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Travelinds, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

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19 August 2014

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Well, where to begin? Ho Chi Minh City… this would be a good title of a film that involved elements of slapstick comedy, knee-buckling romance, perpetual hardcore action, subtle and not-so-subtle pornography, plenty of drama and some pointed horror too.  All this after only spending two days in this bustling city, previously known as Saigon!
First impressions aside, Ho Chi Minh City has the face of a true Asian metropolitan city, with all the trimmings and a handful of other aspects specific to the Vietnamese culture.  There are skyscrapers, traffic jams, thousands of bars, hotels, massage parlours, educational institutions and restaurants, imposing conglomerates and international franchises; and an excited buzz that seems to blend in to part of the background.  There are also motorbikes and scooters (apparently referred to as ‘Hondas’) on every highway, road, alleyway and sidewalk.

Ho Chi Minh CityWe stayed in the Pham Ngu Lao area (which is where most tourists end up staying and where there is an abundance of hotels, restaurants, bars and entertainment).  It’s about 40-60 minutes from the airport, traffic-dependent. Our accommodation at Ngoc Linh Hotel was comfortable and clean, we ate at Mon Hue restaurant (wow, great Central Vietnamese cuisine!), watched some rugby at The Spotted Cow (a little pricey, but great Australian-style menu), explored the market, had a wonderful dinner with a view at Duc Vuong Hotel roof-top restaurant and enjoyed a lovely massage around the corner from our hotel at Mi Mi Massage (cucumber masks and quiet privacy!).  We also enjoyed a rather scrumptious brunch at Bookworm’s Coffee, just around the corner from our hotel.

TIP: It might be a good idea to wander around Ho Chi Minh City in pairs rather than alone, especially in the evening; as in any big city, there are obvious criminal elements around and vigilance is encouraged.

Our group split up on the last day and some explored the city on foot while the rest took a day tour to the Mekong Delta. In the end, both groups insisted that their days were better.

I almost don’t feel qualified enough to write more about the city because what can two days really tell you about any place? You will have to go and experience this city for yourself.

 

Travelinds, Vietnam

The Mekong Delta – Day Tour

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16 August 2014

Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Only having a short visit to Ho Chi Minh at the end of our trip, we chose to do a full day tour to the Mekong Delta (My Tho to Ben Tre) on our last day in Vietnam.  The tour bus was scheduled to pick us up around 8am and we were back at our hotel in Pham Ngu by 5.30pm. The tour company turned out to be TNK travel, the company we had seen advertised a lot, but we didn’t know this until we got on the bus as we had booked through our hotel.  It was a good surprise though.

The day consisted of lots of bus travel and boat rides, as you would expect visiting the complex system of rivers and tributaries in the Mekong Delta.  The guide, Yen, regaled us with tales of world-renowned rice production, Vietnamese culture, life on the rivers and general facts about Vietnam and its history.  He was quite a character and enjoyed some witty banter with the mostly young, backpacking-type crowd on the tour bus, us included (about 25 people in all).

Ben Tre
Paddling through the mangroves along the Mekong Delta at Ben Tre.

The itinerary for the day consisted of:

  1. Bus trip from Ho Chi Minh city to My Tho, with one rest stop where you can sleep in hammocks, buy fruitshakes or sip on Vietnamese coffee.
  2. Vinh Trang Temple – a Buddhist Temple complex where there were huge Buddha statues, a beautiful pagoda and temple gardens.
  3. Boat trip to one of the four islets in the middle of the river, for lunch (islets are named Unicorn, Turtle, Phoenix and Dragon).
  4. Boat trip over to the Ben Tre to see a handmade coconut candy factory, drink honey tea and have photos with a rather large (and heavy) Burmese python draped on your neck!  Read more about Ben Tre’s famous coconut candy industry. and google Ben Tre coconut candy for some great images.
  5. Mini boat trip through the mangroves with four people on a wooden paddle boat, powered by the oar of a hard-working lady and experienced while wearing the classic conical Vietnamese hats.
  6. A short walk to a place where the local musicians perform on ancient Vietnamese instruments and sing of life in Vietnam (don’t expect them to look happy about it either).  The tropical fruit snack was delicious.
  7. Walk back to the bus and sleep the rest of the way back to Ho Chi Minh city.  On the way, there is a long bridge and a good view (with family fish farms built under the floating houses on the river).
Mekong Delta
Yen, our tour guide did a great job of entertaining our group.

All in all, not a bad day (especially for only about R 100.00 / $ 10.00).

The highlight for me was certainly the coconut candy stop – watching how the workers cook, mould, cut and package the toffee was the most interesting process. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of the product because, despite purchasing six packages, most did not even make it back home (too delicious!).  It is a soft toffee, wrapped in edible rice paper before being put in a wrapper; with slightly different flavours available like coffee, chocolate, pandan and peanut. Vietnamese Food really is delicious.

Other reviews on TripAdvisor for TNK Travel.

Travelinds, Vietnam

Hoi An, Vietnam

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14 August 2014

Hoi An, Vietnam

 

Hoi An
The tracks through the rice paddies made for interesting riding.

Hoi An, what a gem!

Travelinds had heard the hype around how ‘wonderful’, ‘amazing’ and ‘beautiful’ Hoi An was, but it was only when we actually arrived here to experience it for ourselves that we believed any of it! It really is a place that finds its way into your heart and no doubt, the memory bank of best holidays ever.

Hoi An was our last stop before Ho Chi Minh City, after two weeks travelling down from northern Vietnam.  The week here consisted of delicious food, cheap beer, fantastic shopping, tailor-made clothes, exploring the area on scooters, riding bicycles through the rice paddies, rejuvenating down time and plenty of fun at the beach and in the pool at Sunshine Hotel.

For a change, we were travelling in a group of 11 friends (not just the two of us anymore) and this served to double the fun (and, of course, the stress at times).  All of our group thoroughly enjoyed their stay in Hoi An and each said it was the experience of a lifetime!

Mr Xe Tailor
Mr Xe Tailor

Places to check out: Sunshine Hotel, TinTin Restaurant, Cua Dai Beach, An Bang Beach, Morning Glory,

  • Best Ice-cream – a small shop (window) up near the wooden ‘Japanese covered’ bridge. Coconut flavour!
  • Best Beer – TinTin Restaurant, opposite Sunshine Hotel (4,000 VND per glass – about R2.50)
  • Best Tailor – this was hotly debated in our group because everyone used different places. There are hundreds to choose from in this area. We used Bari Tailor (right at central entrance of Old Town, where the scooters are parked, corner of Le Loi and Phan Chau Trinh) and Mr Xe (both in Ancient Town) and were very happy with the results (e.g. about $100 for a full suit, with trimmings).  The girls used a little tailor fifty metres down the road from Sunshine Hotel who works out of her tiny clothing shop; they were very happy with their clothes too!

TIP: We were told that the tailors tend to line the suits with paper (to save on material etc.) and this later crinkles and ruins the suit. Be aware of this practice and ask the tailor for guarantees, quality and honesty – you still have to place a lot of trust in them though and unless you’re a professional, you may not be able to tell whether these dishonest practices have been used or not.

  • Best Beach – Cua Dai for shade, An Bang for quiet time
  • Best Souvenir – aside from shopping up a storm, my favourite souvenir was the scar I now have on my right knee due to a little scooter accident in the rice fields at sunset (the accelerator got stuck and R thankfully reacted fast enough to let it down easy and not have us both land in a boggy rice field or the deep drainage trench).
  • Best attraction – the Ancient Town by night is simply beautiful! Lanterns light the way along the old buildings and lotus candles float down the river. Puppet shows and Vietnamese theatre, romantic restaurants, delicious street food, stone paved streets and an atmosphere of pure contentment. There is a street market on the other side of the Cau An Hoi bridge.
  • An Bang Beach
    Hoi An Beaches are stunningly beautiful – an endless stretch of white sand.

    Getting here

    We had taken the train from Hanoi to Hue and then decided on taking a day tour (16-seater van) from Hue to Hoi An, via Lang Co beach, Hai Van Pass and the Marble Mountain in Danang. There are also 4-5 hour busses (about $5) from Hue to Hoi An.  At some point, we were considering doing it on motorbikes (with luggage delivered for us to the hotel in Hoi An), but we chickened out as we didn’t know the way, didn’t speak the language and it was hot (and sometimes raining). Later though, part of our group took the bikes up Hai Van pass from Hoi An (a sunrise ride and they were back at the hotel for a 9am breakfast).

    Getting around

    In Hoi An, and Hue, we cycled around on creaky old bicycles (with no helmets) and blended in to the hustle bustle of the traffic without any problems. In Hoi An we also hired scooters to get around, although the Old Town and market were only about 15 minutes cycle from the hotel.  There was also a free shuttle to and from the hotel at certain times of the day (except on Sundays).

    Hoi An
    Lanterns light up the steets, market and river of Ancient Town, Hoi An
    TIP: Right outside the Sunshine Hotel is an enterprising Vietnamese lady with an innocent-looking snack cart.  The snacks are good, but she also hires out scooters, does laundry, advises on tailors and can probably organise anything else you might need, including tours.  Don’t be fooled by her initial friendly banter, she’s a business woman through and through – better not be more than five minutes late giving back the scooter unless you want to pay for a whole extra day.
Travelinds, Vietnam

Hue, Vietnam

13 August 2014

Hue, Vietnam

Imperial Fortress
The Imperial Fortress is full of dragons, depicting power.

Hue, the epicenter of ancient Vietnam and previous capital city. Home to the Imperial Fortress, Royal residences, pagodas, tombs, the Perfume River and so much history of war and destruction.

Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to go and see the ‘garden houses’ and I’m sure this would have been a great place to see Hue’s historical beauty preserved by patriotic, caring citizens.

Hue was definitely one of the most interesting places that we visited in Vietnam.  The local cuisine is truly unique and delicious too; I would definitely consider the food as one of the main attractions in this city!

Bicycle Culture

Hue was well worth a trip, especially if you like historical and cultural aspects of travelling.

It is small enough to cycle around (we hired bicycles from our hotel for $2 per day) and there are so many little places to explore, including some local entrepreneurs at street stalls, quaint shops and interesting restaurants.

We stayed at The Canary Hotel ($18, big clean rooms, air-con, nice view higher up, lovely breakfast on the 7th floor overlooking the city).

The staff were really helpful here with planning activities and the rest of our trip to Hoi An.

There is a bus that comes right past the Canary hotel for $5 pp to take you to Hoi An (we made a day trip out of it rather for $12 pp and went on a private van through Lang Co, Hai Van pass, Marble Mountain Danang, to Hoi An).

Hue Night Market
The night market was fascinating. These handpainted pictures were one of the things we bought (for about $1)!The night market was fascinating. These handpainted pictures were one of the things we bought (for about $1)!

 

TIP #1: Ask your hotel about the night market (between the bridges) as this was a highlight for us (it was a Friday night, local market not aimed at tourists, great buys and interesting things to see and do).

 

TIP #2: The traffic is still a little crazy in parts but you get in to the swing of things and people seemed generally patient with tourists on bicycles and motorbikes. The Thien Mu Pagoda was 3 km out along the Perfume River road and it turned out to be an awesome cycle from the Imperial City to the Pagoda and back to our hotel (about 10 kilometers total).  Plus, Hue is relatively flat so cycling on creaking bicycles without gears is not too difficult.

 

TIP #3: When we visited the Imperial Fortress, we didn’t realise that we couldn’t cycle around inside the paid area (about 105,000 VND per person to enter the purple “forbidden” city), so be prepared for a lot of walking, in the hot sun! Take water, sunscreen and comfortable walking shoes here to make the most of the experience. The Purple city ticket also provides access to the museum just around the corner from the exit. There are places to park your bicycles close by, which the hotel can indicate on the map (only a small fee for a whole day’s parking).

Check out more information on Vietnamese Food, Vietnamese Trains and Hoi An.