The Vietnam experience, in the footsteps of Bill October 2013

Dear readers of my blog; this is the last part of our adventure year "In the wake of Abel Tasman". As we  speak today, the beginning of the New Year, there are always things you want to finish before the new year really starts. This is one of them, finish my blog with the last episode.

Vietnam was high on Billy's wish list of countries to visit and explore. His dad Bill, fought in the American War in Vietnam in 1970. The year Billy was born, while his dad was fighting with his troops in Vietnam. At first dad Bill was not really willing to tell about his war memories, other than: "We were just send to Vietnam to fight and kill". He was 21 years old and had never been away from the States. Via the military news radio he heard he got  a son named "Billy" . Only 8 months later he saw his first born child. But in the end we got some of his stories and least the place where he was; the mountain area Juan Hill, close to Duc Pho.

Planning of our Vietnam trip was all about exploring the Duc Pho area, definitely not a touristy area. Best way to travel in Vietnam is by train, and we decided to do the South-North route from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. The former city of Saigon is filled with history, delicious food and a thrilling traffic experience with an overwhelming amount of motorbikes in a crazy traffic.

Arrival in Vietnam was all smooth, no problem with the immigration and visas and we travelled with the only trustworthy taxi's Vinsun or May Linh (info Billy read in Tripadvisor). Vietnam is an fantastic fun country to explore. The locals love a laugh, communications in English is not always possible but the Google translate on our smart phones is a big help ! The breath taking nature, nice old colonial French influences and one of the world's best cuisines and not in the least important ,when it is the last 2 weeks of your travels and budget, very cheap and value for money.

We decided to live the "luxurious travel way" and stayed in 4 star hotels and dinners in fabulous hotels. Still only half the price what you would expect. In Ho Chi Minh cocktails on the 23th floor of  the famous "Shri" and a dinner in "Hoa Tuc" an old Opium factory. Another famous restaurant "Temple club" in an old colonial French house.

We get used to the hilarious traffic and figured out that you just cross the street, decisively and don't stop. The motorbikes will go around you and  it's all OK. We love the little stalls and markets on the street. French influences still in architecture and in the French Bakery are croissants and baguettes. Not to forget the fantastic coffee culture and the most strong coffee I have ever had.

We arranged our train tickets the day before and travelled first class in an air-conditioned cabin with beds for 4 persons. Not really mingling with the locals, but very relaxed to see the Vietnam country site go by and enjoy the wonderful coast and rice fields. We travelled from Ho Chi Minh to Nha Trang, a 8 hour train trip.

Nha Trang is a little village and we stayed in "Momento Country Home" a  family resort with bungalow's in a fantastic garden with swimming pool. Great dinners in the garden with the most incredible Vietnamese dishes. No menu but meals just cooked with fresh produces from the local market. We feel a little like colonials ourselves and because of an expected typhoon Nari around Danang, we stay a couple of days longer. Cycling to the local market and enjoying the peaceful world between the rice fields. I think this was the nicest place in Vietnam were we stayed.

 

 

It was hard to leave our little heaven but we did a day trip to the  Sayang waterfalls, the favorite spot of our host in the resort . We had to cross a scary suspension bridge, crossing the river and waterfalls and arrived in a  religious place with 6 or 7 Buddha temples and a couple of monks. Far away from the world and very peaceful.

In the afternoon a visit of the famous Po Nagar Cham towers in Nha Trang. The Cham temples, practiced the Hindu religion, worshipping the trinity of Shiva. Dressed like a monk we visited the little temples and adored the beauty of the statues and decoration. Travelling through the little villages and rice fields with now and then big propaganda posters about the industrial modernization.

Vietnam is a country which is growing fast and developing from a poor war wounded corner of the globe into a stable prospering nation through industriousness and ambition. Blue chip finance has flooded into a red flag communist society. Comrades have become entrepreneurs. And on the downside of all these growth figures is the corruption and Vietnamese people have to pay backhanders to getting an internet connection or an hospital appointment.

We take our second train trip from  Nha Trang to Quang Ngai, but this time with the locals in the 2nd class. A compartment full of eating and sleeping Vietnamese. It was supposed to be with airco but I guess it was broken. It were 5 long hours, sitting on the uncomfortable chairs listening to a blearing TV. Fierce negotiations were needed to convince a taxi driver to bring us to Tam Quan, 57 kilometers from the train station. In the end he agreed to do it for VND 700.000 = € 33,- . We stay in Tam Quan in a resort "Sa Huynh" in a little bungalow with sea view. No one speaks English here and the clientele are busloads  of Vietnamese tourists, mainly interested in the swimming pool and the karaoke bar.

Next day we visit Duc Pho, where Billie's dad landed in 1969 at the military airport. Duc Pho is "off the beaten path" and we as white people  are really a sight for the locals. The one street is filled with little street shops and  motor bike workshops and a lot of cycling locals; students, old ladies and women carrying the harvest. Amazing is the boy with his Facebook jacket, while Facebook is blocked in this area of Vietnam. Still the socialist influence in the country. It is hard to imagine how this area was in 1969 when Billie's dad arrived and probably they were the first foreigners in Duc Pho.

For the next day we arranged in taxi driver to bring us to San Juan Hill, where the military base of Billie's dad was. On arrival we figured out that the taxi driver couldn't speak any English and that he didn't want to go to San Juan Hill because the rain from the last days had washed away the roads. We asked, negotiated, became angry and in the end the client service guy from the hotel, joined us to be the translator,  the navigator and the mediator. The condition of the road was indeed very bad and we got as far as the little village of Ba To. In a local coffee shop we found out that there is a war museum dedicated to the Viet Minh guerilla's of 1945. The group of guerilla's were the ones who fought against the suppressors so that Ho Chi Minh could declare independence in 1945. They were determined to fight to the bitter end against any attempt by the French Colonialists to reconquer their country.  They declared that Vietnam has the right to be a free and independent country; "All men are born equal: the creator has given us inviolable rights, life liberty and happiness"!

Now we start to understand more and more that the Americans had their military basis here. Ba To is known for the strong independent  movement and the never ending war against the suppressors.  On our way back we realize that the American jungle warriors had a very difficult time. As Billie's dad told us "he only remembers the bad times, the times he thought he was not going to make it, the times he was ill from malaria". They were young and lost their youth in the jungle and came back broken and not as hero's. He don't understand why we want to visit Vietnam and even less that we like the country and the people.

Further north by train to Hue. We are becoming experienced travelers, knowing that trains are delayed, packed with people and it is safer to bring your own food and snacks instead of the "hot kitchen" trolleys in the train. On our way to Hue,  a Unesco World Heritage site with palaces and pagoda's, tombs and temples, cuisine and history and resonates with the glory of imperial Vietnam.  It owns its charm partly on its location on the perfume river. We stayed in the Huong Giang Hotel in a room with river view. The weather was bad with lots of rain, creating a nice mist over the perfume river. Not good for the boating business on the river. We decided to explore the local market and eat in restaurant Lac Thien, managed by deaf people. We enjoyed the famous local dish Banh Khoai (pancakes with shrimps) with some beers.

 

The Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City is not to be missed. It is a big site and only having the morning left to explore and trying to stay away from the rain, we visited the Royal palace (Thai Hoa Palace) and the Halls of the Mandarins.

Last train trip from Hue to Hanoi, a night train in a comfy sleep cabin. I love sleeping in the train although it still feels strange to share our 4 berth  cabin with two complete strange men ! Arrival in the morning and straight in the shuttle bus to Halong Bay. A World heritage site, not to be missed. We realize it is THE tourist trap nr 1 and we looked for a little boat company who would go of the beaten path. Although we hired a private junk to explore Halong Bay and hoped to escape the crowds, we were still surrounded by other boats and tourists and our "personal" guide just did his standard tour what he does 3 times a week. But Halong Bay has a breathtaking beauty  were the legend tells us that it was created by a great dragon from the mountains. It is a mystical landscape of limestone islets dotted with wind and wave eroded grotto's.

It was very relaxed on our private junk cruising around and we got surprised with a wonderful dinner with beautiful decorated dishes. Sleeping in a gorgeous decorated cabin with air co as big contrast to our time on board the Soren Larsen, where we just had a bunk in the f'occle. Next morning a visit to a floating  fishing community (with indeed all the other tourists !) but still nice to see how the locals try to live from fishing and tourist activities. Plans are to get rid of these communities because Halong Bay is getting more and more polluted and has to be protected.

With the shuttle bus back to Hanoi where we stayed in the most hilarious hotel "MOD Palace Hotel" , an old military hotel where president Mitterrand from France stayed in the 60 ties in our room. It had a bar, a dining room and a bathroom with Jacuzzi and sauna. Hanoi is perhaps Asia's most graceful atmospheric and exotic city. The Old Quarters centuries commercial chaos, food street stalls and restaurants and a fantastic blend of French and Asian culture and cuisine. We decided to enjoy the food and street life. Wandered around in the old quarter and had a fantastic diner at the "Ly Club". Did our souvenir shopping with the needed negotiations, not to be seen as stupid tourists !

 

We realized that this was our last part of the adventure year and travelling "In the wake of Abel Tasman". Only one stop left in Singapore before we fly home to Amsterdam. We both feel a little homesick and can't wait to return to our friends and family. It has been an amazing year full with adventures, challenges, unknown parts of the world, big waves and wind, new friends and not the least; Us two, loving to sail and travel together. I promise we will travel again and I will take you with us on our travels & sails with new stories in a next blog. For now we try to settle in Amsterdam, enjoy the beauty of our home country and the lovely friends and family around us. We are busy to  find jobs  to support our adventure fund  and hopefully in two years time or so we can throw off the mooring lines again !

You cannot discover new oceans

unless you have the courage

to lose sight of the shore.

Ahoy Charlotte