Vietnam

Read this blog: The one where Robert tries natural viagra [snake vodka] Sunday 24th March 2024 We woke and breakfasted early and took a taxi to the Hôtel des Arts where all the passengers were to assemble for our cruise up the Mekong River aboard the RV Indochina Pandaw. While we waited, we were provided with the best cappuccino we have had so far on this trip. When it was our turn to register, we were told we had Cabin 317 and the Pandaw representative told us that it was “a very good cabin”. We suspected that he might say that to everyone, but when we asked other passengers, it seemed he hadn’t. It was then about a two hour journey by coach to the embarkation point at the stylish My Tho Marina where the building has been designed to look like a cruise ship from the 1930s with porthole windows and curved balconies. When Robert checked his paperwork, our booking was for Cabin 319, which was right at the back of the ship and next door to the one we had been assigned. He, of course, queried the change and we were told we had been moved to a […]

Read this blog: The one where Robert eventually gets the literary references Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd March 2024 We had identified several historical sights we wanted to visit, predominantly temples and pagodas. First we passed the Temple to the Hung Kings which is a small modern shrine in Công viên Tao Đàn or Tao Dan Park. Built in 1992, it already needed some renovation work in 2012, and is dedicated to the first Kings of Vietnam. It stands in one of the largest parks in the city quite close to the Independence Palace where mature and well-established trees provide some welcome shade. The Hung Kings are venerated for, among other things, teaching the Vietnamese how to grow wet rice. This small temple also has the dubious privilege of being the place where Matilda saw her first rat running past. It should not be confused with the much more imposing monument in the Hung Kings Memorial Park. Next we passed the Xá Lợi Pagoda [below left] which is the largest pagoda in the city. Built in 1956 it was the headquarters of Buddhism in South Vietnam and the centre of the Vietnamese Buddhists’ protests against religious persecution by the predominantly […]

Read this blog: The one where Robert gets grumpy with a Vietnamese family Wednesday 20th to Thursday 21st March 2024 The next leg of our journey involved rejoining the Reunification Express at Da Nang Station and travelling onwards overnight to Hồ Chí Minh City. Robert had been unable to book a two berth cabin and so knew we would be sharing with two strangers but we did at least have the two bottom bunks. However, we failed to allow for the fact that, provided they are below a certain height, children can travel free on Vietnamese railways. A family of four with two young girls joined us at the first stop. Fortunately they immediately clambered up to the top two bunks. They all went to sleep for several hours in the early afternoon which we thought was strange. The younger child was particularly needy when she woke and whined and squealed loudly. The parents made no effort to quieten her and she may well have been showing off in front of the westerners but those of you who are familiar with Robert’s parenting style [the Victorian maxim “seen and not heard in public” describes it well] will know that this […]

Read this blog: The one where we get more than we bargained for Tuesday 19th March 2024 At the start of the day we paid 120,000 dong [VND] each and bought two tickets to Hội An old city with tear off strips which would allow us entry to five sites of our choice from about twenty listed on the leaflet we were given. This included museums, communal houses, assembly halls and old houses. We prioritised three places to visit, leaving two to be confirmed/chosen later. The closest site to us was the Quan Âm Pagoda [Chùa Quan Âm] which is known for its large columns and is perhaps the oldest Buddhist temple in Hội An having been built in 1653 by residents of the Minh Huong villages. Although the ticket had perforations, a woman sat at the entrance armed with scissors to cut off one of the five entry slips. The central courtyard was an oasis of peace and quiet. From here we walked to our second site: the Phúc Kiến Assembly Hall, [Hội quán Phước Kiến] also referred to as the Fujian Assembly Hall and the Fukian Assembly Hall. Again, the attendant took a pair of scissors to our ticket. It […]

Read this blog: The one where we find Matilda’s legs are too short Monday 18th March 2024 In 1885, or possibly 1889 depending on the historical source, French archaeologists claimed credit for discovering the Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary, a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples and associated buildings. Frenchmen Louis Finot and Launet de Lajongquere began the first excavation in 1898-99, work which was subsequently continued by their compatriot Parmentier between 1903 and 1904. Built between the 4th and the 14th centuries by the Kings of Champa, the site comprises eight main groups of 71 ruined temples and monuments in Quang Nam Province, in central Vietnam. The Cham people drew on Hinduism from India for their spiritual beliefs and the site is thought to have been the Champa religious and political capital for most of the Champa Kingdom’s existence. We arranged to hire a car to take us to the site, wait while we looked round and then drive us back. To the right beyond the entrance there is a museum, including many of the artefacts found at Mỹ Sơn. The entrance itself is some way from the ancient monuments and we were thankful for the free electric shuttle service […]

Read this blog: The one where Robert orders some shirts Sunday 17th March 2024 Matilda has been tempted by the traditional, conical nón lá or leaf hats but did not want to raise any expectations, or get into any extended negotiations, by trying one on at a street stall or in a market. However, there was a display in the lobby at our hotel and she took the opportunity while we were waiting for our taxi to the station to try one on for size. Although she felt it was quite flattering, she did not think she could pull it off back in the more temperate climate of the UK. Huế Railway Station was built by the French and is apparently now considered to be one of the most beautiful stations in Vietnam although it was allegedly described as a “rectangular horror” in 1913. How times and tastes change. Huế Railway Station has several waiting rooms and we were directed to Waiting Room 2, to the right of the station. Of course Robert tried to go straight onto the platform, to get a better view of the trains but the doors were locked. Several people checked our tickets while we were in […]

Read this blog: The one where Matilda struggles with acronyms Saturday 16th March 2024 In a change from our usual pattern, Robert significantly overspent today’s culture budget by booking a 350km round trip to the DMZ & Vịnh Mốc Tunnels at a cost of 1,050,000 Vietnamese đồng [VND] each. That converts to approximately £82. It turned out to be a very full day and as it went on Matilda in particular found it difficult to keep all the different military acronyms and allegiances straight in her mind so here is a key and some definitions for reference: After the 1954 Geneva Accords, Vietnam was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam close to the 17th parallel. The DMZ was a narrow band of land, stretching for approximately 5km on either side of Ben Hai River, all across the country from Laos to the coast. We were picked up from our hotel at 08:00 and a small select group of five set off with a guide and a driver. First we travelled north and along a 9km stretch of road which was the scene of extensive casualties during the American War and which became known as the Horror Highway. During the Easter Offensive, […]

Read this blog: The one where Robert’s navigations skills are affected by the heat Thursday 14th and Friday 15th March 2024 Having deposited our luggage at the hotel we walked to perhaps the most important historical site in the city: the Citadel or Kinh thành. This was the imperial capital of Vietnam during the rule of the Nguyễn Dynasty between 1802 and 1945. Work started in 1803 at the behest of Emperor Gia Long. This is urban planning at its most regal: not the slow organic growth of a town but a complete capital city with fortifications all at once. The 10 km long outer walls enclosed palaces for the imperial household, shrines as well as gardens and villas for the mandarins – the educated administrative class. The moat is fed with water from the Hương River also known as the Perfume River via a system of sluice gates. We entered through Cua Ngo Mon [Noon Gate or Meridian Gate] which was built by emperor Gia Long‘s successor Minh Mang. Even though Minh Mang announced the completion of the Kinh Thành citadel in 1832 he swiftly embarked on his own improvements and he had the impressive U-shaped Ngu Phung [Five Phoenixes] […]

Read this blog: The one where Matilda doesn’t go kayaking again Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th March 2024 If not exactly sunrise itself, we woke in time to see the sun climbing in the sky above Hạ Long Bay as the six ‘two night cruisers’ were due to go to another cave before returning to Hạ Long mainland. Our group of six included an American Vietnamese couple, called Faith and Vincent, and an Australian couple. Both of the American Vietnamese had been “boat people”, escaping to America in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Vincent told us stories of an eight year old boy being thrown into a traditional round boat or coracle with his 10 year old brother; being transferred to another ship and travelling across the ocean without their parents. They were raised in America without any contact with their families. Indeed, he was not reunited with his parents until about 30 years later. Although they were native speakers, Faith told us that they were also seen as westerners and were often berated by their relatives in Vietnam for paying more than they should for things. After the previous day when the kayaking had proved far less risky than it […]

Read this blog: The one where we cruise around the famous UNESCO site Sunday 10th and Monday 11th March 2024 We like to travel light and for this trip we planned to each have three packs of four days’ worth of clothing and then rely on the laundry service at the various hotels we stayed in. We also carry one of each other’s packs so that should one suitcase go astray at any point, we will both still have a change of clothes. We were told that we needed to allow eight hours for our clothes to be returned so dropped our laundry off as we were heading out to the Citadel the day before we would be leaving for Hạ Long. We were presented with a very neatly packaged set of clean clothing which we left intact for ease of packing. Robert had pre-booked a cruise in Hạ Long Bay with Phoenix Cruises as this company also provided coach transport to and from the dock. Having looked at the timings, Robert realised that on a one night tour, we would barely have a full day in Hạ Long Bay and so opted for the two night cruise. The port […]

Read this blog: The one where we visit an Imperial Citadel Saturday 9th March 2024 The Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long is an extraordinary mixture of historical buildings, archeological excavations and twentieth century wartime command bunkers. It was the centre of power for eight hundred years. From here first the Chinese administrators and later the Vietnamese Emperors ruled. More recently, the headquarters of the North Vietnamese government and army were located here during the period which the Americans refer to as the Vietnam War (1955-1975) but which is also called the Resistance War against America; the Second IndoChina War; the American War in Vietnam and we also heard a guide call it the Civil War. The entrance to the Citadel was lined with lanterns, although these may have been left over from New Year celebrations rather than being permanent, and the trees were carefully trained on trellises to resemble parasols. Construction of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long was started in 1010. The gateway certainly evokes centuries of history. The five gates served as entrances for different classes of people, with a strict hierarchy and the central gate was reserved for the emperor and the two either side for mandarins. […]

Read this blog: The one where we mix beer and trains – obviously! Thursday 7th and Friday 8th March 2024 We flew the 1,434 miles from Singapore to Hanoi, arriving about 16:00 and Robert had pre-booked us transport into the city. We could tell on the drive from the airport into Hanoi just how different Vietnam would be from Singapore. Our driver, whilst perfectly competent seemed to have very little lane discipline and the main purpose of the horn seems to be to alert other road users that they are about to be overtaken. Closer into the centre, moped riders seem to ignore the traffic lights and pedestrians are forced to share the road with them as the pavements are used as parking for the mopeds. It is difficult to know which way to look. The driver passed our hotel and when we mentioned this, rather to our dismay, he checked on his phone, pulled over, then jumped out and disappeared. However, he soon returned with the bellboy from our hotel and we realised he wanted to ensure that no-one missed out on the chance of receiving potentially lucrative tips from foreigners. Matilda is really struggling with converting the number […]