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 19th 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
