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Vietnam

April 2017
A 29-day adventure by Zoe Read more
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  • Zoe BennforsVietnam
    Day 15

    Hoi An

    April 16, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    12 hours on a bus and we arrived in the town of Hoi An. Eventually we arrived at our hostel, all very sweaty but well rested. Having had confusion in finding the hostel in the first place, the place did not disappoint having heard to many recommendations to stay in this specific hostel.

    Not wasting any time, we decided to hire bicycles and went to a local bakery to grab some breakfast. We then went back to the hostel in hope that we could be shown our dorms and check in. The views of the hostel are amazing. From the pool and window you could look out over Hoi An and lots of rice paddies. After a well needed shower, we headed back out and over to the Ancient Town. Our first stop were the tailors, all of us choosing our items we wanted made. My bank balance certainly felt the hit after this visit, but hoping the clothes made are worth the money, especially as no one back home will have the clothes I have chosen to be made. It was a very exhilarating experience though, especially with my love for shopping and clothes I loved being able to pick anything to be made.

    We then spent the rest of the day wondering around the Ancient town and finding our bearings. The amount of clothes, jewellery and food you could buy was pretty much unlimited and I had to refrain from buying countless things on numerous occasions. It was certainly a shop until you drop experience.

    On the way back to the hostel we stopped off by the beach to watch the sunset. It was so picturesque and the sky was a variety of gorgeous colours. The scenery on the way to the beach was also amazing, the sunset being over all the rice paddies. The experience was almost surreal.

    Back at the hostel we decided to treat ourselves to a few drinks and ended up joining the pub crawl the hostel was hosting. The night was thoroughly enjoyable and we carried on until the early hours of the morning. We finished the night with a banh mi, a typical Vietnamese food which was delicious and probably tasted 10x better being under the influence of alcohol.

    I can definitely say that our stop in Hoi An had got off to a promising start.    Read more

  • Zoe BennforsVietnam
    1
    Day 16

    Ancient Town

    April 17, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    For our second day in Hoi An it was a slightly slower start to the day having been out the previous night. We just made it in time for the buffet breakfast and decided we would have an easy morning by the pool.

    Due to the fact we needed to have our second fittings, we headed to the Ancient Town again on our bikes for the afternoon.

    When we arrived we grabbed some lunch and had a typical Vietnamese dish called cao lau which was a mixture of noodles, greens, pork and pork crackling, it was delicious! Soon after we finished we headed over to get our clothes fitted and it was amazing to see how they had transformed the materials into the clothing we wanted. With a few more adjustments to make it makes me extremely excited for the finished product.

    Due to it being late afternoon, we wondered around the main town and found some yummy treats. My favourite was a warm donut rolled in sugar, it was absolutely divine. With Hoi An being full of coffee shops, we decided it would be rude not to go have one. We tried a speciality, iced coffee with coconut which was delightful, the sweet of the coconut balancing out the strong taste of the coffee. However, due to it getting dark we thought it would be best to head back, picking up a banh mi on the way.

    Back at the hostel we had a well deserved shower and thought it would be a good idea to have a chill night with a busy day planned tomorrow. After two intense days I was very much in need of some chill time.    Read more

  • Zoe BennforsVietnam
    Day 17

    Kim Bong

    April 18, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Deciding to be slightly more touristy we joined a free tour that is run by local students who want to improve their English. Our tour guide was superb and one of the best guides I've had in my time in Vietnam.

    The tour was around a local village in Hoi An called Kim Bong Village. Our first stop was at the local boat making business which built both fishing boats and boats for tourists. The eyes on the boats are pointy to protect the boat against evils of the water and are typically found only in north Vietnam rather than the south.

    Our next stop was a local home where they make sea grass sleeping mats, all of us in turn having a go. We also went to another local home and tried rice paper cakes which were surprisingly delicious. Here, anyone who wanted could have a try at making the rice paper. It was an easy task but repetitive and can imagine it gets quite laborious after a while.
    After stopping off at a hand made crafts shop it was time for the tour to end.

    Needing to get another fitting for our clothes we stopped by the old town and then headed back to the hostel to enjoy the rest of the day's sun.

    For the evening in the hostel it was tropical themed which allowed us to wear some questionable outfits. However the evening ended up with all of us being thrown in the pool finishing the evening soaked.    Read more

  • Zoe BennforsVietnam
    Day 18

    Farewell Hoi An

    April 19, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    For our last full day in Hoi An we decided to take it easy, spending the morning by the pool and enjoying the hostel we were in and catching some rays.

    However, we needed to go get our last fittings for our clothes. 3rd time round and we were all extremely happy with our purchases. Having bought so much during my time I was already having to send $40 worth of clothes back home, ooops.

    We then decided to head to the beach in time for sunset which was gorgeous. We strolled along the beach but had to finish up shortly in order to be back for the pub quiz at the hostel. Heading back we picked up a Banh Mi for dinner, which was one of our best yet! I also found myself a furry friend, a little kitten who decided to fall asleep on me... so adorable.

    Full and satisfied we joined the pub quiz, however we failed miserably, knowing very few answers to any of the questions. However, being our last night we didn't let this dampen our spirits and headed out on the pub crawl that we had joined on our first night.

    With a fun last night and having fallen in love with Hoi An it was time to say our goodbyes.    Read more

  • Zoe BennforsVietnam
    Day 19

    Hai Van Pass

    April 20, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Ditching the bus, our normal transportation, we did the route from Hoi An to Hue on the back of motor bikes. I can honestly say this day was one of the most memorable experiences and one that should be on everyone's bucket list.

    Our drivers picked us up at 9.30am and we pretty much hit the road immediately. The first stop was marble mountain, which gave you a beautiful viewpoint of Da Nang and Hoi An. It was a breathtaking sight and loved all the marble sculptures at the bottom of the mountain.

    Further along the road we stopped off at a fishing beach. It was so quiet and peaceful, also an opportunity for a few photos. Heading out the city you could definitely see how the area around was becoming more scenic and less built up. Entering the mountainous area which is famously known as the Hai Van Pass, the route Top Gear did in one of their episodes and only when you are actually there can you appreciate the beauty of this country. We stopped off at another 3 points, a cove, Lang Co and a waterfall known as Elephant Falls, where you could swim in the water.

    As we got closer to Hue we were accompanied by paddy fields either side of us which created the true typical Vietnamese backdrop for our journey which were spectacular.

    Arriving into Hue it was certainly busier on the roads. We arrived at our homestay hostel exhausted but having had a great day.

    If anything could make you fall in love with Vietnam, this trip couldn't do the country more justice.    Read more

  • Zoe BennforsVietnam
    Day 20

    Hue

    April 21, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    In Hue the main attraction is the Imperial City so our plan for the day was to spend it there. This was a location that was heavily bombed by the French and a battle ground during the war. However there's been a lot of reconstruction of the place in order to see what it would have been like when it was previously built.

    Having heard that Hue was extremely hot, as its located far away from a large body of water we didn't really register this until we were wondering around in 38 degree heat. Safe to say we struggled and after 2 hours decided it was time for a cold beer and a sit down.

    After grabbing lunch at a local restaurant and a delicious milkshake from another cafe it was time for us to head back to the hostel and pack up our things in time for our bus to Phong Nha, the national park. Here, a lot of bombs were dropped during the Vietnam war and was where the main transportation route for the Vietnamese was. Its also a beautiful location with amazing scenery and lots of natural caves.    Read more

  • Zoe BennforsVietnam
    Day 21

    Phong Nha

    April 22, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Another early start and we hit the road off into the national park of Phong Nha. The first place we visited was the 8 Lady Temple, named after the 8 women who were trapped and died in the cave as they got blocked in and starved. The temple was created in memory of them. People still go pay respect to them today.

    The main road that runs through the park used to be the passage way used by the Vietnamese in the war to transport supplies from North to South, hence the area was heavily bombed by Americans. But due to the trail being covered by a canopy of trees it made it very hard for the Americans to find it from a birds eye view.

    Next we travelled through the gorgeous scenery to Paradise Cave. There was an unexpected trek up to the cave but despite being covered in sweat it was worth it. The cave was enormous, one of the most impressive sights I've ever seen, no photography could capture the shear size of the cave. Walking through the cave it just seemed to go on forever.

    Heading through more beautiful scenery we arrived at Dark Cave. The first thing we did was indulge in a huge meal of meats, noodles and rice and oh wow did it hit the spot. Then we headed into the Dark Cave via a zip line which was such fun. Entering the cave we trekked deep into it and ended up at a mud bath. I have to say it was a strange but very cool experience and because of the thickness of the substance you floated in the mud.

    Back out of the cave we kayaked back to land and having it been raining we were all very cold but waiting for us was some rum and coke to warm us up.

    Getting back to hostel we had a long warm shower after a busy day and a much needed early night.    Read more

  • Zoe BennforsVietnam
    Day 22

    Pub with cold beer

    April 23, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Woke up and had a chilled morning with a more leisurely breakfast and decided to go exploring by ourselves around the national park.

    Hiring bikes from the hostel we headed to a recommendation known as the 'pub with cold beer'. The first 10km of the bike ride was thoroughly enjoyable however the last 5km could be referred to as hell on wheels. We managed to find ourselves on a dirt track all up hill on a steady incline. This happened just at the time where I was actually beginning to enjoy cycling, but after that not so much. We arrived exhausted, sweaty and extremely in need of a cold beer.

    Having had the bike ride from hell on the way, we chilled there for the afternoon in the hammocks provided enjoying our cold beer. However the restaurant was also famous for being able to kill and eat your own chicken. But the thought of killing our own food may have put us off our meal so we just decided to let the workers do it instead and still have an appetite. It has to be said the chicken was some of the best I've had in Vietnam yet. I'm not sure if that was because of the quality or the hunger that had brewed on the journey there.

    Realising we could take a different route back along the highway we had a much more relaxing journey. Along the way we stumbled at a duck farm and got to help herd ducks and ducklings which was hilarious and such a treat, never having an experience quite like it. Finally we arrived back at the hostel for 6pm which meant free beer.

    After having something to eat and collecting our things together it was time to get on the nightbus to Hanoi.    Read more

  • Zoe BennforsVietnam
    Day 23

    Hanoi

    April 24, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    5am arrival in Hanoi and exhausted we headed to the hostel straight away and grabbed something to eat after our 10 hour journey. Lacking in energy I decided to have an easy morning, enjoying a nap and writing various postcards.

    In the afternoon, we showered and headed out for lunch, trying bun cha which was absolutely delicious and a typical Vietnamese dish. It consisted of noodles, BBQ pork and veggies.

    Then as a last minute decision we headed to the Women's museum before it closed, picking up various street food and goodies on the way, attempting to taste as much different food as possible. The Women's museum was extremely interesting and about different religions and how that affects a woman's worship routines, marriage riturals and bringing up kids.

    Having heard about a popular performance called the Water Puppet Show, we decided it would be fun to go. Although it was in Vietnamese it was lovely to watch and felt like a treat being able to appricate something that's so popular in their culture.

    Needing to pack for the next day, our trip to Mai Chau, we went back to the hostel. It was also good to have a catch up with Dad and nice to see a friendly face after while. Then it was time for bed, another day having flown by.    Read more

  • Zoe BennforsVietnam
    Day 24

    Mai Chau

    April 25, 2017 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Having not had the time to do Sapa, we decided on a less expensive alternative, Mai Chau. It's slightly closer to Hanoi but still has the beautiful scenery and typical rice terrace look and generally more guaranteed good weather. Having not heard much about the area itself, I was excited to see what it had to offer.

    Arriving there we settled in our homestay and had lunch almost immediately. The food was honestly incredible and I'm pretty sure I ate enough food for at least 4 people. Having finished the meal, all I could think about was how good dinner would be.

    The afternoon activity was a bike ride, probably a good thing in order work off the mass of food I had just eaten. During the cycle ride we rode through the large stretches of rice paddies which were absolutely stunning. It was also a beautiful day so we were extremely lucky with our views. We made one stop at a local village that had just been open to the public a few months where they made a large range of woven cloth, all a lovely array of colours.

    Heading back to the hostel at sunset was a gorgeous backdrop to end our cycle ride. Soon after we got back it was time for dinner and yet again they delivered the goods. All different food to lunch yet as delicious.

    Later on we had a treat of Vietnamese dancers come put a show in for us. They were such sweet people and it was so nice to see how much they enjoyed performing for us. In the end all of us even joined in and I'm not sure who had more fun, them or us.

    Safe to say I'm excited to see what Mai Chau brings tomorrow.    Read more

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