Vietnam: Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An & Ho Chi Min City

---

It turns out that I am indestructible. Or at least as close as any mortal can get. Miraculously, I survived 29 hours of hell incarnate in the form of a coach bus. A coach bus designed to a scale sufficient for small Asian people (aka Eastern Hobbits). Alright, admittedly postulating that all Asians are considerably smaller than their Western counterparts is an unfair stereotype. The Laotian man who was crammed into the seat beside me was of large enough proportions for me to be reasonably sure he played center on his high school basketball team. In fact, he was too large to sleep comfortably (in an upright sitting position) in his chair, and so he was forced to repeatedly attempt to use my chair, and in turn my shoulder, as a pillow. After several failed attempts he finally got the message, via charades, that if he attempted to use me as a head rest one more time I was going to give him the longest and deepest sleep he had ever had, or would ever have again.

Fast forward to sometime the next afternoon, slowing only to mention my 4 hour delay at the border waiting for it to open @ 7 AM... not a lot of fun. I find myself in Vietnam near my destination of Hue. Note that I said near my destination. Our bus driver has stopped approximately 14 km outside of the city on a remote and desolate stretch of highway populated only by intense heat and some rather too conveniently placed taxi drivers. Our driver informs us that the bus will not be taking us into the actual city, and that we should pay the taxi drivers (whom I am sure he has no connection to whatsoever) to drive us the rest of the way. Having become necessarily savvy in the arena of travel scams (due to past experiences) I remind our driver that our ticket says our final destination is in the actual city, not 14 km short of the limits, and along with Ian and a group of 10 British chaps we refuse to get off the bus. The standoff is tense, but short lived. Seeing that there is no way for him and his cronies to overpower and remove all of us from the bus, the driver relents and takes us into the actual city. He promptly drops us off at another random point, again populated by opportunistic taxi drivers, and takes off down the road, continuing his quest of eliciting as much money as possible from any and all foreigners he may come across. Having no desire to spend any amount of money on further transportation, Ian and I pick a direction and trek forward, burdened under the weight of our backpacks and the heat of the high afternoon soon.

After an hour of walking/sweating, and some help from the Vietnamese equivalent of the Good Samaritan, we find a nice and modestly priced hotel, crank on the air conditioning and proceed to sleep off the nightmare that was entry by bus into Vietnam. We spend a total of 3 days in the city of Hue, and despite its lack of flash and pizazz it is actually an enjoyable city to wander around exploring. Highlights of our time in the city include visiting the Vietnamese Citadel ruins, wandering around rather aimlessly and watching some tolerable movies on HBO. All in all, not too bad.

The next stop on our tour of Vietnam is Da Nang. If you think you know anything about Da Nang, you are one of three things:

1) A business man involved in the ocean faring cargo freight trade;
2) A resident of Da Nang; or
3) A liar

I should mention at this point that Ian and I are flying rather blind in Vietnam. My travel book has sections on Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, but nothing on Vietnam. Now at this point you are probably thinking snide comments along the lines of "Hey Dan, have you heard of this new thing called the Internet? It has all kinds of neat information on it." However, my rebuttal to this is simply that it is simply too hot for foresight and/or insight. Anyways, long story short... there is nothing to do in Da Nang. Upon actually getting into the city and checking out the new fad that is the Internet, I find that my sentiment is echoed throughout the online travel community. So, Ian and I spend two night in the city not getting anything accomplished except for blind wandering and dirt cheap drinking. At least it is not a total loss. At this point we move on to an area just outside the limits of Da Nang, and area known as Marble Mountain or China Beach. We heard of this area from a couple of Ian's rugby friends, and we find the actual area by walking 14 km from our hotel. Literally. I am certain of the distance because we took a taxi back. The next day we take another taxi to Marble Mountain and discover that like Da Nang, there is not a whole lot going on. Essentially, Marble Mountain (as the name suggests) is a mountain/marble quarry, and the town consists of marble shops. Oh, and one or two "restaurants". At this point we are starting to think that investing time and energy researching future destinations might be to our advantage. The one redeeming fact of Marble Mountain was that it was about 30 seconds away from a rather nice beach. When the overcast weather broke Ian and I were sure to make the most of the mile upon mile of empty pristine beach.

After two days at Marble Mountain we decide to move on to the city of Hoi An, having somehow managed to resist the advice of the locals that we should each buy a several hundred pound marble statue before our departure to another city. Upon arriving in Hoi An we see that our luck has taken a decided change for the better. Hoi An has apparently seen a tourist before and as such, it is set up to accommodate the needs/desires of the demographic. The actual city of Hoi An is packed with tailor shops, open air restaurants, bicycle rental stalls and bars. Highlights of our time in the town include eating delicious Coa Lau Ga (a noodle and chicken dish which cost about $1 and sustained me for around 5 days straight) and enjoying $0.25 draught beer at a rate which surely shocked the locals serving it. Perhaps even more importantly, Hoi An is home to two amazing beaches which can be reached via a 3 km bicycle ride. The sand was white, the water was blue, and the surf was 5-7 feet high, making for excellent body surfing. When we departed Hoi An, we had been there for 6 days and were somewhat loath to leave; however, Ho Chi Min City was calling and our plane ticket was already booked.

After a painless 1 hour flight we arrived in Ho Chi Min City. Ah, the miracle of plane travel. Well actually it was painless except for the screaming child seated directly in front of Ian and me, but I will leave that tale for Ian to tell. Ho Chi Min City, formally known as Saigon, is home to approximately 8 million people, and 4 million motor bikes. Needless to say, the traffic here was a different type of chaos than anything I had ever experienced before. The trick was to simply step out into the stream of oncoming motorbikes, maintain a semblance of confidence, and take purposeful yet careful steps forward, making sure to keep your attention pointed upstream as it were. Miraculously, the wave of motor madness would sweep around you (sometimes by inches), like fast flowing water rushing past a rock outcropping. The highlight of my time in Ho Chi Min City was definitely visiting the War Museum and the Chu Chu tunnels. They both served as a sobering reminder of the horrible past whose yoke this country is just beginning to shake free from. The resentment towards America and its involvement in the war is more than palpable still, and both the museum and the tunnels served the effect of grossly reinforcing this notion. Thank god for simple, peace loving Canadians.

As the 10th of August arrives, my time in Vietnam comes to an end. While my initial foray into the country was less than what I had hoped for, the latter half of my time here more than made up for the slow start. Upon reflection, even the low points were still part of an amazing experience. As I leave the country I am left with a desire to return at some point in the future, armed with experience and knowledge I did not possess upon my arrival, and more fully experience all that this country has to offer. All in all, another amazing adventure. Next stop Phon Phem, Cambodia. Should be a hell of a time; although, I can now begin to see the storm clouds of reality building on the horizon... 16 days left.

---

Photos

Yeah!!!!
Me in Hue testing both my leaping abilities and Ian's reaction time.

Cao Lau Ga
This is a chicken, noodle and vegetable dish that I ate in Hoi An exclusively for five days along with $0.25 draft beer.

Public or Private Beach?
This is a public beach in Hoi An. Apparently locals prefer to avoid the sun so Ian and I had a private beach everyday until around 5 PM.

The Citadel
View of the Citadel in Hue from the central square.

They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
One of the rental bikes that took me around the city of Hoi An everyday for the nominal charge of $1.

AK-47
Don't worry Mom. There aren't any chickens or cows between my cross-hairs. Actually, there isn't even any ammo in the gun.

River View
This is a picture of the river which runs throughout the town of Hoi An. It looks nice, but I am sure that the brown waters of the Red Deer River are still cleaner.

The Citadel II
Another building, which is also part of the Citadel complex.

Moto-Madness
A glimpse into the insanity that is traffic in Ho Chi Min City.

Trouble x 2
Overall, a nice ride. It's more spacious than my Isuzu, plus it has 13 inch thick armor and a gun turret big enough to blow up a building.

Me, Ian & Some Guy
Apparently it is equally as funny in Vietnam as it is in Canada to ruin someone else's photograph.

Mmmm, Noodles.
Proof that I eat things other than hamburgers.