SOUTH TO NORTH VIETNAM - Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hue, Hoi-An, Cat Ba, Hanoi, Vietnam Apr 2017

SOUTH TO NORTH VIETNAM

Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hue, Hoi-An, Catba Bay, Hanoi  April 2017

The Presidential Palace

Last year's trip to Vietnam was spectacular; we knew we had to return to this land of conical hats, fish-cake noodle soup, rich with culture. 

Tan Dinh--the Pink Church

This time we wanted to see as much as possible of this intriguing country so we started from the south, in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and worked our way north, stopping in Hue, Hoi-An, Da Nang, Hanoi Hai Phong and enjoying an adventurous side excursion to Cat Ba Island and Ha Long Bay.

Ancient roots

As we learned on our visit last year, interpreting Vietnam's history is complicated. From the U.S. point of view, the Vietnam War was between the North and the South, Communism versus Democracy. We were just there to support the Democratic forces, or so we were told.

However, from the currently unified country's point of view, it was  the War of American Aggression; this theme played out almost everywhere we went. It was hard not to feel an element of guilt, especially when we were in museums that depicted the victims of Agent Orange and the ravages of war.

Remnants of war

Visiting the sites was fascinating, having watched the history of the war unfold in our early teens. The image of the North Vietnamese tanks crashing the gates of the Presidential Palace and the last helicopter taking off from the roof were still etched in our minds. 

The Oriental doctor

Ho Chi Minh City had some beautiful buildings and interesting museums. It is a busy, intense city with motos, cars and buses scrambling from place to place. We found it was not particularly pedestrian friendly and too crazy for us.

Our "air-conditioned" Airbnb turned out to be less than promised, with a strange hole in the kitchen wall that left us feeling rather exposed. Although we switched to a nice hotel with a pool and a French-speaking owner, ultimately it was time to move on.

Reunited with Adrienne

From Ho Chi Minh City we flew to Da Nang, where we joined Phoenix friends Adrienne and Brian, who had been living there for the past year. We stayed at a great place called "Conical Hats Homestay," run by a young Vietnamese woman, Lani, who had married an Italian, had a son together, and they were now wrestling with visa issues.

A very happy Mike

Da Nang seemed to be a victim of too much success. On every corner someone was turning their home into a hotel to accommodate the growing tourist industry. It was rather unsettling.

The food in Vietnam was as amazing as we remembered it, and we especially enjoyed frequenting the local vendors in Da Nang. Mike's favorite dish was a large bowl of hot broth, noodles with fresh greens and sprouts...at a ridiculously low cost. And of course there's Vietnamese coffee. The blend of strong coffee balanced with sweetened condensed milk approaches the taste of dark chocolate. 

Lighting up the streets

From Da Nang we went to Hoi-An, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Unfortunately, they, too, had been bitten by the tourism bug which translated into more dong. 

The river at night

It was impossible to walk two steps without someone hawking clothes,sunglasses, and other sundries. 

We didn't even bother to go to the Old Town area, noted for its 2,000-year history as a Southeast trading port since they were charging a fee just to walk around. However, we loved seeing the lit up animal displays on the river and the beautiful lanterns for sale. 

The Imperial Palace

We briefly returned to Da Nang, stopped in at Conical Hat to retrieve Eileen's sunglasses, and then headed to Hue by train. While it was also a prime tourist spot as the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty emperors from 1802 to 1945, it didn't feel nearly as intense.

Colorful tile work

The Imperial Palace was spectacular and the parks and the city's waterfront on the Suong-Hong Perfume River made for great strolling.

The hotel we stayed at--new and eager to attract tourists--couldn't be beat. It was approximately $30 a night, and that included a rooftop pool and sumptuous breakfast buffet.

Welcome to Cat Ba

The next stop was Cat Ba Island. We knew we wanted to see Ha Long Bay, but thought this was a good place to avoid the throngs. It was clear that it was just a matter of time before this understated place was overrun with tourists as well.

Indescribable beauty

We found a perfect day trip, reasonably priced, that would take us to Ha Long Bay, known for its spectacular scenery. 

Although we were clearly the elders on board, the age differential didn't become apparent until we docked in an area and all the 20-somethings jumped into the water from the second floor of the boat.

Jumping in was easy

Equally inspired, Eileen had the exhilarating and then equally humiliating experience of jumping off the boat into the water and then not being able to climb the ladder to get back on the boat. Trust us, it was not for lack of trying, multiple times.

Stupid human tricks

Thanks to Mike and a sinewy Vietnamese man nearby, they were able to hoist her back up. Vietnam obviously does not have the same bent toward litigiousness found in the U.S.A. 

No forms were signed to release the tour company from responsibility should an accident occur. Thus, we were encouraged to swim to shore without any warning about the coral that soon bloodied our feet when we tried to stand.

One good turn...

Our Vietnam trek concluded in one of our favorite cities in the world, Hanoi. We had an opportunity to reconnect with YESD, the organization we volunteered with last year that secured a big new house for volunteers. We also taught our leadership program at a cross-town language school.

Reconnecting with Zoom

We a met up again with Zoom, Nick's Vietnamese housemate in Juneau, Alaska, She is in the process of building an eco-friendly lodge, that will benefit the indigenous people in the mountains. It is just what Vietnam needs in this time of unprecedented growth.