Good morning Vietnam!
Well, actually it was good mornings, afternoons and evenings!
For 15 days, we travelled from North to South Vietnam. Without ever getting tired, we were waking up every day around 6am to take the most out of this stunning country.
Hanoi (in Vietnamese Hanoi is actually two words - “Ha” and “Noi”. Ha means 'river' and Noi means 'inner') has a charm of its own, difficult to explain, but easily revealed. The mass of motorbikes contrast the serenity of the parks and lakes. Chic architecture in the old town contrasts the simplicity of their people and local cuisine. A city where you are driven by the flow of people and the buzz of the motorbikes and the best that you can do is simply to enjoy the ride. Three days were clearly short to appreciate all that the capital has to offer.
From Hanoi, we travelled to the breath-taking beauty of Halong Bay where we spent the evening away from the usual tropical storms in the area. It was destined that during these 15 days in Vietnam, weather would be just the way we wished.
For 15 days, we travelled from North to South Vietnam. Without ever getting tired, we were waking up every day around 6am to take the most out of this stunning country.
Hanoi (in Vietnamese Hanoi is actually two words - “Ha” and “Noi”. Ha means 'river' and Noi means 'inner') has a charm of its own, difficult to explain, but easily revealed. The mass of motorbikes contrast the serenity of the parks and lakes. Chic architecture in the old town contrasts the simplicity of their people and local cuisine. A city where you are driven by the flow of people and the buzz of the motorbikes and the best that you can do is simply to enjoy the ride. Three days were clearly short to appreciate all that the capital has to offer.
From Hanoi, we travelled to the breath-taking beauty of Halong Bay where we spent the evening away from the usual tropical storms in the area. It was destined that during these 15 days in Vietnam, weather would be just the way we wished.
After cruising around 2000 islets in Halong Bay, we headed by train to the inland Halong - Ninh Binh. 30 kms bicycle ride took us to Mua Cave, Trang An, and the ancient city of Hoa Lu. The next day we visited the Cuc Phuong National Park before taking a long, eight hours train ride to Dong Hoi.
The next day, we left to the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, situated just about 30 kms from the boarder with Laos, where we had the chance to visit the astonishing underworld of the Paradise and Phong Nha Caves. Besides admiring the caves, we take back good memories from the local cuisine from the Tree Hugger café.
Heading south, and crossing the historic 17th parallel we took another train, this time from Dong Hoi to Danang. The weather was changing and the chances of rain were higher, but once again we were lucky. We spent three days of sunshine in Hoi An, exploring this beautiful fishermen’s little town with both unique architecture and natural surroundings. During the night we enjoyed the romantic atmosphere of the old town, hanging around the Japanese bridge, eating mango cakes and bargaining at tailor shops. During the day we were exploring the nearby deserted beaches and life at the countryside.
This Vietnamese adventure was coming to an end and our last stop was Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum and the Ben Than Market are worth a visit, as well as the Central Post Office building. Walking around Rue Catinat, between Grand and Continental hotels, where Grahan Green’s quiet American was set, brought us back to fifties and visiting new fancy parts of Saigon showed us a completely different face of this huge city.
We spent a day visiting local markets in the Mekong delta and ultimately visit the Can Gio Bio Natural Reserve. A great 60kms boat ride it was.
There are roughly 5.800.000 registered motorbikes in Saigon and the last day of our trip we spent riding one of them! Moving around like in a video game we spent a day visiting areas outside of the city centre, which gave us a new and better view of this chaotic, yet exciting city.
The Vietnamese are warm, friendly, respectful and caring people. The cities might be frenetic, but you always feel safe. Traffic might be chaotic, but you ride along in tranquillity. Weather might be hot and humid, but drinks and meals are refreshing. History may be terrifying, but the present is promising.
Sounds like a perfect destination. Well, it is :)
Good-bye Vietnam.
I am afraid we will have to catch up later :)
We spent a day visiting local markets in the Mekong delta and ultimately visit the Can Gio Bio Natural Reserve. A great 60kms boat ride it was.
There are roughly 5.800.000 registered motorbikes in Saigon and the last day of our trip we spent riding one of them! Moving around like in a video game we spent a day visiting areas outside of the city centre, which gave us a new and better view of this chaotic, yet exciting city.
The Vietnamese are warm, friendly, respectful and caring people. The cities might be frenetic, but you always feel safe. Traffic might be chaotic, but you ride along in tranquillity. Weather might be hot and humid, but drinks and meals are refreshing. History may be terrifying, but the present is promising.
Sounds like a perfect destination. Well, it is :)
Good-bye Vietnam.
I am afraid we will have to catch up later :)