Northern Vietnam (Hanoi - Sapa - Halong Bay)

---

After spending a few days in Ninh Binh it was time to move onwards and upwards to Hanoi. Leaving Ninh Binh was a much less stressful affair than it had been arriving with Hanoi only a one hour local bus ride away. On arrival in Hanoi we checked into what seemed like an OK room, unfortunately for us its seediness only became apparent after we had checked in and handed over our passports. The quilt on the top of the bed concealed the soiled inner sheets and the chewing gum all over the wall the bed was up against didn’t help either.

In a desperate attempt to escape the soiled room we set out to explore the streets of Hanoi. After getting lost and almost run over (Hanoi is totally hectic with motorbikes everywhere… even the footpaths, when in existence, are not sacred!) several times, we arrived at the surprisingly serene Hoan Kiem lake in the middle of the old quarter. After checking out the lakeside Ngoc Son temple (unfortunately for us at this point in time we are well and truly templed out) we decided it would be a good idea to check out our options for tours to Halong Bay. Following much deliberation we decided on the well regarded Kangaroo Café. Although more than we would have liked to have paid at least we knew we would get what we signed up for. Later that evening we went to a water puppetry show, which I enjoyed far more than I thought I would. Water puppetry is essentially just that, puppets in water. The show was actually surprisingly enjoyable with the puppets acting out scenes from everyday Vietnamese life.

Aside from feeling obliged to check out a bunch of temples (even the Temple of Literature, an apparent ‘must-see’, didn’t grab us) one of the weirder things we went to see was Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed body. Security was tight and apart from making sure everyone deposited their bags and cameras before entering we were all forced into walking in one single line, hands by our side through the complex. It appears that the Vietnamese public are still very fond of ‘Uncle Ho’.

To be honest, Hanoi didn’t grab us… maybe things would have been different if this was the beginning of our trip, but at this stage, we just found it too crowded and busy. With that said, it was time to move northwards to Sapa.

After much umm-ing and ahh-ing we also decided to book a tour to Sapa through Kangaroo Café. We had checked out the prices of the train tickets, hotels and trekking guides and in the end it worked out to only be a little more expensive than doing it ourselves and much more stress free. Things got off to a good start when we boarded the overnight train, only to find that the cabin was far better than many of the hotels we had been staying in. Things got even better when we checked into what is probably the best hotel we have stayed in on this trip. Not only did the room have hot water (a must for chilly Sapa), but it also came complete with electric blankets, an open wood fire and floor to ceiling views of the surrounding mountains.

For those who don’t know, Sapa is a hill station in the mountain, surrounded by a mix of ethnic minority villages and terraced rice paddies. It really is stunning and a great place to do some trekking. Our first day was primarily spent hanging out at the hotel restaurant chatting to other travellers, exploring the town and watching the fog roll through the valley. In the afternoon we even managed a short trek down through the touristy but beautiful Cat Cat Village guided by a 16 year old Hmong girl named Lala.

The following day we rose early to prepare ourselves for our 2 day trek and homestay only to find that it was absolutely pouring with rain. Hoping it would clear we set out with Lala in a rickety old jeep, to the start point of our trek. Still raining we continued on with a small following of Hmong girls in tow. The rain did eventually cease, but only after we had already been soaked to the bone and the ground we were walking on was so slippery every step was difficult to take. It was only then we realised why we had a small tribe following us, with a Hmong girl in each hand (for a small fee of course) we stepped gingerly along the slippery, steep and muddy terrain using the girls with their superior balancing skills for stability. The rain had made what was already a hard trek virtually impossible. Thank god we are young and somewhat nimble, because otherwise we could have been easily left stranded in the middle of the mountains. The pictures do not do the difficulty of the trek justice, mainly because during the most difficult parts there no way the camera could be accessed without falling head first down a muddy mountain. No complaints though, as the scenery was spectacular with terraced rice paddies, small villages and farmers working their land and livestock all against a mountainous backdrop.

We arrived finally arrived at the homestay muddy (I fell over 5 times, accidentally dragging a Hmong girl with me on one occasion), bruised and exhausted. By some miracle this small village home to Hmong and Red Dao tribes, miles away from civilization had hot water showers - an apt reward after 8 hours of slugging it out in the rain and mud. What was left of the evening was spent chatting, playing cards and drinking horrendous rice wine with Lala, a crazy Hmong girl named Mimi and some strange Dutch guy before heading off to bed in our ‘rustic’ accommodation.

Unfortunately for me the next morning I woke up with a horrible cold with nausea and raging fever to match. As a result the second day was pretty much a write off with me almost unable to walk without needing to throw up or faint. So instead of making the long trek back to Sapa (I’m not even sure it would have been possible, as it was so steep, slippery and muddy - at least when we came down we had gravity on our side, going up would have verged on impossible) we hired bikes to take us back to the jeep. Disappointing, but better than passing out in the middle of a muddy rice paddy.

That evening we caught the overnight train back to Hanoi. We were lucky enough to be sharing our cabin with a lovely older couple from Noosa. Seeing that I was very ill, the lady mothered me and gave me lots of painkillers (we left our stash back in Hanoi), which completely knocked me out, making what would have otherwise been a nightmarish train ride, much more pleasant.

Arriving bleary eyed at 5am we stumbled off the train and scoffed down a huge breakfast at a nearby fancy hotel whilst we waited for our bus to take us to Halong Bay. Several hours later upon arrival at Halong Bay we were extremely pleased we chose to spend the extra money on a reliable operator. The boat was great, with heaps of room on deck to relax and clean rooms. We were also had a good group of fellow travellers on board which is always a plus.

Halong Bay was amazing. We spent most of our 3 days there cruising through the stunning limestone karsts jutting up out of the water, and stopping of at various beaches, islands and caves along the way. Unfortunately for me, the fever I had picked up in Sapa raged on, causing me to wake up most nights in cold sweats and leaving me feeling very drained. Despite this, it really wasn’t a bad place to recover, so I can’t really complain too much.

Soon enough it was time to return to Hanoi, for one more night before our flight back to Thailand. Whilst Vietnam for me was probably my least favourite country visited on this trip (mainly due to the attitude of towards Westerners), some parts of it were just so amazing it was very much a destination worth coming to.

---

Comments

[David Ng]

Amazing Sapa Vietnam!
Hi! I think many tourists will come to visit Sapa because of your beautiful pictures of Sapa and Vietnam as well. Thank you very much for your pictures of Vietnam. If any one would like to see more Vietnam please come to visit the website: www.worldmatetravel.com www.amazinghalongbay.com David Ng Vietnam Tourguide