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Vietnam and Cambodia
  • Tracy Dougherty
  • Tracy Dougherty

Vietnam and Cambodia

A 18-day adventure by Tracy Read more
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  • Trip start
    January 30, 2025
    Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Heathrow terminal 4

    January 30, 2025 in England ⋅ 🌙 4 °C

    Final holiday surprise for Chris when we turned up at Sara’s and told him they were joining us. Lovely meal at the Hilton last night. Now about to board, let the fun commence.

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hanoi day 1 - Train Street

    February 1, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We landed at 5.10am and by 7.30am we were exploring as we could not check in until 2pm. The streets were empty as it is New Year holiday (plus it was early and raining). Great view of the infamous train street, and properly scary when the train passed us by so close! Nearly spilled our coffees 😳Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler
    1

    Hanoi day 1 - am

    February 1, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We wandered up to West Lake to see the Tran Quoc pagoda. As it’s New Year, there were lots of families around, dressed in their finery and offering prayers and donations to the gods. We walked past amazing sites from fully laden bicycles (flower stalls), mopeds (families of four) to crazy wiring and coffee shops everywhere - Vietnam is a major coffee producer and it is lovely 😋Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hanoi day 1 - food

    February 1, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    After the usual dire airline fare we were ready for a deep dive into Asian cuisine gang nam style! Problem no.1 it was early and New Year so lots of places were closed, plus every other shop front only serves coffee. We finally found an outside table and enjoyed fragrant and flavourful noodle bowls 😋 We had a late lunch at the hotel, delicious fried rice and delicate rice spring rolls washed down with a very sweet cinnamon tea. Evening on the rooftop bar sipping cocktails with bar snacks.Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hanoi day 2 - guided tour am

    February 2, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Today we had a lovely Vietnamese guide called ‘Zumzum’. He is a civil engineering graduate who decided to change careers. He took us for coffee at the original cafe in Train Street, where the train was even closer! Then we walked through the old quarter with lots of sights and sounds. Next was a train ride over the Red River before going to the Temple of Literature. Really interesting to hear about the different religions and to see the locals offering prayers.there was also a spring fair with scholars writing scrolls for people.Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hanoi day 2 - guided tour pm

    February 2, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Next up was the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, the presidential palace and the stilt house where Uncle Ho lived. We also went to the One Pilar Pagoda.
    Lunch was late but was a lovely Banh My, sausage, egg and chilli sauce in a soft baguette. It cost £5 for 4 of us.
    We then stopped off at the gothic cathedral before watching a water puppet show. A rickshaw back to the hotel through the manic traffic was an experience!    Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hanoi day 3 - am

    February 3, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Today was more relaxing. We started off walking around the ancient Citadel which was also the seat of government in the war with the US, with nuclear bunkers and war rooms. We then took the city sightseeing bus to the French quarter to Hom market which was quiet but there was plentiful fruit and veg downstairs and so much varied fabric upstairs, from linen to silk.
    Lunch was banh my at a road side cafe.    Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hanoi day 3 - pm

    February 3, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    After lunch we walked to the Opera House but were unable to get in as they were setting up a military concert. Instead we went to the lovely restored 1901 Metropole hotel in the French colonial style. Tea/coffee and cake was amazing. We then walked around the lake to the Den Ngoc Temple. Everywhere people were posing for photos!
    Finally we took the bus back to the hotel.    Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Halong Bay day 1

    February 4, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    A 3 hour drive from Hanoi took us to the coast. We passed lots of rice and vegetable fields, which were oddly side by side with small cemeteries! We had a pit stop at the Oyster farm where they showed us how they grow cultured pearls.
    Then to our boat. Bhaya Legend #9 it only sleeps 6! We had a lovely French couple join us, Christophe and Katrina. We started with a 5 course lunch, then we went kayaking and afterwards walked through a cave to a beach for a swim. The water was cold but we all went in for a dip and the sun eventually came out!
    Back on the boat we had a lesson how to make spring rolls, which we will try at home. Happy hour followed then a spectacular 6 course dinner with lots of wine. After dinner the boys tried squid fishing (unsuccessfully) then worked on Anglo-French relations over a few too many whiskies 🤪    Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Halong Bay day 2

    February 5, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    The alarm went off at 5.45 am as Tai Chi was on the deck at 6.15 am with a few sore heads. Then we had a first breakfast of coffee and pastries before we headed out to Sung Sot cave. This is a 3 cavern cave system which was fascinating, although lots of steps. Back on board there was a quick bag pack before brunch and back to the harbour before heading to the airport for the flight to Hue. An absolutely stunning location made all the more special by superb food and service and of course company.Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hue - first night

    February 5, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Arrived in Hue to warm weather. Our hotel was right on the river, a beautiful colonial hotel built in 1901. We dropped our bags and walked along the river to find a restaurant. The bridge, boardwalk and gardens were all beautifully lit and we found a lovely restaurant overlooking the river. Food and service was excellent and ridiculously good value.Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hue - pagoda

    February 6, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    This morning we started with a boat ride to Thien Mu (Heavenly Lady) Pagoda, the oldest in Hue built in 1601. The dragon boat that took us is also home and shop. Ben (our guide) was very knowledgeable - he is a teacher when the tourist season is over. He explained about the two streams of Buddhism and the monk who drove to Siagon to protest against the government. He set himself alight.
    The temple has Ying and Yang in the entrance and is very ornate.    Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hue - Citadel

    February 6, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    The Citadel is 5.2 sq km in total split into three parts. The forbidden city in the centre where only the king and his family were allowed burnt down in 1947 but they have now restored parts of it, especially the royal palace. It is amazing and the mosaics are so detailed. All the red and yellow flowers are just for New Year celebrations.Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hue - mausoleums

    February 6, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Finally we visited two of the kings’ tombs. The 4th and 12th kings. The 12th was one of a number of puppet kings of the French government.
    The 4th king’s tomb was unusually built when the king was alive. He was a great writer and poet and inscribed a stone steale with 5,000 Chinese characters. There is a lake and lovely frangipani trees.
    His tomb is guarded by horses. And foot soldiers that are smaller than the king. However the actual location of the body and treasure is unknown to protect against tomb raiders.    Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hue - Market

    February 6, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    This is the main market, just across the river from our hotel. It was amazing! You could buy anything here. The colours, sights and smells of the fruit and veg were stunning!

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hue to Hoi An

    February 7, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    We set off for the drive to Hoi An, thinking we would go straight there but Ben had an agenda! We stopped at an Oyster farm by the sea for a quick break, which was very tranquil. Then we went over the mountain, stopping at the temple at the top with a US bunker next to it. The cloud was rolling in so we moved on. In Danang we stopped at a museum of the Cham people who settled in South Vietnam before the Viet people. They were very skilled at carving and building temples, but their language has died out and they are now a minority. Last stop was a marble carving factory/shop. The size and cost of some of these was eye watering with several crates ready for shipping overseas. Finally we arrived at our hotel in Hoi An, a former trading port until the bigger ships could not navigate the shallow waters.Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hoi An - Arrival Evening

    February 7, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We changed and were straight out into the old quarter. There were shops everywhere, they call this the shoppers paradise. We walked for a while before finding the river with all the lanterns and boats. A wonderful spectacle. Dinner was upstairs in a bar/restaurant overlooking the river. Food as ever was amazing. We had duck spring rolls and beef in black bean sauce. A few spots of rain so we headed back to the hotel ready for our tour the next day.Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Lantern making

    February 8, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    First stop of the day was to a lantern making class. The ladies showed us how to do it, then we copied them. It was great fun and the results were fab! They are semi-collapsible so will be coming home with us 🙂Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hoi An - bespoke tailors

    February 8, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Ben took us next to Yaly Couture, the place where Jeremy Clarkson had a lary shirt made on the Top Gear Vietnam special. Here we saw how the silk worm is looked after and what they eat. Also the dying and weaving process. Then we looked at the scarves and went upstairs to the tailoring department. Wow what a choice. We all ordered something!! Chris chose three shirts and Tracy a ball gown! Sara a dress for Abi’s wedding and Glyn a shirt. The measuring process and style discussions were extensive and we pick everything up tomorrow afternoon.Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hoi An - Historical tour

    February 8, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Ben is great, first we stopped at the market for my ginger, then found Sara’s New Year decorations.
    We started the tour of the old town at the Quang Dong assembly hall which was built by the Chinese to worship the sea god to give them safe passage. They even built a small model of the Great Wall of China to remember home. In the temple there were suspended coils of incense for different prayers, which take a month to burn!
    We then went to the ceramics museum which is an old merchants house, before visiting a merchant’s house that is still lived in by the same family for 8 generations. There was a mark in the house to show where the floods have come upto - frighteningly high. When the property is flooded in the rains they put everything on the second floor. They are called long houses so in the front is the business, in the middle they have a courtyard to give light and air and at the back is the living quarters and kitchen. Finally the Japanese bridge. It was built by them as they were on one river bank and the Chinese on the other. It has a monkey statue at one end and a dog statue at the other to show which year it started and finished. Just after it was finished the Japanese were recalled to Japan so this is the only piece of Japanese architecture left in Vietnam.    Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hoi An - Final day

    February 9, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    A gentle wander into the old town today, we headed for the river and found a boat for a trip around the island. There were so many boats with lanterns on.
    Lunch was a really tasty Banh My At a local stall. We wandered among the shops and Sara and I bought traditional outfits from an interesting character and his mum.
    The visit to Yaly tailors to pick up our outfits was very quick and everyone was happy. We fell out of there into another tailors for some more shirts and dresses! Definitely shopped out.    Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Hoi An to Saigon

    February 10, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Today was mainly travelling. We took the minibus up to Danang airport (where there are still aircraft hangars from the American war, housing a number of Russian Mig jets) for the flight to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City.
    Saigon is a big and very commercialised city with even bigger traffic issues than Hanoi.
    As today was Glyn’s 60th birthday we had many celebrations. The tour company were fab and notified the hotel. Cake and decorations followed.
    We ate in the hotel restaurant for a fantastic meal. The food was superb and they made a great show as well. Finished off with cocktails in the sky bar.    Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Cu Chi tunnels

    February 11, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Today was a history lesson about the American war (what we know as the Vietnam war). We went to the tunnels dug by the Viet Cong on the outskirts of Saigon. The tunnels were very small and the Americans had to use small soldiers known as ‘tunnel rats’ to infiltrate them. Chris and Glyn went through a short 10m section of one that had been expanded for tourists, but even so they had to crawl on hands and knees. There was also a shooting range where you could fire weapons from the war. The sound reverberated around the jungle and brought the war into sharp focus. The various man traps that the VC used against the Americans were evil, designed to maim and torture rather than kill. They used bomb fragments to make the barbed metal spikes for the traps. They made sandals out of old tyres with one sole facing backwards to confuse the enemy. Real gorilla warfare.Read more

  • Tracy DoughertyVietnam and CambodiaTraveler

    Saigon Tour

    February 11, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    The locals still call the city Saigon as it takes less effort than Ho Chi Min City! We visited the Unification Palace (previously the presidential palace for the president of South Vietnam) which was rebuilt in the 1960s after the original French colonial building was destroyed in the American war. Then on to the post office which was built by the French. Finally we went to China Town and the wholesale market, wow the scale of the bags of foods and spices!
    Dinner was at Quan Bui and we had a torrential downpour, which thankfully finished just before we left. Cocktails in the sky bar to round off the day.    Read more

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