Hanoi to Saigon


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Asia » Vietnam
May 20th 2008
Published: May 20th 2008
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Once Ruth and Marie had headed home (and taken the sun with them) we spent the day looking in the 'posh' area of Hanoi looking at the Temple of Literature and Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum (but not the embalmed man himself). Then it was on the Reunification Express - a 30 hour train journey linking Hanoi and what the guide books call Ho Chi Minh and everyone else calls Saigon. Fortunately we split this journey into four; stopping for a few days at Hue, Hoi An and Nha Trang along the way.

As mentioned the good weather left with Ruth and Marie but luckily that has not mattered too much as this part of Vietnam is mainly about architecture and eating! Hue was the capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945 and the home of the Emperors. Consequently it has an impressive Citadel built in 1804 and some tranquil and equally impressive tombs. Visited by dragon boat trip these tombs made a very pleasant change from the bustle and noise of Hanoi. It is also a gastronomical centre thanks to Emperor Tu Duc who expected 50 dishes to be prepared by 50 cooks for every single meal.

More eating delights awaited us down the coast at Hoi An. Here they supplement Vietnamese cuisine with their own specialities which we felt obliged to eat and even cook - as we did another cookery course. Hoi An was a trading centre back in the 17th century and is what the guidebook describes as a 'living museum' with an eclectic mix of Vietnames, Chinese, Japanese and French architecture. It is also the centre of the tailoring industry here so we took the opportunity to get some fitted clothes made up (I'm hopeful that Clare won't have to go shopping for a good few months).

There was a day trip from Hoi An to visit My Son - not a secret I have been keeping but an ancient Cham city dating from the 4th century - rediscovered by the French in the 19th century it was American bombs that did more damage than thousand of years of wear and tear.

Now in Saigon (and keen to leave) we have just picked up our Cambodian visas and will get a boat along the Mekong to Phnom Penh in the next couple of days.

One final story worth recounting - in Hoi An I had a hair cut - this seemingly mundane affair was enlivened when the barber picked up some sharp sticks and stuck them into my ears - it seems that ear cleaning is de rigeur for a hair cut in the 'Nam (see the photo).


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