Ever since my friend Amaresh moved to Vietnam, we've had regular conversations about me doing a trip there. 4 years have rushed by since that move, and if I'd have waited any longer, he would have moved out and I'd probably never have gone. I was looking for a week's window to do the trip, and when, at the beginning of May, I knew I'd get a week sometime in mid-May, the plan was hatched. My friend Divyesh agreed to come along as well as it promised to be a nice, quiet little holiday.
Most of the people I told about my trip pretty much went: "Vietnam?? Isn't there like a war going on there?" Its funny how quickly time passes - its been over 30 years since the Vietnamese fought a war! And nearly 40 since the war with the US ended.
That war had left the entire country in ruins - Millions of people killed, entire cities destroyed, huge swathes of agricultural land rendered useless by chemical bombing, which sees babies being born with defects to this day.
As my trip began, I was interested to see how the war had affected the psyche of the people of this country, and what they had built this nation into.
----
A brief stopover in Bangkok gave us a 'taste' of what we were to expect in South-east Asia - noodles, chopsticks, incomprehensible menus, zero English, lots of gooey looking stuff at all tables, and generally short people.
----
Amaresh had gotten us a letter which we were supposed to furnish on our arrival in Hanoi, and in true military+government style, a disinterested looking man in uniform took it, and it got returned to us by another at the other end of the room, stamped and free for Vietnam.
Hanoi (Hà Nội)
Vietnam is a 'long' country, shaped almost like stretched 'S' or, for the mathematically inclined, an integral sign, stretching over 3000 kilometers. (longitudinally, it runs about parallel from Calcutta to Kanyakumari). Hanoi is right up north and is the capital of Vietnam.
We landed there in the evening on a Friday, and had just about enough time to check into our hotel, the Hoabinh Palace, and have a walk around. The receptionist helped us with directions to a street where we could have a live personal barbecue and some beer. Much like India, bargaining is a way of life in Vietnam, I was told, and sure enough, after haggling with a few of the street joints we got a hang of the prices around and settled for a 50 dong barbecue with 15 dong Hanoi beers.
After a good night's sleep, Saturday morning was typically lazy and we left our hotel only at around midday.. The weather was pleasant and we had hired a motorbike to go around! We went to some random place for lunch where the waiters didn't know a word of English and we relied on Google translate to get us through! Divyesh was on one of his 'I'm vegetarian today' days, and if it weren't for Google and some helpful customers, he'd have angered the veggie Gods, and would be doomed to never get married :-D The food was surprisingly good and we made more than a few friends!
Riding the bike around town was good fun and being a Saturday all the kids and families were out playing in the parks... All sorts of weird games on display... Particularly weird was one where there's a sort of badminton court, two players on either side, hitting what looks more like a dart than a shuttle WITH THEIR FEET! They wear special wide shoes which lets them kick the dart easily!
The highlight of the day was the National Museum of Vietnamese History, which traced the history of the country right from its Chinese days, through to the French occupation, the war with the US, and then with Cambodia. I'm usually not one for Museums and if it weren't for the hot afternoon sun, we'd not have dinked into this one. Apart from giving us a cooling break, the museum was very well setup leading you through the story of the country. It was just like reading a good book - you want to keep turning the pages to see where its all headed - you just want to go to the next room to see what happened next!
After the museum, we rode around all afternoon and evening seeing all the grand communist buildings, reminded me of East Berlin! The city itself is remarkably clean and our parochial city dwellers in India can certainly learn a thing or two from the viets on public hygiene - stop having and spitting paan, for one!
After all the motorbiking, we went for a massage at our hotel spa to relax our muscles, my back especially which was complaining!
Dinner was at a place right outside our hotel called Le Cafe, and it was international cuisine, pasta and such, so it was easy to order and we knew what we would get for a change!
After dinner came a forgettable next 2 minutes. I was waiting outside for Divyesh, who'd gone up to pick up something, and a couple approached me. The man was on a bike and the woman got off and started asking me about my trip. We had met several such people during the day and had had good little conversations with them.. The woman then started to ask if I wanted a massage. That was a bit weird. She put her hand on my shoulder to signify 'massage', and when she did it another time I had to push her away because I understood they were not quite a 'normal' couple. She then said ok and began to leave on her motorbike with the man .. They would have hardly gone 3 seconds when a man on the street shouted 'check check chain!' sure enough, my gold chain was gone!! I turned sprinted after them but they were too quick and I couldn't even get a plate number.. Huffing, and angry at myself, I came to the hotel to ask them for the police station. They said it would br closed and monday would be our best bet.. In the midst of all this Divyesh was wondering where I had suddenly disappeared! All hope was not lost though.. Since we were standing right outside our hotel, there was a chance the couple were caught red-handed on camera.. I looked at the footage a couple of days later but to no avail. We could see the bike coming and standing, but no chance of seeing a face or a number plate.
In hindsight, I should have gone after them with the bike, but that could have ended up with me in a hospital. This could have happened in any city in the world, but I think through the day we met such wonderful, smiling, harmless people, I just let my guard down...
Next day was going to be Halong Bay, the stunning 1900-odd limestone islands springing out of the sea.
Halong Bay (Vịnh Hạ Long)
We had booked a day tour at the hotel for about US$40 per person, which included a bus to & fro, a boat ride in the bay, lunch, kayaking through caves and such! After an 8am start, we reached Halong Bay around mid-day where we boarded our boat almost immediately. From the boat were treated to some super stunning views. The double-kayaking into some caves was super-special! It was real fun but required tons of strength and stamina. There was an option to stay back out on a boat at night
and go to Hanoi the next day but we chose to come back the same evening to get some rest and recharge before we left Hanoi.. With all the shepherding of tourists from one spot to the next, Halong Bay had a bit of a boring Disneyland kind of feel to it, but there's no taking away from the stunning views on offer. If I were to do it again, I'd want to rent my own boat and go do my own exploring.
---
The next morning, Monday was nice and slow and I got some paperwork out of the way for the police case I was filing for the chain. The hotel staff was very supportive.. We went through that night's videos but couldn't get a conclusive identity, although the bike was somewhat visible.. The policeman at the station was also cordial and wished me luck on the rest of the journey...
We took a 2.30pm flight out to Dalat, where Amaresh was posted.
---
Dalat (Đà Lạt)
I had not read up about Dalat at all before landing so was a bit surprised to hear the pilot announce the temperature as 21 degrees, at 430 pm!! I peeked out of the window to find a most stunning view of mountains with clouds for company, and the landing strip was also on one such hill! Amaresh was at the airport to pick me up, his driver driving his SUV! And then he said that we would drive UP to Dalat!!
Lush green mountains till the eye can see, beautiful french styled villas with those red roofs, and that slight nip in the air woven in with a threading of fine sunshine - paradise! And if that was not all, Amaresh's house greeted me with 4 over-the-top-happy dogs and 2 mischievous pups!! 2 massive halls, 2 bedrooms on the first floor, each with its own balcony, one facing the road out front, and the
other over the garden and the jaw-dropping valley below!! I immediately thought to myself that I have to book my ticket OUT of this place as per my loosely planned itinerary, or else I might never
leave!
We went to a local cafe in the evening and caught up on stories from the last few years, before crashing for the night!
The next day, Tuesday, a car was ready to take us around, and Mr Tai our english-speaking driver was the perfect tour guide! We visited waterfalls, did a cable car ride, drove a sledge through the forest, and clicked pictures wearing the emperor's clothes in his palace. Dalat is the only city in south vietnam which the North decided not to attack / bomb as it was too pretty, too beautiful.. they won the war and the city's old buildings are a smiling testament to that!
In the evening, Amaresh took us to a local vietnamese place, where we ate freshly fried bhindis (lady's finger) of all things.. So they give you your own wooden pan like thing and a fire under it and oil - you just 'barbecue' ur stuff and eat it with some awesome chutney!
Nha Trang
Early on Wednesday morning, we said goodbye to Amaresh and to Dalat and headed back up north to the beach town of Nha Trang (pronounced 'na chang')! We met a british guy on the way and decided to hang out together as our itineraries were quite similar.. In Nha Trang, we took a cable car ride out to Vin pearl island, the longest cable car in SE Asia! It runs over the sea from the main land to this island! The views were the best I've had by a long way, even better than the cable car in barcelona which gives a great view of the city and harbour too.
On the island is a theme park with some amazing rides, an underwater aquarium, a stunning beach with white sand and a beach-volleyball setup (played that with some locals and some russian dude) and lots more! We had reached there at 2 and left only at around 5.30 after having an absolute ball! We came back to the city had some 'Indian food' for a change, an early dinner (they're everywhere these Indians I tell you!). and then took the bus to our next stop - the picturesque town of
Hoi An!
Hoi An (Hội An)
The overnight bus from Nha Trang to Hoi An was groovy-looking & comfy. It was operated by Sinh Cafe and the service was decent.
We reached Hoi An on Thursday morning. It's a wonderful, small beach-town.. Its known for its tailoring and I got a linen suit stitched for about US$35 all inclusive..! Also got a pair of suede leather shoes made for about US$20.. Very classy! We stayed at Hotel Hai Au which was well located and we got all our tailoring done in the shops nearby. There are many many more shops in the French Quarter, but we found them to be more expensive. Apart from the tailoring, we of course went to the beach and chilled, drove around on our mobike and generally had a nice peaceful time of it.. In hindsight, I would've spent more time in Hoi An, there's nothing much to do, but the calm, tranquil vibe the city gives, I found right up my alley..
We had an early morning flight on the next day to Saigon which would be our last stop in Vietnam.
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
Saigon is like the Bombay of vietnam, big bustling metropolis, a slightly greener and cleaner one though.. We walked around for most part of the day.. The shopping areas are massive and it really is a shoppers paradise.. Which also, by corollary, meant that I didn't do too much there but buy some dvd's for friends who had requested for them! Ben Tan Market is famous for these DVD sets and you can get some really good ones (like a box set of NatGeo documentaries) for US$1 per piece. So if its a 10 DVD set, its US$10. For more than 20 DVDs you can bargain and they usually come down by about 10%.
We would go on and spend a couple of days shopping in the never-ending markets of Bangkok (Thailand). But Vietnam, had left a lasting impression on me.
---
Throughout our trip, we met some wonderful, smiling people. It's a country where I felt that the over-riding emotion of the people is hope. They have seen the worst that war has to offer and now that they've put that behind them, they have a good time and just hope for the best. Be it the Vietnamese girl who was taking her father for a trip to Halong Bay, the German dentist who'd setup his clinic in Saigon, or the countless receptionists and helpers we met; a relaxed way of life, a smile on the face and the hope for a peaceful future was a theme that threaded all the way through. Vietnam is certainly a country to watch in the next few years. A happy country, hard-working and yet, fun-loving people, a service mentality, and a favourable sex-ratio, all bode well for this beautiful place. My only fear is that they don't grow too fast and eat away the pristine natural beauty that ultimately makes this country what it is.
Most of the people I told about my trip pretty much went: "Vietnam?? Isn't there like a war going on there?" Its funny how quickly time passes - its been over 30 years since the Vietnamese fought a war! And nearly 40 since the war with the US ended.
That war had left the entire country in ruins - Millions of people killed, entire cities destroyed, huge swathes of agricultural land rendered useless by chemical bombing, which sees babies being born with defects to this day.
As my trip began, I was interested to see how the war had affected the psyche of the people of this country, and what they had built this nation into.
----
A brief stopover in Bangkok gave us a 'taste' of what we were to expect in South-east Asia - noodles, chopsticks, incomprehensible menus, zero English, lots of gooey looking stuff at all tables, and generally short people.
----
Amaresh had gotten us a letter which we were supposed to furnish on our arrival in Hanoi, and in true military+government style, a disinterested looking man in uniform took it, and it got returned to us by another at the other end of the room, stamped and free for Vietnam.
Hanoi (Hà Nội)
Vietnam is a 'long' country, shaped almost like stretched 'S' or, for the mathematically inclined, an integral sign, stretching over 3000 kilometers. (longitudinally, it runs about parallel from Calcutta to Kanyakumari). Hanoi is right up north and is the capital of Vietnam.
We landed there in the evening on a Friday, and had just about enough time to check into our hotel, the Hoabinh Palace, and have a walk around. The receptionist helped us with directions to a street where we could have a live personal barbecue and some beer. Much like India, bargaining is a way of life in Vietnam, I was told, and sure enough, after haggling with a few of the street joints we got a hang of the prices around and settled for a 50 dong barbecue with 15 dong Hanoi beers.
After a good night's sleep, Saturday morning was typically lazy and we left our hotel only at around midday.. The weather was pleasant and we had hired a motorbike to go around! We went to some random place for lunch where the waiters didn't know a word of English and we relied on Google translate to get us through! Divyesh was on one of his 'I'm vegetarian today' days, and if it weren't for Google and some helpful customers, he'd have angered the veggie Gods, and would be doomed to never get married :-D The food was surprisingly good and we made more than a few friends!
Riding the bike around town was good fun and being a Saturday all the kids and families were out playing in the parks... All sorts of weird games on display... Particularly weird was one where there's a sort of badminton court, two players on either side, hitting what looks more like a dart than a shuttle WITH THEIR FEET! They wear special wide shoes which lets them kick the dart easily!
The highlight of the day was the National Museum of Vietnamese History, which traced the history of the country right from its Chinese days, through to the French occupation, the war with the US, and then with Cambodia. I'm usually not one for Museums and if it weren't for the hot afternoon sun, we'd not have dinked into this one. Apart from giving us a cooling break, the museum was very well setup leading you through the story of the country. It was just like reading a good book - you want to keep turning the pages to see where its all headed - you just want to go to the next room to see what happened next!
After the museum, we rode around all afternoon and evening seeing all the grand communist buildings, reminded me of East Berlin! The city itself is remarkably clean and our parochial city dwellers in India can certainly learn a thing or two from the viets on public hygiene - stop having and spitting paan, for one!
After all the motorbiking, we went for a massage at our hotel spa to relax our muscles, my back especially which was complaining!
Dinner was at a place right outside our hotel called Le Cafe, and it was international cuisine, pasta and such, so it was easy to order and we knew what we would get for a change!
After dinner came a forgettable next 2 minutes. I was waiting outside for Divyesh, who'd gone up to pick up something, and a couple approached me. The man was on a bike and the woman got off and started asking me about my trip. We had met several such people during the day and had had good little conversations with them.. The woman then started to ask if I wanted a massage. That was a bit weird. She put her hand on my shoulder to signify 'massage', and when she did it another time I had to push her away because I understood they were not quite a 'normal' couple. She then said ok and began to leave on her motorbike with the man .. They would have hardly gone 3 seconds when a man on the street shouted 'check check chain!' sure enough, my gold chain was gone!! I turned sprinted after them but they were too quick and I couldn't even get a plate number.. Huffing, and angry at myself, I came to the hotel to ask them for the police station. They said it would br closed and monday would be our best bet.. In the midst of all this Divyesh was wondering where I had suddenly disappeared! All hope was not lost though.. Since we were standing right outside our hotel, there was a chance the couple were caught red-handed on camera.. I looked at the footage a couple of days later but to no avail. We could see the bike coming and standing, but no chance of seeing a face or a number plate.
In hindsight, I should have gone after them with the bike, but that could have ended up with me in a hospital. This could have happened in any city in the world, but I think through the day we met such wonderful, smiling, harmless people, I just let my guard down...
Next day was going to be Halong Bay, the stunning 1900-odd limestone islands springing out of the sea.
Halong Bay (Vịnh Hạ Long)
We had booked a day tour at the hotel for about US$40 per person, which included a bus to & fro, a boat ride in the bay, lunch, kayaking through caves and such! After an 8am start, we reached Halong Bay around mid-day where we boarded our boat almost immediately. From the boat were treated to some super stunning views. The double-kayaking into some caves was super-special! It was real fun but required tons of strength and stamina. There was an option to stay back out on a boat at night
and go to Hanoi the next day but we chose to come back the same evening to get some rest and recharge before we left Hanoi.. With all the shepherding of tourists from one spot to the next, Halong Bay had a bit of a boring Disneyland kind of feel to it, but there's no taking away from the stunning views on offer. If I were to do it again, I'd want to rent my own boat and go do my own exploring.
---
The next morning, Monday was nice and slow and I got some paperwork out of the way for the police case I was filing for the chain. The hotel staff was very supportive.. We went through that night's videos but couldn't get a conclusive identity, although the bike was somewhat visible.. The policeman at the station was also cordial and wished me luck on the rest of the journey...
We took a 2.30pm flight out to Dalat, where Amaresh was posted.
---
Dalat (Đà Lạt)
I had not read up about Dalat at all before landing so was a bit surprised to hear the pilot announce the temperature as 21 degrees, at 430 pm!! I peeked out of the window to find a most stunning view of mountains with clouds for company, and the landing strip was also on one such hill! Amaresh was at the airport to pick me up, his driver driving his SUV! And then he said that we would drive UP to Dalat!!
Lush green mountains till the eye can see, beautiful french styled villas with those red roofs, and that slight nip in the air woven in with a threading of fine sunshine - paradise! And if that was not all, Amaresh's house greeted me with 4 over-the-top-happy dogs and 2 mischievous pups!! 2 massive halls, 2 bedrooms on the first floor, each with its own balcony, one facing the road out front, and the
other over the garden and the jaw-dropping valley below!! I immediately thought to myself that I have to book my ticket OUT of this place as per my loosely planned itinerary, or else I might never
leave!
We went to a local cafe in the evening and caught up on stories from the last few years, before crashing for the night!
The next day, Tuesday, a car was ready to take us around, and Mr Tai our english-speaking driver was the perfect tour guide! We visited waterfalls, did a cable car ride, drove a sledge through the forest, and clicked pictures wearing the emperor's clothes in his palace. Dalat is the only city in south vietnam which the North decided not to attack / bomb as it was too pretty, too beautiful.. they won the war and the city's old buildings are a smiling testament to that!
In the evening, Amaresh took us to a local vietnamese place, where we ate freshly fried bhindis (lady's finger) of all things.. So they give you your own wooden pan like thing and a fire under it and oil - you just 'barbecue' ur stuff and eat it with some awesome chutney!
Nha Trang
Early on Wednesday morning, we said goodbye to Amaresh and to Dalat and headed back up north to the beach town of Nha Trang (pronounced 'na chang')! We met a british guy on the way and decided to hang out together as our itineraries were quite similar.. In Nha Trang, we took a cable car ride out to Vin pearl island, the longest cable car in SE Asia! It runs over the sea from the main land to this island! The views were the best I've had by a long way, even better than the cable car in barcelona which gives a great view of the city and harbour too.
On the island is a theme park with some amazing rides, an underwater aquarium, a stunning beach with white sand and a beach-volleyball setup (played that with some locals and some russian dude) and lots more! We had reached there at 2 and left only at around 5.30 after having an absolute ball! We came back to the city had some 'Indian food' for a change, an early dinner (they're everywhere these Indians I tell you!). and then took the bus to our next stop - the picturesque town of
Hoi An!
Hoi An (Hội An)
The overnight bus from Nha Trang to Hoi An was groovy-looking & comfy. It was operated by Sinh Cafe and the service was decent.
We reached Hoi An on Thursday morning. It's a wonderful, small beach-town.. Its known for its tailoring and I got a linen suit stitched for about US$35 all inclusive..! Also got a pair of suede leather shoes made for about US$20.. Very classy! We stayed at Hotel Hai Au which was well located and we got all our tailoring done in the shops nearby. There are many many more shops in the French Quarter, but we found them to be more expensive. Apart from the tailoring, we of course went to the beach and chilled, drove around on our mobike and generally had a nice peaceful time of it.. In hindsight, I would've spent more time in Hoi An, there's nothing much to do, but the calm, tranquil vibe the city gives, I found right up my alley..
We had an early morning flight on the next day to Saigon which would be our last stop in Vietnam.
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
Saigon is like the Bombay of vietnam, big bustling metropolis, a slightly greener and cleaner one though.. We walked around for most part of the day.. The shopping areas are massive and it really is a shoppers paradise.. Which also, by corollary, meant that I didn't do too much there but buy some dvd's for friends who had requested for them! Ben Tan Market is famous for these DVD sets and you can get some really good ones (like a box set of NatGeo documentaries) for US$1 per piece. So if its a 10 DVD set, its US$10. For more than 20 DVDs you can bargain and they usually come down by about 10%.
We would go on and spend a couple of days shopping in the never-ending markets of Bangkok (Thailand). But Vietnam, had left a lasting impression on me.
---
Throughout our trip, we met some wonderful, smiling people. It's a country where I felt that the over-riding emotion of the people is hope. They have seen the worst that war has to offer and now that they've put that behind them, they have a good time and just hope for the best. Be it the Vietnamese girl who was taking her father for a trip to Halong Bay, the German dentist who'd setup his clinic in Saigon, or the countless receptionists and helpers we met; a relaxed way of life, a smile on the face and the hope for a peaceful future was a theme that threaded all the way through. Vietnam is certainly a country to watch in the next few years. A happy country, hard-working and yet, fun-loving people, a service mentality, and a favourable sex-ratio, all bode well for this beautiful place. My only fear is that they don't grow too fast and eat away the pristine natural beauty that ultimately makes this country what it is.
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