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Published: December 26th 2010
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There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.
Aldous Huxley
Good Morning Vietnam
Until I came to Asia visiting Vietnam was not top of my list but once I decided to take the opportunity to see a bit more of this fascinating continent the more Vietnam appealed to me. I did my research and rather than fall into the trap of trying to see everything and dashing around not really appreciating anything, I chose instead to base myself in Hanoi, slow down the pace and just take a few trips out and about; and I am so glad I did.
After a disastrous journey which took 26 hours instead of 6, due to high winds in Beijing and fog in Hanoi……….I finally found myself ensconced in a cute little hotel right in the old quarter and fell in love with the energy and buzz and the colour of local life. This area is just brimming with people going about their life, pretty much in their traditional way, and tourists are very welcome but it’s not Disneyland. The streets here are crazy; whereas the car is king
of Beijing, in Hanoi it is the motorbike, the transport of choice for everything and everyone – some friends competed to see who could spot the most unusual item being transported by motorbike – whole families (regularly), a coffin, a fridge, a huge sheet of plate glass, a selection of Buddha statues topped by a moose head with horns – and their guide said his best was a baby water buffalo! It is worth looking up from the streets, at the risk of getting run over, at the architecture. The French influence is still very strong and there is an air of faded colonial grandeur about a lot of the buldings.
I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed my solo exploring and it’s true that you meet so many people when you travel alone. I had hardly ordered my first beer when the American couple at the next table struck up conversation and we ended up hanging out together over the next few days before they moved on to another town. I had delightful conversations with French, Singaporian, Australian, Dutch, Canadian and Vietnamese fellow travellers. in the shared sleeping compartment of the overnight train, on the top deck of
the ‘Chinese junk’, on the bus, in the ‘pho’ café, trekking across the Sapa valley – the people absolutely made the trip. The Vietnamese are very friendly and especially love Americans and the $USD – strange? / or not? The country is incredibly young – over 60% are under 30, whereas everywhere else you hear about the problem of an ageing population. Maybe this is why there seems to be little bitterness about the war, the young people are just not that interested, they want to grab the new opportunities and the country’s economy is booming.
My first excursion was to the incredibly beautiful and atmospheric Halong Bay, with its endless bays and rocky vistas shrouded in mist. If you want to taste the flavour watch the French, Catherine Deneuve film, ‘Indochine’, which was filmed there, and which they showed while I was staying on the boat – beat that! We sailed slowly between the rocks and caves and floating villages, kayaked into smaller bays, visited with the wild monkeys on Cat Ba island, and rolled our own spring rolls on deck – magical. Plus the cabin and en-suite shower were unexpectedly 5*, very glam!
I then spent
a couple of days back in Hanoi so I could explore the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Min’s mausoleum and the Museum of Ethnology, where I saw a performance of the famous water puppets. The best bit was getting lost wandering around the old town, Lonely Planet in hand, and discover its hidden charms. There is much to see from the live bullfrogs on sale for dinner, to a whole street selling Christmas decorations, another selling silks and sewing goods, and another just selling items made of tin – in fact each street in this quarter is named for its different trade. I tried lots of local food especially ‘pho’ which is the Vietnamese staple noodle dish and the ‘bia hoi’ (local beer), all of it incredibly cheap. You find you are a millionaire in local currency but it was hard to spend more than 100,000 dong on dinner – about $5 or £3.75.
My other major plan was to go trekking in Sapa but I kept hearing dire warnings about cold and mud and nearly changed my mind, as I was not really equipped, having expected more spring like weather. I gave in and bought a (fake) North
Face jacket and risked it – good decision - the rain stopped, the sun came through and although it was chilly it was wonderful. We started with the night train and seeing the sun rise as we drove higher and higher in to Sapa town itself. Then over 2 days we trekked alongside rice paddies, hills & valleys, rivers & waterfalls. Our Guide was a very sweet young girl, Xuan, who talked non stop about the traditional culture of the different tribes who happily share this region, especially the H’mong and the Red Dzao Just 20 years old she was already married with an 8 month son and lived 20km walk from the hotel so have to come by motor bike on the off chance there would be a trek for her to lead, for the princely sum of 80,000 dong per day ( $4). She even sang for us as she walked! More often than not we were accompanied by a clutch of the tribal women in full native dress (and wellies), baskets on their backs. They would ask your name, weave a good luck talisman from plants and leaves, offer a helping hand along the path – and
Sapa ladies
spot the odd one out then move in for the kill when you arrived. “Buy something from me” was the regular refrain in a plaintive sing-song and of course you hadn’t the heart to resist when they had been so persistent. So the best tactic was to simply choose one and only buy from her; for just a few ‘dong’, which meant a lot more to them than it did to us, you could buy beautiful, hand-made, embroidered goods.
My final day back in Hanoi culminated in an amazing evening I did not expect. A VSO volunteer couple I had met on training back in UK last year were on placement in Hanoi, found out I was there and contacted me at the hotel. They were leaving their placement the next day! We met up for a local delicacy of ‘cha ca’ (fried fish), a classical concert at the baroque French Opera House (with an incredible 16 year old pianist) and then one expensive cocktail at the old colonial style Sofitel Hotel, twinkling with a million white fairy lights for Christmas!! A good ending to a wonderful holiday experience.
Then back to the rude awakening of zero temperatures in Beijing, still wearing my
flip-flops. But of course you are used to those temperatures now aren’t you!
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