Vietnam

Our first impressions of Vietnam were that there was an exponential increase in the number of mopeds on the roads and that the driving style involved a lot more horn tooting and a lot less rule-following. 

For mopeds pretty much anything worked as a roadway, the wrong side of the road and pavements being very popular options. Crossing the road had suddenly become an adrenaline sport!

Having safely avoided the worst taxi scams we made it safely to our hotel and wrote off the rest of the day. Sadly the next day had Mike feeling poorly so we didn't manage to do much exploring beyond making it to a restaurant where we were given lots of tips from a wonderful waitress. 

We needed to buy some stamps to finally send the postcards we had been carrying around since Pai (Thailand) and so headed to the central post office, a tourist attraction in its own right and situated next to Vietnam's Notre Dame.

On the way we browsed a large indoor marketplace for more souvenirs and to complete Mike's quest for dried pomelo peel snacks.

That evening we met up with our new travel group and headed out to some Street food markets. 3 others joined with us, making the total group size 19, so many names to remember! 

Feeling tired after a busy day we headed back to our separate dorms in the hostel, after almost a full year of being constantly together the sudden separation was quite disconcerting and required a significant reorganisation of our bags.

Early the next morning we headed off towards the Cu Chi tunnels to admire the ingenuity of the original guerrilla tactics of the Vietcong fighters.

After a demonstration of some of the traps and the infamous backwards flip flops (flop flips?) we squeezed ourselves through a section of the 250km network of tunnels. Deciding not to descend past the 2nd level we followed the sound of gunshots towards the snack area. The AK47s were firing real bullets and the lack of any sound proofing meant the snack stop was not particularly relaxing.

Back in the city we enjoyed another amazing Banh Mi sandwich while we waited until it was time to head to the train station. The sleeper train in Vietnam utilised cabins rather than sofa-bunks which meant there was somehow less room and fewer facilities. As we were at the start of the route the bedding was fresh and the carriages cleaned, despite multiple stops the carriages only get serviced at the starting point, our tour leader informed us that the quality would deteriorate and that sometimes the carriages used are old wooden ones complete with resident rats!

 

After a 3am wake up we arrived early in the coastal town of Nha Trang. After a walk to enjoy the sunrise we sorted out a hotel for the night then met back up with the group for a snorkeling trip. We saw lots of sea stars and weird wormy things, although not enough variety to rival Fiji.

The following day we caught up on the blog whilst sampling the delights of many coffee shops, the Vietnamese have their coffee very strong and very sweet. 

We then caught another overnight train to Da Nang where after another ridiculously early wake up we caught a bus up to Hoi An. First stop on arrival was breakfast and we headed to the suitably named Banh Mi Queen for some spectacular sandwiches.

After a walking tour of the old town we decided to get some clothes tailor made and after measurements and design discussions were complete had a glorious coffee in the Reaching Out teahouse. 

This place is famous for employing servers with hearing loss and so all communication was done by small wooden signs. We had our coffee in traditional Vietnamese style, requiring lots of patience and condensed milk.

Despite the caffeine we were still tired after such early starts and lack of sleep, sleeper trains really should be renamed to lie still wide awake trains, so Amy opted to rest while Mike went on a guided bike tour.

After riding through rice paddy fields, spotting some dogs riding water buffalo, countless glorious vegetable gardens and a backyard rice wine brewery, it was nice to have a rest by being paddled down the river in a basket boat.

The next morning we headed back into Hoi An to learn how to cook rice noodles, a procedure both simple and surprisingly intricate. It turns out that most dishes in Vietnam are named after the type of noodles they contain, rather than any other characteristic. Some noodles are fermented while others are plain steamed rice patties cut into strips. Different areas have different specialities of noodle and Hoi Ans' special noodle contains ash and water from an ancient well.

While taking shortcuts back to the hotel after another visit to the Reaching Out teahouse we stumbled across the well in question and decided it was definitely a good thing that the noodles were thoroughly cooked before being eaten.

 

Up next was a long bus ride to Hué, the highlight of which was meeting a very friendly and well cared for puppy at the mountain pass.

After a lunch of Bún Bô, the traditional dish of Hué, we clambered on to the back of motorbikes and headed off on a back roads tour. Dodging traffic, darting through back alleys and cutting through a rice paddy all added to the experience. 

Our first stop was an ancient covered bridge and a farming museum where our tour guide and the staff entertained us with jokes and stories whilst we delved into the history of the farming communities in the area.

Next we visited the home of a lady affected by Agent Orange before birth who despite only having one hand manages to make some beautifully intricate cone hats. The hats have different coloured ribbons to signify which detail or motif they contains within the middle layer, visible only when the hat illuminated from inside.

 

Third stop was a hill overlooking the perfume river with plenty of bunkers and feral goats.

On or way down the hill we stopped to try making some incense sticks and it was only through determination to not break the stick that Amy was brave enough to only hold on to the bike with one hand. 

Our last stop on the motorbike tour was to watch the sunset over a magnificent temple and pagoda complex. 

  

The following day we decided to explore the Imperial City with its multitude of restored temples, pagodas and palaces. Despite the amount of restoration work the site remains heavily damaged thanks to the war and plenty of work was still ongoing.

After a quick bowl of Pho we boarded yet another sleeper train which would get us to our next stop, Hanoi, at 4am. The weather when we stepped off the train was cold and raining, bliss after so many weeks of sweltering heat. Unfortunately the weather followed us to Ha Long bay so whilst we didn't get the famous views of the bay it did lend an incredibly spooky atmosphere to the jutting limestone cliffs.

We decided to get a closer look and so hopped into a kayak to explore a sheltered bay accessible only through a cave at low tide. 

Back on dry land we explored the promenade and found the entrance to the dominating theme park, only to find its only open for 4 hours a day. Walking back to the hotel past unfinished apartment blocks and closed shops we decided that it was almost Vietnam's answer to Blackpool. 

Back in Hanoi the following day we explored the old quarter of the town before having another excellent Banh Mi. We also stumbled upon a tea parlour and enjoyed yet more amazing coffee, but this time with cake.

Talking of coffee one thing Hanoi is famous for is egg coffee. This strange concoction involves super strong espresso topped with raw egg yolks whipped to a foam with condensed milk. One is more than enough and it more than deserves it reputation as "jet fuel".

After another trip to the tea parlour to share some English tea with some of our new friends we topped off our foodie day with a group meal at a lovely restaurant where a 9 course tasting menu of Vietnamese specialities cost a grand total of £12. We will miss these food prices!

One member of the group was a keen Jazz singer and had happened to stumble across a secret speakeasy earlier in the day. All excited we open the doors of this tiny book store, pulling the book to open the secret door and headed up the tiny staircase to a fantastic bar.

The cocktails were fantastic and as there was no band playing we took entertainment into our own hands and were soon serenaded by the talented Abi. She was so good that not only did the other patrons buy her a drink but the Speakeasy booked her for a gig at the end of the month!

We spent our last day in Vietnam enjoying various farewell meals including a visit to the post-it note cafe, before heading across town to explore the temple of literature.

The temple was built to help promote the teachings of Confucius and to this day graduating students have their photos taken in this auspicious place.

Our last stop was a visit to the famous train street. This narrow back street lined with cafes looks perfectly safe and relaxing, until a train roars through the middle of the street. 

Thankfully the waiters give you warning and despite taking a big step back the train still goes far closer than would be safe in any other country.

And so ended our Vietnam adventures, we had an overnight flight booked, thinking it would save us money on accommodation, so spent the rest of the night trying to get comfortable in the airport.

Next up: Japan