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  • TravelerSE Asia
    Day 48

    Hue / ➡️ Ninh Binh

    April 27 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 41 °C

    We're only staying one night in Hue, so had to get up early and pack up. We got to the Imperial city gates at 8.30 hoping to beat the midday heat and some of the crowds, but turns out everyone else has the same idea. Plus there were loads of school trips, which I hadn't seen anywhere else before! All the kids are so friendly though, they see you're a westerner and wave and say hello. Some of the older kids want to practice their English so come up and ask questions, which is endearing (and their English is 1000x better than my Vietnamese will ever be).
    The Imperial city is a walled compound encompassed within the citadel of the city of Hue. It was the capital of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty, the last Vietnamese dynasty, whose 143-year rule ended after the end of the second world war. Some of the emperors during this era assended the throne as young as 6-years-old!
    The palace complex was constructed in 1803, based on Beijing's 'Forbidden city'. The site was damaged heavily by French attacks and then again during conflict with the US. At one point, Viet Cong soldiers occupied half of the citadel with the US in the other. After this battle, only 10 of 160 buildings remained. In 1993 the area was named a UNSECO world heritage site so some of the buildings have been reconstructed.
    The gardens were beautiful, and a mix of ruins along with old and new buildings made the site really interesting to look at. We wandered around longer than expected (3hrs with sit down breaks for the heat), and I think there were still areas we didn't fully explore, but hot and hungry we went to find lunch.
    In the afternoon we went to a pagoda the hostel had circled on the map, which was a little disappointing as there wasn't a lot there. There are three big tombs of old kings here we really wanted to see, but they were a little far out. Looking at photos online the sites didn't have any shade, which is something we didn't really want to negotiate in 40° heat.
    When we got back to the hostel, they very kindly let us shower which was a lifesaver before hopping on an 11-hour night bus! We should arrive at our next destination, Ninh Binh, around 5am tomorrow morning.    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia
    Day 47

    Hoi An ➡️ Hue

    April 26 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 40 °C

    At some point during the three weeks Kath is here, we really wanted to do a first class train journey for a bit of luxury and of course stunning views. We then looked at the prices, and decided against it 😅 we did however book a train from Hoi An through our hostel to Hue, second class and only 4 hours. I asked our host to book us on the right side so we'd get a coastal view, but we ended up on the left! :( Honestly other than that, I couldn't fault the homestay we had in Hoi An, the couple that ran it were so lovely and helpful, our room was great, fab location and cute puppy!
    The train ride was interesting... Pretty noisy, very hot as the aircon was temperamental, and lots of stops and starts. We only got glimpses of the gorgeous coastline through cracks between drawn curtains, as all the locals close them to avoid the sun. Safe to say after that trip we'll stick to our buses haha.
    We arrived in Hue early afternoon, and it was absolutely boiling!
    Later on, we ventured to an old abandoned waterpark that was shut down in 2004 due to financial issues, but in the last 5 years has become an unofficial tourist attraction. Officially you're not meant to go in, but everybody does. We were dropped off by a closed off road and walked 15 mins up the road and along a path hugging a big lake. As we were walking, a huge pier like structure on the water came into view, a head of a dragon at the top and spines and claws spread out, surrounding it. Inside, the walls were covered in graffiti, was a bit dirty and smelly, but expected for a 20 year old abandoned building! The dragon had two floors, and at the top you could look out over the lake through it's mouth.
    We crossed the other side of the bridge into the jungle/forest to find three waterslides and a few pools. It was golden hour just before sunset, so the whole area looked stunning. Kath found the whole place a bit spooky but it bought it was really cool. I wanted to climb all the way up one of the slides, but I was in birks, which did not lend themselves to walking on slippy plastic. The park is due to be completely closed and demolished later this year, with some parts already destroyed, so we weren't sure if there were other areas to see.
    Content with what we saw, we grabbed some beers from a lady on the path with a cooler on the back of a motorbike, monopilsing on the tourists in the area, and watched the sun disappear behinds clouds for another less than spectacular sunset.
    In the evening, it absolutely chucked it down for all of 40 minutes, we sat on a street corner in a bar overlooking the roads as people ran for cover, and motorcyclists impressed us with how many people they could fit under one poncho.
    We grabbed some very delicious food, before heading back to the hostel for an early night as we wanted to try to beat the heat tomorrow morning.    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia
    Day 46

    Hoi An day 4 / Da Nang

    April 25 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 37 °C

    We've loved our homestay and Hoi An so much, we decided to do a day trip to Da Nang instead of staying there a night. There's a famous park called Ba Na hills which has a very famous Buddha hands bridge which is all over Instagram. We wanted to go, but the entrance fee alone to the park was £60 each! So we opted for a cheaper tour to a place called monkey and marble mountain.
    At monkey mountain there was a pagoda surrounded by beautiful gardens, the tallest lady Buddha in all of south East Asia, and most exciting for me, monkeys! They were so cute, jumping between trees, wresting in the garden and one was sat astutely on the bin, claiming any goodies that people dropped in. Some tourists were getting way too comfortable around them, and I saw a few monkeys take a couple of well deserved swipes at those annoying people.
    We then visited marble village which was just a big selection of marble statues, then a shop with lady's following you around, trying to get you to buy something. Marble mountain was better, we first descended into 'hell', a cave full of cool statues and shrines illustrating the 18 levels of hell. Our tour guide Micheal was very animated, and brought the cave to life for us. We then ascended 250 stairs up to 'heaven'. Along the way there were some nice arches, we passed through heaven's gate, visited a nice view point but my favourite of the whole trip was Hoa Nghiem Cave. It was a large cave with small openings at the top, the sunlight poured through the gaps in huge beams, looking almost like a waterfall or a spotlight, depending on how imaginative you are.
    In the afternoon, back in Hoi An, we hopped on the bikes again, this time taking a beautiful detour through the rice fields to a lovely hidden away cafe. It had loungers and cushioned chairs sheltered under umbrellas looking out over the fields of already harvested rice. There was water buffalo grazing in the distance, two of which escaped their ropes and came to munch on the green weeds right next to where we were sitting. There were also lizards which sparkled gold in the sun, sunbathing and running on top of the dead grass, one even popped his head up under my leg!
    We could've stayed there for hours on end but we headed back before it got dark. Unfortunately I haven't really seen any spectacular sunsets since being away, Thailand and Laos were too smokey and the sun in Vietnam seems to dip behind a bank of clouds most nights before setting. Tonight was no different, but the evening light was still lovely.
    We wandered into town and did some shopping of things we'd been eyeing up the previous three nights. Kath got a north face bag and patagonia bag, then I got some thin trousers, a shirt and a silver necklace ( I lost my nice one:( ).
    For dinner we got a set menu of local dishes including Hoi An speciality white rose dumplings and cao lau noodles. The dishes were nice but a few lacked flavour, but nothing a bit of soy sauce and chilli couldn't fix.    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia
    21
    Day 45

    Hoi An day 3

    April 24 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C

    This morning we went on a cooking class. I was advised by our host not to eat breakfast and I'm so glad I didn't as we made so much food! Unlike my other cooking class, a lot of the prep work was done for us, we mainly added seasoning, herbs, garlic & ginger and that sort of thing and cooked it all up. We assembled and deep fried spring rolls, chopped up a papaya salad (made with green papaya so not super sweet), cooked up a tofu and aubergine claypot and fried a yummy tofu and bean sprouts Vietnamese pancake. Was all delicious, star of the show for me was the spring rolls. We rolled them up in a mesh like rice paper which I hadn't seen before, but it made then super duper crispy!
    Full to the brim, we were whisked away to the nearby river and adorned a Nón lá (hat) and boarded tiny circular boats called coconut boats. Vietnamese fit up to 8 people in one, but we were pretty content just us two and our lovely driver. We floated through palm fronds, stopping round one of them to do a spot of old fashioning crabbing. We successfully got three, one of which escaped into our boat! The smaller ones had bright orange claws, and the larger ones purple. After releasing our crabby friends back into the water, we bobbed back down to the van, with some drivers vigorously spinning their boats. We asked the lady not to do the same for us haha.
    In the afternoon we ventured back to our favourite cafe, and then used bikes from the hostel to cycle to the beach for a quick dip in the sea!
    Found some craft beer in the evening, from only an hour up the road, based in Da Nang. Surprisingly it was pretty much the same price as home! £4 for 400ml glass, but it was very tasty. We didn't venture far from our homestay and went for dinner in a restaurant opposite the bar we were in. Was quite a 'fancy' place, but still only cost us £12 for a starter, two mains and a side!    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia
    3
    Day 44

    Hoi An day 2

    April 23 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 40 °C

    I was told Vietnam got cooler as you travelled north, but it's bloody boiling! Seems the country is experiencing a heat wave at the moment, so the next week is forecast 35-40°! 10° higher than expected temperatures for this time of year in this region -_-
    Today we did a morning trip to My Son Sanctuary. A site full of temples, meditation halls and palaces built between the 4th and 13th century during the rain of the Champa Kingdom. It's spiritual origins date back to Hinduism from India: most of the temples were built for Hindu divinities such as Krishna and Vishnu, but predominantly Shiva (god of destruction). There is seemingly no cement between the clay bricks, and to this day, how they built the structures is a mystery. Some of them are over 1,500 years old and have stood against weathering. New parts that have been reconstructed haven't lasted as long as the original, and have had to be replaced!
    The site was only rediscovered by the French in 1885, hidden in dense jungle unbeknownst to the Vietnamese people. During the cold war, the site was bombed by the Americans as they 'believed' Viet Cong soldiers were hiding in the buildings, where in fact they were hidden in the surrounding jungle and tunnels. This meant sadly most of the site was destroyed, leaving 10 out of 75 buildings remaining. It was interesting to look around, our tour guide was very enthusiastic, he had a voice like a cartoon character, and was super knowledgeable on the site, having previously worked on it as an a researcher. The site was in a valley surrounded by jungle so very little breeze reached us, was a whopping 40° so I had a constant stream of sweat down my face as we walked through the temples.
    After lunch, the tour took us back to Hoi An along the river on a boat. In the afternoon we wandered around old town, visiting a pagoda, bahn mi store (my second of the day!) and a coffee shop. As sun was setting, we found a lantern making class. We sat outside a lantern shop on tiny stools, while we instructed how to assemble our lanterns (stick fabric on). Was actually harder than it seems, felt a bit like we were in primary school, our instructor was very lovely and encouraging, and praised us even though we knew we were doing a terrible job! 😅
    In the evening we found a bar along the waterfront, then got Indian for tea before heading back to the homestay, being greeted by our new favourite friend Ri (the puppy).    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia
    2
    Day 43

    Hoi An day 1

    April 22 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Hoi An doesn't have a bus or train station so our night bus dropped us off at the nearest city, Da Nang, at 4.30am. We grabbed a taxi down to Hoi An, and arrived just as sun the sun was rising. We were greeted at the homestay by the most excitable 10 month old black cockapoo puppy. Our host disappeared upstairs for 10 minutes while we played with the dog, and when she came back down, she said our room was ready and we could check in early for free. We were both so happy, I could've picked her up and given her a big hug. Instead we happily hauled ourselves upstairs and got a few extra hours sleep in.
    After grabbing some lunch, we found the most lovely coffee shop tucked down an alley with a huge garden full of brightly coloured cushioned chairs under shady trees and plants. We refuelled, and found an afternoon walking tour to book onto.
    Our guide was great, she took us down walking street, and to an old Japanese house and bridge, as well as a Chinese house and temple. Hoi An was a large trading port city between the 15th-19th century, it had a big influx of Japanese and Chinese merchants, so a lot of their cultures found their way into parts of Hoi An. It also facilitated trade from European countries such as Portugal, Holland and France, so had a lot of European architecture too.
    Hoi An is just so pretty, colourful lanterns adorn pretty much every street along with blooming flowers in shades of pink, purple and yellow. By some luck we arrived on the eve before full moon which is when they have a monthly lunar lantern festival! All the street lights are switched off and the old town is only lit up only by lanterns. We were proper tourists and had boat ride along with hundreds of other lanterns lit up boats, and even released our own candle lit paper ones. From the bridge it looked crowded, and I was worried it'd be chaotic, but was very relaxing.
    Kath befriended a feral kitten at dinner, then we headed back for an early night, but we already absolutely love Hoi An!    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia
    1
    Day 42

    Quy Khon / ➡️ Hoi An

    April 21 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    We've only got one night in Quy Khon, just used the stop as a chill out day, and to break up the long journey. We arrived at 1am and lugged our bags to a hotel, which wasn't the best, but not the worse. Bed's were rock solid but I was so tired I just passed out.
    We had a lie in and lazy morning before checking out, sorting bus tickets and finding breakfast. Wandered into town via a stroll alongside the main beach. Was odd seeing skyscrapers towering behind a white sandy beach.
    We visited a big pagoda which had a really beautiful garden full of bonsai trees and flowers, hundreds of potted plants and a tall lovely Buddha statue. Prayers were going on, so the sound of gentle chanting filled the air, was very soothing. However, was slightly disconcerting to see so many swastika symbols around the temple. Hitler actually stole the symbol from Asian culture, as it's been used in many religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, for hundreds of years before it was linked to the Nazi's. In Buddhism it's a good auspicious mark, and symbolises the footprints of Buddha. The shape represents the eternal cycle (life, death and rebirth). So it's a shame such a positive symbol in Eastern culture is associated with such awful atrocities in the West.
    We ventured further down the coast to find a nicer beach, which had lots of locals enjoying the bath water temperature sea water, which had small fishing boats bobbing about in.
    For dinner we saw a sign for a homestay which did home cooked veggie food, which was just what we needed. We hopped in a taxi back, and got on our 10pm night bus to Hoi An.    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia
    Day 41

    Da lat day 2 / ➡️ Quy Khon

    April 20 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    We had a sleeper bus booked for early this evening so we pretty much had the whole day to see more of Da Lat. We did debate doing a sunrise hike, but didn't want to be disappointed by a cloudy view, so picked the much cheaper option and went on a small trek.
    We got a taxi early morning to an organic farm just outside the city where we met our guide, who was accompanied by 5 dogs! Was a lovely walk through the woods into a national park, we walked through a sturgeon farm, which harvested caviar. Learnt lots of sturgeon facts, including that they can live up to 120 years old and weigh over a ton! We walked along the concrete beams separately the pools, and saw fish that were 40 years old and over a metre and a half long! We continued our walk into a pine forest then along a river, up to a waterfall. The 5 dogs walked alongside us the whole way, was like being in a pack, a couple even came in the water with us.
    The waterfall was so refreshing, not deep enough to swim but we could stand under and get a refreshing shower and on the edge of the water admiring the forest. Our guide was so lovely, and very knowledgeable on the area and plants and animals in it, as he was an agricultural student. He got very excited about a sparkling blue butterfly we saw, and some bolletta mushrooms we picked on the way back. We got a tour around the farm and had coffee at the cafe at the top while we waited for the taxi back.
    In the afternoon we visited a place called crazy house. Was quite literally a huge house with the craziest architecture built in the 90's, with fantastical statues and objects hanging from walls, winding jungle decorated stairs and ladders which climbed over the roof and wacky murals all over. You can even stay in a room here, but most people just visit.
    We got a sleeper bus at 5 which should get us to Quy Khon just before 1!    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia
    Day 40

    Da Lat day 1

    April 19 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    I liked Ho Chi Minh a lot, but it's so nice to be out the city, it was a bit chaotic. Crossing the road was a minefield, cars and buses you had to watch out for, but with motorbikes, you're just meant to walk across at a consistent pace so they can predict your movement and drive around you. Sometimes I think just walking across with your eyes closed would be the easiest way to cross 😂
    Da Lat is a city high up in the mountains so it's much cooler and less humid too. The area we're staying in is so hilly and a maze of small alleys, which motorbikes still find their way through.
    We only have one full day here so did a tour to catch all the sights. Got picked up around 8.30, much to probably the dismay of the other 4 passengers, I ate my egg breakfast bahn mi in the minivan, and it was delicious.
    One of the morning stops was a village coined 'chicken village', where a Vietnamese folk story took place. Long story short, was about a couple wanting to get married, the girl's family would only allow the boy to marry her if he brought them a rooster with 9 spurs, and he died trying, then she died looking for her. A Vietnamese Shakespeare tragedy of sorts, but there was a big chicken statue there to commemorate the couple. The village itself was home to one of 54 what they call minority groups in Vietnam, similar to tribes in Thailand, they have their own language and traditions. The village was surrounded by beautiful scenery and was very peaceful.
    We stopped at two waterfalls which were nice, though the highlight of those stops was seeing pineapple's growing! I'd never seen one on a plant before, almost looked fake, like someone just glued a pineapple on a cactus!
    In the afternoon we visited a coffee plantation. They had 40 weasels there which they use for 'weasel poo' coffee. Sounds gross, but the weasel eat the coffee beans and apparently some enzyme in their stomach breaks down/ ferments the beans making the coffee taste smoother. After the beans are collected from the weasel they're thoroughly cleaned and then the husk is removed, so it's hygienic process. Was first discover by tribal people. I did try some of the coffee, was tasty but wouldn't say it's the best coffee I've ever had, but the view from the coffee shop was pretty good.
    We then visited a silk factory, cricket farm, and rice wine making cellar, and had the option to try the latter two delicacys.
    In the evening we found a cute pub to play cards at, but was also to people watch as it was right on the corner of a two busy streets. After dinner, we went back to the dessert place from lst night as it was so good and they had a puppy there this time having the time of his life playing in the coconuts.    Read more

  • TravelerSE Asia
    Day 39

    Ho Chi Minh ➡️ Da Lat

    April 18 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    We got an overnight bus to Da Lat very early this morning. When buying the ticket I thought it'd be a straight bus from 1.30am to 8.30am. We didn't actually get on our sleeper bus til 3.30, as we first got a mini bus and then had a long wait at the bus station, and didn't arrive into Da Lat til 10 o clock. We grabbed a taxi to our homestay /hostel, dropped our bags out then ventured out for food as I was absolutely starving (on the verge of hanger).
    We were both pretty tired in the afternoon after the journey, I wanted a serotonin boost so we visited a puppy farm. It's not what it sounds, they don't eat the puppies here. It was cute farm with lots of animals, a garden and lots of dogs! Most of the dogs were pretty uninterested in us, but there were four 4 month old corgi puppies which were extremely cute and cuddly.
    We did explore of Da Lat a little at night, finding a veggie restaurant and a place for dessert, before an early night as we've booked a day tour for tomorrow.    Read more

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