It has taken me half the year to get this post up! I guess life just got busy when I moved to Melbourne and took on a new job. However I decided that I better get this post up before my next trip! So I am 8 months late but let me tell you all about our trip to incredible Vietnam!
This trip came together because my mum turned 60 this year and wanted to take an overseas trip with her two wonderful daughters. As we have always wanted to do a family trip to Vietnam we thought it would be a good place to start. My Aunt Jill also celebrated her 60th this year so we invited her along as well.
Our trip started in Saigon or now known as Ho Chi Min City (HCMC). This place is crazy, amazing and truly one of the most vibrant cities on the planet. We arrived late in the afternoon and were taken into the motor bike buzz of Ho Chi Min. The streets were so busy with what seemed like a plaque of locusts swarming the city. Although there seems to be very few road rules and everyone goes wherever they like there is no road rage and seems like there is some sort of order in the chaos. We left the hustle and bustle and then made our way on foot through a maze of alley ways to the Cat Huy Hotel, which turned out to be the perfect little boutique hotel where the alley out the front would become incredible local market each morning!
The alley outside The Cat Huy Hotel beginning to transform to a bustling market place.
Rather than go to the supermarket the locals get all their meat, fish and vegies from the alley market!
The butcher shop
Me and my Pho - yum!
Tanks of information at the War Remnants Museum
After experiencing the "heaviness" of the war museum we took in the streets and browsed through shops before stopping for a delicious lunch at a popular restaurant Aha Hang Ngon .
YUM!
Fountain in the restaurant
Buzz Buzz of Scooter-Ville
After lunch we took a walk through the hardware district to the Fine Arts Museum.
The ideal plumbers van.
The fine arts museum is in a fantastic French colonial mansion. For those of you who have seen the film the Sapphires you will notice this building as the hotel the girls stayed at for their first night in Saigon!
Every fine arts museum needs a tennis court!
Books of Art
The ladies taking in Construction Art.
Cultural Chickens
After a full day in Saigon we enjoyed a Sundowner at the famous Hotel Majestic before another delicious meal at another beautiful restaurant. The day was full on and was weaved with characters and amazing friendly people.
The view of the river from the Majestic
Up on the roof of the Majestic I came across this interesting spit roast........
.....come sandwich press!
The next part of the trip was to head south via a ferry to Vung Tau. This was a particularly personal part of the trip as my dad was a Lance-Bombardier with the Royal Australian Artillery Corps and was in Vietnam during the war in 1971. He was stationed at the Australian base Nui Dat which is just north of Vung Tau. When we got to Vung Tau we met with Australian ex-pat Glenn Nolan who not only has a bar in town but also arranges personal tours of the areas where the Australian and New Zealanders fought during the Vietnam war. Dad would tell us stories of his experience in Vietnam and it was incredible to be back in the country and areas of the tales he told.
What was once known as Nui Dat the ANZAC's base now a rubber plantation.
Where the Artillery section of the base would have been.
What's left of the communications bunker
The entrance to one of the tunnels the Viet Con used during the war.
A local farmer we passed on our way to one of the most famous Australian battles Long Tan
The Long Tan memorial
Hard to believe such an intense battle went on right here in the between the rubber trees!
The next part of the tour was a hike up to the caves which were where the Viet Con were camped and based. This was only a short drive from Nui Dat!
Evidence of the shelling the Aussies did to the side of the hill.
This sign acknowledges the Viet Con were camped here between '66 and '72
Hideout.
The Viet Con Kitchen
Hiking up to the caves.
Monkeys!
There is now a Buddhist temple up the top of the hill.
We were recommend to do one of Glenn's tours from a family friend who also fought in Vietnam. We found the banner of his field squadron hanging in Glenn's bar :)
After a fairly full on day it was time to chill out and enjoy the town that is the vacation spot for Vietnamese families!
The esplanade of Vung Tau
Moon rise over the water
Vietnamese families enjoy barbecues on the beach.
The old bags deciding on what's for dinner
The Lobby at Ma Maison
The cake the hotel staff arranged for Mum!
Jill and I enjoying a Champagne at The Deck
The most amazing food at Trois Gourmands
Dessert!
Even though we had eaten and drunk our fair share and could not fit another bite in the chef organised a special birthday treat for mum!
Mum and chef /owner Gil and the lovely wait staff
After a very fun night of celebrations we had one more day to explore HCMC before making our way north.
The most amazing post office I have ever seen!
Inside the post office!
Kerrie in the garden!
On our way back to Ma Maison we walked through an alley were the seamstresses were hard at work, the kids were playing and everyone had a smile and were happy to pose for photos for nosy tourists like us!
Ma Maison from the outside.
From the inside!
The next day we flew from HCMC to Da Nang where we then caught a local bus to the beautiful old french colonial town of Hoi An. The bus ride was something to remember. The trip was not with out drama with the conductor throwing backpackers from the bus because they wouldn't pay the tourist price of $2 rather than the local price of .50c. Then watching a lady count the money from what she made at the market in the bus isle to enjoying passing through the local villages. However I was glad to finally reach Hoi An and our beach side villa.
Lunch by the pool.
I am not sure I could count on the life guard to get me in time in this surf boat!
Our beautiful villa.
Hoi An is well known for it's lantans and lights but also for it's tailors, which we made good use of. After we left Hoi An our bags were crammed with made to fit skirts, dresses, jackets, and shoes!!
My favourite local brew
The madness in Blue Eye. Measuring, choosing fabrics, deciding on designs and laughing with the incredible ladies in the shop.
wandering the streets and market places while we wait for our outfits to be made!
The sexy pair of green sandals the shoe maker gave Kerrie while she had her's fixed!
The Red Bridge. Constructed sometime in the 1600's!
There is a statue of a dog at one end and a monkey at the other. Some local guides claim that construction of the Japanese bridge began in the year of the dog and was completed in the year of the monkey. Others say the two animals were chosen to guard the bridge because many Japanese emperors were born either in the year of the dog or monkey - lending them sacred significance.
After a relaxing time of shopping and lounging at the beach we headed back to Da Nang and to the train station where we took the train to Hue. Wow what a train ride! The train followed the coastline of magnificent mountains plunging into the ocean.
Once we got to Hue we booked a car and quickly zoomed around the sights as we only had a limited time here. We visited two tombs one which was a shrine to the emperors and another that was once a palace.
The shrine dedicated to the past emperors of Vietnam includes lots of statues, gardens and temples!
Took this shot for my uncle who is a roof tiler :)
Same Same ??
One way to collect fire wood!
This tomb was on a massive park area that was once a palace!
Between tombs and temples we passed through little villages where we would find people doing just the normal day to day things like making incense sticks!
After our mad dash around the outskirts of Hue we made our way back to the city and entered the city walls at dusk.
Inside the Citadel
Hue was such an ancient and wonderful place and there was so much more to see but we couldn't stick around as the next day we needed to catch a plan to Hanoi. Vietnam's Capitol and the once capitol of French Indochina.
Hanoi
Just like Ho Chi Min Hanoi was a buzz with scooters and crossing the street was an experience like no other!
The first day in Hanoi was a mix of exploration and planning. We had planned our first week of the trip and decided to make the second week up when we got there. As Ha Long Bay was so popularly recommended we decided to book a night on a boat amongst the famous limestone formations. Unfortunately it was not the highlight of the trip. It was very touristy and over crowded, great to see but for me I wouldn't recommend it as a must do.
Our home for the night on Ha Long Bay.
The first day the bay was shrouded in fog and with so many boats on the bay it was surprise we didn't run in to any....
First stop was tour through a cave with about a million other tourists. It was ok but I am not a geologist and to me just seemed like another cave. Jill and I outside the caves.
The long boat we had taken to the cave was conveniently squished between two big boats....
......but not to worry our driver banged his way out...
.....taking out a window or two of the bigger boats didn't seem to be a concern.
Ha Long Bay or Descending Dragon
A fisherman just cruising by
The floating village!
The local shop
The Village
The two rocks known as "Kissing Chickens"
After Ha Long we headed back to Hanoi for a bit of shopping before taking off on our next adventure to Mai Chau.
Creative store name!
Scooting around Hanoi
We decided to take a guided trip to a remote village in the mountains called Mai Chau. We started the trip with a French lady and her parents and our guide, a young lady from the village of Sapa called Chai. After winding our way through the mountains to a little village we got out of the mini bus and took a short walk around the "neighbourhood"
Local Oinks
One way to transport your gas bottle!
The town hall.
Buffalo the most valued member of the family
The ladies walking the streets
Pigs in the truck
And ducks in the basket!
Traffic hazards
After our walk we took another drive further into the mountains to Mai Chau where we met up with another group and visited a local family for lunch before trekking through the mountains to the small village called Te Village where we would stay for the night.
Lunch!
Beginning the walk through the local road works!
And the Kindergarten...
Grandma hard at work while....
....Grandpa reads the paper!
Up we go!
The group admiring the irrigation of the local farmers
Pa Pa with Jill and Mum
Enough rice to feed a village?
A friend I met along the trek
That night we stayed with a local White Thai family in a traditional stilt-house. The Thai people are an ethnic minority group originally from southern China and ethnically linked to the Thai in Thailand. They were incredibly welcoming and friendly and provided us with a delicious home cooked meal.
The group enjoying a beer or two after the long walk.
My bed for the night!
The dinning room.
Dinner.
After dinner mum chipped in and helped with the washing up!
The stove top
The rice paddies of Te Village
After our farewells to the wonderful family that put us up for the night we began our hike through the rice terraces back to Mai Chau.
Coming out of the jungle and being welcomed by the local kids!
When we got back to Mai Chau we traded the hike for a bike and checked out the village.
Mai Chau was amazing and a far more rewarding experience than following the tourist herds to Ha Long. I think it was by far one of the highlights of the trip. We headed back to Hanoi once again for a night before we flew to our final destination Da Lat.
Da Lat was another surprise altogether. The rice paddies and humidity was swapped for pine trees and cooler temperatures. Da Lat is a popular honey moon destination for the Vietnamese and we found it a nice place to wind down after an incredible adventure.
Strawberries for sale.
Flower Market
From Da Lat we flew back to HCMC and then back to Melbourne we I started my job with Gymnastics Victoria and then got incredibly busy and our amazing Vietnam adventure became a distant memory. Now when I look back at the photos and the adventures we had I can't believe we did so much in two weeks. Vietnam exceed my expectations it was a gem! The people were lovely and friendly and food AMAZING. What a trip and what a way to celebrate my wonderful mum's 60th birthday!
