Relaxing times in the ancient cities of Hue and Hoian in Central Vietnam (8.-12.10.08)

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The night train from Nin Binh to Hue was a nice experience except that Yuki caught a cold from the air condition. The carriage walls were all made of wood and the bergs had clean sheets and pillows. We had the compartment for ourselves and it was a nice feeling to ride along the endless rice fields from the North to the Central areas. We were looking forward to the Hue and Hoian since it belonged to the former South Vietnamese region of the country. Several people had told us of the differences between North- and South Vietnam and we wanted to experience it by ourselves. We immediately liked the wide and well kept roads of Hue. The appearance was more pleasant and less scrubby than in the North. Happily we settled down in a good hotel and had a good lunch.

The food quality actually varies wildly in Vietnam. Spring rolls are well known, but what else? Of course the famous noodle soup Pho, but then it becomes tricky. We had dry bland fish, meat just chopped into pieces and almost absent seasoning or spices. Later on restaurant in Hoian turned out to be cullinarial high light of or Vietnam trip, but beside this we had many disappointments. One exception fresh made spring rolls were always good. Coffee is one of the best in the world. It comes with a brewing device on the top and the fresh coffee is slowly pouring in the cup below. It is also one of the strongest in the world!

The temple town of Hue was quickly discovered on motorbike. We visited the major compound that was a combination of a living and burial place next to each other. The style remembers much on Chinese architecture, but the combination of hills, gardens and surrounding walls is better arranged. We enjoyed to walk around and to discover the courtyards and hills with ascending terraces.

Hoian is just three ours South of Hue. It is famous for its old several century old trade town and was not destroyed during the Vietnam war. Both sides spared it from bombing and fighting while at nearby China beach was the major recreation area of the American soldiers. We had some very relaxing days with walks along the old town lanes, good food at our favorite Laugh Coffee restaurant just opposite the hotel and a bicycle excursion to the next beach. We bumped at one evening into a lounge bar on the other side of the river with nice views on the front lane of the city harbor. It turned out to be owned by three young Austrian business men who looked for challenges in Vietnam. They did not like the bustle of traffic polluted Saigon and found here an escape place. We talked to one of the owners. It turned out that clever ideas are not enough and to gain popularity takes time. As in Laos staff is also not an easy topic with employing more people as needed to make up for some inefficiencies. The lounge bar and restaurant had the staggering amount of 34 staff people. His next project in planning was a small resort at the picture perfect beach and we exchanged experiences from Laos and Vietnam. We hope to visit Hoian and the Lounge again to see how the story continued and to discover more of the sites outside of town. It is worth to spend a week alone in Hoian.

Vietnam is the most booming country after China with an annual GDP growth of around 9-10% and progress is fast. We could see this especially in the South with construction almost everywhere and new upscale shops while the North seemed to be tamer with some designated development areas. One result of free competition are domestic low budget flights with the Australian owned budget airline Jet Star. Offices are almost everywhere and booking is easy. We decided to try it and took a flight to the industrial center of Vietnam ?Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Still called Saigon by almost everybody than party officials.

Practicalities:

Hotel 25-30 US$
Motorbike 6 US$/day
Fresh draft Beer 5000 Dong
Vietnam Coffee 6000 Dong
Meal 2 Person 100.000 - 150.000 Dong
Flight Hoian-Saigon63 US$

Exchange rate: 1 Euro = 22.000 Dong

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