate, wink wink. It was a very comfortable entry into Vietnam to say the least. We met up with Adam the following day for lunch and to catch up on his Vietnamese adventures. He’s had quite an exciting few years here working for an NGO. Adam has been… generous doesn’t quite cover it, with helping make our trip over the top.

Hanoi is a charming city of about 3.5 million which is laced with lovely lakes and topped with willows and twinkling lights….. and lots of honking…. LOTS! The French influence is apparent and makes Hanoi look like an impressionist painting with conical hats and long black pony tails. It’s just charming. One afternoon we met up with Adam for a Vietnamese custom, Bia Hoi. That’s draught beer, but they make it daily, include no pasteurization and serve it fresh at cafes along the streets of Hanoi where the men (usually only men) sit at little plastic tables and tiny plastic chairs or stools. We liked this custom very much, even in 90 degree heat. Oh, did we mention that it’s HOT in Hanoi? After Happy Hour we headed out to a recommended restaurant, Highway 4, in the old quarter. Vietnamese charm abounds at this 3 story classic. Charlie took one look at the menu and knew he’d be eating bugs tonight, locusts specifically. He says they are tasty but Rawson was afraid that the Larium (malaria meds) might play funny tricks on her dreams if she ate big bugs for dinner, so she passed in favor of fresh spring rolls which are always a safe bet. Ordering bugs for dinner does invite conversation, however, and we were fast friends with the table next to us who was an assorted group from the UK and Canada. We joined their table and shared our bugs and then we all made our way out on the town together. A little later out than we had planned, but a great time hanging with fellow travelers.

The next morning, a little foggier than planned, led us to our next Adam adventure, Halong Bay, which is on the northeast cost of Vietnam. Listed as a World Heritage site in 2008, Halong Bay is wonder of the world with its protruding limestone formations. There are seemingly thousands of them. The ancient, accompanying legend is that a giant dragon came charging down from the mountains, his massive tail swinging wildly, tearing up the ground. As he dove into the China Sea, the water sprayed up, filling in all the trenches the dragon’s tail had dug. Legend has it, the dragon is still occasionally seen, giving Halong Bay its own Loc Ness monster of sorts. We stayed at yet another amazing hotel, feeling almost guilty, for 2 nights before boarding the Bhaya Cruise ship #3 for a birthday extravaganza. Yes Rawson is officially almost 40. Cruising Halong Bay is the way to see everything up close and personal. We arrived on board to welcome cocktails and at once felt like we were in Agatha Christy’s “Death on the Nile”. The ship is a classic junk/steam ship design exquisitely done in replica of the royal ship owed by the last Vietnamese king. We were in the best suite they had to offer with a rain-fall shower and our own private deck overlooking the bow. Not bad Adam! Following an elaborate lunch buffet we anchored near the floating villages of Halong and each pair of guests climbed aboard a little row boat like deal (think Venice, but boats are literally tarred baskets), to be rowed through the limestone cliffs by one of the villagers. Our “rower??” seemed to be intent to be out in front, which afforded us awesome views/pictures without other boats in the view. Back on board we took in the sunset and got acquainted with our fellow shipmates. Saturday we celebrated Rawson’s birthday in style. After breakfast we visited Surprise Cave where during the American War, as it’s called here, hundreds of Vietnamese took refuge from the bombing. We had an adventurous trip back to Hanoi aboard a locals-only bus driven by a mad man who was passing on every curve and blowing the horn the entire way. Our options being terror or humor, we managed to laugh the entire way. The driver seemed to take particular amusement from the bumps that, sitting in the last row, sent our heads almost to the ceiling. We arrived back in Hanoi along with the rain from the tropical storm of the day and took cover back at the Italian restaurant where we’d met Adam the first day. They had free WiFi and a nice rosė, so we were all set. We waited out the storm and managed to make our way to the train station for our overnight journey to Sapa in the mountains of northwest Vietnam.

Although the overnight train was not the best train experience on record, traveling by train is always a cool experience in that it feels so old school to us Americans. Arriving in Lao Cai (end of the northwest train line) you are only 5 km from the Chinese border. An hour and half bus ride later, we arrived in Sapa and checked into a hotel to get some rest. Luckily for us, the first day we arrived it rained incessantly, so we felt no guilt for lazing away our first day in Sapa. We got up on a first full day there to low clouds, but with scatterings of blue sky peaking through. The best way to describe the weather/surroundings is a line the hills of San Francisco without the city. Patches of fog creep over and around the hills giving occasional stunning vistas out on the valleys and the peaks jutting skyward. Fansipan peak is a 2-3 day hike out from Sapa and it the ceiling of Indochina at 3148 meters (around 10k ft). Sapa itself sits at 1650 meters (about the same as Denver), so for us lowlanders, it’s a bit of a challenge on those first days of hiking! The town of Sapa itself is rustic and charming. Filled with French influenced architecture and cuisine (though not the best we’ve had), the town is filled to the brim with tourists and ethnic minority folks hawking their wares on the street. Although it can be a bit overwhelming with all the Hill Tribe ethnic minorities (the Black Hmong, Flower Hmong and Red Zao (Dao) and Zay peoples) chasing you up and down the street trying to sell their handcrafts, after being here a week, Rawson and Charlie have become less interesting to them, and we are pretty much left alone. To those of you interested in coming here, a simple “no thank you” will get them to give up. OK, maybe it takes saying it a few dozen times, but they are kind and smiling in their efforts and, as it is exclusively the women doing the selling (and it sure looks like all the work in general!), it carries none of the aggressive/intimidation factor you get in Morocco.

Our first day out on the trails, we wondered around the Cat Cat village and around Sapa itself on our own. The trails are all roads or very well marked, so doing this solo is no challenge (less the steepness of the hills; like we said, just like SF!). On our second day out, we arranged for a local guide to get more of the experience of “roads less traveled” and to learn all we could about the region and its’ people. Our guide, Khanh, was a wonderful kid of 22. We arranged to go on treks with him independent of the hotel almost every other day after that; better that he get the $$ himself. Khahn and his new bride, Tuhee (pronounced twee) are from a village about 100km from here in between Sapa and Hanoi. Khahn has been a guide for about 3 years and so speaks a little bit of the locals’ languages. The ethnic minorities all learn Vietnamese in school (those who attend), but speak their own languages as well. Interestingly, the hill tribe people only immigrated to Vietnam around 200 years ago from China, Thailand and Laos. We haven’t been able to get a real straight answer on why, so who knows.

We spent our days hiking through the various valleys and seeing tons of different villages; Lau Chai (Hmong), Ta Van (Zay), Giang Tachai (Zao), Matra (Hmong), and Taphin (Hmong and Dao/Zao). The weather in this area is quite cold in the winter we’re told, with snow settling on the tops of the peaks but never sticking down in the villages. During our stay, we got a little bit of everything, rain coming in sideways, fog as thick as July in San Francisco, blazing sun with humidity to match St Louis or Savannah in July and that perfect in between when the rain has stopped, the weather cools a bit and the sun just sneaks out enough to blaze bright on the majestic green of the hills, rice fields and bamboo forests. One evening Khanh and Tuhee invited us to their home for a hot pot dinner and some local rice wine. Another great local experience. All in all, we couldn’t have asked for a better week in the home of these lovely and interesting people. So, off to the train station tonight to catch a ride back to Hanoi. We’ve one day rest in Hanoi before hitting the road again, this time by bus, for the central coastal region of Vietnam.

Cheers to all and be well!