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Published: August 7th 2007
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The most obvious route for travelling through Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh City snakes along the east coast for most of the length of the country before heading inland to Hanoi. Though many buses a day set off on this long haul (42 hours to go straight through), a railway line mirrors the road and the Reunification Express trains running on it can chop a good 12 hours off the journey time (but you pay for it). I only wanted to go to Da Nang (about half way up the country and the jumping -off point for Hoi An), but the train-lover in me insisted on giving the bus a miss. The trip would be partly overnight, but I really couldn't see myself getting any sleep so chose a soft seat rather than paying 60% more for a sleeper berth.
The train wasn't in brilliant condition, with many of the seats either locked in the reclining position or unable to be locked in the upright position. For most of the daytime portion, I had 2 seats to myself, but the scenery was nothing spectacular.
Nightfall brought a blanket (much needed given the combination of aircon and no sun), dinner
(some greenery in water, some meat in greenery, fish, and rice), and an influx of passengers at Nha Trang so that I now had a neighbour. The guy sitting behind me decided, completely unnecessarily, to reposition my rucksack on the overhead rack. When it subsequently fell on his head, his manner indicated that he held me entirely accountable.
The train pulled into Da Nang at 5:30AM - whatever its failings, it had been quicker than the bus. The taxi ride to Hoi An included the best scenery of the whole trip - a beach with swaying palm trees and a host of early morning exercisers.
Hoi An has its roots as a major port town several hundred years ago. Though it's now a considerably more laid-back place, its past can be seen in the Chinese, Japanese, and European influences on its architecture. The core of the town is compact and filled with craft stores, and the riverside is lined with cafes that aggressively tout for business. Many visitors are attracted by the lure of cheap tailor-made clothing, and my guesthouse reminded me at tediously frequent intervals of the great prices and amazing quality awaiting me at the tailor
with which they were affiliated.
There was a certain charm to the place, in its narrow streets and colourful shops, that reminded me very much of a more pushy Louang Phabang but without the Buddhism. With the temperature cooler, several local food specialities to try out at my leisure in the waterfront restaurants, and my eyes and ears tuned out from the incessant gesturing and calling of moto drivers, I was able to enjoy the quaintness. With bicycles being the commonest mode of transport in town, conical hats visible everywhere, and street vendors moving around with that strange bouncing gait common to anyone used to carrying a yoke with 2 balancing pans at either end, this was the closest I came to the image of Vietnam I'd had in my head before entering the country.
There are various temples and merchants' houses that are open to the public, with my favourite being the Phuoc Kien Assembly Hall of the Chinese Fujian people - the monstrous incense coils burning overhead in here could occasionally deposit ash on you. I also visited My Son and Da Nang from Hoi An (in separate blog entries).
I was able to pick
up a second-hand RG for China for a mere $6, which seemed good value as only 1 page (of pictures) appeared to be missing. With China potentially only a couple of weeks away, some research was going to be needed to increase my knowledge of Yunnan from its current state of non-existence.
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ThanhHa
Thanh Ha NGO
Very nice pictures! Colourful and lively! Hopefully my next destination