Before my memory fades (it doesnt take long these days) I want to share my thoughts on our month in Vietnam. Firstly, the people. One thing they definitely arent is lazy - especially in rural areas. Any land that can be cultivated has some sort of crop growing and people are working in the fields all day long. In general they are very honest people, apart from the occasional cyclo driver I was never short changed or grossly overcharged. The hotel staff wherever we stayed were always friendly and helpful. Hotels - apart from the hotel at Chau Doc on our first day I didnt book any accommodation prior to our trip. I made use of the Booking app on my phone to make bookings a day or two beforehand, which gave us plenty of freedom to vary our itinerary or stay longer in places we liked. We never paid more than $35 a night and stayed at some very nice hotels for that. Transport - entering Vietnam by boat from Phnom Penh was a much better alternative than by bus or plane. It gave us some appreciation of the size of the Mekong Delta and the volume of river traffic which is not just confined to the river itself but also the maze of interconnecting canals. Buses are a very cheap and reliable way to get around and a sleeper bus is a good option on the overnight sections. A better option though are the trains, a soft seat for daytime travel or a private sleeper for overnight. We travelled from Hanoi to Sapa and back by Orient Express sleeper for $42 each and had a fantastic nights sleep. Whenever staying in one place for a day or two we hired motorbikes for about $6 a day which is a great way to have a look around without taking guided tours. One thing people should understand if riding motorbikes in Vietnam is that its entirely at your own risk. Youre riding unlicensed, uninsured and are liable for any accidents or injuries. Not recommended for the inexperienced. An alternative is the Easyriders network operating in the Central Highlands area where you can travel as a pillion. Darryl and I spent a day travelling pillion from Hue to the DMZ and back and it was quite OK. In the cities avoid the cyclo drivers, theyll tell you one price when you get on and want more when you arrive. Better to walk or get a taxi from Vinasun or Mai Linh, the large companies operating throughout Vietnam. Food - I expected cheap seafood in Vietnam, especially from the vendors at the beach areas but found prices were not much different to Australia. I was expecting a similar beach experience to Cambodia, where you can hire some chairs, umbrella, a table, a charcoal BBQ and spend a lazy day or two eating cheap prawns and squid but we never quite found that anywhere. I need to spend more time enjoying it in Cambodia while its still like that here. We had a great night out at a seafood restaurant in Saigon with Do and his lovely wife, the highlight were the rice paper rolls with raw fish. I looked for similar food elsewhere in Vietnam but never found it again. In general though the food in Vietnam is quite cheap and very fresh. Places - I wont go into every place we visited but I enjoyed them all very much and could go back and do it again tomorrow. Ive been to Saigon before so there were no surprises there, but I really enjoyed Hanoi. Id heard mainly negative reports but was really impressed, particularly with the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake. Sapa was everything I expected, and more. Its a pity I didnt have my old Triumph Bonneville to blast up and down the road over Tram Ton Pass (with no mufflers). What an awesome road, although we were only on 110 cc bikes it was still a great experience. Halong Bay - despite the rubbish and pollution its a beautiful place and the 3 day 2 night cruise is the way to go. We couldnt have wished for a better cruise, good company, fantastic food and fair weather. Nui Coc Lake - definitely not a destination for most tourists but I enjoyed catching up with old workmates and seeing how tough theyre doing it! Ive never been to a mining camp before that had its own massage parlour. Vietnam, it ticks all the boxes for me. Ill be back.
Posted on: Mon, 19 May 2014 06:13:00 +0000
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