Day 105 - 119, Vietnam.
- cameronwllloyd
- Jul 5
- 16 min read
Hanoi
Day 1
After an early start to leave Fukuoka we arrived in Hanoi just after 1 and grabbed a taxi into town. We were both knackered but had one thing on our mind… Banh Mi! We both love a banh mi back home so we were really excited to see how the ones in vietnam compared. So we checked into our hotel and ventured out into the city. It was quite jarring having been in Japan, a super clean, quiet and orderly country and arriving in one that is very loud and chaotic. The old town was really pretty, especially at night as its a mix of french architecture with an asian influence. There is a hustle and bustle going on and the roads are manic with scooters zooming about the place.
We walked for a wee bit and found a banh mi spot. We joined the queue and immediately tucked in, the banh mi’s were really tasty but a little low on pate. Other than that they got a thumbs up from both of us! We were absolutely gubbed at this point so we called it a night and ordered a Mexican takeaway for dinner and then wandered briefly to a night market but were not tempted by any of the wares. Then it was off to bed.
Day 2
Up early we jumped in a taxi for a coffee and bahn mi making class. We had no idea what to expect. We arrived (a bit late, shocker) and we were given the option of making a coconut coffee or egg coffee, we chose one of each. We were warned however, that Vietnamese coffee is very strong… Given we don't usually drink coffee we were a little worried that we would be absolutely wired. The egg coffee is made from whisked egg with condensed milk for a super sweet and silky drink. The coconut coffee was made effectively with coconut ice cream which we made. They were both delicious but very very strong… Just as the anxiety levels started to rise the hosts plonked a couple bottles of local spirit on the table, there were a variety of flavours… The spirits did a great job of leveling us off and getting us a little tipsy which made the banh mi even more fun. We made everything apart from the pate from scratch and it was delicious (if we do say so ourselves!).
Hearts and bellies full with a little buzz going on we decided to explore. The first stop was B52 lake which is where a downed American bomber crashed into a small lake where parts of its fuselage still remain. The streets were really interesting and it was strange seeing all of the communist flags lining the streets.
Next stop was train street which is a collection of bars and cafes surrounding an active trainline. It was similar to one that we visited in Thailand all those months ago, but this one is much nicer. We found a nice bar and enjoyed a couple of local beers whilst we waited for the train to come by. The staff were really friendly and the beer was exactly what we were after. The train going by was really cool and we picked up a few flattened bottle caps for souvenirs.
We then raced home for a massage in the hotel. It was really good although at one point Kirstin had her neck cracked which she wasn't expecting… When she yelped in surprise the masseuses in the room just giggled whilst Kirstin lay there making sure she could still move her fingers and toes! We nipped out to explore the local night market, but after the super high quality of things in Japan, nothing really grabbed our attention. We then went back to the room and ordered in.
Day 3
First appointment today was to get our medical for our Australian Visa which was needed due to the high risk of meningitis in some of the countries that we visited. It was fairly painless and we had a clean bill of health despite spending the last 5 months doing nothing but eating and drinking… It did however build up an appetite, Cam had found a Banh Mi place which looked really good so we headed there. It had crispy pork belly instead of slices of pork and it was amazing!!
We headed back to the old town and had a wee wander visiting Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and coming across the water puppet show, which is highly regarded. It stems from shows that farmers used to do in the rice paddies. It was all in Vietnamese so we didn't really know what was going on, but it was still pretty impressive and interesting!
After the fun of the show, we were hungry so defaulted to our usual option… Pizza! We found a really nice pizza spot that we had tried to get into the previous night but had no luck. We shared a pizza and had a couple of sides including a burrata and truffle pie thing. It was all delicious! We finished off with some ice cream and a wander round the lake. We went back to the hotel to chill for a bit before getting peckish so we ventured back out for some Bun Cha, a sweet and savoury broth served with aromatic herbs and slices of pork. It was really tasty! Then it was bed time!
Day 4
We were up at the crack of dawn for what seems like the 100th time of this trip (Kirstin's worst nightmare, but she soldiered on). This time it was to see Ninh Binh, also known as Ha-Long bay but in land. We jumped on the bus for a long day of riding. Whilst we were on the bus we had a funny moment where the couple behind us made comments about how Scottish people were weird for not supporting England during the rugby and a few other comments at Scotland's expense that are not befitting the author… They clearly hadn't realised we were Scottish, so as we disembarked from the bus at our first stop we made sure to emphasise the Scottish in our accents… Never has a woman looked so meek. Needless to say, she didn't speak so loudly after that and we had a good giggle at her expense.
Our first stop was to the lying dragon mountain, which has over 500 steps carved into the stone which you can look down into the iconic ninh binh valley from. The climb was fairly tough, although Cam shot up and would wait at checkpoints on the way up which probably meant that kirstin actually had less rest climbing up… The views from the top were absolutely stunning so we stayed up there for a wee bit and took it all in.
The climb down was just as tricky as climbing up as you didn't want to stack it on the way down. It was really beautiful however. At the base there was a cave and a rice paddy which was super picturesque. We mucked around together and had a giggle whilst taking some nice photos, it was very relaxing.
On the next stop we visited the ancient capital of Vietnam: Hoa Lư. In all honesty it didn't have an awful lot going on so there wasn't much to report back on… took some nice photos though and our guide gave us a brief history.
The final stop of the day was to take a boat through the valleys that made up Ninh Binh and we were given oars to help, although we are not sure how much help we actually were. What the ancient capital lacked in wow-factor, the valleys we navigated through more than made up for. It was absolutely stunning. We also shared our boat with a lovely Australian couple who live in Sydney when they aren't traveling. So we had a lovely meander across the waterways and took in the stunning views. We even managed to get some recommendations of places to go on our next stop in Cambodia!
We landed back on the shore which we took off from (not entirely sure how) and jumped on the bus for the long trek home. When we arrived we jumped out and found some food in the form of Chả Cá (Vietnamese turmeric and dill fish), which was served to us raw on top of a large wok, so we had to cook it ourselves… It wasn't wholly comforting when the woman looked at our confusion and told us to eat, only for cam to break open the fish revealing the raw insides and asking “you sure?”. To which the woman responded by laughing and putting the fish back into the wok… She was not in fact sure and it's a miracle we didn't get food poisoning. But in fairness, the fish was delicious so fair play to them!
Day 5 &6
Up we shot once again for another stupidly long bus journey, this time it was 4 hours long, but it promised to be a worthwhile journey as we were heading to Ha Long Bay, a place we have wanted to go for ages!
We finally arrived at the port and we were told that we had been upgraded to the “honeymoon suite”, a fact that would come round to haunt us later… Some not so subtle foreshadowing here. We jumped on a smaller passenger transfer which would take us to the ship that would be our home for the night and grabbed some food before going to the “suite” which was just the normal room with rose petals on. It was lovely in fairness and we had a lovely balcony and bath that looked out into the bay.
We hung out on the balcony for a while, taking in the sights as we slowly drifted through the stunning natural formations. The sun was beaming and it was just bliss. We then summoned the energy to go on the excursion deeper into the bay on a smaller boat. We met a lovely English couple who we chatted to through the trip. We arrived at a small jetty and disembarked onto a row boat which took us through a small cave and into a hidden lagoon which was breathtaking.
We headed back to the main ship and had a few drinks with our new pals before getting ready for dinner. The dinner was lovely but we were knackered so aimed to slink off. However, as we went to leave the lead waiter asked us to sit down and wait for the announcements, typically British, we were too polite to refuse so meekly went back to our seats amongst the other couples. It was then that we noticed that all of the other couples had similar milestone celebrations as indicated by the small notice boards on their tables… We realised too late that this could be a trap as the lights dimmed and an Ed Sheeran love song starts being piped through the speaker. Out come the well meaning assassins dressed as waiters armed with big grins, sparklers and a celebratory cake for us to share. But this would not be your standard embarrassing announcement celebrating the loving couples, no. “please can the lovely couples stand” goaded the ringmaster of this particular circus. He continued, smiling with a cheeky and slightly evil grin. “Look each other in the eyes and hold hands, remembering the love that brought you together”. His taunting monologue continued and like a true Bond villain he laid out his dastardly plans to make sure that nobody else would have the idea to use the excuse of a honeymoon to try and land a free upgrade. All the while his henchmen waved their phone flashlights in our face and videoed our humiliation. The crescendo of this being to get close and kiss in front of the 100 or so other people on the ship for a minimum of 10 seconds. Whilst far more traumatic than your usual happy birthday song being sung by waiters, it was actually hilarious and quite sweet so we laughed about it immediately. However, we will be more cautious when trying to wangle free stuff in the future!
Red faced and full of cake, it was off to bed so that we could get up early and enjoy the views. Once we woke up we went straight to the top deck and pretty much had it to ourselves. We sat up there for a few hours and just took it all in. We then grabbed some breakfast before getting back to shore and taking the long trip back home to rest before a big day of travelling to the next stop.
Day 7
Today we really only travelled to Hue, we started at midday and arrived fairly late at night so just had a few phone calls home and then went to bed… sometimes traveling just be like that.
Day 8
We had a full day tour planned in Hue which was the previous imperial capital of Vietnam and is currently considered the historical and cultural hub. The first stop was to see the imperial city which was massive and full of amazing palace structures. We wandered around the complex and were even treated to some traditional music, it was lovely although it was absolutely roasting!
The next stop was to Thien Mu Pagoda, which is at the front of a Buddhist shrine. It was super peaceful and we even saw a praying mantis. Also held here is the car which a buddhist monk used to travel to the south of the country to perform and self immolation to protest the war, an event which is tragically infamous now.
We then took a lovely boat ride down the perfume river, so named because during the rainy season it picks up all of the scents from the nearby greenery and smells perfumed. On the boat we had a lovely meal and chatted away with the other tourists, coming across a rare site that was fellow scottish travellers!
Following this, we went to a small village where a large portion of the country's incense is made. The colours and the smells that came from the small shops were super intense and it was a really cool experience!
Our final stop was to a variety of royal mausoleums which were all very impressive although spoke to the corruption of the country towards the tail end of the dynasty, particularly those which were heavily inspired by french design. Our tour guide was not their biggest fan, but at least acknowledged their value to bringing tourists into the country these days!
Then it was back to the hotel for some food and a sleep. We toyed with the idea of venturing out but we were knackered!
Day 9
The morning of day 9 was largely spent travelling down to Hoi An on a bus which was very comfy. It had heated and ventilated seats as well as being able to recline fully… Megabus could never!
Upon arrival we checked into the hotel and went straight to a tailor which Kirstin had spotted on instagram. Where the tailor in Hanoi was rude and impatient, this tailor was the polar opposite. They made Kirstin feel so at ease, were funny and so welcoming. It was a lovely experience and Kirstin had a great time picking out her suit stuff. We left in a proper good mood after and ventured to get some lunch, which was yet another banh mi! This one was really tasty, so it was worth the trip.
We wandered back to the hotel and chilled out before dinner. It was at dinner that we realised that Kirstin had booked an early morning flight…. From an airport 8 hours drive away!! A quick rectification and we were able to enjoy our dinner without worrying about it too much!
The evening entertainment was recommended by the hotel and it was a light show. We were initially sceptical, particularly after team labs in Tokyo had disappointed. We are delighted to report however, that the show was actually really incredible. It told the history of Hoi An and was genuinely really stunning. There were hundreds of dancers and the use of light and fire was really impressive!
After the show we had a slow wander back to the hotel chatting nonsense all the way… So a pretty perfect end to a great night.
Day 10
After seeing the impressive light show the night prior, we were keen to get involved and went to make some traditional Vietnamese lanterns. It was so much fun and the wee guy was so patient with us as we fumbled our way through. It was a really hand on experience and the tunes were bouncing (talking early 2010’s) so we were having a great time. The lanterns all turned out pretty nice as well!
We walked around the old town killing time before going to pick up kirstin's suits and stopped for a couple beers and had a blether. The sun was shining and spirits were high. Then we walked to pick up Kirstin's suits. She looked absolutely incredible in them both beautiful and powerful (guess who is writing this part…). She was absolutely delighted with them, they are perfect for her starting work when we get to Aus!
We went back to the hotel to drop off the suits and have a couple of cocktails before heading back into the old town to have a boat trip. The purpose was to light a candle and let it go in the river for a wish, but all of the lights, lanterns and old bars were definitely the highlight as it was beautiful. We walked around taking it all in, stopping at an old building that used to be a hospital amongst other things but was now a cute bar that overlooked the river. We had some snacks and a cocktail before calling it a night.
Ho Chi Minh
Day 1
HCMC had been a place the pair of us were really excited for, so we shot up this morning and headed to the airport. We had actually both planned days in the city as a gift to each other for Christmas, so we had a fairly packed itinerary scheduled. We arrived in the late afternoon and had our first appointment which was of course, to get a Saigon style Banh Mi. It was massive and had the exact right amount of pate and butter. We weren't however as much a fan of the fillings which are effectively a medley of cold cuts. We think the northern sandwiches won the title of best Banh Mi.
We then sat up in the rooftop bar of the hotel and took in the stunning skyline with cocktails and bar snacks. It was delightful!
Day 2
We had a pretty mega tour today that would take about 14 hours or so. We were first to be picked up so we drove around picking up the other tourists, two of which were a pair of eccentric elderly American men. We knew they were going to have a good laugh. The guide did a great job of getting us all comfortable and talking and we ended up making pals with a Scottish couple who lived in northern Australia.
Our first stop was the Cu Chi tunnels complex , which is where they have preserved the tunnels that the Northern Vietnamese used to engage in guerilla warfare. We were initially greeted by a poor woman who had found herself stuck in one of the spider holes. It was really a shame, but our tour guide didn't miss a beat and continued with his explanations of the site whilst she was sat on the edge of a panic attack at his feet. It was hard not to feel sorry for the poor woman.
Cam then had a chance to go into the tunnel and almost got stuck himself at the chest, luckily he was able to squeeze out. It was at this point we realised that one of the American tourists had actually served in the Vietnam war… We spent the next little while worrying he was going to have some sort of flashback, a fear which was exacerbated by the gun fire constantly going off from the nearby firing range. Our anxieties were quickly dispelled when this guy, affectionately called GI Jack, began throwing up victory signs beside the animatronic viet cong and telling his camera how it was a good fight but the USA is still number 1!! You couldn't make it up, and our Vietnamese tour guide was loving it!
We then reached a point where we could go into the tunnels themselves. The entire length was about 100m and you could exit every 20m or so with the tunnel getting progressively tighter. We entered and almost immediately got stuck behind a woman that was having a bit of a panic so decided to exit at the first 20m. The Scottish couple we were with however, Jack and Ellie, went the entire distance, so completely put us to shame.
After a lovely lunch and a couple of beers (which were very much needed after the heat of the tunnels) we set off for a 3 hour drive to the Mekong delta. We arrived and jumped on a boat to one of the delta islands. We were introduced to some freshly made honey produce, which GI Jack bought about £200’s worth and then were taken round the back to see some snakes. Again, Jack and Ellie put us to shame when they had the snake draped round their neck and we chickened out. Even GI Jack got involved and had his pal take a video of him where he dedicated the video to his niece “the nutritionist who loves snakes”...
We then did a small boat tour through a small river surrounded by bamboo which was really beautiful and tried a whole variety of fruit. The real surprise was just how tasty fresh jack fruit is. We were loaded into some golf buggies and taken around the island to visit some more vendors which ended in a coconut sweet shop where we picked up some sweets.
We jumped back on the boat where our guide put on some tunes and had GI Jack get up and dance with him. It was genuinely hilarious! We went back and got changed ready for a night on the town. We had been told that the Bui Vien Walking Street was the place to go. When we arrived we were immediately over-stimulated with lasers and flashing lights that dazzled you, not to mention the loud music, strippers on the street and the aggressive promoters… We did not like it! We found a quiet rooftop bar and met up with Jack and Ellie from earlier. We spent the night with them, only going to one other bar and ended up getting pretty jolly. It was a great night.
Day 3
We woke up feeling pretty sorry for ourselves so after a quick bite we did the only thing we could think of to cure the hangover… we went to the War Remnants Museum. It was very interesting and it was good to get the Vietnamese perspective. We actually ended up spending quite a lot of time there. We then wandered a little more before getting ready for our evening food tour.
The food tour took us all around the city on the back of scooters which was super fun. We were also joined by Jack and Ellie again so we could all share in how rough we were from the night before. All the food was great… but as has become common at this stage of the trip, we were too excited to eat the food that we can't remember what anything was! We said goodbye to Jack and Ellie and called it a night.
Day 4
We awoke on our final day in Vietnam and grabbed our first and only breakfast in the hotel as we had been out too early or hungover so never bothered before. It was pretty good, but I am glad we prioritised other things like sleep!
We walked over to the central post office which was a beautiful old building. We bought some really cool old stamps and then strolled to book street. It was cool to see but a bit touristy if we are honest!
Our final stop was to the freedom palace, which is famous for having a tank ram down the front gates when North Vietnam took over the city. It was pretty cool seeing everything and we even ran into GI Jack and his pal Merv one final time. Then it was time to call curtains on our time in vietnam.
We had a great time in the country and it was super interesting spending time in a communist country. All of the cities were drastically different and offered something unique. Our fav was definitely Hoi An as it was simply beautiful and had a lovely vibe. As our second to last stop we are definitely beginning to get a bit tired but we are still having a great time and very excited for the next stop.
Comments