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A bit of hindsight pertains to the dynamics of this particular tour. The fact that only four people were on it created a developing problem. It's always been our practice not to travel with good friends and/or acquaintances. What begins as a pleasant relationship "usually" undergoes a drastic change from spending morning, noon and night with two strangers. A group tour usually has between 10-16 people making it easy to move around from person-to-person, discuss new and old subjects, and bond with those you have the greatest affinity. It's also easier for the tour leader to exact a firmer control and John wasn't experienced enough to know how to go about this. With only two besides us, strained relationships developed that culminated in not being on speaking terms the last two days without goodbyes by any of us! Unfortunate.
If you don't care to watch the video below, this is the rest of my "take" on Northwest Vietnam. Briefly, stick to the "boiler plate" tourist routes and don't get sucked into the "true adventure" and "miss the influx of tourists" selling points. It is not by any stretch of the imagination a "true adventure." The hotels were pretty darn good and there are masses of tourists visiting because it is supposed to be a "true adventure."
Continue reading "Northwest Vietnam: Hindsight is 20/20" »
Off the train and back to the Hoa Binh Hotel at 5:30 am, everyone was exhausted. The front desk staff promised room by, perhaps, 9:30 am. A few cups of coffee before disheveled ex-Marine and I set out for an early morning walk to West Lake where active Hanoi gathers in the early morning hours to exercise. Tai Chi, group classes doing their own form of "aerobics", Yogam walkers, runners...View image, and individualistic exercises...View image. Vietnamese with there with friends, grandfathers watching grandchildren, senior citizens. Not only completely engrossing but it also made for some good laughs watching the unique methods each person exercised.
Tired, a slow walk back to the hotel trying to pass the time before badgering the front desk every 15 minutes (nicely, of course) when they thought the room would be ready. A room! Unpack for one night, shower and rest before heading out once more to admire and explore the houses...View image... in the French Quarter...
Continue reading "One Last Day in Hanoi, Vietnam" »
There are approximately five trains every night from Lao Cai to Hanoi leaving at different times for the nine hour train ride. Hard class with wooden seats, Soft seats, trains with 6-berth compartments, trains with 4-berth compartments and the deluxe Victoria Sapa Express with 2-berths per compartment that runs three times a week and is only bookable if you stay at the Victoria Sapa Hotel. We were scheduled on the 8:15 pm with "soft sleeper" compartments available. The toilets (one western and one squat) are located at either end of each car.
Soft sleeper compartments hold four people in upper and lower berths with blankets and pillows provided. The train food is not very good so most tourists eat before boarding in Lao Cai and bring munchies to eat along the way. There are carts that sell beer, water and other items on the train...View image. TIP: It is possible to buy (in advance) all four berths in your compartment for whatever the cost is of those berths. The two of us have shared compartments with strangers and tour participants in the past. It is definitely bearable but the 2008 Central China experience with a "World Champion mega-decibel snorer" was not pleasant and we purchased the extra two compartments for $60 U.S. If not that, consider bringing ear plugs!
Continue reading "The Overnight Train From Lao Cai to Hanoi, Vietnam" »
Lunch at one of the big tourist restaurants on the square at Bac Ha before driving back to Lao Cai where we'd take the 8:15 pm overnight train to Hanoi. Haven't a clue what restaurant it was but if you visit Bac Ha, it won't be difficult to find. It's the restaurant with every Western and Asian tourist eating in. Cheap, clean and the best spinach with garlic and fried rice of the trip. Finished with lunch, time for the rainy drive back to Lao Cai, another 2-1/2 hours with a few new and old road sights along the way. The big sight was a truck off the road on it's side. About time we've seen an accident considering all the rain, mud...View image, and heavy traffic through the mountains...View image...the rice fields were a vivid green thanks to all the rain, and the car passsed many farm raised fish ponds.
The entire Lao Cai province is one of the poorest in Vietnam with an average income of $185 U.S./year, but tourism and cross-border trade with China is a growing source of income. There is absolutely nothing to see in the frontier town of Lao Cai but a bridge leading across the China border with people lining up on both sides to enter and leave the two countries. You can transit into China from here as long as you have already obtained a Chinese Visa. No such thing as "Visa Upon Arrival" in China.
Continue reading "Return to Lao Cai From The Bac Ha Market, Vietnam" »
We missed Bac Ha Market in 2001 because of abominable weather. So much rain and mud, the roads were impossible (and impassable) and ex-Marine and I were really looking forward to finally getting here. The Bac Ha Market has a reputation for being one of the most colorful markets in the world...View image... The most dominant ethnic minority group in the Bac Ha area is the Flower Hmong. All the minority tribes still wear their distinctive clothing and come into town to trade on this one day each week.
Rain, fog and mist today. Packed up and ready to go by 7:30 am for this "day that never ends" beginning with another 3-1/2 to 4 hour ride. First, through Lao Cai where Mr. Hi finally had a new tire put on to replace the one with the separated tread after stopping at two different garages to find one that fit. ...View image... Nobody wanted to get stuck on the mountain or go careening off. One of the more interesting road signs showed a car falling off the cliff. An omen? Hope not! ...View image...
Continue reading "The Famous and Exciting Bac Ha Sunday Market, Vietnam" »
Vietnam Restaurant Recommendations - Sapa and Hanoi had the best restaurants
In Sapa, we ate at Sapa Lotus twice...View image.... Once for some tasty tuna sandwiches and the second time for really great pizza. The cost for three tuna sandwiches, french fries (chips) and two glasses of very good wine including tip and tax was 315,000 Dong, or about $20 U.S. 315,000 Dong sounds much more impressive. It was the wine at $5 U.S. per glass that was relatively expensive, not the food.
In Hanoi, Wild Rice and Mediterraneo. A very few other highly recommended restaurants are: Bobby Chinn's...View image... (very, very expensive); Le Tonkin, 14 Ngo Van so; and Little Hanoi, two restaurants - 14 and 2 Ta Hien in the Old Quarter. Also great pastry and coffee shops scattered in all quarters of the city. Both myself, and the excellent Hanoi Tourist Information Center do not recommend eating off the street but if you prefer to gamble with your health, be our guest.
Continue reading "Food, Glorious Food in Vietnam" »
We learned quickly not to respond to a single question put to us by the Hmong. Sounds brutal but that was the only way they finally left us alone. When I played deaf and dumb, my Hmong shouted a final insult, "I don't like you...you don't have money." How true! Seven kilometers later, it was off the road into the Sapa Valley past houses selling water, beer, stale snickers bars, offering home stays, with most tourists still followed by tag teams of Hmong.
The rain had stopped and weather was now hot and humid. Dripping sweat beads past rice terraces, little shops. One store was advertising "peasant alcohol" for sale...View image, stopped in another house for lunch (the hotel had sent food on ahead for cleanliness) but the four of us were such fast walkers, no one was hungry, little children were playing in the rice fields...View image, and a man was making meat deliveries from his motorcycle to the local villagers...View image.
Continue reading "The Sapa Trek Continued Through Ta Van Commune, Vietnam" »
A major shocker when ex-Marine and I ventured into the lobby of the Royal View Hotel this morning. The lobby was filled with tour groups who had just arrived on the early morning train from Hanoi and other tourists already in Sapa with hordes of Black Hmong eagerly standing outside the front doors...View image, just waiting for their chance to sell. Comparable to calves being led to the slaughter (we tourists being the "calves"). Not only was the lobby a mob scene but it appeared that the majority of all tourists in Sapa were heading out on trek. And, almost all day treks follow the same route...View image... This...I did not expect to see.
John appeared and asked us to wait while he went to get the permits for hiking in the Sapa Valley area...View image. (Please explain why he didn't get them before? Quibble, quibble...) A good half hour later, we headed out the front door with each person followed by their own Black Hmong in the misty morning. The Hmong are so smart! Each seller (or two) latches on to a tourist and the long day began.
Continue reading "A Day Trek in Sapa Valley, Vietnam" »
Jenny and Myriam visited the Sapa Market the day we arrived and noticed some dog meat for eating, tails still on. Walk down the steps into the main, outside Sapa market area with sellers displaying fruits, vegetables...View image, cooking Pho and other local dishes.
The inside section of the market has stall after stall selling earring, bracelets...View image, handicrafts, old wooden used and abused water buffalo bells, children's hats, ethnic skirts from the minorities, fabrics, and bottles of snake wine. if I thought U.S. Customs wouldn't confiscate it (they would have), I might have tried bringing one home as an icky conversation piece). There was also the Sapa version of cowboy hats that we'd seen and purchased in remote China.
Continue reading "A Typical Sapa Day, Vietnam" »
Sapa is home to more than 30 colorful hill tribes and close to Vietnam's highest peak, Mount Fansipan (3,143m/10,311'. This town was founded as a hilltop retreat for the French when the heat of the plains became unbearable. An idyllic spot with warm days, cool evenings and an abundance of rain in the rainy season which it appeared we were in (I had thought the rainy season was over when I booked).
Sapa is light years away from the small town with only one decent hotel visited by us in 2001. Hotels, guesthouses, travel bureaus, restaurants (big and small), boutiques, WI-FI. Instead of being ignored by the Black Hmong in the past, you will be inundated by hordes wanting to sell something...anything. Checked in to the very nice Royal View*** Hotel right in the thick of things with all windows facing the mountain views. That is, the views you would have seen if it wasn't rainy and cloudy for the next few days. ...View image... And set out to explore "new" Sapa...
Continue reading "What To Do Around Sapa, Vietnam" »
Past the hundreds of trucks and on the extremely muddy road to Sapa, we stopped at the interesting local Market...View image... filled with Lu people. The Lu live in a number of communes throughout the Phong Tho and Sin Ho districts of Lai Chau province and are part of the Tay-Thai language group. A very small population and most Lu live in the Chiang Mai, Thailand, Upper Laos, Myanmar and Xishuangbanna (Yunnan), China areas.
Dressed in black and wearing unusual hats? headdresses? on their heads. A cut-off pyramidy shaped piece of metal attached to black string braids wound around and perched on top of their own hair. If you want to talk about confusing, John was adamant that these were Lu people but the woman below was carrying her baby wearing the typical Black Dzao hat with three coins. To repeat, these forward thinking ethnic fashionistas mix and match clothing from other minorities.
Continue reading "Another Market on The Way to Sapa With Lu People, Vietnam" »
At least it was sunny this morning and all were eager to get to Sapa...View image. If it had changed a quarter of the amount Luang Prabang, Laos had in a short seven years, Sapa should be a lively, happening little town. ( I wasn't going to miss the "infamous moving bathtub" in Lai Chau or, truthfully, anything in Lai Chau.)
Even though Sapa was only 80kms/50 miles from Lai Chau, this too would take 3-4 hours through the mountains and up and over Fansipan Pass, the highest mountain in Vietnam. Fansipan is around 19kms/12 miles from the town of Sapa, set at an altitude of 3,143m/10,311'. You can arrange a steep and challenging 3 day/2 night climb of this mountain. It is rated "difficult" and the Royal Sapa Company has established at base camp at 2,200m/7,217'. Tour organizers use this location as preparation prior to the summit climb. Climb information warns, "...the climb is extremely steep and can be very slippery, good hiking boots are essential..." I can't imagine how bad it would be right now with all the rain.
Continue reading "A Major Landslide Outside Lai Chau, Vietnam" »
It was a long, tortuous 10-hour drive through (albeit) scenic, winding roads (the kind that make me nauseous) to Lai Chau formerly known as Tam Duong. Tourists journey to Lai Chau because of the plethora of Hill tribe villages and markets. The dossier touted Lai Chau as "....an area that sees few visitors...we have the opportunity to enjoy a unique trek..." The dossier went on to say, "...we will have an opportunity to meet Red Hmong and Blue Dzao people." Read further and I'll tell you why there are few visitors and why you shouldn't bother coming here. Lai Chau is practically on the border of Yunnan, China on the north, and Laos on the west in this high mountainous region of Northwest Vietnam.
My "happy meter" was rapidly disintergrating. Exhausted by the ride, and It was pouring buckets of rain. No, not pouring...monsooning. I was not happy about mopping up the bathroom floor from the disconnected pipes. Not happy that there's nothing to see in Lai Chau. Not happy when I asked John about the trek tomorrow, "How many villages will we see? How long is the trek?"
Continue reading "Lai Chau Once Known As Tam Duong, Vietnam" »
This area consists of sloping mountains, hills, valleys, and plateaus that makes driving very difficult. The Vietnamese Government is building new roads and repairing old as quickly as possible but abundant amounts of rain had fallen resulting in landslides throughout Northwest Vietnam. A day didn't go by without road hold-ups. On the plus side, the Government is working on hydroelectric power in the Lai Chau area. This part of the country also belongs in a tropical monsoon zone with just two seasons - wet and dry and always humid. My exploding hair knew that without being told.
To relieve the monotony of today's longest and hardest road trip, lots of pee and photography stops. Driving, driving, driving, we started seeing the Pink Flower Hmong along the road...View image, and in small villages wearing their intensely pink clothing. Mr. Hi stopped next to a house to examine the tires while John asked the family's permission to visit.
Continue reading "The Pink Flower Hmong On The Way to Lai Chau, Vietnam" »
Forever grateful for the ubiquitous Pho is the morning. A person can't go wrong with a hearty bowl of noodle soup at one of these consistently very early breakfast times with long rides between destinations every day. The first time I saw someone slip my eggs into a sizzling wok with at least one inch of fat, that was it. Deep fried eggs at 6:00 a.m. just doesn't do it for me.
Dien Bien Phu is located in a remote, forest covered area in Northwest Vietnam. The French claimed colonial influence over the Southeast Asian region (known as Indo-China - Indochine) since WWII and fought an eight-year war against communist Vietminh rebels. This culminated in the massive French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in May, 1954...View image...
Continue reading "Dien Bien Phu's French History, Vietnam" »
The small Thuan Chau Market...View image... about 35km/21 miles northwest of Son La is held daily. An authentic, not for tourists market where the locals come to buy and sell and we were ready. Time for some minority interaction, the focus of this N.W. Vietnam trip before continuing on to Dien Bien Phu a very important site in Vietnamese history.
This area is home to the Black Thai people and again, I never knew what minority I was looking at. Whichever one it was, they are beautiful people. My absolute favorite sight was a very old woman accompanied and steadied by either her daughter or granddaughter, pulling a motorcycle helmet over her ethnic headdress and carefully getting on the cycle behind the driver with daughter/granddaughter behind her, and and stately roaring off down the dusty road. Now that was a sight!
Continue reading "The Thuan Chau Market and Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam" »
It was a very interesting ride from Mai Chau to Son La across the Moc Chau Plateau. On La Province is the 5th largest in Vietnam populated by the Ma, H'mong, Dao, Muong, Kinh, Khmer, Tay, Thai, and many other ethnic groups. There were villages on the hillside along with undulating terrain. Black Thai people, countless waterfalls (not surprising because Vietnam had been inundated by rain)...View image, rice fields, coffee and tea plantations...View image, corn being harvested, husked, bagged and carried, and flowers for sale along the roadside.
Another mediocre lunch stop. (These stops are "best available" and just have to deal with it.) Too bad this little roadside restaurant was more engrossing behind than the food in front. There were pots of Bonsai trees, flowers and large rock caves...View image... still used by the family for storage. John said that the locals lived in these caves during the war. (I'm not sure which war. The war between the Viet and French or the Vietnam War.) Once in Son La for the night, it was too late for the scheduled visit to the old Son La Prison built by the French in 1908. Most attractions close by 5:00 pm and the prison would have to wait until tomorrow morning.
Continue reading "From Mai Chau to Son La, Vietnam" »
Here's a brief phonetic Viet vocabulary (per our guide) with words that we found important:
- nu = woman, nam = man. Need to know when you are faced with toilets labeled nu and nam.
- sin chow = Hello, good morning.
- tom bee-et = goodbye
- com une = thank you
- com = rice
Continue reading "A Mish-Mosh of Vietnam Information" »
Up early in the morning after a fairly restful sleep. The mattresses were paper thin, a few careful steps with flashlight/torch up and down the steep, wooden steps to the bathroom, and time spent extricating myself from the mosquito nets. Despite all the this, the Mai Chau Eco-Longhouse Homestay turned out to be a highlight in this trip to N.W. Vietnam.
It would become almost impossible to tell the different minorities by their clothes. The White Thai primarily wore turquoise and purple tops with a wide band beginning under breasts and reaching to the waist, but many minorities intermarry and pick bits and pieces from each other's wardrobes to wear. Mix and match. The sweet White Thai family served delicious coffee, hot bread and eggs for breakfast...View image... while Grandma watched grandchild and Grandpa puffed away on a huge, long pipe. ...View image...
Continue reading "A Flower Hmong Day Trek On The Way to Son La, Vietnam" »
Mr. Hi drove through Mai Chau, turned off the road into an area of White Thai longhouses. This is where the eco-lodge homestays are located for tourists. Somewhere in the musing of my brain, I had imagined one lonesome longhouse sitting out in the rice paddies with no facilities. After all, the dossier said,"...accommodation is simple and dormitory-style and the washing and toilet facilities are basic." ex-Marine and I certainly did not expect to be faced with at least 15-30 other western tourists standing in the open area in front of several longhouses. Around 20 Danes were setting off on bicycle rides, 4-6 motorcyclists riding the roads of N.W. Vietnam and now us, along with racks and racks of handwoven scarves, tops and other textiles for sale. 'T'was a shock!
The very nice, traditional White Thai longhouses are constructed of palm leaf roofs...View image, and bamboo slat floors, built and run by individual families. John considers them "rich" by Viet standards and I suppose they are. Our local family hosts welcomed the four of us and showed us to our section of the longhouse dorm. Up a flight of wooden stairs, to a large, immaculately clean area with mattresses, blankets and mosquito nets. The downstairs had extremely nice toilet facilities that flushed with hot water. This is not what I call "basic" and definitely not what was expected.
Continue reading "A Mai Chau Eco-Lodge Homestay, Vietnam" »
Stoked up by a great buffet breakfast and introduction to Pho, the group set off for Mai Chau. Pho is basically a noodle soup. The Hoa Binh Hotel's version was a bowl of chicken slices, noodles with chicken broth ladled over and condiments to add. Chilis, lime, extra garlic... It took me a a while to get the hang of it and find out that you do not use a spoon to eat the long noodles. They kept sliding off the spoon and I finally was told to use chopsticks for the noodles and a spoon for the soup. Duh...
The group driver is Mr. Hi for the entire trip ("Hi," Mr. Hi.) and it would be a 4-1/2 hour drive west towards Hoa Binh province home to many ethnic minority groups. The Dzao, Muong, White Thai (Tay Khao) and Black Thai (known as Thai, Thai Dam, Tai Tay) are just a few of the six minorities in this region. Hoa Binh Province is bordered by Son La in the west (heading there from Mai Chau), Phu Tho and Ha Tay in the north, Ha Nam and Ninh Binh in the east, and Thanh Hoa in the south.
Continue reading "On The Road to Mai Chau and An Eco-Village Longhouse, Vietnam" »
Before leaving for Mai Chau, there was time for a group visit to the Museum of Ethnology that gives an excellent introduction to the ethnic diversity in Vietnam composed of 54 distinct groups. The Museum has 54 collections from each individual ethnic group. Clothing, jewelry, weapons, antiquities, everyday objects, artifacts relating to the various religions, all extremely interesting and this is coming from me, a non-museum type person.
This museum was a joint effort between Vietnam and France. Extremely crowded with family groups and schools since it was a Sunday. The lower level had displays and objects relating to craft making, arts and spiritual practices. The Viet (or Kinh) people make up almost 86% of the population of Vietnam, the biggest of the 54 ethnic groups.
Continue reading "Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Hanoi" »
The first few days were spent in Bangkok (read the detailed articles) before leaving the Best Western Swana at 5:30 a.m. and headed back to Suvarnabhumi Airport for a brief one-hour Thai Airlines flight to Hanoi. Adventure Center told us that Peregrine Adventures would meet, greet and transfer any tour members to the hotel if we arrived on this day. Good as their word, a representative was waiting outside baggage claim holding a card with our name on it. It's less than a hour (depending on traffic) from beautiful Noi Bai International Airport located 45km/28 miles from downtown Hanoi.
If you are on your own, transportation choices in Hanoi are: taxis, minibus or public buses. The Hoa Binh Hotel*** was built in 1926 and located in the old French Quarter on Ly Thuong Kiet Street, a short three-block walk to West Lake (Hoan Kiem Lake). With pleasant employees, and old but completely adequate, clean rooms, we dropped the bags and went out to revisit Hanoi. TIP: Always grab your hotel business card to find the way back and/or be able to tell the cheap taxis where you are staying. Especially, when in a jet-lagged fog.
Continue reading "Fascinating and Historic Hanoi, Vietnam" »
Air? We flew Chicago to Bangkok via Tokyo on United (our airline of choice) into Suvarnabhumi Airport, and then used air miles for a free ticket on Thai Air to Hanoi. You have many, many airlines to choose from since almost every major airline flies to Bangkok. For example: Aeroflot-Russian International, Air France, Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Cathay, China Southern Airlines, Japan Airlines, Korean Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysian Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, United Airlines, VietNam Airlines just to name some. Hanoi is very easy to reach from Bangkok but there are certainly many other cities to use for entry into Vietnam.
Hotel? Flying via Bangkok meant misconnecting to Vietnam. It was either gut it out at the airport and arrive in Hanoi two days early or spend the time in Bangkok. On one hand, we had already visited Hanoi twice before and this tour started and ended in Hanoi. On the other hand, we've landed, connected and visited Bangkok too many times to mention. Still, there is always something new to see and do in Bangkok. Done deal and selected the Best Western Swana Hotel close by Khao San Road, a vibrant, happening area.
On the opposite end, we flew from Hanoi back to Bangkok, and booked one night at the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport because of a very early United departure home the next morning. This hotel is more expensive but located a free bus ride away on the airport property.
Continue reading "Planing A Trip Into Remote Vietnam" »
If you've never visited Vietnam, don't wait any longer. Put it on your "must list." If "soft adventure" isn't your druthers, do the usual tour of Saigon, Hanoi, Hue, etc., and then return to visit the hilltowns of Vietnam.
Our first trip was over the Millennium and both ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I were blown away by the friendliness of the people since we expected animosity over American participation in the Vietnam War. The second trip in 2002 revisited some places and included Sapa in the Hill Country. Read all the details about A Trip in Vietnam.
 Vietnam map
Continue reading "Into Remote Vietnam" »
Plumbing reached a hysterically funny new low at the Muong Chanh Hotel, Lai Chau, Vietnam. Just to clear the record, no one has ever referred to me as a "Princess" and I'm as at home peeing behind a bush along the road...squatting over holes... as sitting on a" white throne" in an average Western-style bathroom.
I've puked alongside a major highway in Pakistan while semis stopped to watch me... stayed in a Chinese dump where the toilet hole was cut into a 3-foot high, raised marble slab and a person had to lay on their back with butt in hole to use ... learned how to use and cope with an all-in-one shower. One of these usually has a wall shower head located between the toilet and sink without a shower curtain or shower door to keep the water from spraying all over the entire bathroom. Remove toilet paper before using! But just as we learn to adapt, there is always another new experience waiting around the corner.
Continue reading "Funny and Strange Plumbing in Developing Countries" »
Halong Bay is stunning and a deservedly popular site but here are a few additional thoughts before you commit to an overnight cruise.
- The boats don't travel very far into Halong Bay and all follow the same route; ...View image...
- If you are unfortunate enough to have bad weather, consider it money flushed down the toilet; and
- There is nothing new to see on the early morning return. We were back at Bai Chay by 9:30 am, others return at noon. Take a three-day cruise if you have the time.
I suggest the day cruise. You'll see the same vistas as you would on an overnight cruise.
Continue reading "Day 2 on The Halong Bay Cruise, Vietnam" »
Today's trip and overnight on Halong Bay was "weather permitting." An auspicious little weather forecast sign at the Hanoi Hotel front desk... sunny today and tomorrow,,,View image... The group brought all the luggage down to leave behind at the hotel since we just needed clothes for one night on the Halong cruise. When the storage room gets full, the hotel just chains the bags together...View image... An early morning start (what else is new...) for the 3-4 hour ride to Bai Chay (Halong City West) where we'd board the boat.
Congestion and rush hour in and out of Hanoi with today's big road sight, the Long Bien Bridge across the Red River built in 1903 by Gustave Eiffel. This bridge was heavily bombarded during the Vietnam War, and only half the bridge retains its original shape. Today used only for pedestrian and railway traffic. On the other side of the Red River, the industrialized section of Hanoi began with huge factories including a gigantic Canon facility, people selling good-looking French baguettes along the road...
Continue reading "Day 1 - Cruising Halong Bay, Vietnam on A Private Boat (Junk)" »
Three million tourists visited Halong Bay in 2007 and that statistic alone will give an indication how popular the day excursions and overnight cruises are. Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site and includes 1,969 small limestone islands. (We were told the "1,969" number represents the year Ho Chi Minh died.) Each little islet or island...View image... is topped with thick vegetation and several are hollow with enormous caves. A few islands have floating fishing villages. ...View image...
The two main sights in Halong Bay included in both day tours and overnight cruises are: one big cave and a fishing village. All tours depart from Bay Chay (Halong City West)...View image..., about 170 kms/105 miles east of Hanoi. It's an easy 3-1/2 to 4- hour ride (if you want to call four hours to drive 105 miles "easy") on good roads by either car, taxi or public bus (around $5 U.S. round trip).
Continue reading "Tourist Information: A Halong (Ha Long) Bay, Vietnam Cruise" »
Vietnam is home to 54 ethnic minority groups and other than the Hmong and Tay (Thai), it is almost darn near impossible to accurately tell one minority from another. The women fashionably borrow bits and pieces of each other's outfits unlike the past when you could recognize the minorities by just looking at their outfit. There are the White Thai (Tay Khao), Black Thai (Thai, Thai Dam, Tai Tay), Yao, Nung Lu, Hmong, Lolo, Muong, Zai, Sedang, Giarai, Cham and Hoa, Dzao (Dao) just to name a few. The majority can be found in Hoa Binh, Lao Cai and Lai Chau Provinces in the Northwest.
The Day minority are the biggest majority with approximately 1.2 million people, followed by the Muong with 800,000, Hmong with 500,000 and Dzao with more than 400,000 inhabitants. These people are descendants of ancient migrants from southern China who spread out into Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar (Burma).
Continue reading "The Minority People of Northwest Vietnam" »
Off the train in the early morning and dropped our bags at the Sofitel Plaza Hanoi for one night since the Sofitel Metropole was completely booked. The Sofitel Plaza is a modern, 20-story hotel overlooking the West Lake in the Ba Dinh District. I wasn't thrilled about not being in my hotel of choice but rapidly changed my mind as we zoomed past an art exhibition in the lobby. And then, we walked by the beautiful Oriental "antique-curio" shop in the Sofitel's arcade, still closed at this early hour. The Sofitel Plaza definitely had possibilities.
Back in the car on the way to Bat Trang, on the itinerary for today. This was another stop that neither of us were enthused about but thought it was better than sitting around the Sofitel in the rain. The drive followed a road atop a dyke bordering the Red River, fairly uninteresting but surprisingly, we ended up having a great time in Bat Trang. The village is famous for its blue and white hand-painted ceramics, traditional designs, and there were some avant-garde designs. Bat Trang Ceramics even has an on-line website now. I almost had a nervous breakdown going in and out of a zillion ceramic shops but finally picked out some small paintings and little ceramic tea sets (doll-size) for young granddaughters ($1.00/set). Everything was so darn cheap and we really didn't expect looking at ceramics to be as engrossing as it was. It just goes to show .... you never know...
Hanoi map
Continue reading "Bat Trang Excursion and Back to Hanoi, Vietnam" »
Downtown Sapa...if you want to call it a downtown...was fascinating. Nasty, rainy, cold weather but still fascinating. Minorities everywhere dressed in distinct outfits, carrying those woven baskets on their backs. Narrow, muddy streets with people buying and selling, outside and indoors. The people were primarily Black Hmong wearing embroidered indigo-dyed clothing and wrap-on leggings. There are also Red Hmong, White Hmong, Flower Hmong and Green Hmong tribes. It all depends on the color of their costume The Red Dao (or Dazo) women we saw yesterday were taller and wore red cloth and turbans on their heads.
Walking around the market, I was struck by the difference in sizes when this tiny woman carrying a baby on her back, walked by ex-Marine. If you graphically want it driven home what hard work and malnutrition does to a person, this is it. ex-Marine is only 5'11" so imagine how little this fully-grown woman was!
Flower(?) Hmong woman and ex-Marine
Continue reading "More Sapa/Sa Pa Villages and Lao Cai, Vietnam" »
The Hanoi - Lao Cai train stops at Valley Lao Cai, just 40kms/24 miles from Sapa. Off the train with all the other Westerners, guides milling about holding up signs, and looking for their clients. Found our Guide and driver who were waiting with some bad news. It had been raining for days and was raining even as we spoke. This meant that the all important Bac Ha Market, held only on Sunday (today), was impossible to reach. Just too much mud and the roads were impassable even for our 4-WD vehicle. Very disappointing because the Bac Ha Market is "The Big Market" for the Flower Hmong to buy and sell their goods.
Not only was it currently drizzling, but cold and foggy - completely unexpected by us. Cool yes, cold no... With absolutely no choice in the matter, the guide suggested we eat a fast breakfast, head immediately to another small market before all the other tourists got the same good news as we and headed there also. Good plan and off we went.
Continue reading "Visiting Sapa/Sa Pa, In Vietnam's Hill Country" »
An early morning flight from Saigon to Hanoi, new guide and driver, and off to the Perfume Pagoda complex. Perhaps luck enters into it but ex-Marine and I have never not been met and greeted on every single independent tour ever taken. If you use reputable tour operators, this is a given. Guides and/or drivers have been late occasionally because of traffic but have eventually shown up. A very long day was planned culminating in an overnight train from Hanoi to Sapa (Sa Pa), almost on the China/Vietnam border, the main focus of this return to Vietnam.
The Perfume Pagoda, 50 miles south of Hanoi, is the bigest pagoda complex along with Buddhist shrines built into limestone cliffs, and took two hours by road through small Vietnamese villages. The wharf area was lined with row boats waiting to take us to Trinh Tru Temple/Pagoda along the Yen Stream (not a river). There were two kinds of boats - an iron boat that could hold 3-5 people and large wooden boats for up to 20 locals. The Yen Stream is edged by elaborate rice fields, grass, small paths, and temples. Almost all the row boats were rowed by women...strong people...and the row out was the most interesting part of the trip. Every now and then the women rowers would put on a spurt, racing their friends to break up the monotony. We passed shrimp fishermen with their nets, and other fish farms on the river.
women rowers
Continue reading "Perfume Pagoda (Huong Pagoda) and Victoria Express to Lao Cai, Vietnam" »
Mount Elephant was about nine miles south of Dalat, an eco-tourist site. ...View image... We reluctantly checked out of the Sofitel Palace (what is there not to like about staying in a palace) and headed for a one night stay in a house on stilts. But first, to Mount Elephant for some elephant riding.
The area was very forested, predominantly pine trees, and our elephant lumbered off on designated trails through the forest, and across streams with both of us holding on for dear life. As incredible as it sounds, we personally know someone who fell off an elephant in Thailand when the entire saddle loosened. It hadn't been tightened enough and, fortunately, he was unhurt. The falling off part didn't concern me as much as what could happen if I did fall off and the elephant either fell on top of me or tromped on body parts. That was not a pleasant thought.
Mount Elephant
Continue reading "Tuyen Lam Lake, Fairy Rock and Daroah Ethnic Village, Vietnam" »
Dalat is cool all year-round, set at 4,900 feet (1500m) and is a mixture of hills and European alpine resort. The town was established in 1897 as a resort for the French and there are still many colonial mansions around Dalat. There are a few ethnic minorities, Lat and Koho, living in the hills surrounding Dalat. It is also a top resort destination for Vietnamese couples to have their marriage ceremonies and honeymoon.
Dalat was a 200-mile ride from Saigon with a stop on the way to visit a tea factory and the community of "Chicken Village." Chicken Village is part of many all-day tours around Dalat because there is an enormous cement statue of a chicken at the town entrance - how very funny! It's impossible to know the true story about why there is a giant chicken there. Everyone has a different version but, supposedly, the giant chicken is supposed to scare predators away from the real chickens. I'd think that real predators would catch on after a while that this giant chicken never moves and lose their fear. Foreign tourists come here every day but we didn't spend much time. Stopped to photograph the chicken, a short walk and left.
giant chicken
Continue reading "On The Road to Dalat, Vietnam" »
A Thai Airways flight from Bangkok to Saigon (only 1-1/2 hour trip). Don't think I'm being insensitive but the majority of the Vietnamese people still refer to this city as Saigon, not Ho Chi Minh. Met at the airport and transfered to the Legend Hotel with free time over the next two days. The Legend was located facing the Saigon River within easy walking distance of Old Saigon, its restaurants and shops. Saigon has an estimated population of over eight million and it seemed that at least half of this population were riding smelly, noisy motorbikes. After 10 minutes on the streets, I had a sore throat and sinus infections are also very common. The motor bike pollution is so terrible that the people on the bikes wear face masks to keep from inhaling the fumes. A hectic and dirty, but exciting, city.
We stayed at the Sofitel Plaza Saigon the last time, just across from the former U.S. and French embassies. Who will ever forget scenes of the evacuation from the rooftop of the U.S. Embassy with the helicopter pilots trying to get just one more person out to the U.S. carriers. After stays in both hotels, I still like the Sofitel Plaza better. There is now a Park Hyatt Saigon, Sheraton Saigon, and Caravelle Hotel to choose from in the luxury range. FYI, luxury room prices are nothing like the prices in other countries...still quite reasonable.
Saigon map
Continue reading "A Return To Saigon (Ho Chi Minh), Vietnam" »
Air? We flew Chicago to Bangkok via Tokyo on United (our airline of choice). You have many, many airlines to pick from since almost every major airline flies to Bangkok. For example: Aeroflot-Russian International, Air France, Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Cathay, China Southern Airlines, Japan Airlines, Korean Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysian Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, United Airlines, VietNam Airlines just to name some.
Hotel? Flying via Bangkok meant misconnecting to Vietnam. Decided to spend two days in Bangkok and checked in to the The Peninsula Bangkok. On the opposite end, we flew back to Bangkok, stayed at the Amari Airport Hotel for one night - across the landbridge from Don Muang Airport - a flew home early the next morning. This information is no longer relevant with the opening of the new Suvarnabhumi Airport. and United now connects via Hong Kong directly to Saigon.
Continue reading "Planning A New Vietnam Trip" »
Our first trip to Vietnam was over the Millenium and included Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City - but it will always be Saigon to me), the Mekong Delta, Nha Trang, Danang, Hue, Hanoi and Vietnam's first capital, Hoa Lu. ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I couldn't get over the friendliness and lack of animosity towards Americans. Of course, America is not the only country responsible for dark periods in Vietnam. The Chinese conquered parts of the region in 111 BC and ruled for over 1,000 years. The French colonized the country in 1887 and controlled the emperors. And then came the Vietnam War from 1959 to 1975 with North fighting South over reunification. Over 1,400,000 Vietnamese died and close to 2,000,000 wounded which made this tolerance of Americans and Westerners even more amazing.
It took a trip to Vietnam to really personalize and make all those televisions images from the 1960's meaningful. We visited the "Hanoi Hilton" where Senator John McCain, spent five and a half years. Drove by Tan Son Nhut, and vividly remembered watching Bob Hope's annual Christmas show and hearing him say...welcome to Tan Son Nhut Air Force Base... We crawled down into the very narrow, claustrophobic Cu Chi tunnels that ran for over 120 miles underground at one time, watched a propaganda film and saw horrific booby traps. The tunnels were used by NLF guerrillas as hiding spots during combat, and served as communication and supply routes, and hospitals. The Cu Chi tunnels, more than anything else made us understand the futility of fighting the Vietnamese. And ex-Marine and I only went down into the foreigner tunnel, also known as the "fat person" tunnel, not the the deeper layers of tunnels. A very sad, enlightening experience.
Continue reading "A Return to Vietnam and Its Hill Country" »
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