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VIETNAM
Hanoi :: SOUTH TO NORTH
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Vietnam Page 2: South to North
The following is based on Deb's month-long trip to Vietnam in the summer of 1995.
Vietnam is one of those places that I would encourage any American with the means to visit to do so. I wasn’t born until 1969, and my family really did not know anyone who was touched by the Vietnam War. Nevertheless, the war has played such an important part in so much of what the United States government has done since 1975 that it is impossible to be an American and not have some feelings, good or bad, about Vietnam and the role the U.S. has played there.
I arrived in Vietnam in August of 1995, with no idea what to expect but assuming that people would be somewhat hostile to an American. The truth began to come out when I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City without a crucial piece of paper that the tourist agency in Bangkok that had handled my visa had neglected to provide. Rather than being turned away or, as I expected, fined heavily, I was merely handed the form, directed to a table where my photo was taken free of charge, and then shooed through immigration with no further hassles.
The truth, however, is probably best summed up by the guy I met in Danang, where I was wandering around with two women from Spain. He was helping us to find a taxi back to the village where we were staying and asked where we were from. He was marginally interested in the reply from the two women that they were from "Espana", but when I tentatively said I was from America, his eyes got wide, he shook my hand vigorously and proclaimed excitedly "America is number one!" Scenes like this happened over and over and over again, from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. Not once during my stay did I encounter any animosity directed at me because of my national origin. I was offered lots of explanations for this seemingly curious behavior by the locals. First, the U.S. re-established diplomatic ties to Vietnam while I was there, and there was general euphoria over the notion that with diplomatic ties might come much needed aid. Second, said a guy whose legs had been shot off by Americans, Vietnam had fought several wars since fighting the U.S. Although none of these wreaked quite as much destruction as had the war with the U.S., bitterness towards Americans was old news. Finally, there was no doubt that it paid to be polite to me. I was a tourist with American dollars – ironically, the currency of choice in Vietnam.
In General
This page has one giant caveat – I traveled around Vietnam armed with information from a friend who had been there a mere two years before and a Lonely Planet travel guide that had been published shortly before my departure. It was all entirely out of date. I’m sure the pace of change has not slowed in the past few years, so this page will focus less on the practicalities of how to get to various places than on places themselves. In addition, we’re hoping to have another trip to Vietnam soon, so stay tuned for updates!
Vietnam is one of the easiest countries in Asia in which to travel. The language is quite similar to Chinese, leading me to believe that my Chinese would prove useful. English, however, is clearly the language of choice, particularly in the South and particularly in the tourism industry. There are still many people living in the South who worked for the United States army during the war and so speak English quite fluently. Many of these people were sent to reeducation camps after 1975, and upon their release were unable to find jobs. Left with no means to make a living, these people form the core of Vietnam’s entrepreneurial class. One of the most common means of self-employment is the tourism industry, where their unique English language skills are a big plus.
There are several ways to travel around Vietnam, and I tried a number of them. By far the easiest is to frequent the various backpacker guest houses that are listed in any travel guide. From the guesthouses, I was able to book transport on minibuses with other foreigners to common destinations, and also found groups of foreigners to book jeeps to more out of the way places. Even in the minibuses, however, the state of the roads wreaked havoc on the iron stomachs of the most seasoned backpackers. Highway 1 - Vietnam's largest and best road - is at best two lanes wide, and buses, cars, motorbikes, bicycles, water buffalo and pedestrians vie for space. Night travel is even more treacherous, because the myth that headlights use gas still pervades the driving public in Vietnam, so night driving is done sans headlights. I also learned the hard way not to sit in the center seat in the front row of seats, which is the best seat in the house from which to view all the nerve-wracking action and from which, in the event of an accident, I knew I would be launched directly out the front windshield.
For the more adventurous and the more slight of stature, it is always possible to take local buses. Despite the foreigner surcharge, it is cheaper than the minibuses and it is possible to meet extremely interesting people, not to mention assorted farm animals. The buses are, unfortunately, built with the average Vietnamese person in mind. I took one two hour bus ride into Danang and chatted with a nice 16 year old, whose English was amazingly good, while her chicken sat contentedly under my feet. The chicken survived the ride; I emerged with bruises on my face where my knees kept banging into my chin. I generally consider myself reasonably game to mix with the locals, but physical necessity banished me to the backpacker minibuses.
It’s also possible to take the train. The trains are slow and one step down in terms of comfort from the trains in China, but they get you where you want to go in generally the amount of time they promise, passing through some beautiful countryside while they’re at it.
Finally, it is quite common to rent motorbikes to travel into the more untouched areas of western Vietnam, which serves the double purpose of facilitating technology transfer from east to west. The scam goes like this: a traveler rides into town on a relatively nice motorbike rented in another town, whereupon he is promptly stopped by the police for one or more real or imagined violations. The motorbike is confiscated, and the confused traveler is informed that upon payment of US$150 or so, he can have the bike returned. Before paying this outrageous sum, it is probably worthwhile considering how much one might have to pay the rental agency upon returning empty handed. The figure is usually quite a bit less.
Perhaps the biggest complaint about Vietnam at the time I was there was the dearth of choice in terms of accommodations. Although there were certainly plenty of hotels to choose from at which foreigners were permitted to stay, the vast majority of them were in the US$12-20 price range. These were funny places – often equipped with satellite T.V. but infested with rats, they were an odd mix between modernity and undeveloped Asia, but in any case, they were out of the price range of the average backpacker, who is used to spending US$5 or less a night. If this hasn’t changed yet, I’ve no doubt it will as Vietnam catches up to the Southeast Asian backpacker scene.
Everyone has his or her own recommendations as to what to bring while traveling in any given country. I am the only person I know who always recommends travelling around Southeast Asia with a can of Raid. Probably this comes from growing up in the sixth most cockroach infested city in the United States, where the cockroaches routinely saunter across the living room floor in broad daylight. All I can say is that the cockroaches in Vietnam are big, and travelling is stressful enough without wondering whether you will wake up with one on your person in the middle of a hot summer night. The second most important thing is a flashlight. Power outages are quite frequent in Vietnam; most hotels keep a pile of candles on the front desk to help travelers up to their rooms after dark, as the power is guaranteed to go out (and possibly stay out) around 8:00 every night.
Ho Chi Minh City
I started off my adventures in Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as (and still commonly called) Saigon, although Saigon technically refers to only a portion of the city. I stayed in the quaint old Vien Dong Hotel, within walking distance of the central district and in those days (and presumably today) in the hub of backpacker activity. City streets are a mass of bicycles, motorbikes, cars, French architecture and modern advertising. Renting a bicycle is a great way to see the city, but don’t forget to pay the parking attendant ladies or you will learn a lot of new Vietnamese swear words.
If you like geckos (which I very much do), any of the hotels around here are the place to be, as you will have several very friendly gecko roommates for the duration of your stay. Also, the walls of the very French looking City Hall (the old Hotel de Ville) are covered by geckos in the evening.
One of the first things I do in any new country is visit a zoo. I’m the rare animal lover who is actually quite fond of zoos, and I’ve always felt – probably erroneously – that you can tell a lot about a place by visiting its zoo. The Ho Chi Minh City Zoo is not much to speak of. The animals are not particularly exotic (I discovered that, for the Vietnamese that day, I was the main attraction), and the enclosures are fairly bare. Still, I’m happy to say that, for a zoo in one of the world’s poorest countries, the animals were at least well fed and appeared to be no more unhappy than they are in any other zoo, and the visitors were well-behaved and not inordinately interested in tormenting the animals.
The main attraction for most visitors in Ho Chi Minh City and particularly for Americans is the War Crimes Museum. I once accompanied two Japanese friends on a tour of a similar museum in Nanjing, China, devoted to depictions of Japanese atrocities in Nanjing, and I wondered at the time how they must have felt as they viewed the somewhat overdone displays of the very horrible things that had occurred in Nanjing. Now I know. There is no doubt that Americans (and lots of other people) committed some despicable acts during the war, but I found two things most irritating that completely dulled the power of the exhibit. First, the museum does not explain the significance of the fact that most of the pictures on display were published first by the American media. That doesn’t make the things depicted in those pictures any less horrifying, but it does show the freedom of the American press and the confidence in our way of life that allowed us to publicize the very real conflict among the American people. Second, the display failed to depict the positive things that the American army did in Vietnam, from building orphanages to taking care of the sick and wounded. I think the Vietnamese government would have done a greater service to itself and the Vietnamese people had the museum been somewhat more honest.
An hour well spent is a boat ride down the Saigon River at US$5 a pop. I was a little alarmed when I first got in the boat. I was reeled in by a little old lady who could not harm a fly. Once in the boat, however, the little old lady who could not harm a fly jumped out and a young man who could have kicked my ass jumped in, and it was just he and I alone on the river for an hour. Not a very comfortable feeling, especially when the boat stalls in middle of the river and you’re holding a $500 camera and a wad of U.S. dollars. All was well in the end, however, and if you can stand the noise of the motor the boat ride is a real treat. Our little boat (from which I had to bail water with a pail in one hand while I snapped photos with the other) dodged between giant ships from all over the globe, from China to Belize, and we putted past crowded huts on stilts on the opposite side of the river. I got nailed taking a picture of a young woman bathing her baby in the river, and that was the meanest look I got from anybody in Vietnam.
The food in Saigon is excellent. In addition to all of the restaurants, one of the best things about Vietnam is the bread. It is almost impossible to find good bread in Asia on a reliable basis outside of Hong Kong and Singapore, but if there’s one thing other than Catholicism that the French taught the Vietnamese, it’s good bread. I was never at a loss for a meal – even when everything else looked shaky, I could always find a kiosk selling baguettes and cheese, and good fresh tomatoes were never far away.
Next I visited the Tunnels of Cu Chi outside of Ho Chi Minh City. The tunnels played an important role in the war, for they were where thousands of Viet Cong hid from Americans and the South Vietnamese army. The tunnels are complete with hospital rooms, living areas, storage areas and so forth. Inside the museum is a three dimensional map of the tunnels, but the really amusing thing is walking through the tunnels themselves. There is one tunnel open to tourists that is the original size from the war. One of the Vietnamese tour guides popped down inside with no problem. A six foot three American college student could not even get in past his hips. Further on there is a stretch of tunnels that has been widened for foreign tourists (rumor has it there has been a second widening since my visit). You find out very interesting things about yourself when scuttling through the tunnel. I, for example, discovered that I am extremely, hysterically claustrophobic. Luckily there was one escape hatch about ten feet into the tunnel, and out I went.
For any Asian religion buffs, the Cao Dai Temple outside of Ho Chi Minh City is a must. The Cao Dai religion has been described as a mish-mash of Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam that was concocted in the 1950s. The temple is incredibly gaudy pink and yellow stucco, with brightly colored dragons circling the pillars and a blue sky complete with fluffy white clouds painted on the ceiling. The monks and nuns wear conical paper hats. Most interesting, however, is the symbol that is emblazoned on the side of the temple. The founder of the religion claims that the symbol came to him in a dream, which probably makes him somewhat more honest than the average American televangelist – take a look at the eye-in-a-triangle found on top of the pyramid on the back of a U.S. one dollar bill and you’ll know what that guy was dreaming about.
Dalat
I had never considered going to Dalat prior to my arrival in Vietnam. However, I developed an incredible case of heat sickness in Ho Chi Minh City, which left me vomiting uncontrollably, covered with prickly heat rashes and in desperate need of some medical attention. I was prompted to brave a Vietnamese doctor as I laid in bed thinking - for the first time in all of my solo travels - that I could die alone in a hotel room far from home and no one would know for quite some time. I went to a clinic where the doctor prescribed….Dalat. This town is in the central highlands and is considered a holiday resort by Vietnam’s elite (and by their predecessors under various colonial rulers). Dalat is generally around 70 degrees during the summertime, and is nestled in the hills amidst forests that look more like something you’d find in Colorado than Vietnam.
There's some nice hiking and bicycle riding, and no shortage of locals willing to show you around for a reasonable fee. One girl I met even stayed with a family for five days. There isn’t much in the way of history in Dalat, however, and after the day or two it takes to recover from the heat of Highway 1, most backpackers move on.
Pretty little villages dot the road from Dalat to Nha Trang. Out of the rice paddies a patch of dry land will surface, which boasts a dusty dry road, a few thatched huts hiding amidst a mass of palm trees and, dominating the little town, a very French looking Catholic church. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the bus driver to stop for a photo, so you’ll have to take my word for it or visit yourself.
Nha Trang
Nha Trang has turned into just another beach in Southeast Asia, not so different from but not quite as nice as anything you might find in Thailand. However, I am never one to pass up the opportunity to lounge in sun and sand, and so I stopped for several days. Unfortunately, I discovered after my first day that the strategically placed umbrellas on the beach give the painful illusion of blocking out sunlight while letting in every last harmful UV ray. Furthermore, as I laid under the umbrella unwittingly crisping, I gratefully accepted several slabs of delicious pineapple from a passing vendor. A few minutes later I noted with surprise that the pineapple was tinted slightly red. It turned out to be so acidic that it had made my lips bleed.
There are a string of great seafood restaurants along the beach, and a horde of friendly and extremely healthy looking stray cats who regularly dine on whatever bits of seafood a stray foreigner will feed them. Little kids surreptitiously called to me from the beach in a bid to get my empty Coke can, to be exchanged for the paltry fee they could get for recycling. The restaurants would have preferred that I return the can to them, of course, but somehow the kids always seemed much cooler than the restaurant owners. There is some decent snorkeling around Nha Trang ... but if you’re a serious snorkeler, you’d be advised to bring your own mask and snorkel, as the rented equipment is of unusually low quality. Also, beware of the jellyfish – they’re not deadly, and a person who was in Nha Trang two months before me did not see a single jellyfish, but there appear to be periodic population explosions which can make snorkeling without a wetsuit less than thrilling.
Hoi An
Further up Highway 1 is the small town of Hoi An, which is destined to become one of those legendary stops on the backpacker trail like Yangshuo in China or Ubud on Bali. It’s not that there’s that much to do in Hoi An, but it is a great place to just hang out, relax, and meet fellow travelers. All of this is due in large part to the culinary efforts of one young woman. She opened up her own restaurant in Hoi An, which was recently featured on at least one travel show, and she gives Vietnamese cooking lessons. In addition to the Vietnamese wonders that emerge from her kitchen, she has mastered a wide variety of western favorites. At the time, she was actually best known for her chips and guacamole – strangely enough taught to her by a Kiwi – and she made an effort to get to know every single traveler who ventured into her restaurant (which is how she taught herself English). Her equally entrepreneurial sister ran the town’s only aerobics class. Hoi An also has beautiful bicycle paths into the countryside and through rice paddies out to the beach, where one can experience the odd peace that comes from seeing cows wander into the ocean for a wallow.
From Hoi An you can take a bus to Danang. There is not much reason to go to Danang, except that at the time, it was cheaper to buy a train ticket from Danang to Hanoi, with the intention of not catching the train until Hue, than it was to buy a ticket from Hue to Hanoi.
The drive from Hoi An to Hue over the Hai Van mountain pass boasts some stunning scenery.
Hue
Hue is the old seat of the former emperors of Vietnam, although the palace was virtually destroyed in the war. The tops of the walls are a great place to sit and relax for a bit. It is also still possible to find bullets lodged in the walls of the fortress across the street – one tourist found two while I was there. (An Israeli, he generously gave them up to a passing Australian, on the grounds that there was very little in the way of ammunition he hadn't seen during his stint in the Israeli army.) Beyond that, you’ll find a lot of captured weaponry, including a tank with "Detroit Diesel" stamped on the engine, and a load of kids who like to have their pictures taken in front of all of the American military might.
From Hue, it is also possible to take a bumpy trip into the oddly peaceful DMZ, where there are lots of carefully (I hope) gathered mounds of unexploded shells and plenty of signs warning you to stay on the path, which has been cleared of mines. There are still fairly common stories of cows stepping on mines or unexploded shells all around Vietnam, so it’s best to stick to the marked paths.
The DMZ has some hauntingly beautiful scenery. The hills are a soft, mossy green. Although I remember feeling momentary optimism at the rapidity with which the land was recovering, pictures of the area prior to the widespread spraying of chemical defoliants show how beautiful the jungle was prior to the war. In addition, the government has in an effort to reforest apparently planted a large amount of eucalyptus (commonly used in reforestation efforts due to its rapid growth). The down side is, of course, its rapid growth – eucalyptus crowds out the native rainforest, which most likely will never grow back.
Hanoi
There’s quite a bit to do and see up around Hanoi, the most popular of which at the time were trips to Sapa and Haiphong Bay, although I found myself short of time and mostly stuck to Hanoi. The most interesting thing about Hanoi is the inevitable comparison between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Where Ho Chi Minh City is a typically loud, Southeast Asian city barreling towards modernity without a second thought, Hanoi’s quiet, tree-lined streets are a world away. Many people comment that South Vietnam appears to have left off development when the U.S. vacated in 1975, while North Vietnam’s development ground to a halt when the French left in the 1950s. Northerners are generally much more reserved but are unfailingly polite. The difference is apparent even in the language used to greet foreigners. In Ho Chi Minh City, you will be greeted with calls of "Hello! Hello!", and even the occasional "Howdy!", but in Hanoi, you are more likely to be greeted with a tip of the hat and a polite "Bon jour, madame".
One of the best things to see in Hanoi, to my great surprise, was the water puppet theater. Although I had to pay a foreigner premium for tickets, I was treated to an evening of traditional Vietnamese instruments and great water puppets. The puppets are manipulated from behind a curtain on long sticks under a pool of water, with the puppet itself just skimming the surface of the water. The effect of the swirling puppets on the water, particularly during battle scenes, is (for want of a better word) quite cool.
There is lots of good shopping in Vietnam – some reject export clothing stores, and lots of great Vietnamese crafts.
From Hanoi it is possible to take a number of trips out into the North Vietnamese countryside around Hoa Lu, where I found some of the most fantastic scenery in the world. There are not enough words for "green" in the English language to describe the green of the rice paddies, the green of the mysterious Dr. Seuss hills, the green of palm trees along the roads and the green of deciduous trees. This is the beautiful landscape that had always symbolized Vietnam in my imagination, so it was fitting that the best was saved for last.
From there, it was back to Hanoi, then Bangkok and home!
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