HUE VIETNAM

CRAWLING FROM THE WRECKAGE 

The CItadel, Hue

There are no visible scars remaining from the torturous history of Hue, at least in the new city on the south side of the Perfume River. The central Vietnamese city of Hue was the capital of the country until 1945 and on the north side of the Perfume is the Citadel with thick walls surrounded by moats fed by the river. Within the fortress’ massive walls are the Imperial Palace and within that is the Purple Forbidden City where only the ruling emperors resided.

Because of the propaganda value of capturing this historically important city a coordinated surprise attack by the North Vietnamese (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) now called the Tet Offensive led to fierce urban fighting on both sides of the river.

South of the Perfume River, Hue was leveled in the fighting but has since been rebuilt. The southern portion of Hue is now an urban landscape of hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and bars that has a youthful vibrancy and over our two days in Hue as part of our three-week tour of Vietnam we walked streets closed off for pedestrian traffic for raucous pub crawls, had Salt Coffee and joined countless other Vietnamese getting in an early morning jaunt along the river before the day heated up.

pockmarked walls, the Citadel

The Citadel today is a very popular tourist draw for locals and foreigners. Chinese nationals like to come to Hue in period dress because the Forbidden City was fashioned after the Forbidden City in Beijing and tours of the complex offer views of a world that once was prominent in Vietnamese culture. 

The Citadel is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it was decimated during the Tet Offensive. Though there was an effort by the Americans to avoid targeting historical buildings in the Citadel, as the month-long battle progressed and casualties mounted, more and more buildings in this massive complex were shelled. Of the 160 significant buildings in the Citadel, only 10 survived the battle.

Gaining its UNESCO designation in 1993, the complex is being rebuilt, though some of the walls are still pockmarked by bullets.  We had a sobering tour of the Citadel and the Imperial City, especially when we passed a meager monument commemorating the victims of the Hue massacre.  

THIEN MU PAGODA

Inside the Imperial City, Hue

The tallest pagoda in Vietnam survived the war without damage. About 5km from the Citadel on a hill on the north bank of the Perfume River, the Thien Mu Pagoda towers 7 stories. First erected in the early 1600s one can stroll the grounds and lovely gardens and read about Thien Mu’s history.

There is also a sobering display of the automobile that transported the Buddhist Monk Thich Quang Duc to his death by self-immolation in Saigon. He and others who followed him later were protesting the persecution of Buddhists by the Catholic South Vietnamese government of Ngo Dinh Diem. Discrimination against Buddhists by the government led to a massacre of 9 Buddhists in 1963 and Duc’s ultimate protest. Photographs of his suicide stunned the world and later that year a U.S. led coup toppled the Diem government.

Yeah, you can’t ignore the history of Vietnam. Reminders are everywhere of the carnage that the country suffered for decades under the French and subsequent wars. The past is there, but throughout our trip to Vietnam we could see how the relieved Vietnamese are crawling out of the detritus of their history.

Thanks for reading.

Love, Janet and greg

© 2024 by Gregory Dunaj

 

HALONG BAY

HOW LONG? TAKE YOUR TIME  

Halong Bay view from Sung Sot Cave

We went on a 20-day tour of Vietnam and saw much of the country, from Hanoi to Hue to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). It was a comfortable pace and not a frenetic sprint through the beautiful country. The distance between the capital to Saigon is over 1,000 miles and to try and cram it in over a shorter time span would be difficult. There’s much to see in Vietnam and the tour group that we traveled with, Overseas Adventure Travel, basically broke up our travels into three sections: the north, the middle and the south, taking nearly a week in all three locales.

That’s the way to do it….except HALONG BAY

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

In my humble opinion, we could have spent more time at Halong Bay. Many of the members of our tour group readily agreed.

Visiting the bay is a popular tourist destination and there are several outfits offering day, overnight and multiple night trips along the 600 square miles of Halong Bay.

After a 100-mile bus ride from Hanoi we boarded a traditional Vietnamese Junk and plied the waters of Halong Bay for an overnight trip. There are nearly 2,000 islands and islets in the bay that rise dramatically from the emerald-green waters. These soaring karsts are the result of dissolving limestone bedrock over millennia leaving behind these dramatic monoliths, all topped with vegetation. The tallest karst island towers 1,300 feet above the water. Halong Bay’s karst islands are the most famous example of this process, and it has earned the bay a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. Found on the islands are sinkholes, streams, springs and caves. On some of the islands, lakes have formed as a result of the sinkholes.

Halong Bay is on the Gulf of Tonkin (where the “American War” began), and near the Chinese border. its name translates to "Descending Dragon" and in Vietnamese lore a mother dragon and her children helped defeat an attack of the country in the Eastern Sea (South China Sea). Enemies were incinerated with fire and emeralds shot out from the mouths of these protective critters further bludgeoned the enemy. The emeralds became the islands of Halong Bay.

There were once several floating villages on the bay with the locals fishing and farming for mollusks. There is a large pearl farm on the mainland, which we visited. The government moved the villagers inland, in part because of UNESCO regulations and to offer better health care and education. The villages are still there, but only for the locals to maintain their fish and shrimp farms that are eventually sold to market, and as a sightseeing destination for tourists. The inhabitants need to return to the mainland overnight.

SURPRISE

Near the end of our first afternoon at Halong Bay we took a tender to Sung Sot (Surprise) cave. It is the largest limestone cave in the bay and has stunning stalactites and stalagmites, grottos and fascinating rock formations. There are two chambers. The first is smaller, but then opens to a massive cavern. There is a footpath throughout and water pools in areas. Many of the rock formations are lit by colored lights and animals like turtles and horses were pointed out. Janet was particularly intrigued by the phallic rock formation that was bathed in pink lights.

from the deck of our Junk

It can get crowded, but Mai, our OAT tour guide timed our visit near the end of the day to avoid the crowds. The hike up the steep steps was worth it and the views of the bay were spectacular.

HALE AND HEARTY

We remained on our Junk the rest of our visit to Halong Bay. The rooms were air-conditioned and comfortable and the crew served us very good meals. We anchored at night and watched the shimmering lights of other boats dance on the gentle waters of the bay.

a night scene on Halong Bay

In the morning with the Junk nestled in amongst stoic karst mountains the captain conducted a Tai Chi class. It was an incredible, beautiful experience and had us yearning to remain.

Thanks for reading!

Love Janet and greg

Surprise! at Sung Sot Cave

© 2024 by Gregory Dunaj

COFFEE IN VIETNAM

A NECESSITY

Egg Coffee, Hanoi

To say we are coffee snobs is an understatement. We have Diamond Head Roast from Lion Coffee shipped in from Oahu monthly. When we travel, we like to visit coffee plantations.

Janet is comatose without her daily cup, and I’ve given up trying to move her along first thing in the morning. Personally, I have drunk so much coffee in my life I’m practically immune to the effects of caffeine. I’ve been known to drink a cup of coffee at night and then go to sleep.

Part of the joy in traveling is drinking coffee like the locals, whether it’s a strong bitter Italian espresso standing at a café bar, or a Barriquito while relaxing at a Tenerife seaside café. At home we have a milk frothing device and a chorreador from Costa Rica and a cold drip glass contraption. We can roast our own beans. Of course we have a French Press…please.

LION COFFEE, HONOLULU

HISTORY

Vietnam is the world’s largest exporter of Robusta coffee and the second largest producer of coffee in the entire world after Brazil. The first Arabica coffee plants were brought to the country by French missionaries in the mid-1800s and thrived in the warm humid climate. At the turn of the century the Robusta coffee bean was introduced and in the central Highlands coffee became a cash crop and spurred a thriving industry, especially after the Doi Moi reforms began in 1986 and the Communists allowed private enterprise coffee.   

JITTERY?

a phin hard at work

But enough of history! The Vietnamese love their coffee as much as we do, and it is impossible to get a bad cup anywhere. The most popular way of drinking the elixir of the gods is Cà phê sua dá, or Iced Milk Coffee, which doesn’t sound any different than what we get at home. It is in the preparation though that makes this Vietnamese ambrosia stand apart.

PHIN ME

Each cup is individually brewed with a Vietnamese Phin drip filter that sits atop a glass with condensed milk. Ground Robusta coffee is put in the Phin, pressed down to compact it and then hot water poured in and allowed to drip slowly creating a strong brew. The ratio of coffee to condensed milk is personal to taste. Add ice! On a hot day this is quite refreshing. It’s great even without condensed milk, or without ice.

SPECIALTY COFFEE

Cà phê sua dá is used as the base for specialty coffees, and nearly every town we visited during our recent trip to Vietnam had their own twist on this very very necessary divine nectar. Here’s a list of the coffees we tried.

Hanoi:

Egg Coffee –

Invented by the bartender at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel in the mid-40s. Fresh milk was scarce then, but he discovered that whipped egg yolks created a delicate froth that combined well with condensed milk and coffee. The concoction was a hit, and he left the hotel to open Café Giang that is now run by his son.

The egg yolks need to be thoroughly beaten and are “cooked” by the hot coffee reducing any food concerns.

Coconut Coffee -

Coconut coffee

Brain freeze! This indulgent drink combines strong Vietnamese coffee with coconut milk and a splash of condensed milk to make this a tropical flavor that you will gulp down on a hot afternoon (we did). Topped with toasted coconut shavings! Oh my.

Hue

Salt Coffee -

This is very popular in Hue, the former capital of Vietnam. At first this strong coffee combined with condensed milk and topped by a salted cream seemed like an odd combination, but on a hot sweaty afternoon in Hue it was surprisingly refreshing.

Salt coffee, Hue

Hoi An

Durian Coffee -

a Durian

In this UNESCO heritage city, the city of lanterns, we had coffee mixed with the notorious Durian fruit. Durian has a strong, noxious smell, but combined with coffee was okay.

Nha Trang

Flan coffee-

Flan coffee,
Nha Trang

Across the street from the Em Oi Hotel, where we stayed while visiting the very touristed town of Nha Trang is the Café Here. It was here we had Flan coffee which is literally a flan floated atop a creamy strong coffee. Vietnamese flan differs from Mexican in its firmer denser consistency but makes a surprisingly wonderful coffee!

Black Iced coffee at the Birdwatching Café  

A stop during our tour of Nha Trang, a popular resort with Russian and Chinese tourists, was the Birdwatching Café. No more than an empty lot where men would come with their pet birds and hang the cages so the birds could chatter as they had a coffee.

Black coffee at the
Birdwatching Cafe

We were offered coffee with or without condensed milk, over ice. I chose black.

THE REAL SHIT

Dalat

The Asian Palm Civet is like a weasel, and it shits out coffee beans. Back during the colonial times coffee became a cash crop for the French and the Vietnamese working the farms were not allowed to drink the profits. These workers discovered partially digested coffee beans in the poop of the civet. Rinsing them off and preparing them the workers found the coffee was better than beans taken directly from the plant. Turns out the civet has a very discerning palate and will only eat the ripest coffee cherries. Unripe beans or even beans from a sick tree will not be touched.

The actual coffee bean is in the middle of the cherry. As the beans pass through the digestive tract they are partially fermented and altering the taste.

Weasel shit coffee

Shit-faced?

The coffee is rich and smooth, but only if you can get beyond thinking about the processing of the bean. Collecting weasel poop is labor intensive and the cost reflects this. We visited the Ca phe chon in the central highlands near Dalat to see their 5-acre organic farm with 150 captive civets in massive enclosures to witness the first step in this coffee adventure. We then got to sample the end product with our own phin.

The people of Vietnam have been known to eat Civets and poaching is a problem. There is also a process of fermenting the beans without the use of civet’s GI tract, mimicking closely the flavor.

I bought a small bag of coffee from Ca Phe Chon Dalat to bring home. It was the most expensive item I purchased in my entire trip to the country.

CA PHE CHON DALAT

Time for a coffee break.

Thanks for reading.

Love Janet and greg

© 2024 by Gregory Dunaj

WHAT WE DID WITH OUR DONG IN HANOI

TOP ATTRACTIONS IN THE CAPITAL

Hanoi proved to be a great first stop in Vietnam. Prior to traveling there, at least for this hack, Vietnam still evoked ominous memories of the war, but now, after  traveling from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, I feel her people are simply trying to get on with their lives, making ends meet and catering to a growing tourism industry. History is still a part of Hanoi though, and several attractions reference the struggle, but there is so much more to Hanoi. Thankfully many are free or are very cheap.

We arrived in Hanoi in time for their Reunification Day, April 30^th, the anniversary of the final fall of Saigon in 1975, but apart from appropriately festive displays of the Vietnamese flag hanging everywhere, from lampposts and buildings and stores, people were enjoying a 5-day holiday. There were no thunderous Communist rallies trumpeting their glorious win nearly 50 years ago.

A FISTFUL OF DONG 

Everything is cheap in Vietnam. Currently one Dong will cost you $00.000039 USD. That translates to a Bia Hoi or draft beer costing about 10,000 VND or less than $.50. Bia Hoi is a draft beer made daily and served by any number of street vendors or restaurants in the Old Quarter along or near Ta Hien Street, aka Beer Street. Other popular beers in Hanoi are 333, Tiger, Hanoi Bia and Saigon, but be prepared to spend 40,000 VND in a restaurant for them. Do the math, it’s still cheap. Your Dong or VND will go a long way in Vietnam. The difficulty is keeping track of the zeros on the paper money.  

WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?

Speaking of zeros, in Vietnam there’s a lot of them. Standard amounts offered for withdrawals at an ATM are around 1 to 2 MILLION VND. The bills come out in 500,000 notes, which equals to less than $20 USD.

So, there’s not really a worry about spending a lot of money, is there? Our 5-star hotel in the French Quarter, the appropriately named May De Ville Trendy Hotel, was clean and comfortable with a free, expansive breakfast and cost less than $75.00 per night. While there we also got massages that together cost us 450,000 VND. That rubbed me the right way.

Still, there’s plenty to do and see for free. Here’s a quick listing of what we experienced in Hanoi.

HOAN KIEM LAKE

Hoan Kiem Lake

Perhaps the most popular activity for locals and tourists alike is Hoan Kiem Lake, a quiet place in the middle of a busy Hanoi city. Edged by both the historical French and Old Quarters, the lake offers a peaceful escape. On weekends the surrounding streets are closed off to vehicular traffic and people enjoy the quiet. Families and tourists flock here and in the early morning before the weather heats up, it is a popular place for runners. In fact, the whole area is filled with people exercising, or doing line dancing, or ballroom dancing or something called laughing yoga. One morning, around 6 a.m., your hearty and hale travelers ventured out and immersed and sweated with the locals who gleefully embraced our appearance.

You don’t have to exercise, but a visit to the lake is worth a visit. There is a tree lined walking path and plenty of cafes. It is a chance to experience Hanoi culture for free.

At the north end of Hoan Kiem Lake there is the Ngoc Son Buddhist Temple situated on an island. There is a nominal fee to cross over the red Huc Bridge (The Morning Sunlight Bridge) to visit the temple. Women need to have their shoulders covered and wraps are provided for no charge.

On a small island at the southern end of the lake is the Turtle Tower, a small pagoda. According to legend the holy Hoan Kiem turtle gave Le Loi, a Vietnamese rebel leader, a magical sword that gave him the power to gather his troops to fight against the Ming dynasty and defeat them. After his success he returned the sword to the Hoan Kiem turtle. There is a statue of Le Loi across the street from the lake.

Old Quarter and French Quarter

Exploring the chaotic Old Quarter or the comparatively sedate French Quarter costs nothing, except for the street food and beers you buy along the way. The Old Quarter consists of 36 streets north of Hoan Kiem Lake. Several of these streets specialize in certain crafts, as in Ta Hien Street, where there are plenty of restaurants and beer and food vendors. Some of the savory dishes waiting for you to try are spring rolls, Pho, a traditional Vietnamese soup, or Banh Mi, a Vietnamese sandwich in a baguette.

Other crafts found in the Old Quarter include Hang Bac Street, specializing in gold and silver jewelry, and Hang Bong Street, where quilts and blankets are sold.

The streets of the French Quarter in Hanoi are wider, with plenty of 5-star hotels, like ours, the May De Ville Trendy Hotel, expensive restaurants and coffee shops. Many buildings in the quarter are from the French Colonial period and many are painted a butter-yellow, or more precisely an Imperial yellow. Meant to symbolize royalty and superiority reflecting the power of France throughout Indochina.

Presidential Palace Hanoi

Several buildings of note that are painted in this regal yellow are the Hanoi Opera House, the Presidential Palace and fittingly the notorious Ha Lao Prison that was built in the 1896. Now called the Maison Centrale and a tourist attraction brimming with propaganda the prison was dubbed the Hanoi Hilton by the American POWs who were held there.

The late Senator John McCain was shot down while on a mission in 1967 and was a POW at the Hilton until 1973. There is a memorial to McCain on a somewhat busy road that skirts West Lake where he was shot down. Our tour bus stopped so we could pay our respects. JOHN McCAIN MEMORIAL HANOI

The costs of the other venues mentioned earlier are much cheaper. The Presidential Palace is on the grounds of the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, both of which have a separate entry cost for foreigners (approximately 40,000 VND). Ticket costs for the Opera vary depending on the show and the Maison Centrale is 30,000 VND.

NOT EVERYTHING IS FREE 

It’s sad to say that you will need to loosen your grip on your Dong at some point in your visit to Hanoi. Here are a couple of things we did that did cost us some of our hard-earned Dong:

The Women’s Museum, 36 Ly Thuong Kiet – cost: 30,000 VND

Houses a collection of artifacts, traditional clothing, tools and crafts focusing on the woman’s role in Vietnamese society. Especially riveting was the display about women combatants during the “American War”.

Rose Kitchen cooking class ROSE KITCHEN HANOI - cost $45.00 USD pp

We took this delightful class our first full day in Hanoi. A van picks you up at the hotel and gathers other participants before stopping at a local market to help buy the ingredients. The cooking instructor/chef gave us VND and told us what to ask for in Vietnamese thereby throwing us right into the culture. At the kitchen we learned how to make banana flower salad, spring rolls and Pho. It was a wonderful way to start our trip.

Water Puppet Theater – 57B Pr. Dinh Tien Hoang – cost: $5.00 USD

This traditional artform was started over 1,000 years ago in the Red River Delta and depicts different aspects of Vietnamese village life. The whimsical scenes depicted include fishing, unicorns, and a kid riding his water buffalo. The Thang Long Water Puppet Theater is not far from Hoan Kiem Lake, but as part of our tour group we attended a show at the puppeteer’s home in a small theater and got to see his craftsmanship in creating the puppets up close.

Railroad Street

You don’t need to book a tour to see this oddly perverse tourist attraction. One can simply show up to the tracks that pass within inches of area establishments and watch massive trains fill the narrow route, but we chose to go with an add-on tour with our Tour company, Overseas Adventure Travel. For $70.00 pp we rode around Hanoi on Soviet-era refurbished motorcycles that were driven by students hired for this excursion. We drove through both quarters, passed Uncle Ho’s resting place, caromed along dirt roads in the forests on the outskirts of Hanoi and barreled crazily through dark alleyways before stopping at a café on Railroad Street.

Railroad Street Hanoi

After the reunification of the country Vietnam decided to reunite both halves by building a railroad connecting the two. The tracks go right through neighborhoods and the trains pass within inches of patrons willing to sit right at the edge. We had heard of Railroad Street before we arrived in Vietnam, and it was a number one priority for us. Going on the tour made it easier. All we had to was place a drink order…and not stretch out our legs when the train approached.

Dinner was included with this tour package.

The train is not just a gimmick and one can ride the rails from Hanoi south. Here’s the website to book your passage.

TRAIN TICKETS VIETNAM

Hanoi was a pleasant surprise. My listing is just a very small list of activities available. Here’s a list of attractions in the city:

HANOI ATTRACTIONS 

Thanks for reading,

Love Janet and greg

© 2024 by Gregory Dunaj

THE PEOPLE OF VIETNAM

A WAY OF LIFE

Perhaps the oceans of time that separates them from the “American War” has faded their memory. The median population of Vietnam is roughly 33 years old, born after the war; too young to know better? Perhaps it is the thread of Buddhism that is Vietnam’s prevalent religion that gives them a serenity of living in the present and forgiving the past and not pining for an indeterminate future? Or perhaps it really is just this American, yours truly, oversimplifying a complicated past?

We here at VFH Central came away from our recent trip to Vietnam with a greater appreciation of her people. Whatever trepidations we had flying in were dispelled by the end of our trip. Thinking there would be corners of hatred or disillusionment with America with having abandoned the war in 1973, were not apparent. It is difficult to hate for that long.

Instead, everywhere we went we were greeted with smiling faces and a devout appreciation of our presence. Afterall, the Vietnam War was a fight for reunification of North and South Vietnam, a country bifurcated by history with the colonialist French and the threat of Communism. By just visiting Vietnam meant we accepted them as a people and not as a historical footnote.

Well, since Doi Moi (renovation) was rolled out in 1986 as a means of boosting a withered economy struggling with wars and the vagaries of Communism, Vietnam has adopted a market-based economy, and the country has excelled. One might even say, Communism doesn’t work, but whatever.

Personally, I have heard that Americans focus too much on the war and not the growth of her people and the beauty of the country. The people we met throughout our Vietnamese travels were just trying to make ends meet, many with smiling faces and showing an interest in us and honored that we were visiting their country. With some, the past is there, you can feel the slight edge in remembrances, but we genuinely ran into a lot more people who were happy.

We met a Hanoi business man in the elevator of our Saigon hotel who beamed at us surprised we had traveled all the way from the United States. Two little girls approached us while we strolled through a market, and wanted to practice the English they were learning in school. In that market, with stalls brimming with fruits, vegetables and meats, like beef as well as snakes and fish and dogs, the owners smiled back at us even when we just gawked at their wares. 

We stopped at a “Heroes Cemetery” for those who fought in the many wars and the caretaker there nearly jumped out of his shoes when I handed him a $2.00 US bill, which is considered extremely lucky in Vietnam. 

There was no hint of anger or regret when we visited with a stately matron of a splendid home in Bat Trang, a city known for ceramics. Her business of kilns and such led to wealth, but much was taken from her by the Communists in the notorious Land Reform program of 1954-56. We then met with a “worker” who was “gifted” a kiln and forged a pottery business that might not have been possible in the old way of doing things in Vietnam.

Everywhere we went there was a lot of this yin and yang going on that may seem troublesome to this American but by trip's end accepted as a way of life in Vietnam.

I was humbled.

Thanks for reading,

Love Janet and greg

© 2024 by Gregory Dunaj

I GET AROUND IN VIETNAM

TRANSPORTATION CYCLO-SHAWS, SCOOTERS AND TRAIN STREET

The history of Vietnam can be as complicated as crossing a street in Hanoi, where the traffic hurtles through intersections seemingly without regard to traffic signals or personal or pedestrian safety. Yet, the company we are traveling with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) has made this trip easy. Though they touch on the darker periods of Vietnam they are not weighed down by the enormity of the past and instead focus on the warm embracing people who seem genuinely happy that we are visiting their country. 

Sampan along the Mekong

We are constantly thrust into the midst of the Vietnamese. We do not emerge from the hermetic seal of our tour bus only to pause long enough for a kodak moment before piling back onto the bus. No, we have been given several opportunities to engage and converse and understand Vietnam and her people.

At times these opportunities have been harrowing as we have gotten quite up close and personal with the aforementioned traffic with several novel modes of transportation arranged for us by OAT. Some of the travel can be superfluous, or deemed less efficient than a tour bus, but every single "chariot" listed here served to enhance our travels throughout the length of Vietnam. 

OVERSEAS ADVENTURE TRAVEL

HANOI

Cyclo-shaw

Think of a bicycle pushing a trough in which a passenger sits like an offering to the horsepower gods. Admittedly this is a very touristy mode of transportation, but the bus dropped us off where all the “rickshaw” type vehicles were waiting, and we tootled through the crammed frenetic streets of the old quarter of Hanoi to reach a restaurant for our welcoming dinner. Crossing the street had been an eye-opening experience, but the cyclo-shaws put us in the middle of traffic which at times were a mere few inches from our knees. Slower than the rest of the traffic, scooters, cars, trucks and buses swirled around us like we were standing still. Later, in Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage city, known for lanterns, the Japanese Bridge and rampant tourism, the cyclo-shaws barreled swiftly through the pedestrian traffic.   

A ferry

A big part of traveling with OAT is immersing us with the locals and on their “A Day In The Life” excursion in North Vietnam was to have us purchase goods at a local market and then take them to the village elder so they could prepare a lunch for us. Getting to the village meant we had to cross a river by ferry. No more than a sheet of metal propelled by a motor we clamored onto the craft along with a scooter or two to traverse the waterway.

Soviet-era motorcycles

At first, I was worried about getting on the back of a chortling motorcycle driven by students eager to practice their English on us. Nevertheless, I rallied and put on my ill-fitting helmet and tucked in behind my driver and cracked nervous jokes about losing my life. He laughed and said I was very funny.

Heck, I even paid for this as this was an extra excursion and cost us $70usd each. The motorcycles moved a lot quicker than the shaws and they took us all over Hanoi. At one point it started drizzling and we put on plastic ponchos that in the humid night caused the sweat to pour.

We caromed through the streets passing Uncle Ho’s mausoleum lit dramatically in the night. We barreled through dark alley ways that were difficult to negotiate on foot. We entered the forest that hedged the city and churned along the dirt roads dodging joggers, pedestrians and for a time trailed behind a Soviet-era jeep laden with tourists from another group.

Finally giving my butt a rest we stopped first at the Black Market, where all things were for sale, from electronics to machine parts to a market of all sorts of animals ready for the kitchen, including snakes and dogs. Then we stopped for a long time at the reason why we were so interested in this excursion: Railroad Street.

Railroad Street

After the reunification of the country Vietnam decided to reunite both halves by building a railroad connecting the two. The tracks go right through neighborhoods and the trains pass within inches of patrons willing to sit right at the edge. We had heard of Railroad Street before we arrived in Vietnam, and it was a number one priority for us. You don’t need to book a tour to visit this oddly perverse attraction, but logistics made this a better choice for us. Dinner was included.

HA LONG BAY

Junk boat

Another must do when visiting Vietnam is Ha Long Bay. This UNESCO World Heritage site is dotted with over 1,000 limestone islands rising dramatically out of the waters of the bay. After boarding a tender that brought us to our ship we weaved through the islands and we spent a glorious night on the water.

Ha Long Bay

At first glimpse the boat looked spartan, but our staterooms were comfortable. On the final morning Janet joined a class in Tai Chi, with the idyllic limestone cliffs rising beautifully all around the boat.

We were fortunate as sometimes weather prevents visitors into the bay.

HUE

Dragon Boat Ride on the Perfume River

We spent two days in this city that was the scene of vicious fighting during the Tet Offensive. Save for the Citadel that is still scarred from the fighting Hue is vibrant lively and youthful and the bars brim with revelers. We toured the Citadel that has slowly been renovated, but our only extra trip was a Dragon Boat ride on the Perfume River. 

Dragon Boat on the Perfume River

There are a lot of boats for hire and OAT arranged a ride for us. Our tour bus took us out to a historic pagoda on the outskirts of Hue and the double hulled boat plied the river on the way back to town.

HOI AN

Sunset cruise along the Thu Bon

During our next stop in this very touristed UNESCO World Heritage site, we would take taxis, and multi-passenger golf carts from our Silk Hotel location to the city center several times over three days for sight seeing and shopping. I had an Aloha shirt made for me, Janet bought some jewelry and some decorative lanterns. Whenever taking a taxi here make sure you negotiate the price before accepting the ride. Don't be afraid to haggle. 

Hoi An street scene

Hoi An was once a major maritime port for the Silk Road and a  commercial hub for European, Chinese and Japanese merchants, and these influences remain in the old city's buildings and structures like the Japanese bridge (which is the city's logo), her religious influences (there is a large Chinese temple in town) and her cuisine (be sure to order a sandwich at Bahn Mi Phu'o'ng). 

BREAD IN HOI AN

We also took a hotel shuttle to the Silk Hotel's private beach club to spend half the day swimming the East Sea (formerly called the South China Sea), but the transportation highlight of our stay in Hoi An was an extra cost excursion honchoed by our tour guide Mai. 

Our group cobbled together funds and hired a boat to glide along the Thu Bon River to capture the sunset and join a parade of festively lighted boats. The colorful lanterns and lights on the passing ships and on the shore made for one of the most serene, enchanting nights on our trip to Vietnam.

Hoi An

Near the end of our boat ride, we each were given floating candles to float on the river and to make a wish.

NHA TRANG

Scooters

On the outskirts of this very touristed beach town very popular with Russian and Chinese tourists is a community of formerly South Vietnamese who went through a reeducation school run by the victors of the “American War”. 

We were each partnered up with a member of that community so we could ride on their scooter to see how life is like in the southern version of “A Day In The Life” excursion run by OAT. The traffic was non-existent compared to Hanoi, and the scooters were roomier and more comfortable than the motorcycles we rode in Hanoi.

At one point we rode over a ramshackle wooden bridge with several loose planks, but it was all much less fearsome than the motorcycles. Still, I was glad the bus came for the return to Nha Trang.

DALAT

Tractor

Dalat flower farm

As part of our day-long excursion while staying at this city in the highlands of Vietnam we visited a flower farm and a coffee plantation that specializes in Weasel-shit coffee (yes that’s a highly prized cup of coffee) and the Banana Village populated by the hill tribe people of the area. At one point the bus dropped us off we all piled onto a tractor for a rough and tumble ride along the dirt tracks. Coffee plants and banana trees hedged the dusty road and we visited with the village elder, a Catholic church and we tried to crash a lively wedding.

The tractor was entirely superfluous as our bus later met us at the village and drove back along the same road, but the ride was fun. The excursion was an extra cost.

HO CHI MINH CITY

Junk boat and Sampan and TukTuk

Once called Saigon, with the name change coming after the reunification of the country. It used to be expressly taboo to refer to this very cosmopolitan city by its original name, but that “rule” has eased a lot since the United States lifted the trade embargo on Vietnam in 1994.

One day we traveled by bus to the Mekong River to board a junk and glide past fish traps and visit a farm, where our hosts treated us to fruit and Banana liquor. Next ,we were given classic conical hats to wear for a ride in a classic wooden Sampan. Riding low in the murky brown water we slipped past reeds before reaching a dock and a waiting TukTuk. 

This ride was a type of flatbed cab with a covering. The driver barreled around sharp turns on a narrow road that eventually took us to a coconut candy facility. To help us make purchases of the candy and several other crafts and artifacts offered for sale we we were given more Banana liquor.

We then rode the junk back to the waiting bus.

Cu Chi Tunnels  

Not quite extra transportation on our last day in Vietnam we were driven out to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. Once the end of the Ho Chi Minh Trail it is now a tourist attraction. Part of the tour was to climb down into the tunnels and see how the combatants lived. I had to crawl on my knees to make it in some places.

 

Vietnam is a long county and included in our trip were several domestic flights, none lasting little more than an hour. We first flew from Hanoi to Hue. From Danang we flew first to Saigon... oops Ho Chi Minh City and connected with a flight to Dalat. After our time in Dalat we flew back to Saigon ... oops Ho Chi Minh City for the last day of our trip to Vietnam.

There’s more to write about while in Cambodia, but this article is getting too long already. Check back in later for another entry at Vacations From Home.

Love to all,

Janet and greg

© 2024 by Gregory Dunaj