Wonderful Vietnam travelling

Ok, fine, this is a long story! But Vietnam is a long, amazing, absorbing country and we could not do justice to our trip there without putting it all down for ourselves. Bear with us, read this (there are lots of photos to sweeten the pill...), then…. Go there on holiday!


Rolf and I came here to meet Erik and Diana after our trip to Laos (see previous blog….)

Hanoi

Oh my word.... what a shock!! From the peaceful city of Luang Prabang in Laos to the exceptionally busy, noisy streets of 1000-year-old Hanoi; from a city of about 100 000 to a city of about 8 million with its associated noise and traffic; from a city where the dominating colour was the orange of monks’ robes to one where the colour is the red and yellow of the thousands of flags and banners! The experience of Hanoi was almost unbelievable.

Hanoi is situated on the banks of the Red River but the river plays only a small role in the tourists' stay there. Much of the tourists’ enjoyment comes from the Old Town area, which is found to the north of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Old Town Hanoi has kept the original street layout and architecture: 36 streets, each one named according to the merchants specialising there.... hence Shoe Street, Jewellery Street, etc. A foray into old town is absolutely fascinating, revealing so much industry crammed into every available space… placed up against bare walls or squashed into exceptionally tiny stores of dilapidated structures or on the ground floor of beautiful (although often unkempt) classical Vietnamese and old French buildings; these are interspersed with occasional striking entrances to Chinese temples and alternate with a huge range of local eating houses and restaurants as well as several clubs and bars.

There is endless fascination in watching the local people going about their business, many of their old ways still very evident; classic pictures of tiny Vietnamese people in their conical hats abound, hawking their wares on bicycles or carried in two bamboo baskets at the ends of a pole over their shoulders (these are VERY heavy!)

But the first thing that hits you (well, hopefully not literally!) is the traffic. There are apparently about 6 million motorbikes in Hanoi. It is not clear whether there are any road traffic regulations at all: they (probably) drive on the right hand side of the road, as most people seem to do this, most of the time, but there is a catch: when the huge multi-lane streets are totally congested the motorbikes also drive on the pavements / sidewalks.. en masse! The only clear rule seems to be: "hoot". Hoot all the time, everywhere. Let them know you are there; tell them you have seen them; tell them you are coming / turning /stopping.... do it all by hooting. It is a cacophony. The traffic is frenetic, noisy, chaotic, lawless.... but it is also pragmatic and allows others to get where they need to go too. Of course, together with the scooters are the many cars, cyclos (rickshaw-type bicycles) and trucks as well as hawkers plying their trade from their bicycles or shoulders. The bicycle-hawkers could sometimes not be seen for the amount of product carried on their bikes; sometimes the product itself is the point of interest… like a huge pink pig, suitably trussed and lying horizontally across the pillion seat.

The rule for you, the pedestrian needing to cross the road? Tally ho! Walk. Do not look at the driver about to land on top of you as he will then believe you have seen him and that you will therefore give way for him. So walk and stride confidently forward.... they will make way for you. Well, with heart in mouth, that is just what we did. It is not easy or fun or a happy experience. And we must confess to more dodging than the above rule would imply was necessary, but we succeeded.... and were always grateful (and laughing… a touch of hysteria!?) when reaching the other side.

We need to talk about the weather, a topic generally to be avoided. Unless it is remarkable. Well, we forayed into our travelling areas armed with the knowledge that the winter average high/low in Hanoi was supposed to be 19/14 degrees Centigrade. Hence we equipped ourselves with essentially warm weather clothes for the areas further south and a stock of warmer layers for the colder north... brought-from-the-boat-in-the-tropics thermal underwear, beenie and gloves. Ha! Hanoi was beset by “a cold snap” so…. Irene bought several jackets and scarves; Rolf bought gloves and appropriated Irene's scarves, then bought his own scarf (very dapper, our skipper is becoming….). Erik and Di bought jackets, scarves, gloves, beenies.... Hanoi's warm-clothes sellers, both at shops and the mobile street hawkers like below, had a bonus year with the tourists (and the locals) in January 2011!

Thus cocooned, we thoroughly enjoyed our Hanoi experience of street-walking and cyclo-touring along with visits to the Temple of Literature and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum. Getting to grips with Vietnam’s history is challenging as only some parts are presented to you, depending where you are at the time. However, you come away with a sense of horror at what the populace has endured, an empathy with the Viet people and above all a deep respect and admiration for them now as being generally warm and friendly and not dwelling on the past. It is very evident, particularly in North Vietnam, how beloved Ho Chi Minh was, and still is, and his humanity and empathy with his people.

Not joining the hundreds of locals eating on tiny plastic chairs on the pavement around their small fires, squashed between the retail and the motorbikes, we ventured into smaller local café/ restaurants, an experience that is always interesting what with interpreting the menu (variations on a theme in the English translations always amusing, as also trying to understand WHAT the dish is) to deciding whether what was received actually reflects the order, to understanding the staff…. In one case, after a 30 minute wait, we were told in no uncertain terms that “there is problem, your food is not coming”; our puzzled expressions at this bit of news became even more puzzled as another staff member materialised behind the first, bearing beautifully plated food (...hope it was ours!)

Hanoi is a great place to visit, both for the huge sensory impact it offers and also as a base to set off for Sapa and to Halong Bay. So tourists get here and set about arranging trips to these destinations, often armed with the following bits of information:

1. Go to Sinh Café travel agent (we had heard this from others, and several Lonely Planet guides recommend it.)
2. Beware of being scammed by travel agents.
HA! Re point 1: There must be at least 50 Sinh Cafes travel agents in Hanoi, Old Town (tourist trawling route). There is a strategy amongst travel agents/tour offices and amongst restaurants in Hanoi: get the newest Lonely Planet / Frommers / Trip Advisor and see who they recommend. Immediately re-name your shop accordingly, and support this with a banner that proclaims “As recommended by …etc” or “This is the one GENUINELY recommended by….etc”. Refer to point 2 now… what chance do you have, really, in getting what you paid for!?

Happily, the hotel in which we were staying provided trip-arranging services and they never went wrong (although we were seldom given tickets, an alarming practice that caused some anxiety as we were dropped off in the dark at odd railway stations and found ourselves stumbling across the railway tracks wondering which ancient coach was ours and what sort of trip this next one was to be….!)

Sapa

From Hanoi, we set off on a local overnight sleeper train for Sapa; booked a “soft-berth, four-sleeper”... and were delighted to actually get it, as tales of people finding themselves in the “6-berth, hard bed” option abound. In the latter, you sleep on woven steel slats about a foot below your neighbour; our “luxury” option had narrow mattresses and 2 fewer bunks… However, it is still a train in a 3rd world country, where the definition of luxury would surprise many. But surrounded by our carry-on snacks and Laos rice wine we were fortified for the fun experience of shared close accommodations and rocking Asian train toilet facilities, some eminently avoidable even when at a station…!

Sapa is a magnificent mountainous area far north, near the China border, where we (almost froze to death in the 2 degrees and yet) enjoyed treks to the villages of the local Hmong ethnic communities. Many of the beautiful views of this area were hidden from us due to the heavy fog (or "frogs" as our Hmong lady guide described it) but as we trekked lower down we were able to see the incredible terraced rice fields at the sides of mountains sometimes so steep that the rice paddies were merely 2m wide.

We loved being amongst the ethnic villagers in their traditional clothing (regular daily wear, not just for tourists, it seems), learning from them of their way of life and observing old farming practices (grain crushing with rotating stones and water-powered hammers), seeing their interaction with their animals, with water buffaloes as domestic pets (Irene somewhat surprised on a narrow path on a steep hill as she felt an unexpected nudge from behind… she decided to be prudent and give the buffalo right-of-way); we were delighted that we had hired the recommended gum boots from the hotel (although unsure why, at the time) and enjoyed the strength and support of the tiny Hmong guide-women as we slipped our way down the incredibly steep slopes in the mud (sheer drop-offs protected by side-rails? Don’t be ridiculous!) … they deserved every dong they earned from us when we bought some of their crafts as souvenirs!

Nonetheless, one still engages in the bargaining game, negotiating upwards from 50% of their original offer. We have proved to be very bad at this game, and the goods are so cheap anyway…. At US$1 to 20 000 Vietnam Dong (VND) however, your brain is always on the go making conversions. Strangely, Rolf and I convert everything to Thai Baht these days! Home?

Halong Bay

The Sapa stay was followed by (a sleeper train return to Hanoi then bus trip to Halong and) an overnight cruise on a junk-type boat in Halong Bay, in what the Vietnamese call the East Sea and we knew as the South China Sea.

What a beautiful area! Similar to the geography of Phang-Nga Bay in Thailand, Halong Bay has a greater density of giant sheer limestone rock islands jutting up out of the sea (the Thais would describe as “same same… but different”) … and much greater density of tourist traffic on overnight boats of many sorts: but no private yachts as Vietnam is not geared to handling that type of tourism.

Two great days were spent enjoying the natural spectacle from the junk and kayaks (Erik and Irene skillfully and gracefully steering their vessel above…) and we were taken on trips to spectacular caves and fascinating floating fishing villages.

Tiny but exceptionally strong local ladies are very skilled at poling tourists around in their basket-type boats … and getting us out of the mud when the tide was too low. We were delighted not to be skipper and crew of the junk when it also got stuck in the mud and enjoyed the very robust approach taken by the skippers with their boats!

Hoi An

Arriving late in this town we wandered mostly empty streets trying to find a bite to eat, ending up in a tiny-plastic-chair-on-pavement scenario. The classic Vietnamese dish of noodle soup (Pho, pronounced her with an F!) from a mobile stall that had disappeared in the morning warmed us and the next morning our first stop was retail…. a trip to the tailors. They did good business with our little party… but we came away happy too!

Hoi An: an old-world town, UNESCO World Heritage Site of quaint buildings mostly beautifully restored, this was an important port trading mostly with China and Japan, and the influences on the buildings can be seen, along with those of the French occupation too. This is a small town, fun to walk and cycle, with interesting nooks and crannies in its many winding roads and alleys and a range of opportunity to meander the streets and eat, view the history and shop.

A chartered longtail (motorised sampan) ride down the Thu Bon River showed us life on the river, with many fishing boats with their painted eyes (a Buddhist practice) and took us to wood carving and boat building villages.

Across Vietnam huge (and small) marble carvings are seen and many originate from the village at the base of the Marble Mountains near Hoi An which are the source of the stone. The mountains are interlaced with fascinating ancient caves, some of which are Buddhist sanctuaries and contain beautiful shrines.

Never judge by appearances: an old lady (wizened, bowed, skinny, with betel-stained red teeth) firmly took over and indicated that we needed a guide and she would be it, notwithstanding the fact that we had no language in common. She scampered ahead of us up all the steep paths within the caves, demonstrated procedure at the shrines… and proved a capable photographer, determinedly arranging our positions appropriately for both their and the site’s best display!

We left this central area of Vietnam on a train, to travel south to Ho Chi Minh City, a trip that gave us an afternoon of sight-seeing and a night’s accommodation. Again on the “luxury” option, this time it was even more grimy and subserviced and less “luxurious” than before, but at least we did have something which might be called mattresses, and there were only the four of us in our cabin. We were glad of the silk sleeping bags bought in Hanoi in preparation for just such circumstances. A young Dane next door, convinced that he had been scammed and that this could not possibly be the “soft-berth, four-sleeper” option he had paid for, was surprised to hear our assurances of the integrity of his tour agent.

What a wonderful way to travel! A fascinating countryside passed by our window: small villages or clusters of homes alternating with emerald-green patchwork paddy fields, farmers in long loose clothing and conical hats tending their fields, natural woods, rivers and canals. We enjoyed the enterprising cart that occasionally came around to sell beers and watched the plethora of hawkers at the sidings and stops as their only chance for business that day pulled in. We watched the backpackers and local train travellers hopping on and off at the stops… and were interested to see the “hot-bed” practice in operation, where the new passengers getting on the train are treated to the departing passengers’ bedding….

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

This city was visited primarily to see significant sites of Vietnam’s history, but we enjoyed our short stay here for observations of life on the Saigon River and streets too, and crossing roads proved only slightly easier than in Hanoi. Spot the pedestrians making their way away from the Ben Thanh Market on the pedestrian crossing below… spot the concern on the faces of the drivers…!

Trips to historical sites in Saigon were sobering, terribly sad, maddening and enlightening. The War Remnants Museum provides a thorough, albeit awfully graphic at times, presentation of the wars involving the French colonialists and subsequently the Americans (emphasising the atrocities of the latter although giving the side of the USA too... although not in this poster below). In fact it became clear that the news and ‘fact’ that had been routinely delivered to western listeners did little to reflect the role of the USA in and the complexities of the situation underlying the Vietnam / American conflict.

A trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels (at the southern end of the Ho Chi Minh trail) gives an amazing picture of the resolve of the Vietnamese in fighting their war. Irene and Erik, the least claustrophobic of the four of us, braved these tiny, pitch-black tunnels, crawling on our knees and finding it unimaginable that people could live their lives, hold meetings, hide ... and fight a war in here.

Journey on the Mekong River to Cambodia

At each stage still nervous of being scammed, we nevertheless set off on a trip from Saigon (HCM City) in Vietnam to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Our trip involved a couple of hours by bus (which broke down after the first 30 minutes… a bad moment! However, this was fairly soon remedied and there were no further mishaps of this nature); then a river boat; then a stop at a river-side rice alcohol plant and then a floating fruit/vegetable market (item for sale tied at the top of a pole rigged on the boat); then another boat up a watercourse - which unfortunately had dried into an un-navigable mud channel due to some combination of tide and current; then onto bicycles when the boat could not proceed any further because of the mud; to another boat to an overnight floating hotel (quite the worst cesspit we have ever endured – own silk sleeping bags and sarongs essential to avoid infection and infestation!), which gave us wonderful dawn sights of life at this river-side village, Chau Doc.

Another river boat carried us to a river side border post between Vietnam and Cambodia after which we had our final boat ride to Phnom Penh and some forms of wheeled transport to our hotel…. All this instead of a 90 minute flight from Saigon to Phnom Penh: what a wonderful, enjoyable experience and great way to travel!

What is not to love about travelling in this country? It was a treat and privilege to have experienced some small part of Vietnam …. Now for Cambodia! (Blog to follow….)