We arrived in Vietnam after about 26 hours of flight time. It was a long flight, but we arrived in fine shape, and are having a great time. Our guide was at the airport to pick us up, as scheduled. He had a small bus there for us. The eight of us have our very own bus and guide, each person has a double seat and plenty of room for our luggage. As this is a customized trip, we are able to change plans as we go. Everything has been far better than anticipated, so we are very happy. Our money goes a long way in this part of the world, and we tip generously, which also makes people very happy. Our tour guide in Saigon was great, as was our driver. We saw many sites and I will share the photos at a future time. We are in the process of setting up a blog or website. In the meantime email will have to do. Please feel free to pass on the information to anyone interested.
In Saigon, also known as Ho Chi Minh city, we took a full day tour of the city, its historic sites and also the markets on our first day. We went to see the Cu Chi Tunnels the second day – they were unbelievable. We had a chance to go into some of the tunnels and also had a demonstration of how easy it was for the Viet Cong to move around undetected.
Our third day we flew from Saigon to Dalat. Dalat is in the mountains and was a French resort while the French were in Vietnam. The architecture is heavily influenced by European design. It is still a popular resort for Vietnamese, other eastern countries and Europe. The air is clear and crisp (not the pollution of the cities), and the weather is cooler, with less humidity. We had a wonderful tour guide and bus meet us at the airport and had a great tour of the area, experiencing the art deco former summer resident of Emperor Bao Dai, the market, and Lam Ty Ni Pagoda where a Buddhist monk, Vien Thuc, produces his abstract paintings and writes poetry. We also are enjoying the wonderfully delicious meals. Today our guide and driver will take us on a drive from Dalat down the mountain to the beach at Nha Trang.
We’ve been having an absolutely wonderful time. The country and the people are beautiful. It’s full of great bargains, but we don’t have any room in our suitcases 🙂
We left Dalat by bus and took the mountain drive to Nha Trang. In Nha Trang we had a free day, however we made arrangements for a fishing and snorkeling excursion. We had a great time, caught only tiny fish, visited a floating village, had lunch and dinner on an island that was being transformed into a big resort. The following day we flew out of Cam Ranh airport to Da Nang. We were met by a guide, driver and bus and transported to Hoi An. Hoi An was an Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries. We took a walking tour of the ancient town centre visiting merchants’ houses, the 400 year old Japanese Covered Bridge and the colorful market. Fran and I bought some beautiful Vietnamese lanterns and then took on the task of shipping them back to the US. Linda and Jennifer had already figured the shipping out so we followed in their footsteps. Some of the guys had shirts made at a silk shop.
The gardens in Hoi An and at our hotel were absolutely beautiful and our hotel was a work of art in itself. We left Hoi An for Hue where we visited the Hue citadel, the elaborate mausoleums of Emperors Tu Duc and Khai Dinh and also made a visit to the markets. Next we were treated to a wonderful boat trip on the Perfume River visiting a pagoda and mausoleum during the trip. The following day we would be flying to Hanoi. We hated leaving South Vietnam. We loved the people and the delicious and beautiful meals. I think we were a little apprehensive about how we would be treated in Hanoi.
We flew from Hue airport to Hanoi. Our hotel was beautiful and centrally located. The people were very nice and the hotel manager came by often to see if he could be of service to us and if everything was going well. On one occasion we were pondering what to eat and someone mentioned pizza. We were all in the mood for some good old junk food. We had noticed a pizza sign downtown and when the manager came by the room we asked where we could go to find Pizza. He said he would check it out. The next thing we knew we had pizza and beer delivered to the room. WOW! That was a treat.
The next day we took the 3.5 hour drive from Hanoi to Halong City where we boarded a traditional junk for an overnight journey into the bay. Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were treated to some of the most beautiful scenery we had seen. The limestone karsts jutting out of the sea as we glided along enjoying some of the best seafood we’ve had in all of Vietnam. Our quarters, on the junk, were very nice. HaLong Bay was quite polluted with many boats out there and apparently some discharging trash into the bay. Hopefully they will get a handle on the pollution!!
Back in Hanoi we had a tour of the city with its French colonial architecture, and also visited the “Hanoi Hilton”. We also had a fantastic cyclo tour – a facinating tour through crowded streets and wonderful markets.
Our last day in Hanoi we visited Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, a pagoda, fine arts museum and the Temple of Literature. We were treated to a water puppet show in the evening. On the 20th of March (Day 14) we boarded a train to Guilin, China.