Hanoi, Vietnam

Asia
February 23rd 2012

Published: February 28th 2012

Well I thought it would be time for a blokes perspective on the travelling that Kristy and I have been doing so here I am. Writing or blogging about Vietnam is probably the easiest country to blog about but hey who cares..

Flying into Vietnam we were instantly gob smacked at how different Vietnam is to Thailand and the other asian countries we have visited. Military police are evident everywhere in the airport and getting through the visa requirements is a minor hassle. Vietnam is the only country on all our travels where we needed to apply for a visa before our trip and then line up for twenty minutes while the military sorted it all out. Fun!!

Getting out of the airport we were greeted by our driver from the hotel. At $28 AUD a night getting a transfer for free is awesome. Back on the $28 per night, we were probably secretly shitting ourselves that we were going to be staying in some hell hole but after a 40 minute ride from the airport we were surprised to see it was pretty normal. Don't get me wrong, having a school at the rear of the hotel is not ideal but when you think of it you shouldn't be sleeping in too much, you should be off exploring. If anyone in the future is traveling to Hanoi just a heads up that at 6.00-6.30am each morning a service announcement regarding each province is blasted over megaphones. So if you have a room next to a street or if your a light sleeper than I'm sorry but you will be getting up early. Thank god we don't have either.The rooms are pretty clean. Very small for a 9 day stay (and with Kristy's massive suitcase its a bit of a stuggle to keep on top of everything) but you get used to having limited space. I must say though the staff are extremely nice and the breakfast which is included daily is really good.

Things that we have done so far .... well alot of walking. Both Kristy and I are both tight arses so we never get taxis. When you find out though that a 15 - 20 minute taxi is only $2 well its kind of embarrasing. We were overwhelmed a little with all the traffic on the roads especially the motor bikes, even walking across the roads is a major hazard but once you master it you won't have any issues. The trick is that once you step onto the road you need to walk in one direction and walk at a steady predictable pace. Easy 😊

We did travel by local bus to a village called Bát Tràng (literally: bát is bowl and tràng is workshop) Bát Tràng is an old, well established village in the Gia Lâm district of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. It is about 13 km from central Hanoi. We had the best time at this place. We were little kids making and decorating pottery, and sifting through the 100 stalls of ceramics at unbelieveably cheap prices, we may need another suit case. Our little hotel room well it just got a little smaller.

We have also visited Hoa Lo prison (where Senator John McCain was held captive in the Vietnam war), St Joseph's Cathedral, The Opera house, The One Pillar Pagoda (temple) Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh Museum, the Army Museum and the Van Mieu (temple of literature - 1000 yrs old). So as you can see we have been way busy sight seeing and trying to absorb as much of the history and culture of this city. The high light of the above was probably the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Its a tomb like place where Ho Chi Minh is embalmed and the public can view his corpse everyday between 9am and 11am. Its kind of ironic that this man, who liberated and formed what Vietnam is today, is now embalmed and on display as his wish when he was dying was to be cremated and his ashes spread throughout the South, Centre and North of Vietnam. But you can understand why the Vietnam people have made a shrine for him as he was and is the most influential person to have lead Vietnam from oppression. Serious stuff!!

We have found several great and cheap places to eat, namely 96 Restaurant and Little Hanoi. Both these restaurants are in the old quarter of Hanoi and have awesome food. Your probably paying $2 - $3 a main dish. At the 96 restaurant, the vietnamese spring rolls are the best spring rolls we have ever eaten. Shopping in Hanoi is good also. The major brand shopping malls are just the same price as back in oz, but the rip off brands here are really cheap. Expect to pay $4 for tack suit pants, $4 for tee shirts and $12 for cool mens and ladies jackets and $20 for Kristy's rip off nikes. lol

On the 25th we were picked up for our journey to Ha Long Bay. A friend and old staff member (Lam Pham) had originally suggested we go, as his family has a tourisim business in the area. Well, as time has gone by Kristy and I have researched and looked forward to Ha Long Bay as it's just been named as one of the seven new natural wonders of the world. Can I just say that after building up our expectations we were not disappointed. My friend Lam had organised for Kristy and I to be guests on his families "junk ship" over night. I highlight junk ship because it definately is not junk at all. These boats are magnificent. Old yes, but grand in stature and as you cruise in the flat waters of Halong Bay it takes your breath away. For those not familar with Ha Long Bay its the equivalent to Australia's Ayers Rock or USA's Grand Canyon. Its enormous!! Around 2000 lime stone islands tower out of the blue/green water and with so many around its a crazy site. The meals and service on the Halong Sails #89 were second to none. The staff were so friendly, a common theme we have recieved throughout Vietnam and not the fake 'your a tourist and I'm smiling to get your dollar' friendly, this is a genuine 'I'm very interested in you' friendly. After the overnight cruise we were then taken to a restaurant about a couple of minutes from the pier. We were told that this was Lam's families restaurant. WOW! We met Lam's parents and were served an enormous feast. The highlight was the seafood hotpot (the restaurants signature dish) Double WOW!! Very friendly people and after a good three hour lunch, they informed Kristy and I that they had organised a private tour of an area that is known as Ha Long Bay on land (about a three hour drive). We were taken aback by how much they went out of their way to ensure that we enjoyed ourselves. They put us up in a hotel for the night, gave us an interpreter/tour guide and also a driver for two days. We sampled the local cusine which is goat. Awesome!! We also travelled by boat through rice paddies and took the most amazing photos. I can't thank the Pham's enough. They made our Vietnam trip even more special. For people to go out of their way for people they don't really know, well it's how the Vietnamesse do things. If you are friends of the family they will treat you as good as they can. I wish Australia was like this. Kristy and I have said that we will be definately coming back to Vietnam. To travel the WHOLE country but also because we have made some good friends.

After having so much fun and doing/seeing so many interesting things/places our time in Vietnam is about to close. We head to South Korea tomorrow, but we like Vietnam so much we will be back. Cám ơn Viet Nam!

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