Vietnam

Hot Summer in Ho-Chi-Minh-City

Mar 18, 2018

Our last stop in Vietnam was Ho-Chi-Minh-City. With a population of over 8 million it is the largest and most important city in Vietnam. While Vietnam’s capital Hanoi in the north welcomed with rather cool temperatures around 20°C, we were welcomed in Ho-Chi-Minh-City by baking hot temperatures of up to 35°C, and the heat amplifies itself through the absence of wind and all the buildings and streets that reflect the heat. The key during our visit in Ho-Chi-Minh-City was to move from one air-conditioned place to the next. During the day we spent a lot of time in shopping malls, cafés, and museums. Only during the night the temperatures were pleasant enough to stay outside.

Museums in Ho-Chi-Minh-City

Two of the museums that we visited were the Independence Palace and the War Remnants Museum. Both display memories from the Vietnam War, and as it was the case in Hanoi’s museum, from a very one-way and patriotic perspective. Nevertheless, after abstracting from the propaganda, we still could get a lot of information out of the museums and seeing the old palace and the military vehicles and planes was interesting.

Independence Palace

When Vietnam was split during the war, the Independence Palace was the residence of the pro-American president of Vietnam and served as government building. On several floors and wings, we could visit many of the former official rooms for state dinners, receptions, conferences, and even the private rooms of the president. Some of the rooms were nicely decorated, but the whole building itself is not a beauty, especially when looked at from outside.

Being technically interested, the more interested parts of the palace were in the basement where there were bunkers with old communication systems installed. There were also all the rooms from where the war was coordinated when Saigon (as the city center was named back then) was under attack.

War Remnants Museum

As the name of the museum suggests, this museum focuses on everything that has been used in the Vietnam War and was preserved until this day. There were many old tanks, aircraft, helicopters, and weapons displayed. Almost all of those items have been brought to Vietnam by the Americans during the war. Being a fan of aircraft, it was interesting to walk and even touch the planes and helicopters in the backyard of the museum.

The museum also displays the effects of the war on the Vietnamese population, i.e. the ongoing damages caused by the cluster bombs that the Americans dropped, the long term effects of Agent Orange and other chemical defoliants causing malformation in the development of children. Lots of soil is still contaminated with the remnants of this war, and will affect the Vietnamese population (as well as its neighbors in Laos and Cambodia) for many more decades.

While the background of the museum is very interesting, there is unfortunately constant propaganda which really affects the overall impression of the museum. It highlights all the cruelties committed by the Americans while not mentioning any of the cruelties committed by the Vietnamese liberation army, it calls the South Vietnamese population puppet army, because they fought for the Americans, and all Americans are called aggressors. The museum proudly presents how many Americans lost their lives in the war without mentioning the victims on their own side. This is now the second museum of this kind I have visited in Vietnam and it’s really ridiculous that facts cannot simply be presented as facts but need to be used selectively for propaganda. From then on, I decided to not visit any further history museums in Vietnam.

Shopping in Ho-Chi-Minh-City

While large shopping malls can be found in any larger city including Ho-Chi-Minh-City, the specialty in HCMC were markets (e.g. Ben Thanh Market) and malls (e.g. Saigon Square) that sold faked products only from numerous well-known brands such as The North Face, Nike, and so on. While some of the counterfeit products can be spotted as fake from far away, some of the products really look like originals, even though they are not. The absurd thing is, the prices for faked products are considerably high. One example is a faked jacket from The North Face: The original costs around 200$, the fake one still 40$. Now one could say that this is a good deal, but the fake products are only made to look like the originals, but normally are made from cheaper fabric, are not waterproof, etc. So 40$ is still a lot for something that you might have to throw away soon.

These markets and malls are very big with hundreds if not thousands of sellers. Obviously nobody in Vietnam cares about the fact that these copies are illegal, not the authorities, not the sellers, and also not the tourists.

In the Streets of Ho-Chi-Minh-City

Like any other city in Vietnam, traffic in HCMC is crazy. There are millions of scooters running through the streets and even on the sidewalks, there is noise everywhere, and as a pedestrian you have to fear for your life when crossing any road. Walking on foot in HCMC is not a pleasure, and then there is that awful heat and humidity during the day.

Apart from that, I liked HCMC’s streets because of the people that eat, sell stuff, or simply chat with each other on the streets, especially in the evenings. It’s interesting that some people seem to spend their whole day on the sidewalks. Also there are still some historical buildings from the French colonialization, such as the city hall, the Notre Dame, or the post office.

Good-Bye Vietnam

Ho-Chi-Minh-City was our last stop in Vietnam and in the tropical climate in general. We decided to spend the last 12 days of our travels in Japan. We have visited Japan in 2008 already and always wanted to go back one day to see the cherry blossoms end of March, and as it fits perfectly into the schedule, we took our chances and book a flight to Tokyo.

Historical Old Town of Hoi An

Mar 12, 2018

After our visit to Huế we took a train south to Da Nang, one of Vietnam’s larger but not very attractive cities. As there is not much to do in Da Nang apart from looking at countless luxury beach resorts that had either been built recently or were still under construction, we moved on to the next tourist hotspot in Vietnam – a small historical city named Hoi An. While Ilinca already spent a few days in Hoi An earlier on the trip while I was on the cave expedition, for me it was the first visit.

Tourist Attractions in Hoi An

Hoi An’s main attraction is the town itself. It is one of the best preserved old towns in Vietnam, and it’s location with several channels flowing through the city and the proximity to the beaches make it a popular stop on every tourist’s itinerary.

There are many old buildings, temples, and even a bridge to visit in Hoi An. But even when not entering any buildings, the walk between them and along the river was very nice and the fact that the whole old town can easily be visited on foot makes it a pleasant destination.

While during the hot daytime walking around the city is not that special, the late afternoon and evening hours are really beautiful, with lots of lanterns hanging around above the streets and along house walls, plenty of restaurants to sit outside, and strolls along the channel and through the local market.

Once a month there is a lantern festival in Hoi An, where tourists place thousands of floating lanterns on the river at night. I have unfortunately not been there during this festival, but Ilinca who witnessed it earlier on the trip said that it looked very nice.

Upgrade to Luxury Hotel

Just like flights, also hotels can be overbooked. In Hoi An, this also happened to us for the first time. When arriving at our 3-star hotel, we were told that they don’t have enough rooms, but that we could stay at their 5-star sister hotel instead that costs around 500$ per night, of course for the price of our original 3-star hotel. What a pleasant surprise! The rooms were very beautifully decorated, the breakfast buffet was incredibly rich and the in-house massage for a great price was a welcome treat after a hot day outside.

Annoyances in Hoi An

As we already experienced it many other tourist hotspots in Southeast Asia, the locals in Hoi An were sometimes very aggressive trying to sell their faked goods such as The North Face jackets or bags, copies of well-known leather brands, and other worthless Chinese imports. But there are of course also exceptions to the rule: the ladies in the tailor shop where we equipped ourselves with business outfits were very respectful and friendly.

Another annoyance was that when walking along the river, you basically get asked every five seconds by someone if you want a boat ride on the river, even if they have just seen me 10m away telling no to somebody else. After saying no about 100 times, my patience also got tested a bit. Last but not least, as everywhere in Vietnam, the scooter traffic is an absolute nuisance. Even though the old town is theoretically a pedestrian zone, the locals still drive through the crowds, honking all the time and cutting the pedestrians’ paths.

I probably have been travelling in Southeast Asia for too long already, I am really getting tired of this. I am glad that we are leaving Vietnam and Southeast Asia soon.

Flying to Ho-Chi-Minh-City

Our last destination in Vietnam before flying to Tokyo will be Ho-Chi-Minh-City, the largest city of the country.

The Citadel, Tombs and a Pagoda of Huế

Mar 7, 2018

After my caving adventure in the remote mountains of Vietnam, I was looking forward to reuniting with Ilinca and spend a few calmer days in the city of Huế.

Historical Sites in Huế

With a total population of less than half a million, Huế is only the tenth largest city in Vietnam and does not play an important role anymore. Huế’s glorious times were in the past when it was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty of emperors from 1802 – 1945.

The Citadel of Huế

The most important attraction in Huế is a very large citadel from the 19^th century that is surrounded by a moat and thick stone walls. Inside the citadel are the Imperial City with palaces and shrines and also what’s left of the emperor’s home, the Forbidden Purple City.

Visiting the citadel took us quite a while because it is built on an area of 600 x 600 m and we had to walk everything on foot. Visiting the citadel was interesting, however, the fact that I have basically been visiting temples and palaces in the past 2.5 months in Southeast Asia changes my motivation to see even more historical buildings. Historians would probably shoot me for saying this, but the historical buildings in the region start to look all the same to me.

Tombs of the Emperors

Where there was once an emperor, there is also a tomb. As there was a whole dynasty of emperors in Huế, there is also quite a number of tombs around Huế. Some of the tombs we visited were nicer than others, but what they all had in common was that they were outside the busy city center. Riding our rental scooter out in the green was at least as interesting as visiting the actual tombs, because it gave us some impressions how the Vietnamese live outside the cities.

Thien Mu Pagoda

The last landmark that we visited was Thien Mu Pagoda just a few kilometers out of the city along the Perfume River. As it was only a short scooter ride, the visit was worth it, but architecturally or historically, I don’t think this is one of the important pagodas, but I might be wrong. The location of the pagoda however was very beautiful, directly at the Perfume River, where we could watch the afternoon sun setting slowly.

Modern Huế

As other Vietnamese cities, Huế is also very busy and has lots of traffic. There are lots of tourists in the city, but also lots of young locals. And just like in other tourist hotspots in Southeast Asia, there are many overpriced restaurants and a noisy party scene. If it had not been for the historical sights, I would have gladly skipped Huế.

Jungle Trekking and Caving on Tu Lan Expedition

Mar 4, 2018

After some city sightseeing and a rather comfortable way of travelling in the past few weeks, I had the urgent need for some action and adventure again. And it did not take me long to find something suitable. The mountains and cave systems around Phong Nha have been in my mind for quite a while, so I booked a 4 day tour named Tu Lan Expedition which consisted of jungle trekking and more important, exploring some of the many caves in the area.

Compared to other caves I have visited on this trip, the caves around Phong Nha were discovered only recently and most of them are completely undeveloped and remote. Many of the caves are only reachable on foot by walking for hours through the jungle. It sounds like a perfect adventure to me.

Preparations for the Expedition

Because the Tu Lan Expedition was a spontaneous decision, I still needed to arrange a few things such as proper socks, long pants, and a sweater before leaving Hanoi. As we only returned at 17:30 from the Halong Bay cruise, I had around 3 hours to do so. Also, I needed to organize a tripod, as taking handheld pictures in caves is basically impossible. However, I did not have enough time for everything, so I needed to organize a tripod in Phong Nha.

Getting to Phong Nha

There is a night bus from Hanoi directly to Phong Nha, however, as I won’t sleep much during the expedition, I preferred flying into Dong Hoi and take a short taxi ride to Phong Nha. After some negotiation with the taxi driver and a 45 minute ride, I arrived in Phong Nha at noon, so I had half a day available for getting everything ready, as the tour started at 7:30 the next morning.

Day 1: Leaving Civilization

Phong Nha is only the gateway to the caves. After being picked up in the morning, we drove around 75 minutes into the mountains to a small rural village where we got equipped with everything we need for the coming four days and repacked our backpacks into supposedly waterproof PVC bags, which as we were explained were not waterproof anymore due to various holes. Luckily I had two dry bags with me to keep my photographic equipment and clothes dry at any time.

After packing and a short instruction session, our group of three left the village and started walking for about an hour through rice fields and other agricultural land. At the end of the valley, we reached the mountains and our first river crossing took place. After the crossing we climbed up steep to visit the first cave on the tour named Secret Cave. It was not a very tall cave, but beautifully decorated with limestone formations and some very narrow passages to squeeze ourselves through. Being tall did not give me a big advantage.

After exiting Secret Cave, we had a quick lunch at the cave entrance and then continued through the jungle for another two hours to reach our camp where we would spend the night that day. After depositing our bags and only packing the most important things, we started exploring Ken Cave, which is a so-called wet cave, meaning that it is partially filled with water. It was time for us to put on our life jackets and jump into the cool water at the cave entrance. After swimming around 200m into the cave, we climbed out of the water and explored it as well. It is really a very special feeling swimming inside a cave where your only source of light is your caving lamp attached to your helmet, but at the same time very refreshing, as the trekking in the jungle made us sweat constantly.

At the exit of Ken Cave, there was even a small waterfall where we could jump down and swim across the lagoon to our camp where the chef already prepared a nice and filling dinner for us. After eating and chatting with the guide and his team, we went to inside our tents at the camp and tried to get at least a few hours of sleep. I am glad I brought along some earplugs, because the frogs and the other animals in the jungle plus the waterfall nearby made quite some noise.

Day 2: Three More Caves

The next morning started with a big breakfast and a thunderstorm which hit us quite by surprise, as the weather forecast did not predict any rain for the four days. Luckily the rain stopped right when we started off from the camp, but the rain made many of the paths very muddy, as we discovered later during the day.

The first cave we visited on day 2 of our Tu Lan Expedition was the one that gave the expedition its name: Tu Lan Cave. We entered the cave through its upper entrance on foot and made our way to a 15m high rock wall, from where we put on climbing gear and used a rope to go down the wall and landing directly on a floss that was waiting for us below as the lower part of the cave was filled with water. Once everybody made it down the rope, we rowed slowly out of the cave and back to last night’s camp, where we picked up our bags and continued trekking through the jungle. This was another exiting way of seeing a cave, especially the abseiling in the complete dark was thrilling.

After a while of hiking, we reached Kim Cave, which we also entered on the dry side and used it to go under a mountain to reach our lunch site, a lagoon in the middle of the mountains. While the cave was not that special compared to what we have seen so far, the lagoon surrounded by jungle was wonderful. Unfortunately there were two other tour groups there, so it was not as idyllic as it could have been, but that’s complaining on a high level.

The last cave for today started on the other side of the lagoon and was named Ton Cave. It was another cave that we entered through its wet entrance and swam through it for a while, and then exited on the other side of the mountain again. The height of this cave was truly impressive, especially in the dry part where we had to climb a long ladder to make it to the upper exit.

After exiting the cave, we were hit by the hot temperatures outside and walked for two exhausting hours through deep mud over two mountains until we finally reached our next camp for the night. The program there was the same: After another excellent dinner that the chef prepared for the group, he also cooked another dish with frogs and some sauce for the tour guide and his helpers. I was offered some as well, but as I already had plenty of dinner before, I happily passed on that meal, even though the frog meat, when cooked, looked no different from chicked.

Day 3: A Full Day of Trekking

Day 3 turned out to be the toughest day of the Tu Lan Expedition. There was no cave to visit, but we had to cross several mountains to reach the caves that we would visit on day 4. And the weather was as hot and humid as it could be, in addition, the path was very muddy and slippery again. Luckily there was a river every now and then where we could refresh and cool ourselves down.

While the first half of the day, the scenery was not too special, the second half was very exciting, especially when climbing the last two of the mountains through dense and pristine rainforest, listening to the sounds of the rivers and the birds. But after a long day of hiking, we were all glad to arrive at our camp for the last night, where the guide and his team surprised us with cold beer and ice that they carried it from the village.

The camp that night was the most beautiful of the three we visited, and probably one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen. The river that flows next to the camp exits the mountain from an underground cave system that belongs to Tu Lan Cave that we visited the other day just a few meters away. Directly at the river mouth there is also a beautiful lagoon for swimming, which was perfect after an exhausting trekking day.

Last but not least, it was almost full moon that night, and anyway I was not in a sleeping mood. While everybody incl. the guides went to their tents at 9, I grabbed the tripod I could borrow from Jacey, the Vietnamese tour member, and took pictures of the lagoon in the moonlight.

Day 4: Two Giant Caves for the End

After a night with not so much sleep and again a filling breakfast, we started climbing for about 20 minutes up to the giant entrance of Tien 1 Cave. The entrance way more than 100 m high, and the volume of the whole cave was really stunning. We walked deep into the cave, and the sounds all the water flowing below us was very impressive. There is also a subterranean lake in one of the corners of the cave, and sharp rocks in all formations that have been carved by water over millions of years all over. In the middle of the cave, we used a so-called flying fox to cross part of the cave, and then climbed up to one of the upper exits of Tien 1 Cave where we were greeted by the humid jungle heat.

After another 15 minutes of intense jungle trekking and climbing, we reached Tien 2 Cave that has only been discovered recently. As the entrance is very small, the cold air from the cave channels and there is a strong wind coming out of the exit. But the phenomenon only lasts for a few meters, once the cave is wider again, no wind can be felt. Tien 2 Cave seems not much smaller than Tien 1, but has much nicer rock formations. Some of the stalactites are up to 100 m tall, and the ground is made out of sand terraces, formed by the water that flows through the cave during the wet season.

After visiting these two huge and impressive caves, we went back to last night’s camp and had a last excellent lunch there before hiking another hour through dense rainforest to reach the road from where a car brought us back to the beginning of the adventure.

In the evening, the whole group incl. Dai, our guide, had dinner together and enjoyed the comfort of a shower and a decent bed.

An Incredible Experience

It was really wonderful to be out in nature, completely off the grid without phone reception and the big tourist masses. It is a privilege visiting these caves that are still in its original undeveloped state and hopefully will remain like this for future generations. What made the adventure so special is that I really had to earn it, but got rewarded again and again with countless impressions, be it with the vegetation, the mountainous scenery, the dimensions of the caves, or the kindness of the local people who make such an expedition possible at all. But now I need a few days of recovery and am heading to Hue, where I will reunite with Ilinca and spend a few calmer days at the seaside.

One Night Cruise in Halong Bay

Feb 27, 2018

Halong Bay is probably one of the most beautiful natural sceneries in Vietnam and is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the middle of a bay with usually calm sea, there are literally thousands of limestone rocks emerging vertically from the water. Ilinca and I explored Halong bay with a one night cruise along a ship named Dragon Legend and the place is truly magical.

Cloudy Weather at Halong Bay

Of course the whole beauty can only be seen if the weather is decent enough. During our transport from Hanoi to the harbor, there was fog and rain, which was not very promising. But as the day heated up a bit, the clouds were rising and in the afternoon partially dissolving. During sunset and sunrise, the sky was gray again, but we still got some nice moments out there. And while not being very photogenic, it was a mystical atmosphere when the tops of the limestone rocks fade into the clouds. Of course Ilinca and I would have wished for clear skies, but it was still worth visiting Halong Bay.

Activities at Halong Bay

Apart from eating excessively on board the Dragon Legend, one of our activities at Halong Bay was visiting a not so impressive cave inside one of the limestone rocks where hundreds if not thousands of people walk through every day. Also, on the first evening, we went around one or two limestone rocks by kayak. As the sun decided to show up during the kayaking, it was a very scenic 40 minutes on the water. After kayaking, I took a cold bath in the chilly bay where the water was definitely less than 20°C cold. The warm pool on the deck of the Dragon Legend helped warming up afterwards though.

Aboard the Dragon Legend

Finding a decent cruise in Halong Bay is not so easy, as people advise you to rather pay a bit more and have a nice experience than saving on the vessel, as some of the cruises go further into the bay, and some other cruises stay close to the port where hundreds of other boats float around and ruin the atmosphere.

The Dragon Legend was at the upper end of the price range with the promise, to go where no other boats goes. While this turned out just to be another Marketing lie as we anchored during the night with around a dozen other boats, the ship itself was exaggeratedly luxurious with cabins that are larger than most of the hotel rooms we stayed at during our whole trip, including a 9 m2 bath, air conditioning, and a comfortable bed. Not less impressive were the culinary skills of the kitchen team. All our meals were very tasty and made us forget that we are actually spending a night on a ship.

Getting Ready for Jungle and Caving Adventure

After the Halong Bay cruise, Ilinca and I went back to Hanoi, where I went shopping for the necessary items for my upcoming 4 day jungle and caving adventure in Central Vietnam, and Ilinca prepared her onward travels to Hoi An to see the famous lantern festival.

Cool Winter Climate in Hanoi

Feb 25, 2018

Until now we did not have to worry about winter because we were travelling in tropical countries so far. Having landed in Hanoi however, it was the first time that we were confronted with cooler and wetter climate. In winter, Northern Vietnam is often cloudy and there is drizzle every now and then, and temperatures drop below 20°C. I had to put on long pants and a sweater, the first time since our departure from Switzerland end of December. Compared to our winter back home in Switzerland though, this is of course not so bad.

First Impression of Vietnam

Having just landed in Vietnam’s capital after a short flight from Vientiane in Laos, the first thing that we observed is that everything is much better organized and clean here. Also, people seem to be very friendly and willing to help. But it is also clearly visible that we are in one of the more touristic countries in this region, as everybody wants to sell you thinks like SIM-Cards, transportation, tours, etc. But they do it in a less aggressive way than e.g. in Thailand.

Eating in Hanoi

A friend of mine told me that the food in Vietnam is the best in whole Southeast Asia. While I would not put it like that after only a few meals, I can say for sure that the food in Hanoi is really delicious and also healthy. Especially the local food with spring rolls, fresh vegetables, fish, and seafood, combined with a moderate spiciness, fits my taste. As a consequence we had much less western food in Hanoi than e.g. in Laos or Cambodia.

Tourist Sights in Hanoi

The tourist magnet in Vietnam is not its capital Hanoi but Ho-Chi-Minh-City (Saigon) in the south, however, Hanoi is still interesting to visit. There are a few historical sites that remind us of the time when Vietnam was a colonialized by France, and of course also of the Vietnam War when the Americans bombed the city and the whole north of Vietnam. We could update our history knowledge once more during this trip.

Hoa Lo Prison Museum

This former prison, now a museum, shows how the French occupiers during the time of the colonialization suppressed the Vietnamese population and visualizes how political opponents were imprisoned and sometimes executed. In a second part of the exhibition, there were personal stories of US Navy pilots whose plane have been shot down during the Vietnam War and that have been imprisoned for up to eight years. One of those prisoners was the former presidential candidate John McCain.

While the stories at the exhibits were mostly interesting, the way history was presented there was not very neutral. The propaganda from the socialist government in Vietnam was clearly visible in every single description. All Vietnamese that had stood up against the French and the Americans were declared as heroes, all French occupiers were automatically terrorists, etc. It was really a bit unfortunate that the museum could not simply present facts and leave the judgment of the involved parties to the visitors.

Temples in Hanoi

Ilinca and I should be temple experts by now, having visited so many Buddhist temples in the past months. And in Hanoi we extended our knowledge by visiting Den Bach Ma, which is said to be the city’s oldest temple, the Temple of Literature, another old and important temple in Hanoi, and some other smaller temples. In general, the temples in Vietnam differ a bit from the ones we visited in Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. We had the impression that the Chinese influence is clearly visible in the layout and architecture of the temples. But because we are still not experts on temples, don’t take that statement as an objective evaluation.

Other Tourist Activities

Due to the bad weather, we spent almost half a day in a mall instead of visiting e.g. the Ho-Chi-Minh Mausoleum or the Skybar on top of Lotte. And some of the museums we skipped because of lack of time. But if somebody wants to spend a whole week in Hanoi, it is definitely possible.

Busy City Life

Apart from the tourist sights, Hanoi fascinated me because it seems to me like an authentic Vietnamese city (except maybe the touristic old town) and all the chaos that comes with it. At any time of the day and also in the evenings, the streets are blocked, and the countless scooters navigate through the narrow streets of the old town using whatever space is available. The sidewalk gets easily transformed into a scooter lane should the road ahead be blocked, or into a scooter parking should there be no parking available. If convenient, people simply drive on the opposite lane if there is less traffic on that side. It seems to me like complete anarchy and chaos, however, things seem to work out and I have not witnessed any accidents during my days in Hanoi, however, I am quite sure there is quite a high accident rate in the city.

For Ilinca and me, the biggest challenge in Hanoi was crossing roads. Hanoi is really no place for pedestrians because the motorized traffic shows no respect at all. Whenever there is 30 cm of space in front or behind you when crossing a street, you can be sure a scooter will drive right in between, expecting you to stop to avoid collision. We slowly got used to it during our stay, but that does not mean we now feel comfortable crossing roads in Hanoi. So far we survived though.

Going to Halong Bay on a Cruise

After three days in foggy and cold Hanoi, we decided to go on a cruise in the world famous Halong Bay. The weather forecast unfortunately is not too optimistic, but let’s see, maybe we are still lucky.