Saigon

It's funny, the further south we went the more the name 'Ho Chi Minh City' was replaced by Saigon, (or abbreviated as HCMC). It seems that there is still some North/South tension to be found, although it is hidden pretty well from the tourists. Whereas the threat in the North seemed to be China, here it is Hanoi! Still, as with everything else, they seem to get on with things and put their differences aside, for the time being at least.
The city itself is big (7.5 million) but surprisingly well laid-out, as least as far as we could see. In addition, most intersections had traffic lights and MOST TRAFFIC OBEYED THEM!!! Bikes, cyclos and some motorbikes still charged through, but the pedestrian experience was not too scary at all. We didn't have long to spend here, so we just concentrated on walking-distance destinations from our hotel. We had a look at the Reunification Palace (site of the famous NV tank crashing through the iron gates to end the American War), the War Museum, Opera House, Post Office and of course the Bloody Great Big Tower (actually the Bitexco Tower) with its magnificent view from the 48th floor Skydeck and its incredibly smooth (and quick) elevator.

We attack at dawn!!

We found an excellent restaurant in an old opium den called the Refinery, and spent a couple of hot afternoons sampling their excellent fare. Thanks Ian and Heather, who we met in the queue at Dalat Airport. Did a bit of shopping in and around the Market, where the prices were very good! Found a 'real' French patisserie with the best coffee and cakes to be found. 2 coffees and a plate of florentines for $6. I didn't want to leave, especially as SWMBO wanted to shop at a nearby Department store! Oh well, you can't win them all, as we Buddhists say...

And so our trip was over, just like that. A short trip to Singapore through some stormy weather, then a very relaxed flight on a half-empty Jetstar to Tulla. Touch down at 6am!

Dalat

The only flight from Danang to Dalat leaves at 6am- and there is only one a day! Up at 3.30, taxi from Hoi An to Danang at 4 (what were all those people on the road doing?) to check in by 5. Not a good start for us late-risers...
And we had to walk out to our plane, just like Moorabbin Airport 1960's style!

Dalat has an interesting history, being a French-influenced resort town set up in the early 20th century (after 'relocating' the local hill tribes). The climate is its main attraction- about 10˚ cooler than the coastal strip! It seems that you could grow anything and everything there with a bit of effort. We saw coffee (Vietnam now exports more coffee than Brazil!), flowers, silk, as well as the usual rice, vegetables and so on, mixed in with thousands upon thousands of eucalyptus trees which seem to be taking over the place. We witnessed some serious rainfall, which was a bonus for the Elephant Falls.

If you look carefully above you'll spot a few avocados on this fine specimen- it was about 15 - 20 metres tall!
We took a couple of tours here- highlights included a roller coaster ride, feeding an elephant, a 'love' theme park, a very rude Buddha and a hillside village where we were serenaded by an old man and shown weaving by a young girl.

And then a quick visit to the crazy house and we were done with Dalat!

Tomorrow, Saigon (or should that be Ho Chi Minh City?)

Hoi An

Hoi An is a quiet riverside village of 130,000 people! It has a long history as a trading port, and there are still many Chinese and Japanese influences, unusual for Vietnam. It is famous as a silk and fabric centre, with many tailors to be found with a special deal just for you! Lots of westerners go there with a bag full of favourite outfits which they have copied there. Not us, we bought T shirts and dvds.

We took a trip to see the remains of the ancient Cham Empire, similar to Angkor Wat on a smaller scale. Most buildings were about 1000 years old, yet had been forgotten by the Vietnamese until some lost soldiers stumbled upon the remains during the American War!

They are a brick construction, without mortar as we know it today, and the people working on restoring them still don't know how they stick together.

But the real highlight of Hoi An was the hotel pool, (swimming, not the table - that's another story) which was a great antidote to the heat and humidity of the trip so far.

Next: off to Dalat at 4 am!

Hue

Hue (pronounced Hway) was the ancient capital of Vietnam from the 18th century up until the 19th, when it was moved back to Hanoi. Situated on the Perfume River (a lovely name for a smelly, silty brown very wide river),  today it is a bustling town of 350 000, who all ride motorbikes! The area has been very badly bombed at different times by France and America, and was the site of a massacre by the NVA.
Nevertheless, the remaining buildings are quite magnificent.
Our guide took us to 2 pagoda/tombs from the Nguyen empire, situated in the surrounding countryside.

Then to another pagoda in Hue itself, finishing up at the Imperial Citadel which makes up a fair portion of the city, enclosed in a 10 kilometre wall. Only 20 or so buildings remain of the 148 originals, thanks to the ravages of various wars, damage from which can still be seen.

A beautiful city, with beautiful people-an unexpected delight! Our waitress, Na, is going to write to us when we get home. She needs an English teacher to help her with her essays! Oh well, .....

Ha Long Bay

An early-morning journey through rice fields, ducks, water buffalos, the whole lot! Then a surprise stop at a disability workshop with many items for sale. Funny, that was not mentioned on the tour itinerary! Bought an embroidered picture to ease our conscience. Ha Long Bay was big, as was the town. Funny how you get an impression of a small seaside town which turns out to be bigger than Geelong- much bigger.

On board the Treasure Junk.

The Bay is full of remarkable limestone karsts; sheer cliffs rising out of the emerald water. Every few minutes there was another jaw-dropping view.

We sampled the local fare (which was a bit bland, surprisingly), paddled kayaks, toured floating villages and saw the pearl-seeding business at first hand.

It is an amazingly beautiful place, well-deserving of its UNESCO Heritage status.

Hanoi Pt 3

By Day 3 we were feeling that we had a bit of a handle on our little piece of Hanoi. Everything we did needed careful planning, from crossing the street to working out where these crazy streets were. The maps seemed to bear no relation to the actual reality of the situation. You just had to pick out some landmarks and trust your judgement! Fortunately we had the Lake and St Joseph's Cathedral as our reference points: thanks to the Catholics for taking the high ground.

We found our way to theTraditional House in Ma May Street, one of a few such reconstructed homes from the 19th century. From there we wandered over to the History Museum, then took a cyclo to the Women's Museum.

That was a big day, so a stop at the Hanoi Social Club was in order, on the way back to the hotel. Thanks Maddie!

Tomorrow, off to Halong Bay.

Hanoi Pt 2

Hanoi, Continued...
We flew in to  this crazy city totally unprepared for the controlled(??) chaos that is the roads, lanes and goat tracks that make up old Hanoi. There seemed to be no traffic lights, no police, no indicators and no system! But of course there is- you go with the flow, use your horn constantly and everyone accommodates to the situation. Its very Buddhist, I think. In Melbourne, there would be a bingle every 5 minutes as we need to protect our 'space'. And when a truck comes blaring at you on the wrong side of the road..... don't worry, he will swing back just in time.

And when you need a rest, just pull up onto the footpath and have a nap!

It was usually easier to walk on the sides of the road rather than pick your way through the clutter of cooking, motorbikes and people sitting on their little chairs to eat.

We were offered the services of a young university student as a city guide. Tranh (I think!) was a great ambassador for her city. She is studying Tourism, a very popular course it seems, and her English skills were crucial to her success. She spent almost 7 hours with us, took us to Uncle Ho's Museum, the Temple of Literature (one of the oldest universities in the world) and various other sights in the Old Town. Here are the girls opposite the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

The Vietnamese still revere Uncle Ho after more than 40 years since his death. Even the younger  generation seem to be under his spell! He certainly left his mark on his country, helping to defeat the French in 1954, and not quite living to see the back of the Americans in 1975. People queue up every day to file past in total silence, no shoes, no hats, no conversation! It can take up to 2 or 3 hours to spend a few minutes gazing on his preserved body. (Every year during the hot season he is sent to Moscow for a freshen-up.) We happened to be there on Reunification Day, the high point of the year! The queues were kilometres long, so needless to say we didn't join in. Surprisingly, the Ho Chi Minh museum next door was almost empty. 

Hanoi, like no other!

What a city! Hanoi prides itself on being a mix of many cultures, and delivers in spades! Sure, it is hot, dirty, noisy and crowded, but it manages to combine an Asian sensibility with some stunning European touches. Blame the French (the Vietnamese certainly do!) , blame the Americans (ditto), blame the hordes of Europeans here, with a few expat Aussies, but walking Hanoi's streets you could be excused at times for thinking you were in the boulevardes of Paris. Except then you see this:

Or this:

Or fine dining like this:

And you know this is another way of  thinking altogether.
The Viets have been dominated by different nations for more than a thousand years- they are nothing if not patient! They think the Chinese are poised for another try, and of course Korea is just around the corner.
More later....

All aboard for Vietnam!

I was almost a reluctant visitor to Vietnam in 1972 (Thanks Gough Whitlam!), and I've always wondered how things might have turned out.....
Now we are going as tourists to this fascinating country- many of our friends and relatives have been lately, with varied levels of enjoyment it must be said, and many adventures await!