Our plans only started to include Vietnam a week or so before leaving New Zealand and we had a few tussles over whether to visit there or head more directly to Europe to enjoy the northern summer. There was an element of unfinished business in that our last long journey involved three of the other countries in that area of South East Asia - Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma). That was a fairly epic 9 week trip which revealed three countries of wildly varying characteristics. Worldly wise Thailand contrasted with isolated and extreme Myanmar while Cambodia followed up with a tale of a civilisation reemerging from complete destruction. Given this regional background what were we to find in communist Vietnam, so recently war torn?
We flew directly from Brunei into Saigon as we had decided to work our way up the country from south to north. The moment we crossed the line from the surly immigration control and threw ourselves into the melee of taxi touts and professional welcomers we knew that this was not going to be a dull ride and so it turned out as our taxi ride into the centre turned into a high speed game of dodgems with lane markings and traffic signals derisively considered as suggestions only.
We had been warned about the road crossing technique required - cross carefully but confidently and don't hesitate - but nothing could entirely prepare us for the reality of passing through a sea of dozens of scooters none of which with any intent of stopping. After a while we did get the hang of it once we discovered that there was actually a system.
Car beats motorbike. Bus beats car. Lorry beats bus and rubbish cart beats everything (they stop for nothing on the basis that another dent in my cart is less important to me than a dent in your bodywork would be to you). Motorbikes are always ready to adjust plans to avoid hazards like cars, buses and lorries as well as pedestrians, cycles, ladies with yokes and the indestructible cockroach of the traffic the rubbish cart. Like a flock of starlings the bikes flow down the street, passing in front of you until such point as one heading directly your way passes behind you with a barely discernable sway of the hips. From this point on you are home free as the rest of the bikes follow his* lead. So why are there not more accidents? The key is the speed - a constant 20-30km/h - never stopping for junctions and only occasionally for traffic lights.
Road Rules
*I say "his lead" but the world of the motor scooter is definitely equally shared between man and woman, each wearing a lightweight helmet. Most of the women have specific riding apparel consisting of a lightweight jacket and matching apron, presumably to keep warm in the 35 degree heat or else to keep clean. The outfit is normally completed with a face mask to deal with the ever present light smog as several million little engines keep ticking over. When heavy rains begin each rider pulls to the side of the road, selects a plastic poncho from the underseat compartment, slips it over themselves, their luggage and any passengers before carrying on their merry way - probably texting as they go. Talking about mobile phones in the rain I had a pretty unfortunate experience of being caught in an incredibly heavy downpour, whipped out the poncho and blithley splashed my way back to the hotel to discover my phone was in my knee pocket just below the poncho line where it had got soaked and promptly given up the ghost.
The tour desk at the mid-range hotel had a range of tours which fortunately we did not book without shopping around. Another downpour had us ducking for shelter into a travel agent which had the same tours for one third of the cost. By the end of the shower our next two days were booked up, first to visit the Cu Chi tunnels and later to explore the Mekong Delta. On each of these tours we were to receive a similar propoganda message which was along the lines of "we're communist but we are happy".
Hidden Tunnels
The Cu Chi tunnels are close to Saigon and are very extensive. These tunnels had been created prior to the American War but were extended in area and depth so that by the end a network of tunnels on three levels extending down to a water source and cleverly varying levels to provide air pockets which prevented gas attacks from succeeding. Tunnels changed direction often to avoid clear fire paths and there were booby traps built in at regular intervals.
Once we had had our fill of Saigon we headed up country, flying to Danang then travelling on to Hoi An where we stayed in a lovely small hotel called the Salute which had a wonderful swimming pool. We used our time here partly as a chill-out stop but we also went into the delightful old town area which somehow managed to survive the bombing intact and has many very old properties gathered around a lovely river. To make the most of its situation the Vietnamese have banned vehicles (read motorbikes) from the narrow streets for most of the day and at night everything is lit by colourful hanging lanterns. It is really peaceful and pretty. Hoi An is famous for its tailoring businesses and Tamara was not going to miss out. An afternoon spent with one of these resulted in a beautiful fitted dress custom designed and hand made which was delivered the following day.
Peaceful Hoi An
After several nights in the Salute we boarded a bus to Hue. When we entered we were suprised to find that the "seating" comprised dorm style recliner bunk beds which I imagine are really comfortable if you are five foot tall. My sixth foot is one too many and I spent the trip with my legs dangling wherever they could fit! Having fought off a host of lying, scheming taxi drivers we walked the short distance to our accommodation which, at $US10 per night was the cheapest we were to find in Vietnam. Although the room had no window it was clean and had air conditioning and an en-suite so we were happy. The owner was a lovely chap who is qualified as an architectural technician but gave that up because the pay sucked so that he could work 24 hours a day in the family hotel.
One of our days in Hue was spent planning our next move, arranging accommodation in Hanoi and booking flights to Athens, later we went for a massage carried out expertly (in Tamara's case) and over-enthusiastically (in my case) by a couple of blind people. As we were invited to disrobe in front of them I was reminded of the Mr Bean sketch where he goes to all the effort of removing his undies without removing his trousers only to find the man that keeps looking at him is blind! On the second day we walked to the ancient city and palace and then completed the trip with a cyclo tour of the old city in extreme heat. The cyclo pedeller got a bonus at the end as it was so hot and he was so helpul. Kiwis are not used to tipping so he doesn't know how lucky he was.
Dragons in Hue!
We turned down the opportunity of a night train to Hanoi as it would be a shame to miss out on the scenery (and it cost twice as much) and so it was that we rode the Reunification Express for twelve hours through mostly "average" scenery from the peace of the Vietnamese countryside to the pulsing city of Hanoi. Hanoi took a pounding in the war but you would not know it now, in fact it is a vibrant place full of activity and life. It is quite possible to wander around the central area in a couple of days enjoying the natural lakes, the ancient pagodas and the lovely French quarter. At times it is very similar to being in Paris, and you can find yourself eating a fresh pain au chocolat whilst queuing for Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. We have now viewed the embalmed bodies of two of the big three communist leaders - one to go! It is a very odd experience and feels a little voyeuristic but, when in Rome!
Top of my list of places to visit was the Serenity Dental Clinic where I was to spend many a happy hour over the next ten days. A total of 18 hours of very professional dental work which managed to get my mouth very much back in shape cost one quarter of what it would have done in New Zealand and by our reckoning the savings "paid" for the whole of our trip up to that point for both of us including the international flights. A true bonus is that you are able to make the right decisions when cost is not a factor. It was good that the dentist was able to schedule the works around our trips away from Hanoi so that our holiday was not too disrupted.
Ha Long Bay
The first of these trips was to the beautiful Ha Long Bay. Yet another UNESCO world heritage site; this bay is much more extensive than we could ever have thought and one of the main reasons for choosing to visit Vietnam. In every direction was an amazing view and we were able to enjoy these by spending two nights with Seasun cruises on a mid-sized boat from which we were able to enjoy kayaking through the sea caves and around the spectacular islands. On the second day we met up with three English lads who were in good spirits. After a while jumping from the top of the boat into the sea we were sitting in the main cabin chatting. All the time I had a strange desire to just get up and dive through the narrow window, over the balustrade and into the sea. After internalising this for some time I came out with it and soon one of them and I were sizing up whether it was possible. After several trial runs and a few baulked attempts one of the other lads just ran across the cabin and hurled himself through. After that the psychological door was opened and we each dived through too - I guess you have to see the pictures! For anyone visiting Vietnam a trip to Ha Long Bay is an unmissable experience and we thoroughly recommend taking the "two nights on board the boat" option. We were very fortunate to avoid the terrible weather that had prevented any cruises during the previous two weeks which had even made it onto the international news due to the coal port being washed out.
Sa Pa Market
Our second trip while in Hanoi was to the mountain region around Sa Pa. This is a very established part of the backpacker trail but we loved it anyway. Finally we got to experience the Vietnamese overnight trains and were very impressed; it is quite relaxing to lay back in your bunk being rocked to sleep knowing that you are moving on with your journey even as you sleep. On the way to Sa Pa we shared the four berth couchette with a friendly Japanese lad and then, on the return leg we found ourselves back together again, together with David, a San Franciscan with whom I had a very interesting chat. It seems that we are to some extent dopelgangers and had followed a similar path to being on a train in S.E.Asia funded by property rental.
Colourful Hill Tribe Clothing
While in Sa Pa we visited a very interesting market, went to the Chinese border and, after an overnight stay, trekked 20 km to a hill settlement were we stayed the night in a homestay. The mountainsides around Sa Pa are all terraced to form rice fields and the local people are generally still in national costume which adds a lot of colour to the region. We have been to places where people wear national costumes before but in those cases it is largely for the tourists. In Sa Pa it is different in that it is genuinely the norm to wear this clothing and the girls especially are very keen to adorn themselves. Our guide introduced herself as Mi (pronounced "Me"). Although she is eighteen she looks thirteen and would not exceed 4' 6" tall. She was very lovely though and has some very progressive views on marriage as she prefers to wait until her mid twenties to get married rather than all her friends who got married at 14 and already have several kids. Mi's aim is to develop her career in tourism first and save enough money to buy a field so that she has some say in the marriage. We were proudly told earlier in the trip how in Vietnam the men rule the roost so this is very different thinking in a very traditional community. Of course there were jokes about the name. Earlier in the trip we met a girl called Yu and you can only imagine a meeting between the two.
We two and Mi
For the whole of the two days trekking we were walking with other villagers, each in their tribal dress, none exceeding 5' tall. At first we thought we were just going the same way as them and they were just naturally friendly. This all changed at the lunch stop though when it was all on with the most persistent selling of nik naks we have ever experienced. Hours of polite refusals followed by outright turning of the back then turning back again. These ladies simply do not take "no" for an answer. Woe betide you if you actually buy something as you are now the target for everyone else. "I've already bought one" you protest. "One more" is the immediate response. Even the most benevolent of our trekking party was worn down by this and unfortunately you do end up disliking these otherwise lovely people.
Back to Hanoi and after a final fitting of my new porcelain crowns our time in Vietnam was over. A dental holiday in Hanoi is truely a worthwhile decision for those of you contemplating expensive dental treatment in New Zealand. We really enjoyed our stay and were very glad to have made that last minute decision.
