OUR TIME IN – VIETNAM
We immediately lost the laid back feeling of Laos as we drove into the old city of Hanoi. We were “welcomed” to the vivacious capital by negotiating cab fares, loud horns, and motor bike packs that own the highway (and some walkways). We saw a guy with a whole pig duct taped to his motorbike and another guy roasting a chicken on a sidewalk with a propane torch. We first thought we had stepped into an overwhelming ant hill that would be hard to navigate. But after the initial shock wore off, we realized the ants moved around us in a purposeful manner that created quite an interesting burst of commerce. Vietnam is a country bred on war, rebellion and colonisation. The lasting bits of a broken history are spattered all of the culture and throughout the cities. Chinese, who occupied the area no less than four times, have left vast influences on the cuisine, religion and many language influences from Cantonese and Chinese dialect. The French left many years of horrible memories, architectural influences, and the everlasting impact on local cuisine. Including the love of baguettes and coffee.
There are no street laws taken seriously so as they said at our hotel, “Sir/Ma’am please walk confident when crossing the street and don’t stop!” Walking and running across the streets, we headed to the famous Hanoi Hilton. Originally used by the French to hold Vietnamese revolutionaries it was then used by the North Vietnamese to house Americans captured during the Vietnam War. The cells were eerily filled with life-size statues and there were two rooms dedicated to the “positive treatment” of American soldiers. Pictures of regular doctors check ups, basketball games and even celebrating Christmas. John McCain’s flight suit was hanging next to images of his plane being pulled from Truc Bach Lake. It all had a frighteningly dark feeling. Afterwards we headed straight to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where the man himself lays perfectly preserved in a glass box. Or so we were told. The hour walk we took to the site has us begging for any activity indoors. However, upon arrival, we were told the Mausoleum was closed for the day and the museum was closed for the daily two-hour lunch (how French). After a long day outside we headed back to our hotel for an early dinner at the local hotspot, New Day Restaurant. Famously cheap and filling, we sat with locals enjoying beers and traditional street food cuisine. Rounding out our time, we had to learn a few Vietnamese secrets in the kitchen. Hidden Hanoi cooking school offered a wide variety of classes and we booked our favorite, the traditional street food menu. We made the most amazing spring rolls (made about 50 of them) and traditional Bun Cha with Vietnamese barbecue. We can’t wait to add some our new favorites to game day BBQ (Note: two links in game & day). 😉
A full day trek followed to the Unesco World Heritage Site of Halong Bay. A four-hour drive to our “junk boat” and we were off to spend the day cruising the 2,000 islets that make up this natural wonder. Huge limestone karsts tower over the bay as we made our way to floating fishing village. The mist of the morning lingered as our guide showed us the residents who live on the water year round. There was even a small school sitting on stilts in the water. In the afternoon, we kayaked to explore the caves and islands surrounding the protected oasis. It was a long day but worth it to see one of the new wonders of the world. Plus, how often do you get to play cards on a boat cruising through Halong Bay?
We have been fortunate to see family and friends all over the world. Vietnam was no exception but our meeting was a total surprise! We were preparing for our seven hour overnight train to Sapa from Hanoi when in through the front door walked Joel and Casey Iglehart, friends from home on their honeymoon! They too were booked on the exact same train to Sapa and had reservations at the same boutique hotel. Off we went on the train, which was in a word… interesting. We shared our cabin with a Canadian couple and slept in our single bunk beds. The click clack, click clack eventually put us to sleep, and 7 hours later we arrived in beautiful Sapa. A stark contrast from the city, this hilltop village with terraced rice fields boasts cooler temperatures and a much slower pace. We hiked to the Catcat village and ended up in a local bar (aka a family’s front porch) enjoying Tiger beers with our friends who are moving to the same neighborhood as us in Atlanta for hours. It was nice to catch up on life and enjoy the scenery of lush green hills and an occasional cow walking by with a local boy leading their way home. Our last hike was to an even more remote hilltop village to interact with the tribal Hmong people . We were told to bring a guide so as to not be bothered by the local ladies, but we could handle it….or so we thought. At first the sight of 14 women, wearing large headdress, and smiling ear to ear seemed welcoming. That is, until these local ladies decided to stick with our group as tour guides for the entire day’s hike. They pointed out their homes and made sure we were on the “right path.” By the end, we were old friends and knew that in order to part ways we had to buy some of the local handmade crafts for our tour. Another half an hour later, our tough negotiations ended with us walking away with no money, a scarf, and we think what might be a bottle case. Worth every penny….for the memories of these ladies!!
The trip was full of so many memories, below is a slideshow including a few more.
TAKEAWAYS
His
I told Erinn I thought that the Vietnamese were smart to show respect to men everywhere by naming their currency “Dong”. Erinn wryly pointed out that the currency is basically worthless trading at 20000 to every $1 USD. Touché, Erinn, touche…
Hers
So this was where my head was, en route to our hotel I kept repeating “thit cho” the local word for dog meat….so that if seen on any menu we RUN. Note: I did read that it is commonly offered in some of the street stalls, just being safe okay. We did not see any dog featured and in the end really enjoyed the local street food culture. While the city was so busy (almost overwhelming) I enjoyed seeing so much of the local history for myself, dog free.
Theirs
Seeing family and friends all over the world has made this trip so special. It was really wonderful to run into Joel and Casey on their honeymoon and catch up before all moving back to Atlanta. From business school, to the streets of Hanoi, the past two years have made new friends for a lifetime. Makes us so thankful that we are all crazy world travelers too!! On to the next one.
SEE AND BE SEEN
Sapa*
*must do’s