Vietnam – Southern and Central
Our first two nights were spent in Ho Chi Minh City which is bustling from early morning to late evening. Our first visit was to the Cu Chi Tunnels which is amazing to see after reading so much about them. If you are brave enough you can descend into the tunnels. In the afternoon we did a city tour of Ho Chi Minh taking in the Colonial French quarter which is where a lot of the historic landmarks are located, this area is quite upmarket with all the big brand shops and the five star hotels. Rush hour traffic is a site to behold with millions of motorbikes some carrying as much a five people and their dog. We finished off our day by visiting the Ben Thanh Market in the centre of the city which sells anything from leather bags to stalls selling fresh local produce.
On Day 3 we made our way down to the Mekong Delta, approximately 3.5 hour drive from Ho Chi Minh. We cruised along various branches of the Mekong taking in stops at local workplaces along the river from a local brick kiln, a coconut processing plant to a mat weaving house. Going through the smaller canals we took a local Sampan. To experience the real Delta village life we took a local rickshaw into the village passing by plenty of farming and rice fields. We ended having a late lunch at a local house tasting the local speciality of Elephant Ear fish.
The next day we spent going deeper into the Mekong Delta experiencing just did what the locals do, taking local ferries, cycling on very small lanes passing local schools and churches, children just appear out of nowhere shouting “Hello” to the visitors; it was an amazing day of exploring the Delta and probably the highlight of my trip.
Up for an early start the next morning to see and experience the floating markets of Cai Rang which are very much working markets for locals selling a huge variety of fruit and vegetables. The afternoon was spent driving back to Saigon for our internal flight to Hue.
Hue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which houses the Imperial City and Citadel, here is the best place to learn about the old Nyguyen dynasty and the French invasion and we also took in a visit to the 7 storey Pagoda. Our second day here was spent on a bike ride through villages on the outskirts of Hue which is stunning and so peaceful.
We then travelled from Hue to Dnang over the scenic Hai Van Pass. Dnang is a coastal town with the Marble Mountains in the back drop. This was our beach stay at the Furama Resort which is on a lovely stretch of beach and only 20 minutes’ drive from Hoi An Town. Hoi An Town is beautiful with really quaint cobble streets with ancient little homes. Strolling around this town is such a pleasure taking in the Japanese Bridge and Chinese Temple. At night the town is magical with all the lanterns lighting up the town and live music from river boats and disco bars for the more lively. Here is where you can get some suits or dresses tailor made by the local tailors.
Alas our time was over way too soon in wonderful Vietnam where the people are the most welcoming and accommodating. The standard of food from local restaurants to family homestays is excellent and highly recommended. Its infrastructure is progressing but hopefully not too fast in my opinion. Vietnam has something special and will have to go back on my wish list as there is plenty more to explore.