Photo trip report: Vietnam north to south

[buksida]

A quick rest at a river crossing where we ride onto a tiny boat that took us across for a few Dong; we were back in the lowlands and rice paddies once again. It was time to head for My Son, an archeological site containing Cham ruins dating back to the 4th century.

To follow: My Son

[Terry]

Buksi - How long did you spend researching this trip?

[buksida]

I booked the flights about 6-8 weeks in advance so about a month I'd say. I'll list my sources and do a general observations and comparison to Thailand when I finish the TR.

[passingthrough]

I can quite see why you have that traveling bug in your pants now Buksi. These photos are just terrific! That little boat with the bikes on it reminded me of a travel dream I had many years ago. I have still not found exactly that place yet, though I have come pretty close. Makes me want to pack my bags up right now and head off to some place I have never been. Yet again.

[buksida]

My Son
This World Heritage site dating back over 1500 years consists of around 20 structures where 68 once stood before the American war; the VC used the area as a base consequently a lot of ordinance was dropped on the ancient temple ruins. Restoration efforts were taking place and the site gets very crowded with tour busses from Danang and Hoi An in the mornings. Fortunately when we rode in it was late afternoon with very few other visitors and a beautiful light from the slowly sinking tropical sun.

To follow: South to Saigon

[buksida]

South to Saigon
The final leg of our north to south journey took us to the commercial heart of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City. We opted to skip the hedonistic beach resort of Nha Trang for a couple of reasons but primarily because getting there and away would have involved two overnight trains or busses and two days waiting around for them after checkout. Internal flights are relatively cheap in Vietnam so we booked a plane from Danang to Saigon costing $200 for all four of us.

You can’t escape trumped up uniformed officials in Asia, and those in the airport took pleasure in depriving me of my bottle of Dalat Red stating no liquids on the plane. As soon as we got into the departure lounge I noticed no end of shops selling wine at vastly inflated prices and no problem taking it on the plane. Annoying this was since after boarding our Vietjet A320 the captain told us to get off because the plane was suffering technical difficulties and couldn’t fly. We were then informed about the 4 hour delay, this was a little concerning since all northbound flights were cancelled due to the rapidly approaching typhoon which was due to make landfall at our position that evening. Four hours turned into eight ... I wanted my bottle back.

Grounded

Central Vietnam from the air

Hoi An river delta

The local Dalat red wine (a touch above the Mont Clair you get in Thailand) when we discovered it started off as a bargain at 120,000 Dong (177 THB) per bottle in a Hoi An restaurant - unlike Thailand there are no heavy duties on alcohol and tobacco in Vietnam. We then endeavored to find out what the real price was and were told 100k by the hotel. In town a local shop was selling it for 80,000 Dong (118 THB) and we felt pretty proud of ourselves so bought a couple to celebrate actually getting something for a local price. After losing one to the airport gestapo we decided to seek more out in Saigon and beat our previous price in a liquor store just a few convenient doors down from our hotel. 55,000 Dong (81 THB) per bottle was the best we got yet vendors in the tourist areas would still quote us 200k for one! Needless to say lots of wine was consumed during this research!

Research

To follow: Saigon

[Bamboo Grove]

What did you think of coffee in Vietnam. The country is actually the second biggest coffee producer in the world. What I have always found charming in Vietnam and in Laos and Cambodia as well, is the French influence in their food and beverage sections, i.e. the bread, cheese, coffee, wine etc.

World’s Top 10 Coffee-Producing Countries in 2010-2011
By Justin Doom - Aug 19, 2011 6:29 PM GMT+0300

Facebook Share
LinkedIn
Google +1
COMMENTS
Print
QUEUE
Q

The following is a table of the world’s 10 largest coffee-producing nations, measured in thousands of bags, for the 2010-2011 crop year. One bag weighs 60 kilograms (132 pounds).

Data are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

TOTAL:

1) Brazil 54,500
2) Vietnam 18,725
3) Colombia 9,500
4) Indonesia 9,325
5) India 5,100
6) Ethiopia 4,400
7) Honduras 4,000
Peru 4,000
9) Guatemala 3,910
10) Mexico 3,700

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-1 ... able-.html

[passingthrough]

Happens all over the world nowadays Buksi. I had the bottle of 10 year old Laphroaig single malt whisky confiscated by the gestapo in Cairo. It was still in the UNOPENED packaging from when I'd bought it in Duty Free at the airport in Bangkok. They chucked it into a bin. So I immediately retrieved it and downed as much as I could drink before the connecting flight 3 hours later. At least the guy had some sense of humour. He grinned at me as I stumbled through and dropped the half-empty bottle back into the bin for him.

[buksida]

The coffee in Vietnam had a very rich, earthy taste, was very strong and very sweet. It was also absolutely everywhere so you couldn't avoid it! Agree on the French influence, these countries have benefited from a mix of Western and Asian culinary culture so are far more rewarding than those that just want everything their way.

[buksida]

Saigon
The commercial heart of Vietnam can only be described as ‘Bangkok on steroids’. It is the total opposite of Hanoi with its quaint Old Quarter; Ho Chi Minh City (as it was named in 1975) is a high octane place where everything happens at the speed of light! Our hotel (Asian Ruby 4 booked via Agoda @ $46 per night) was a typical Vietnamese tube building with no real distinguishing features. They did upgrade us to the top floor suite though at no extra cost which was a bonus.

First trip out was to the Ben Thanh market, 5 minutes walk away, where you can by bags, shoes, t-shirts, more bags and lots more shoes. Naturally mrs Buksi loved the place, I just wanted a refreshing Bia Hoi. The highlight of the day for me was meeting the Saigon Hogs, a Harley club that was preparing for a ride to celebrate a wedding – if anything was going to stop the traffic in HCMC it is these guys.

More city exploration took us through a couple of parks and over to the backpacker district at Pham Ngu Lao where the t-shirts, bags and shoes got cheaper and you could pick up fake books for a couple of bucks amongst other things. It was the only area that I saw hostess bars and farangs with local girls quite openly, contrary to popular belief it is not that common in Vietnam.

To follow: Saigon

[buksida]

To follow: Mekong Delta

[Homer]

It was quite daunting crossing the road at first but you soon get used to it, best to go in a group, go slow and don't ever run, the bikes will avoid you!

Yes - weird at first, normal by the end of the trip. But it's more than just go slow, IMHO. One must maintain a constant speed and direction. Make it easy for the traffic to predict where you'll be and they will flow around you. This works for busy streets. If it's you vs a lone rider, holding a constant speed and direction seems to only make it easier for him to see how close he can come without hitting you.

[Terry]

It was quite daunting crossing the road at first but you soon get used to it, best to go in a group, go slow and don't ever run, the bikes will avoid you!

Yes - weird at first, normal by the end of the trip. But it's more than just go slow, IMHO. One must maintain a constant speed and direction. Make it easy for the traffic to predict where you'll be and they will flow around you. This works for busy streets. If it's you vs a lone rider, holding a constant speed and direction seems to only make it easier for him to see how close he can come without hitting you.

OK - generally good advice given above

However, I've been reduced to carrying an umbrella - rain or shine - as a defence weapon against the crazy bastards that ride on the pavements.............

[buksida]

Mekong Delta
Not wanting to spend our final days in the city we booked a couple of day trips, the first of which being to the rice bowl of Vietnam – the Mekong Delta. The Vietnamese don’t use the word Mekong and refer to the mighty river as Song Cuu Long, River of Nine Dragons. The journey to the departure point takes about 2 hours by bus, again it is very touristy when you get there and you often feel like you’re on a conveyor belt with other tour groups ahead and behind.

The tour took in the mighty river itself which is about a kilometer across here and four islands near the town of My Tho. We were ushered in and out of bee farms, a coconut candy factory, and a cocoa farm where we were serenaded by the family. The highlight though was being paddled down a canal in a kind of ‘whacky races’ fashion with a whole bunch of other tourists in canoes jostling for position in the narrow waterways. The paddlers would drop off the groups at their respective boats and head back upstream to grab another lot; they did this all day long and earnt a lot more from tips and extras than they ever would living off the land and river.

To follow: Cu Chi Tunnels

[PeteC]

What is that in photo DSC_8621.jpg? It looks like a cocoa pod to me.....but I didn't know they grew cocoa in Vietnam. Pete