Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City(HCMC) was more advanced than anywhere in Laos or Cambodia, with some very up market districts and a range of western eateries and chains not available in the former. We were located in the lively district 1, home to many guesthouses bars and eateries catering to the backpacker scene. Our first night there was Roberts birthday, which was celebrated having some proper western food at pizza hut. On our second day we walked down the wide red flag lined boulevards to the centre of the city with its western shopping centers and smart buildings. That evening Chris Sheldrick arrived in the city, joining the trip for two weeks up to Hanoi. During the next few days in the city we strolled round the war museum, a sobering experience of exhibitions dedicated to various aspects of the war (the worst of which was a section showing images of generations of severely deformed people affected by american defoliants). It was interesting to hear it from their point of view(having been taught it in school), with it presented as a war of liberation, the old south Vietnamese government were always referred to as puppets and the words ‘war crimes’ appeared synonymously with American(up until a few years ago it actually used to be called the museum of American war crimes). Whilst in Saigon, we also took a trip to the Chu Chi tunnels, an extensive network some 250km long used in the war by the guerillas of the Viet Cong. The Americans, despite of years of saturation bombing and four major campaigns, (methods included gassing, bulldozering, attempting explosions, mining and sending special tunnel rat troops) failed to even dent this network. Here we crawled through the tiny tunnels, (Even though they were widened for westerners), saw replicas of some of the horrific snares and traps used to injure the Americans in the jungle and then had a go at the firing range. Here Rob and I fired an AK47, M16, M30 machine gun and surprisingly, the mainstay of American infantry in WWII, the M1 Garand rifle. This was pricey at $1 per bullet, but great fun. We were shocked at just how loud guns are, ear muffs seemed a necessity to us at the time- how soldiers cope without them on a day to day basis I don’t know. Finally, we also went for our first massage in Asia, paying $6 for a whole hour and on the last night in the city went experimental on the menu at a restaurant, ordering frogs, goat with a coconut sauce and deep fried eel(the goat was excellent).

Next to a Huey Helicopter outside the War Museum

Firing an M16 Rifle

Typical concealed trap used by the VC against the Americans

 

A day time 12 hour bus journey took us to the laid back beachside town of Nha Trang, with restaurants, bars, roads and hostels as good as any in the west. Here we spent a day relaxing at the beach, and another on a boat trip snorkeling on the worst coral of the trip so far- it was colourless, cracked and crumpled. After lunch the boat did karaoke, with every nationality forced to sing a song- after the Koreans, Japanese and Chinese England was called out by the enthusiastic host. As the band could only play Hey Jude that was what Robert and I (Chris’s South Korean looks got him out of it!), ended up mumbling, humming and frankly making up the lyrics too (the Orientals would be unlikely to know the words anyway).It was painful. We had some great food here, the local seafood (snapper served with herbs and garlic went down a treat) was excellent. One night we went to a few of the lively, if not slightly empty bars. In one we were all caned at connect 4 by a local barwoman, costing me and rob a drink each(such a smart con!).

We took a nightbus up to Hoi An, the historic, UNESCO world heritage town, and former trading powerhouse of Indochina where we wandered across the Japanese bridge(built by a Japanese community of merchants which one settled there), saw the opulent Cantonese meeting house and some airy old houses designed in Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese styles. We also followed in the footsteps of Top Gear’s hosts, Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson by purchasing some excellent tailor made suits. I Spent $175 on one, made of wool and cashmere and $80 on another. The tailor, Yalas, was highly recommended, and were fantastic, our personal assistants asking us to come back many times (at least five) for refitting and adjusting of the suits till they were perfect. Some of the photos show the fuss the staff made over their customers, excellent. When there we ate at small restaurants by the river, devouring three course set meals(including the best spring rolls of the trip) at $5 a time and guzzling the light draught beer at just 4000dong a glass(15p!). 

Chris posing on the boat trip

Me at the Cantonese Meeting Place

Robert trying on his Tailor Made suit

Spring Rolls!

Chris enjoying a glass of 15p beer

Boats docked in Hoi An

Trying on one of my suits

Japanese Bridge

Candles Floating down the River at night

 

A three hour coach journey took us to Vietnam’s former capital, Hue, famous for its Citadel and ancient tombs. We walked through the grand gatehouse, which alongside a lily pad filled moat, guards the entrance to the magical imperial city, constructed in the 19^th Century. The airy palaces and splendid gardens, with their walkways over lily pad filled water features, temples and lakes, although all currently undergoing renovation, were really spectacular. One of the architectural gems of the trip. Just outside of the ruins, captured American M48 tanks were a reminder that this site was, just a generation ago, the site of one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War. 

American Tanks Captured in the Imperial City

One of the many spectacular entrances to the imperial city

Main Gatehouse

Chris in one of the walkways through the city

 

Our second day was spent on a tour of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). On the tour, we visited an old American airfield(which the locals robbed for scrap after the war) where there was now a museum(which was quite poor) and just a few old planes, saw a bridge which made up part of the Ho Chi Minh trail(the trail through the jungle used to supply the armies in the south with  equipment- it was mostly carried down by cattle or bicycle) and walked with heads ducked through the community tunnels of Vinh Moc. These were much taller and wider than Chu Chi and were used to house a whole village during the war.

Our final day in Hue was one of the best of the trip. For a dollar each we rented bicycles and cycled along the purple river to the symbol of the city, the Thien Mu Pagoda(a layered tower used to store relics). We then headed off in the dimming afternoon sun to one of the tombs of the ancient kings. 

Bridge over the Purple River- Hue

Me outside the Spectacular Pagoda

Tomb of one of the Kings

Rob Cycling in the late afternoon

 

That night we took a flight to Hanoi where we spent a day. The capital was surprisingly dull, with little that stood out, we ended up just walking round, eating and drinking in small cafes on the way. Our final trip in Vietnam was to be for me, the best part of visiting the country. Halong bay is a natural wonder containing  thousands of limestone rock outcrops. Legend has it that  when the Vietnamese were fighting the Chinese Invaders, the gods sent a dragons to help defend the land. The dragons spat out jewels which turned into islands, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders. After the war the dragons decided to live there, with Ha Long being the place in which the mother dragon settled. 

Our tour was spent on a tidy wooden boat, spread out over two days(the night between was on the boat in a well equipped, private ensuite cabin). We were taken to an island with natural cave formations, and swam in an inlet, accessible only by small boats(the entrance was tiny). In the evening we sat around and played cards, meeting two Danish guys(one of which had teretes) and an Israeli(who was actually pretty depressing harping on about Israel Palestine stuff). The majority were French and kept to themselves.

 

The next day we returned to Hanoi where after a last meal with Chris, Rob and I said our goodbyes and took a taxi over the river to Gia Lim station, making our sleeper train with only minutes to spare.

Now, after two sleeper trains and a regular train(Hanoi- Nanning, Nanning-Guangzhou, Guangzhou-Hong Kong) through the extremely crowded and baffling China,  Rob and I are currently resting up in Sherman’s(a good friend from home) apartment in his native Hong Kong.

1 in a billion- travelling in China

Sleeper Trains in China- they were surprisingly good

Holiday in Cambodia

Near the end of our very long 45hour coach journey from Vang Vieng, at one of the coach stops, we were approached by a bloke with a leaflet about a hostel in the city. This is quite usual, we have had it a good few times(and often just ended up staying there).We arrived in Siem Riep around 11pm where he took us to in his tuk tuk. It was strange as there were only a few tuk tuk drivers there, yet after a minute of the coach stopping (and once we were safely in the tuk tuk) the guards opened gates to the enclosed parking yard from which a flood of Cambodians came pouring in, scrambling to get to the tourists sorting themselves out (one driver even grabbing the bad of one and half dragging him to his tuk tuk).  Fortunately we escaped the chaos and were taken to the hostel. We naturally went there (the hostels are smart- they always let you see a room which requires you to drag your rucksack several stories up). The tuk tuk driver than said he could take us to Angkor Wat in the next days, and although disconcerted at being put on the spot, it was useful to get the major part of visiting the famous temples sorted. We were ten minutes, across the river from the city centre. During the day we just walked around the market and streets with their restaurants and cafes, heading to a shop to buy music and videos to pass the time on those long journeys ahead. Rob encountered some acquaintances from uni who he knew were in South East Asia and we agreed to meet up for the champions league the next night.

As is typical in Asia, the city came alive at night with a market and numerous food stalls which surrounded the main touristy streets with their well presented restaurants(the alley) and lively bars(located on the at night guarded from beggars and laymen, and very westernized, pub street). We grabbed some food along the alley, in a lonely planet recommended restaurant, The Khmer Kitchen(I had a coconut and pumpkin soup recommended by the book which was tasty but not the greatest dish in the world, Robert had a Khmer Curry which he held in equal esteem). Lonely planet is so influential on tourism here, it’s the recommendation every restaurant, bar and guesthouse wants as backpacker has one.

The next day we rose early just before 5am. We met our tuk tuk driver downstairs in the lobby. He drove us through the greyness of the pre dawn hours along the deserted side streets from where we joined the well lit main road. Here, we merged with a column of tuk tuks taking tourists towards Angkor Wat for sunrise. Angkor Wat was originally built for Hindus, but later converted to a Buddhist temple. It was constructed by 100000 people in just 35 years, at some point between the 11^th and 13th centuries (a modern engineer said it would take 300 years if it was to be built today).It is the worlds largest religious building and the pride of the nation, with it adorning the flag and having a beer named after it alongside countless other connections. The sunrise over the towers was spectacular, one of the best sights i have seen in Asia. We then proceeded to spend a good 45minutes walking around it, looking at its walls adorned with detailed carvings of battles gone by,  its grand courtyard and bathhouses. In a moment of weakness some blokes pushed an incense stick into each of our hands and told us to bow to Buddha then naturally demanded money for the monks(of course it had to be $5 but fortunately I only gave them 2.5cents although its irritating to have given anything).  After this we took some breakfast at one of the many restaurants next to the temple(fortunately there was loo roll as Robert had the runs) before our driver took us to the next temple.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

We stopped at the gates to the old city before visiting the stone faces of Bayon, climbed the Baphuon and saw the crumbling terrace of elephants.. We then moved out of the walled city and onto at least four other temples the most interesting of which was Ta phrom. Here, in the forest, the trees grow over on and around the crumbling ruins, a unique environment which appears untouched and undiscovered, letting one fulfill any childhood dreams of being an explorer or an adventurer!

 

 

We got back to our hostel, knackered at around two o’clock and slept the afternoon away, in preparation for the champions league final which kicked off 12 hours later. That evening we met up for a few drinks with one of robs aquaintances, Alex then watched the game.

After another day relaxing out we left Siem Riep taking a coach to Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh (pronounced fenom pen). With no major backpacker hub in this quiet city, we found a very nice hotel for $12 a night, near the palace in the city centre. We visited the museum which was full of statues of Buddha and Hindu gods but with little information on the history of the nation. We also visited the palace which was impressive, the highlights being the silver floor in the main building and a scale model of Angkor Wat.

The Palace in Phnom Penh

By the River Phnom Penh

Students relaxing at the centre of one of Phonm Penh's wide Boulevards

 

On our second day there we took a tuk tuk along the wide leafy  colonial era grass verged boulevards of the centre and out through the dirty smoggy streets of the suburbs(the centre with its small streets next to the river has much better air), 15km to one of the killing fields, Choeng Ek. Having read the book ‘The Killing Fields, it was insightful and sad to see such a place. Seventeen thousand people were killed in this former Chinese cemetery, just a drop compared to the estimated total of three million people killed by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979. Many of these three million died from starvation, the Khmer rouge emptying the cities and forcing the populace to work on the land for the collective, though many others died from execution and mistreatment. Anybody with ‘individualistic tendencies’ or intellect was murdered on the grounds of being a threat to the revolution, including politicians, teachers and monks. 

Some of the mass graves now excavated at Choeng Ek

Many were told to confess their crimes and Angkar(the KR government) would forgive them(instead sending them off to places such as Choeng Ek).  People were killed for as little as wearing glasses. Choeng Ek was one of many sites of such executions; the KR wanting to save ammunition killed most using tools such as bamboo sticks and palm knives. It also killed all the children, so as to avoid them avenging their parent’s deaths, brutally murdering the infants by simply bashing their heads against a tree.

It was a somber experience, especially as, there is still tangible evidence, on the ground there were tooth fragments and bits of bone (more surface when it rains) as well as clothing left over from the time. A commemorative stupa was built in the 1990s and contains 5000 human skulls (after the initial excavation the site is now left undisturbed). The sad thing about this is how little (compared to say the holocaust) people know about this tragedy in the west. 

The Commemerative Stupa

Bone Fragments are still visible at the site- when it rains heavily more appear at the surface

Some of the 5000 skulls- many have gashes in suggesting killing using a blunt instrument

 

After visiting the fields, we were then taken to S-21, a former school which the regime turned into a prison for torturing ‘enemies of the state’ (after which they were often shipped out to Cheoung Ek for execution) which was equally grim.

Cells at S-21

The uniforms of the Khmer Rouge

Behind the wire in one of the blocks at S-21

 

Our final days in Phnom Penh were spent chilling out, we met up with Owen and Nick who we knew from the Kiwi Bus in New Zealand, going for drinks at the bars by the river in this quiet city. The Cambodians have been really friendly, many saying hello or waving at us as we walked and were drove about, sometimes chatting, asking you where your from and wanting to chat about football or England.

After a visit to the central market on our last day(which was unfortunately closing as we arrived) we booked a two day boat tour of the Mekong delta on route to Ho Chi Minh City, which enabled us to kill the days we had before we met Chris Sheldrick in HCMC on the 5^th June.

The tour was relaxing, taking the boat from Cambodia two hours downthe Mekong River to Chou Doc, a small town just over the Vietnames border. We spent the evening visiting a local hill which looks over the surrounds and the next day visited a local village built on stilts by the river bank, and a fish farm before taking the coach to HCMC.

Life on the Mekong

Looking out over the paddy fields near Chou Doc

 

Robert with one of the temples we were taken to on our evening tour