Vietnam was wonderful and the people warm and hospitable, Radhika Mittal discovered over a 11-day stay.
Vietnam has been on my bucket list for years. But each time I considered South East Asia, other destinations like Thailand, Cambodia, Bali etc took precedence and I somehow never made it to Vietnam.
I recently got a chance to visit Ho Chi Minh City and jumped at the chance to extend the trip and see more of country. And Vietnam did not disappoint!
It has something for everyone -- from a vibrant nightlife to beautiful landscapes, ancient temples to shopping streets!
Formerly a French colony, French influences are seen everywhere -- not just the architecture but also food including the incredibly delicious Banh Mi.
Geographically, the country neighbours Laos and Cambodia and is long and narrow with a long coastline.
My trip covered Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon in the South, Da Nang and Hoi An in Central Vietnam and Ha Long Bay and Hanoi in the North.
Ho Chi Minh City
HCMC is a modern city, lots of modern buildings juxtaposed with French architecture and traffic that reminds you of India. You will see two-wheelers in hordes all over the place.
In terms of sightseeing don't expect to see ancient pagodas and temples here -- Hanoi is the place for them. But if you are interested in the Vietnam War then HCMC is the place to be.
Key sightseeing includes:
- The Notre Dame Cathedral and the Opera house from the outside.
- The Independence Palace which has preserved the president's office, banquet chamber, conference hall etc. from the days of the war.
Our group was more interested in the old war room that was in a bunker under the palace. - War Remnants Museum for those who are interested in seeing military equipment like tanks, aircrafts, bombs and photographs from the war.
- Cu Chi tunnels: It is out of the city so you need to plan for at least a half day trip.
I went by speedboat which was fun but you can also go there by road.
The tunnels network is over 100 km long and was used by the Viet Cong during the war against the Americans.
There were plenty of photo ops for people here including pictures of entering into the tunnels.
There is also a firing range where you can pay and choose from real guns like the AK47, M16 etc.
- Mekong Delta tour: Half day trip from HCMC. Once you get there you are taken by boat to the islands in the delta basically showcasing life in the islands.
You get to go on a traditional boat through the canals and taste local fruits.
While this was a nice experience and there were lots of insta worthy photo ops it was not my personal favourite.
HCMC is beautiful by night with all the buildings lit up.
Our group did a dinner cruise on the Saigon river and got a great view of the city.
On one of our nights in HCMC we did a 4 hour Vespa Street Food Tour which turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. It took us through the older and the newer parts of the city with stops at different places for food.
The food was amazing and the experience of the scooter ride through the city was incredible!
If you are looking for nightlife the Bui Vien walking street is the place to go.
Packed with tourists and crammed with coffee shops, restaurants, pubs the place is rocking till the early hours.
A younger me would have probably spent an evening partying here but tastes change as you get older.
If you have the time do consider going for the AO show at the Saigon Opera House. It showcases glimpses of Vietnamese rural and urban life through dance, acrobatics and bamboo work.
It was a unique experience and the performance was marvelous.
Visit Ben Thahn market if you want to shop for souvenirs, local handicrafts, gifts etc. Bargaining skills are required.
Da Nang & Hoi An
The flight to Da Nang from HCMC takes about 1 ½ hours. It is a modern city and a beach town. I did not stay at Da Nang, just did some sightseeing and then drove to Hoi An which is about an hour away.
- Linh Ung Pagoda, which is at a stunning location by the sea.
I have never seen so many bonsais as I saw in the grounds there -- hundreds of them and so beautiful!
The highlight is the statue of the Lady Buddha, the tallest in the country.
- Da Nang Cathedral or The Pink Church was a photogenic French building.
We could not go inside as it was closed when we visited. It was pretty but a bit underwhelming.
- Dragon Bridge: As we passed through the city we stopped to take pictures here.
I believe on weekends there is a fire, sound and water show at the bridge but we did not get to see that. - Since time was limited I decided not cover the Marble Mountains or the Ba Na Bridge -- the latter is actually an amusement park and famous for the pictures of large hands holding up the bridge.
I spent two nights in Hoi An and I loved it.
It has a well preserved ancient town which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The architecture is a mix of French, Chinese, Japanese and traditional Vietnamese.
The town is famous for its lanterns -- hundreds of lanterns are lit in the streets and the boats in the river at night and the place looks magical. We did the lantern boat ride one night and loved the experience.
We did a walking tour of the ancient town -- no vehicles are allowed there -- for those with mobility issues there is an option of taking a Cyclo which is like a cycle rickshaw.
Some of the places we covered were the Japanese bridge, Fujian assembly hall, Tan Ky old house, the Quang Cong temple.
The real charm of Hoi An is in walking about its streets, visiting the shops and cafes and the street market in the night.
The town is also famous for its tailoring shops that make custom garments in a day and for its leather and footwear shops.
If I come back I will want to spend a little more time at Hoi An and perhaps stay at Da Nang too since we did not go to the beach.
Halong Bay
We drove back to Da Nang and caught a flight to Hai Phong since that was closer to Ha Long Bay than Hanoi. It was still an hour's journey from Hai Phong airport.
Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is known for its hundreds of limestone islands, rock formations and caves.
I was very excited by the fact that part of Kong: Skull Island was shot here and made a mental note to watch the movie again.
We did an overnight cruise and I think this was among my top experiences in Vietnam.
We went in April and got overcast skies and fog and despite that I thought Ha Long Bay was breathtakingly beautiful.
The cruise docked at different places and took us by speed boat to visit islands.
We visited Titov island where a hike up the mountain gave amazing views of the bay -- I climbed till the half way point. If you are reasonably fit this is easily manageable.
We travelled by boat under a limestone mountain at Luon Cave and once we got to the other side it felt like we were in a valley surrounded by mountains.
I saw many people kayaking here and it looked fun though half the time they were banging into other boats.
The most amazing part was the next morning when we visited Sung Sot Cave. It's the largest and most beautiful cave at Halong Bay and is filled with stalactites and stalagmites.
It's difficult to show through pictures the sheer scale and beauty of the caves but I certainly felt dwarfed there!
The climb was tougher than the previous day but totally worth it.
Hanoi
From Halong Bay the drive to Hanoi was about 2 ½ hours.
Hanoi was charming with an easier pace than bustling HCMC. The weather was also marginally cooler.
We did a tour of the Old Quarter and some parts of it reminded me of Crawford Market at Mumbai -- each street is dedicated to a particular guild e.g. silks, gold or silver, handicrafts, fabric etc.
Some of our sightseeing included:
- Ho Chi Minh Complex: This site is dedicated to the nation's revered leader Ho Chi Minh and includes his mausoleum, his stilt house and a museum.
- Temple of Literature: A temple dedicated to Confucius and the first national university.
- Tran Quoc Pagoda: The oldest pagoda in Hanoi, located on a small island at the West Lake.
- St Joseph Cathedral: The oldest church in Hanoi
- Nguc Son temple &Huc Bridge: Located on a small island at Hoan Kiem lake in the centre of Hanoi.
A fun part of the Hanoi stay included a visit to the famous Train Street.
Was it a tourist trap? Of course, it was! But so much fun nevertheless!
It's a narrow elevated street jam packed with tiny cafes and tables on both sides of the track.
A few minutes before a train is due an alarm goes off and all the shop owners pull back their tables and make a great production of lining up people for the best view.
A guard keeps blowing on his whistle to clear the tracks, and soon you have the train passing literally inches away from you. It is totally an experience geared for photos and videos.
I was lucky to be in the city over the weekend and found that the streets around the lake area were converted to walking streets in the evening.
Families were out, there were street vendors and some live performances. Coming from a crowded city like Mumbai this was a novel experience and I felt quite safe staying out alone late in the night.
Shopping in Hanoi was better than all other places especially for souvenirs, clothes, handicrafts.
Hang Gai, Hang Trong and the streets near St Joseph Cathedral was where I did most of my shopping.
People also recommend the weekend night market and Dong Xuan market but I was all shopped out by then.
Overall, Vietnam was wonderful and the people warm and hospitable. There is lots more to see and do but this is what I covered over a 11 day trip. I will definitely be going back!
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
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