Southern and Central Coast Vietnam experience

Mary Foyle 13 April 2014
I have just returned from a fabulous trip to South Vietnam and the Central Coast; it was my first time to visit Vietnam and it won’t be my last. Vietnam is a long very narrow country - over 2000 miles in length but in parts of the Central Coast, only 25 miles wide. Due to its size, each area has a totally different climate and it is so important when planning a trip, to visit the right part at the right time!

I was very impressed with Saigon. The buildings were beautiful and the city very well maintained and clean and I hadn’t expected that. There was great shopping there from high end to markets and a huge variety of restaurants and bars.

The must do trips from Saigon would be a tour to see the Cu Chi tunnels and a trip to the Mekong Delta. We were lucky to spend two nights in the latter. The tunnels are situated approximately 1.5 hour’s drive from Saigon and were the Vietcong’s operations base during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s. They have been preserved and turned into a War Memorial Park which is visited by thousands of tourists every year. We were able to go down into the tunnels which have been widened to fit the Western Tourists. It was a horrible experience - we had to crouch low and make our way through the narrow tunnel with absolutely no room to manoeuvre and I was never so happy to see daylight even though I was only in the tunnels for a minute or so! The booby traps displayed all around the Memorial Park were sinister indeed but it was definitely a worthwhile experience and should be on everyone’s list.

Our visit to the Mekong Delta was one of the highlights of the trip for me. It took up approximately 3 hours to get there on very busy roads with dreadful traffic! Known as the 'Rice Basket' of Vietnam, the landscape was so green with lots of villages along the canals that flowed on all sides of the Mekong River. We made two journeys into the hinterland - one by Sampan where we sat four to a boat plus one person rowing us. As the Sampans were so narrow, we were able to go deep into the Delta to areas where boats could not access. We stopped for lunch at a typical guest house and the food was fantastic. We also did a two hour cycling trip through the Delta, cycling through lots of villages and everywhere we went, we got a great welcome from all the locals. Our accommodation in the Mekong Delta were Eco Lodges on stilts overlooking the Mekong River and only accessible by boat. The accommodation was simple, the food in the restaurant was excellent and there was a lovely infinity pool in the middle of the Delta. After a day of cycling and sightseeing, this was most welcome - there was a great sense of peace and restfulness about this complex and I was so sorry I could not spend a second day here.

We then flew up to Hue, the old Imperial Capital of Vietnam. Amazingly, the weather was very cool here - a total contrast to the heat and humidity of Saigon and the Mekong Delta. We visited the Imperial City and Citadel and the beautiful seven storey Thien Mu Pagoda on the banks of the Perfume River. Then it was off on another cycling tour around the Rice Fields outside Hue. This was a complete different landscape to the Mekong Delta - rolling fields of the deepest green - really peaceful countryside compared with the buzz in the villages around the Mekong Delta.

We then drove to Danang, the biggest city on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. We checked into a 5* hotel situated on a magnificent wide beach backed by sand dunes. On the first evening we headed for the town of Hoi An - one of the most popular beach resorts on this Coast. Hoi An is famous for its Full Moon Festival - not like the Full Moon parties in Thailand! The Old Town becomes pedestrianized and everywhere you go, the lanterns are lit - the town is buzzing, there are some fabulous restaurants here and it is just so romantic. We arrived the evening after the Full Moon but all the lanterns were still lit and it was spectacular. My tip is to try to see Hoi An during one of these festivals!

The following day, we visited a local farm known for growing special aromatic herbs. After a bit of labouring on the farm (see photo!), we had a foot and head massage and headed into lunch which was the most delicious meal we had had since we arrived. Everything we ate had so many flavours due to the use of the herbs in the cooking. We then spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the old streets in Hoi An stopping off to see the Japanese Bridge and the Chinese Temple.

I have visited many areas of South East Asia but I feel that Vietnam has it all - great cities, culture, beaches and fabulous people. I am already planning my next trip which will take me to the North of Vietnam and in particular to Hanoi and Halong Bay. I will try to combine Laos with these two cities and that will complete my personal tour of Indochina.

This whole area of Indochina is really popular amongst my clients in their 50s- 60s. It has great relevance to them as we all remember the Vietnam War and the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia. It is just wonderful to visit these countries and find out all about their history and combine this with a stay at some fabulous beach hotels. Flights and ground arrangements are so reasonable and you definitely get 'bang for your buck'!