Asia at its best – Part I
Arriving in Vietnam was overwhelming, to say the least. Hanoi was alive in every sense of the word. We have not seen so many people in one place probably since we left Sydney. The tranquility we found in Tanna just a few days before suddenly seemed lightyears away. But it was exciting! We have been travelling all night and, in an attempt to avoid jet-lag, we wanted to keep ourselves awake until at least early evening. Tired and hungry, we decided to dump our bags at the hotel, go for a spot of lunch and a wander to spend the time until it’s time to sleep.
We had arranged for a car with our hotel to pick us up from the airport a few days before, half expecting an ordeal of search and wait for our driver. But no, our driver was beaming at us straight at the door as soon as we came through customs, holding a sign with our name. He skilfully maneuvered his way through a sea of motorcycles and mopeds, and we were at the hotel in no time. The moment we pulled up in front of the building five people ran out of the hotel, two opening our doors, another two attacking the boot of the car and grabbing our luggage, while the fifth was chanting “Welcome! Welcome!”. Slightly worried that they are mistaking us for some other, potentially famous, guests they are expecting, or worse, there has been a mix up, and we have been brought to a 5 star hotel instead of our modest accommodation, we gave a puzzled smile and decided to just go with it anyway. Turns out, it was all in order. It was the right place, they were expecting us, and even gave us a room upgrade for no apparent reason. We were certainly very impressed with the Vietnamese hospitality so far – very friendly and most efficient.
As planned, we dropped off our bags, had a quick refreshing shower and hit the streets of old town Hanoi. At check in, we were presented with an information sheet, and while I normally just chuck these to the side as soon as I get to the room without looking at it, I was glad that I read it this time. It included some seemingly trivial tips on how to cross the road, and how to get rid of street salesmen, both of which however, proved very handy during the first two minutes of leaving the hotel. In spite of doing all our best to avoid eye contact, look at the stand, or, God forbid, get into a conversation with vendors whose merchandise was not of interest to us, in a few hours Bálint would have a flipflop coaxed off his left foot by one of the shoe cleaning boys without realising what was happening.
First, we needed some cash for our lunch. “Should not be a problem”, we thought, “there seems to a bank on each corner”. Non of which was cooperating with us though. We must have tried at least eight machines at different banks and a wide variety of bankcards before we managed to get our hands on some Vietnamese Dongs. Now equipped and relieved, we headed straight to a little local restaurant nearby where we were seated by more smiling staff and handed the English menu. The English menu was indeed in English, though it did not seem to be of much help – we were fairly clear on the ingredients, even though some were coded the Vietnamese way, like “disk” presumably meant “dish”, “chiness” “chinese” etc., but others, such as “pin mushroom” or “garlic but”, remain a mystery to this day. We ordered some dishes going by the pictures mostly – a four course menu for Bálint, a phõ, which is a Vietnamese noodle soup, and some sort of other dish for me. Then we waited excitedly. The food was fairly tasty. With our bellies full, food coma and jet-lag were imminent. We asked for the bill and decided it would be reasonable to go to bed by the time we amble back to the hotel. We were in for yet another surprise. A quite pleasant one this time. The bill for the entire feast and couple of beers came to 335,000 Dongs, approx. 15 CHF! Once on the streets again, we got caught in the evening buzz and ended up rambling a lot longer than we realized.
People say when in Hanoi the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh is a must. The following morning we decided to do just that. We had a late start, so jumped in a taxi to make it there before the 11:00 am closing time. It was 10:15 when we got there. “We are in plenty of time”, we thought. Made our way towards what looked like the main entrance where we were told that this is for the visitors who only wish to visit from outside and to keep going around the block, if we want to visit inside as well. So we did. We soon saw the queue. One block down, we still could not see the end of the queue. Mostly Vietnamese people and schoolchildren were queuing with only the odd tourist sticking out from the line. Two blocks, three blocks…No, there was still no end in sight. It was getting obvious that we were not getting in today, which some fellow travelers we started conversing with confirmed. They have been queuing since 8:00 this morning and just decided to give up as they were still nowhere near the entrance. Not all that disappointed, we decided to head back and maybe sneak a peak from outside, if they still let us in at the other gate. We were just on time, rushed through security, and then I saw it: a small queue joining the big one not too long before the entrance. This was our chance to get in! Quickly, I ran back seeking approval from the guards to join the queue before we get shouted at, or whatever the punishment is for such acts in a socialist country nowadays, and after some hesitation, I got the nod. We were in and out in 10 min.
As a westerner, with no close ties to Vietnamese nation or history, seemed a ridiculous idea to me that all these people are flocking from far parts of the country to pay their respects in a rapid walk by the embalmed frail body of the former Vietnamese leader. Once one sees this, understands clearly how the Vietnamese feel about the independence from the French and the unification of north and south. Ho Chi Min, we learnt, was actually a very clever, cunning, and determined leader who played French, American, Chinese, and Soviets against each other to get what he wants – an independent and united Vietnam.
Having grown up in communist Romania, we both had an idea what a county under communist rule would look like. The Vietnam we have seen so far was different in every aspect. Vietnam is among the countries with the highest economic growth rate – over 6% year on year since 2000 –, you can buy everything everywhere starting from the high quality branded products to low quality goods, even fakes. Food is abundant, available 24/7, and locals seem to eat all the time. Guaranteed that if you walk down a street at any random hour of the day or night you will see someone squatting on a wee chair eating or selling food. The infrastructure is functional, and we had no major issues getting from A to B, although it is clear that an upgrade of the train and road system would be much needed. Roads are very busy with the growing traffic, and pollution is getting stifling in bigger cities. Road safety is also a issue. In theory, they drive on the right side of the road, but no one seems to follow any rules – the loudest horn and the bigger vehicle gets priority. But people do use a lot of common sense when driving, and this seems to work in lieu of rules. Although we did not have any near misses, crossing the road even on a small side street can be intimidating, or just standing up from your table without looking around having finished your lunch at the market, can be right out dangerous.
Also, there seems to be nothing these people can not take on a motorbike, moped or bike.
They even have Uber on two wheels.
Still, people are happy, smiling, and welcoming towards outsiders. Even if the whole country appears chaotic, things just seem to work and some even incredibly efficiently. You get the feeling that everything is possible in Vietnam.
After our visit to the mausoleum, we went to a street food market. It was pretty well hidden among some dark alleys, but you knew when you’ve arrived. A short, narrow street between two rows of shabby buildings, and people sitting on squat chairs under each arch cooking away. Some have a little room behind them with more squat chairs and tables where people can sit, others have just a stand where you can pick up food and be on your way. After a short stroll down the alley, we picked a place where we thought the food looks edible, and we may even be able to take a guess on what we are eating. At first, we didn’t order. Didn’t know if we were supposed to, or they just feed us what they have. There was no menu. So we waited. At some point, a little lady whom we saw earlier a few stalls further down appeared and questioningly shouted to us “ Bier? Bier?”. We nodded. She ran away and a few minutes later appeared with two bottles. It was our cook’s turn to holler – “Order! Order!”, pointing at her offer. Bálint quickly jumped up and pointed at a few things. Lunch was ordered. By this time we had two guys from Sweden sitting next to us. One spoke Vietnamese and clearly wasn’t his first time here. Our food started arriving in bits and, after a brief consultation with the Swedes to get instructions on assembly, we tucked in. It was delicious! The food from the restaurant we had lunch at the previous day had nothing on the nem lui and bánh xèo we ate here. Several rounds of order later, we have made new friends and ended up going on a beer and food tasting binge around town together that afternoon.
Early next morning we were leaving for Halong bay. We booked an overnight cruise somewhat out of the beaten Halong bay route, and we chose one sailing to Bai Tu Long bay instead, slightly north from Halong bay, as we expected it to be less crowded. Incidentally, the British couple we met the day before were also on the same cruise. Our letter of confirmation specified pick up time between 7:40 – 7:45 am. Well acquainted with the Hanoi traffic by now, we were ready for a longer wait. We could not be more wrong – at exactly 7:41 the lobby door opened, and our driver arrived. We were impressed! The minibus was top notch as well. We were content with our choice so far.
Hon Gai harbor was not pretty. It was a construction site with piles of domestic and other rubbish on every corner. Contrary to Hanoi, where in spite of all business conducted on the streets – cooking, eating selling, repairing, making stuff – it is actually very clean. The harbor was also very busy, littered with boats taking tourists up to Halong bay, small fishing boats, and industrial tankers. We boarded fairly rapidly and were happy to be on our way. The Dragon Legend was a nice boat, kept ship shape, and the staff were professional, and friendly. The weather wasn’t at its best. Good enough to allow us though to kayak and swim that afternoon before dinner which was followed by some organised fun by the crew. All in, it was a good day, but we were happy we opted for the shorter cruise rather than the longer one. It was too touristy for our liking.
Next, we were moving south. First stop Phong Nha Ké Bang. This national park was relatively recently established, in 2001, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003, but it is still relatively unknown even in Vietnam. The area is renowned for its complex cave systems, underground rivers, and tropical forests. There are over 300 known caves in the area, and new ones are still being discovered as over 80% of the park area remains largely unexplored today. The Son Doòng cave, which is regarded as the worlds largest cave with a single chamber reaching 5km in length, 200m height and 150m width, has only been discovered as recently as 2009.
We opted for a farm stay surrounded by rice fields, rather than stay in the busy Phong Nha village which serves tourists. At this point in our travels fatigue started to overcome us occasionally so we enjoyed relaxing for a few days in one spot. Few bike rides around the surrounding villages, reading our books, nothing too exhausting.
We did eventually stretch ourselves as far as to explore few of the caves in a jungle trecking adventure. At first, it did not sound like a particularly challenging day. Early-ish start, approx. 12km trecking, two caves – dry caving in one and swimming in the other, – lunch prepared for us, back before dark. The route we were taking led us through an abandoned valley on the narrow Ho Chi Minh trail, which was used during the Vietnam war to move supplies from north to south. Prior to departure, we all had to sign the usual disclaimer. Although it is just the standard text you are signing, same as every time you go out diving, you are reminded that the place is still not entirely clear of landmines since the war. It sends chills down your spine. On a more cheerful note, we were also offered drinking water and alternative shoes, if we do not want to ruin our own – no, not thinking of landmines here but rather mud and water crossings! In the beginning, the route was fine. Then it got steeper. And muddier to the point where you were sliding and sinking ankle deep in the sludge, if you were not watching your step. Our super-duper, lightweight, quick drying, cream trecking trousers were an excellent choice for the trip this morning! Of course, all this did not matter much as every once in a while you had to wade knee deep into a river which the path crossed. “It’s ok”, we were assured, “there are no leeches.”, in an attempt to comfort one of the girls who seemed to have a fear of them. And usually there are non, except that day, probably because of the recent rain, one floated down the river and found its way onto my ankle. It must have been only there for less than a minute, but I was bleeding for several hours after when Leo, our charismatic guide, took the matter in his hands. He promptly opened his first aid kit, took out a paket of cigarettes, bit off a small part from the end, opened it, put the tobacco on the wound and slapped a plaster on it. I was ready to go! Who knew tobacco had so many uses?
It was a long but interesting hike with plenty of toilets provided on the way, unlike at Tongarioro in New Zealand, albeit one can say somewhat lacking privacy.
The first cave was Dark cave. We went in for a dry-caving adventure. They took us in the more challenging way where you had to climb through holes, up and down big rocks, jump from a ledge to another and through water. All this with a little headlamp, helmet, and virtually no other protective gear. Clearly not designed with safety conscious westerners in mind. A poor Ozzy girl, entirely out of her comfort zone, kept saying all the way through “This is not ok!”. It took us the most part of an hour before we reached our destination – to live up to the cave’s name: a dark chamber. The way back only took us 10 min. Turns out there was a much simpler way, and the way in was just for the fun factor.
E-cave was another 45 min easy walk away. We were all ready for lunch by this time and soon caught whiff of the BBQ that our porters got going for us by the cave entrance. The day was getting hot and sweaty with the sun coming out in the last hour and making the walk uncomfortable. We were all still quite wet and muddy from the previous leg of the hike and were rather looking forward to dry our clothes and have a rest. Hungry as we all were, could not resist a refreshing dip in the crystal clear water before lunch that greeted us on arrival. Lunch was once again outstanding – grilled pork skewers, tofu, and fresh leaves straight out of the forest presented with peanut, garlic, and coriander sauce for us to make up our own rice paper rolls. Simple, filling, and very satisfying. A brief rest followed before the swim in the cave. The water got increasingly cold and light was scarcer with every strike of the arm as we were advancing deeper into the cave. Floating in pitch black can be eerie and quite disorientating. Luckily Leo was on the ball, and we did not have to improvise our way out in the freezing water.
We emerged from the jungle just on time to catch the sunset, and our driver greeted the group with well deserved cold refreshments after the somewhat strenuous climb from the valley back to the main road.
On our last day here we also visited the Phong Nha cave and underground river. It is as impressive as they say it is.
Next stops were Hûe, the Imperial city, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh city, formerly known as Saigon. But more about these in Part II.
