Ha Tien to Mui Ne

---

---

Our Vietnamese border crossing was at the newly opened border town of Ha Tien with a final destination of the island of Phu Quoc. We left on a journey that should have taken three hours from Shinoukville but in fact took six. A lot of the stoppages were unnecessary but we did not suspect what was to come. Upon arrival at the port at 12.58 we knew the boat was supposed to depart at 1pm but as there were 30 tourists who had all booked the onward journey to the island we assumed it wouldn't be a problem. Having exchanged our bus tickets for boat tickets we hurried down to the pier only to see the gangplank raised and the boat ready to leave. Despite the protests to the crew the boat did indeed leave without us.

My friend Spike went back to the ticket office and calmly explained to the manager what had happened and asked why no one had be sent to hold the boat for us. She said it was not her job to do this and would not back down from this point. He asked her when the next boat was and she said tomorrow. I then tried a more aggressive approach only for her to come back much louder and angrier telling me that this was a communist country and as a Capitalist pig I did not understand these things. We then noticed the police had come over probably drawn by all the shouting so decided to get some lunch and let the situation cool down - we had no desire to get arrested and make the day worse! In the end we were forced to stay in Ha Tien which turned out to be the worst place I have been. Our dinner which I can only describe as watery rice and chicken spine was disgusting and after we had found a bar to have a few beers the whole town was hit by a black out and we were forced back to our hotel at 9pm. We got up early to make sure we got a place on the boat but discovered that the tourist boat was full and we would have to get the local boat. This was essentially a heavily loaded wooden tub which took twice as long as the tourist boat. After cramming ourselves into the top level with about 20 locals and 30 tourists we set off. One of the girls then checked her lonely planet which stated that 'you should only get the local boat from Ha Tien if you do not value your life.' In the end we did all make it to the island alive but even in the calm sea that we had the boat was rocking quite badly so I can imagine in rough seas there would be a definite risk of capsizing.

Phu Quoc was originally a prison island first used by the French and then by the South Vietnamese/Americans in the war. The island is currently undergoing a massive development project with new roads and hotels being built everywhere. However it does not appear to be anywhere near complete so we had to endure some pretty bad and dusty roads to get to the main beach. The development is a shame as the two hostels at the end of the beach where all the travelers stay will no longer exist in about 5 years and as a result the island will most likely be out of the price range of most travelers in terms of accommodation.

After the previous days dramas we were very happy to enjoy some nice beach time and some excellent local food and drink including a whole snapper and some huge mackerel steaks. Two of my friends left to go to Ho Chi Minh the day before Spike and I so we decided to rent some mopeds to see more of the islands. It was a great experience as we were able to visit areas of the island which were much less touristy and where the locals were fascinated to see us. In the evening we headed down to a Vietnamese night market and enjoyed fantastic local dishes for nothing as most dishes only cost a pound - naturally we all had a quite a few. We also discovered sugar cane juice which is not only delicious but very refreshing.

The next day we flew to Ho Chi Minh (HCM) city as we could not face that boat again! We all really liked HCM as it had a friendly and fun vibe to it. We visited a huge market where the battering was lots of fun and done in great spirit. On the following day our friend Reyno flew home and Spike, Tom and I headed to the Chu Chi tunnels. These tunnels extended all over South Vietnam and were how the Vietcong stayed supplied and were able to survive the American attacks and mass bombings. The tunnels extended over a 75 mile area and were equipped with living quarters, supply rooms and fighting areas. We were shown the traps the Vietcong set which normally involved hidden areas with wooden or metal stakes to cause serious leg injury. There were fighting holes for the Vietcong soldier to come out from or hide in that were so small that very few western men would have been able to fit in them. We were given the option to crawl through a portion of the tunnels which was about 120m long. At first look my mild claustrophobia kicked in and I didn't think I could do it. I asked the guide if I would fit through the tunnels and he said that they got a water buffalo through so as we were about the same size I should fit! We had an excellent guide who was full of banter and was very knowledgeable especially as he used to be an interpreter for the Americans during the war. I decided to head into the tunnels as I did not want to regret not doing it and I am really glad I did as although I almost got stuck a couple of times and I had to Commando role much of the way (for which the guide nicknamed me Rambo) I made it the whole. The experience even if it was brief definitely gave me much more respect for what the Vietnamese people had to endure in those tunnels over a number of years.

In the afternoon we went to the War Museum which I found fascinating as we could see the war from the point of view of the Vietnamese. Although much of the information was steeped in propaganda the pictures could not lie such as the horrible effect the use of Agent Orange and napalm by the Americans had on the local population and to the generation born after the war. The pictures showed many children born with terrible deformities and many with stunted growth. There was a section of the prison on Phu Quoc which showed the horrific torture and conditions that the prisoners had to endure.

The next day we left to go to the beach town of Mui Ne. This is a giant bay with filled with hotels, hostels, restaurants and bars. It seemed to be far too overdeveloped considering how few people we saw walking around. We stayed two nights and enjoyed some fantastic seafood. We were also fortunate to find seemingly the one bar on the whole strip with a lively atmosphere and lots of people. As a result we had our best night so far with lots of drinking and stupid dancing. It was a good send off for our friend Tom who headed back to Ho Chi Minh the next day to go home. However due to the volcanic ash his flight did not go and as a result he got another 2 weeks in Asia going to Pattaya and Kuala Lumpur before his company paid for him to be able to get home. 5 weeks holiday all paid for by his job sure he had no complaints!

Spike and I headed to Da Lat on the same day but that is for the next entry.

Mark

---

Photos

Photo 2
ummm chicken spine

Photo 17
Tiger cage where prisoners on Phu Quoc where kept for torture purposes