Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City - Mui Ne- Hoi An - Hue - Hanoi

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24 to 25-12-12 : Saigon / Ho Chi Minh city

The town still kept some old architecture from the French colonialism but not much left. Saigon is now a big city and promote skyscrapper and investments. The town is divided in districts.

We embraced the atmosphere of the city during the festive period of Christmas, full of expat and tourists wondering in this busy city. Lots of motorbikes, scooters, electric bikes in the streets. There is a lot of little alleyway full of little shops, restaurants and hotels. We learned very quickly the best way to cross the road amongst the hundreds of scooters was to walk slow and steady across the road and allow the scooters to avoid you, as opposed to you trying avoid the scooters, sounds crazy but that's the way it works...

26 to 28-12-12: Mui Ne

We thought Mui Ne was a nice little fishing village but this is no more. Full of resorts and one of the rare places where Vietnameses speak Russian. You can buy any items made in crocodile there and also Nuoc Man. The smell can be overpowering at times but it is all natural ! The beaches are nice and long, good place to learn wind-surfing. It is also known for its sand dunes : white and red. Lots of agency will sell you a day package in jeep including the visit of a stream river surrounded by a limescale landscape, the view of a fishing village and the sand dunes. You can rent a quad once there but be aware that the little motors are not entirely powerful and we saw some people struggling getting on the top of a dune. You can also rent a plastic sledge but be careful with the wind and sand as it can a bit harsh on your skin... ( and butt)

29-12-12 to 02-01-13: Hoi An

The old city is protected by Unesco therefore you can witness the old Vietnam. Used to be a famous place for trading. Hoi An is full of influence from Japan, China and Europe. Also one of the best place to get a tailored suit or dress. Once you paid your ticket (valid for 3 days with 5 places to choose) to visit some historical houses, temples, you are nevertheless allowed to have a wonder in the streets. We visited a communal house, an old house from the Kong Family - also meet the 6th generation ancestor, and the Japanese bridge. It is easy to get around as some streets are car free.

The best is to take a bike and have a wonder around and also go to the beach on the other side of the town.

We spend NY having diner with our guest family and the other guests. Linh prepared some local delicacies and we had a proper Vietnamese dinner: fresh fried spring rolls, fresh shrimps, marinated grilled pork slices for starter, then for the main we had the local speciality: Cao Lau : soup made with fat white noodles. Fruits for desert with some cake.

With some other fellow we then went into town for some drinks and cheers to the New Year!

03 to 05-01-13: Hue

Also full of history, the citadel is the main attraction: destroyed by the Americans, they are now trying to rebuild part of it. But still the remains of the site and the works already done allow the visitors to understand how life in this Citadel was.

One can visit tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty and/or visit places of worship like Thien Mu Pagoda.This was home of Thich Quang Duc who burnt himself in 1963 to protest against the policies of President Ngop Dinh Diem. One can see the car used for the journey.

06 to 12-01-13: Hanoi

Seems like everything is tailored around the Hoan Kiem Lake by the Old Quarter. A bit chaotic when you want to cross a street. Your head should be able to move quickly from left to right but your legs must move slowly as it will allow the drivers to see you and avoid clash!! The streets around the market are full of stalls and shops: shoe shop, leggings, jeans, you name it ! Here you buy 10 pairs of socks not only one, otherwise they don't want to do business with you. Fake is all around so bargain and shop around first. There is a lot of little cafés and tea stalls so people can meet up and just watch life goes by...

Temperatures were around 10C and we were a bit freezing as we didn't have warm clothes with us and had difficulties buying the right clothes at the right price. Therefore our plan to go cruising in Halong Bay did not happen as the weather wasn't on our side. After couple of month of temperatures ranging from 25'C - 35'Cit was hard to be motivated at 10'C!

There is a lot of museums so one can find something to occupy is time. We also went to the movies a couple of times!



Generally we found Vietnam to be a beautiful country but we struggled to connect with the majority of Vietnamese people we encountered...

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Photos

Japanese Bridge
Hoi An