Vietnam

After crossing the border near the Ho Chi Minh Delta in Cambodia, we entered Vietnam on a hot
sunny day before boarding the bus bound for Chau Doc. Our first impressions of Vietnam were of
vast flat rice paddies as far as the eye could see, with widely dispersed farm worker wearing wide
brimmed nón lá leaf hats amongst the scarecrows.

After checking into our hotel, we delved immediately into a motorbike tour for Sam mountain.
Dashing through the streets we caught flashes of carts laden with everything from rambutan to
lemon basil to clove, rice drying in the roadside sun in preparation for threshing, fighting cocks kept
in cages off the front porch, children waving and playing, with healthy sized dogs trotting happily
along the sides of the streets.

The ride up Sam mountain was exhilarating – our drivers cut loose and navigated the steep incline
and sharp corners with well practised lines. A hammock nap and panoramic views from the summit
capped off a perfect introduction.

The following day it was off to Ho Chi Minh city via a long bus ride. Ho Chi Minh is chaotic and
relentless with a veritable swarm of scooters. We visited the Ben Than markets and had a combined
dinner with the other G adventure tour group. The following day we did a day trip to the Cu Chin
tunnels (remnants of the Vietnam (or American, as the locals call it) war) before hitting Pho 2000 for
a massive lunch. The afternoon was spent arranging our overnight train tickets to Nha Trang, as we
bid farewell to our incredible and hilarious Cambodian tour officer, Sky – famous for his Gangnam
style dance, his ability to achieve anything in 47 seconds and for whom the sky really is the limit.

Nha Trang is a beachside town with a real tourist vibe – highrise hotels line the waterfront, with
numerous beachfront deckchairs on the sand. We arrived at the forget-me-not hotel at 4am after
a long train ride in a 4 sleeper cabin, having to wake the poor concierge sleeping on the couch by
the door to show us to our room. Once we’d had a rest and some lunch, we headed to the mineral
spas for the afternoon. By a stroke of luck, our hotel ended up being only a 5 minute walk from
the G adventures tour group, meaning we could have an amazing combined Christmas eve dinner,
which tasted all the better as we prepared it ourselves. A coal brazier with a grill placed over the top
served as a hot plate shared between 6 whilst dishes were brought out to be placed on your very
own barbecue - including frog which we all had for the first time. This was followed by a night at the
“why not” bar. The entire town really got into the festive spirit – Tom, one of the English tour group
members, managed to collect a high five from almost every passerby in town.

On Christmas day, we rented scooters from the roadside for the equivalent of NZ$5 for the whole
day including petrol (no driver license or identification required!!), and drove the length of the coast,
eventually reaching a secluded inlet with spectacular harbour views at the Northern end. The coastal
drive was A LOT of fun, and once the city traffic had cleared, we enjoyed clear roads and pristine
weather.


                                     


That evening we were off to Danang by night train, followed by a bus to the next city of Hoi An
(hitching a ride with the G tour crew). Hoi An is a small idyllic town, which formerly acted as a
major port of trade in the 18th-19th century. It is beautiful and incredibly serene with a homely feel,
providing welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh and Nha Trang.

We walked with bags in tow to the Sunflower hotel, a real backpacker hub with people from all over the world chilling out in the lobby downstairs. By now addicted to driving scooters, we hired scooters for the day once more to explore the town – the central markets, Cua Dai beach and the old town
(a UNESCO heritage site) were all visited.

That evening, we went to STREETS restaurant, which runs a programme to train impoverished children in the hospitality service industry. The food was incredible, as was the Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk – truly amazing.

That evening, it began to rain for the first time since we’d arrived in SE asia. Guess it was making up
for lost time, since it didn’t just rain, it poured – just like in the movies. After an evening of playing
pool and guessing the famous faces painted on the wall, we did a late night scooter run ferrying
passengers back to the G tour group’s hotel for midnight snacks and movies. A group decision was
made that there was no better time to go for a swim in the hotel pool – a further quick scooter dash
in the torrential downpour to retrieve our boardshorts from our hotel was followed by a gung-ho
leap into the pool at 2am, a few lengths to get the circulation going and a celebratory post-swim ice
cream (NZ natural of course).

The following day, Nick went to attend a Vietnamese cooking course run by the “morning glory”
restaurant whilst Scott and Ben enjoyed a sleep in. The cooking course began with a tour of the
local markets to view our ingredients and the restaurants to sample everything from durian ice
cream to rice paper rolls and freshly roasted sesame before returning to the kitchen. The cooking
course was run by the delightful Lulu, a larger than life character with 19 years experience smashing
out delectable dishes (which she was keen to impress was evidenced by 2 things – the fact that
her husband was still around and her mother in law’s approval). We worked our way through
5 dishes – vegetable soup with shrimp dumplings, rice paper spring rolls, banh xeo (Vietnamese
savoury pancakes), barbeque chicken with lime and mango salad. The flavours were truly sublime,
and combined in accordance with yin-yang principles being fresh and zesty whilst simultaneously
crunchy, soft, sweet and sour. The cooking course provided a unique insight into Vietnamese culture
– from the ingredients used (fish sauce, black pepper, shallots, lime, lemongrass, chilli, Vietnamese
mint) harvested locally from farmers and fisherman, to the underlying yin-yang philosophy and the
resultant combination of flavours exploding onto the palate in a form truly greater than the sum of
its parts.

                                 

The afternoon was spent on a walk around the local chau dai area – a walk that brought us upon
a local coffee house where groups of old men played draughts and Chinese chess. We pulled
up one of the commonplace red plastic chairs and joined in for a refreshing cup of Vietnamese
iced coffee, much to the surprise and delight of some of the older generation. The back-breaking
labour of the farmers was observed first hand during our walk – Vietnamese are an extremely hard
working , determined and adaptable people who retain the practical wisdom and traditional farming
implements of their ancestral generations whilst moving headlong into the modern era.

That evening, it was once more on the road to Danang train station for our 16hr train to the cultural
old-meets-new kaleidoscope of Hanoi. The change from tropical humid heat to cool, crisp air was
evident as we progressed further north. We explored the old quarter, a snapshot of medieval
Vietnam (where the history is palpable) before turning in for the night. The following day was a
daytrip to Ha Long bay after a 3.5hr bus ride to Ha Long city. After a grey start, the weather had
cleared by the time we’d boarded our boat and set sail.

After a shared seafood lunch we scrambled up the wooden stairs to survey the majestic other worldliness of Ha Long Bay. The view of the rock
formations emerging from the mist is one we’ll never forget – the bay draws you in, transports you
to another world and offers some quiet time for reflection. After stopping at the floating market
to kayak through some caves, we returned to our boat to explore the Dong Tien caves full of eeriestalactites and stalagmites. A long bus trip home rounded off an enthralling day.

The next morning we set off at the crack of dawn for Hanoi airport for our flight to Bangkok where
we had a few hours to organise our Japan national rail pass (which can only be purchased outside
of Japan), grab a bite in the giant Terminal 21 shopping centre and stay overnight at the Thong Ta
resort before proceeding on to our next much anticipated destination – the allure of Tokyo, in the
land of the rising sun.

Dong expended: 2,450,229,100
Night train miles: 900
Toilet paper rolls stolen: 14