Unplanned nth-sth 2008

Ha Noi

Flying Air-asia from the Gold Coast with really cheap flights got off to a bad start with flight cancellation due to engine fault, but they chartered us a flight the next day with Malaysian Airlines and all food and drink was included plus onward travel rearranged for us as we had connecting flights to Ha Noi with Air Asia that we missed. A good result in the end thanks Air Asia

Flying into Ha Noi early September and with just a small backpack each, and nothing planned or booked till our departure from Ho Chi Minh City in 3 weeks time, we felt free! We took a taxi straight from the airport to the Handspan office in Ma May st and spent a little time with fruit smoothies aclimatising.

City map in hand, we set off to find accomodation and found the Lucky Star Hotel1 on Bat Dan St $28US/night which was good value and easy access. Using the city walk maps we set off and explored the area and included a visit to the water puppets, lake and palace while learning how to cross the roads.

Cocktails are great value in Vietnam and make for a great comparison discussion between drinks.

We booked our Halong Bay 1 night stay via Columbus travel co. in Hang Bac St. They were really helpful.
The trip out to Halong Bay is very typical with the three hour ride being broken up by a 45 minute stop at an overpriced pottery shop. Seems like every other tour was stopping there too and same stop on the way back.

On arrival at Halong Bay the harbour experience is as crazy as we were warned but when we finally made it to our junk "Pinta" it was fabulous with clean well presented rooms and private bathroom. 14 people in total and 9 staff. Our guide was very informative and all aboard enjoyed the amazing food, drinks and great company. On our taxi ride out to the boat we all noticed the live ducks sitting unknowingly in their plastic bags along with the other fresh fruit and vegetables being taken to the boat. Funny thing was at the last meal we all commented that duck must be on the menu for lunch! - but it wasn't. Lucky ducks or Lucky staff?

The boat moored in a secluded bay for the night and we all enjoyed a swim in the clean water (unlike water around the harbour). Watch out for the jellyfish!

Back to Lucky Star where we had booked our second side trip to Sapa for a 2 night (1 night homestay) plus 2 nights on train leaving that evening (US$110pp). The hotel looked after our bags while we went out for dinner to await the evening train. Our hotel arranged for a taxi to the station ($10) and made sure that the driver delivered us safely to the correct train car, a must when we saw the dramas with getting through the crowds and numerous ticket officers.

Overnight train was comfortable followed by bus trip to Sapa 1hr.

Sapa

This beautiful highland village near the Chinese border is home to the Black Homong tribe. After an afternoon trek into the surrounding villages in the drizzle (hotel hires gum boots for $1) and a walk through the local markets which is where I first saw dog heads for sale we spent the night in an old, but excellently positioned hotel (Royal Hotel; we had an excellent view of Mt Fasipan from our balcony) all meals were included and the food was delicious.

Next morning met new guide Zar at 9.30 for walk via Lao Cha to Ta Van village with 4 other people. Zar took us up steep slopes over a pinnacle so that we could see into 2 valleys. Very steep and slippery. 69 year old Hmong lady was helping me down the slippery slopes which made me feel rather inadequate. Often walking along a small beam of mud wall between rice paddies some of our group had falls into the paddy. The views were spectacular, and although the local women regularly haggle to sell their goods, it was great to talk with them as we walked.

Mai's homestay was 3 double rooms and upstairs with many mattress on floor. We had double room with simple mattress cover and mosquito net. We had Headaches in the morning.Helping out with meal preparations and cleaning during our homestay was a highlight and the evening meal was a feast for all, although there were a few sore heads in the morning from far too many drinking games! Mot, hai, ba yo!

The following days walk was tough for those who over indulged but the clean air helped to clear heads. The walk to the next villige took us through a bamboo forest and we exited at a Waterfall overlooking the valley. While Zar cooked lunch we walked across the creek into very secluded village further along track. At our final stop we were picked up by a jeep for our trip back to Sapa.
Walking with the paid guide and other women who will single you out and offer you a helping hand along the steeper sections, is the only way these women learn to speak other languages and possibly become paid guides in the future.

Even though we weren't able to buy much, a small amount goes a long way here. I only wish I had brought some medical supplies (bandages etc) that I could have left for the village hospital as it has very little in the way of resources.

Royal Hotel gave us a room to have shower and change plus gave us lunch which was included in our trip price. Waited till 6pm for bus to take us back to train station. Train left at 9pm.

We shared our sleeper with two lovely Vietnamese ladies. This train trip we found it a little harder to sleep as the men in the cabin next door were very loud, but it is only a little sleep lost which we would catch up later. Train arrived at Hanoi at 7am. Took taxi back to Handspan 4 breakfast and picked up plane tickets for Hue from Columbus travel and he arranged taxi to airport for $11us.

As with anywhere in Vietnam, if you don't know where you are staying the bus drivers will automatically take you to where they will get a tip for getting you there. This is not a problem if you know what price you want to pay and what district you want to be in. Not all great deals are in the travel guides.

Hue

The citadel in Hue is a great place to experience the size of these historical fortresses and it's historical links to the new Vietnam are insightful.
From Hue we took the one day trip to the DMZ. Not good. the bus trip is long and tiresome and much of what you see is impressions of the past as the areas have grown over or are to far away to really make much of an impression. The Vinh Moc tunnels were the only part of the trip that was worthwhile and consists of 1.7 km of tunnels with 10 entrances this maze goes from beach to fields. The tunnels are at 12, 15 and 23 metres deep. An amazing area and well maintained these tunnels really help you to understand the strength and resilience of the local people.

From Hue we caught a sleeper bus to Hoi An. Bus sleeps 40 people. Two layers. 4 hours includes 40 minute stop for food and wc. This is a great way to travel with soft sleeper configuration and since our bus did not have a toilet on board (heard to avoid this) the trip was both comfortable and scenic. A genuine character at the half way bus stop was a young boy who collects coins and notes. Ingenious way to make money and his collection was vast. think about keeping some of your home currency on hand if your heading this route.

Hoi An

We found a great little place in Hoi An old city (Thanh Binh 3- 98 Ba Trieu St) 3 nights for just $22US/night incl great breakfast and then hired a motor bike from drinks man across the street and made our way up to My Son (2 hours each way) for the day. It was a great way to get out and see the country side and the traffic is nowhere near as hectic. The Champ ruins at My Son very interesting but it is a shame they were so badly bombed during the war. It is 60,000 VND entry fee and you can ride bike right up to the gates (don't be fooled by the last parking signs about 800mtrs before hand. lovely old man will charge you a small fee to park the bike right at the gate.Stopping to buy an icecream along the way was a great amusement to the locals with children running from everywhere to see what we bought and hear us speak.

Plenty to do and see in the old city and had a great meal at Miss Lys cafe, after having trouble finding it on previous nights (it is on Nhuyen Hue st between Phan Chu and Tran Phu Sts).

We also had our first massage at a small massage place on Cua Dai St on our way back from the beach. Great and cheap! It is important to order tailor made clothes early, as we wanted to have more made when we saw what a great job they did and since it takes about 24 -48 hours for final product with a fitting in between we were there at the last minute before our taxi took us to Danang 240,000VND for the 35min drive to the airport and the driver was a good guide pointing out sights etc along the way. It was easy to book internal flights from our accomodation the day before we wanted to fly and Denang to Nha Trang was $66US pp.

Nha Trang

From the airport you catch a bus to old airport, $4US. From here the taxi's try to rip you off as it is not far to town or our La Suisse hotel which was the first we checked out. It was good at only $17US/night inc breakfast. Unfortunately the town was a big disappointment. Since we did not want to stay out on the islands (weren't looking for a beach holiday) our usual walk around the area left us thinking too dirty and seedy and not much to keep us interested. The Rugby was on that night so we headed to Bar OZ in Tran Quang Khai St to watch the game. Here we caught up with some other aussies we had met briefly in Sapa and found out that they had had a harrowing time on their drive back from Sapa to Ha Noi when their hired driver and car drove off the road and killed a local woman.

That said, we still decided to hire a English speaking guide and car and head to Dalat via the highland villages. We hired a driver and car for 2 days to take us from Nha Trang to Buon Ma Thuot staying overnight at Dray Sap (accom included) in bungalow at the Virgin Waterfalls. Met Peter (London) and his Easy Rider Guide at drinks and after dinner our guide played guitar and Peter and Germans joined us for drinks. Rice wine started to flow.

We saw coffee plantations, brick factories, pepper trees, and eat at road side stalls. A real chance to get amongst the people! Day 2 took us via Dray Sap waterfall (largest in Vietnam) to Lak Lake for an elephant ride through the lake and then on to Dalat ($220US total). The only drawback was our driver was still learning how to use the gears in his car. It was hard to stay in the back seat and not offer to drive.

Dalat

Our accomodation, Dreams 1 was fantastic. Dalat was so much cooler and the people do not hassle you to buy. This was a nice break for a change. It is really pretty area to walk around the lake and shopping is fun in the markets. the bike tours are really wonderful and the riders will help you anywhere with directions or advice. We decided to fly to HCMC (440,000VND each) as there was still so much to do!

HCMC

On arrival we set ourselves up in the backpackers area (Giant Dragon Hotel $20US night-average) within easy reach of the Ben Thaih markets. While Ian visited the Chu Chi tunnels I spent the day at the Venus Salon & Spa. While this place is out of town, they do have a free pick up service and the place is beautiful and safe. Fantastic 3 hours of pampering for only $50US.

A trip to the war museum is a must even though it is very disturbing and the Reunification Palace is really interesting so make sure you take the free tour. These are in walking distance from hotel and both of these help you to keep perspective of what the Vietnamese people have indured through hundreds of years of war and yet they remain such a warm and gentle people.

We included a day trip to the Mekong which was interesting but very commercialised and like lots of places in Vietnam the bus trip there and back was long (2 hours to boat where the trip starts). We are really glad we went though, as you cannot imagine the density of the palms along the waters edge, or the hardships the people face living in such a wet and fertile area. We also got to taste all sorts of native fruits including the fruit of the water coconut (water palm), coconut toffees and rice paper chips.

Good restaurants included Lemon Grass, Temple Bar (cook your own seafood on your bbq in middle of your table), Chis cafe in one of the alleys in the backpackers area.

By now we were used to the traffic and just to prove it Ian tested saying that only in Vietnam could you lie down on the road and the traffic would go around you by stepping into the oncoming traffic for a photo

Return flight from HCMC to Kuala Lumpur and then flight to Gold Coast the next day with Air Asia went without a hitch. I think Air Asia is a great discount airline and their specials mean we will be able to travel more often. Our Gold Coast-KL-HaNoi, HCMC-KL-Gold Coast flights were only $600 each return including all fees and taxes.

Overall

The food through out Vietnam was amazing. To top it off we decided to do a cooking class in HCMC which included a trip with the chef through the food markets. Every and anything is sold (mostly still live) and the smells of the markets are overwhelming but fun!

We learnt to make tofu, clay pot pork, spring rolls and banana desert. Neither of us have ever cooked so well.
Shopping is a mixed bag. there are lots of bargains but we found many items to be of poor quality. good time to stock up on copy underwear and bags.

Street corners are a

Cooking class

great place for a cold beer and investing in the local economy. Have some fun and learn to toast Mot, hai, ba yo The last word is yo in the north but changes to 'go' or 'zo' in the south.

Distances can be misleading. Seeing just a small part of the country in 3 weeks requires long drives and hectic schedules.

Total cost for the 3 weeks in Australian dollars was $6000 for both of us. This included all flights, accommodation, spending money, travel insurance etc.

With so many people, places, sights, tastes and smells to remember, Vietnam was a great holiday destination!

Beer outside of Pho 2000

Traffic obstacle
they really will go around you even if you step into the traffic

Halong Bay
getting to the boat is the hard part

English lessons

help at hand

Vinh Moc tunnels

Black pepper trees

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