Good Morning Vietnam
Limited research is not the best way to travel . Like you pick a spot, get your tickets and are all set to travel, making some assumptions. The first of them being Vietnam offers "visa on arrival" for Indian tourists . You reach the airport and at the boarding gate you are told that the boarding pass cannot be issued because you do not the approval letter from the Embassy ! Bummer ! And quiet and understatement at that .
So what do you do ? You resort to google in panic mode and reach out pick the first website and at the cost of sounding dumb , pay some crazy money for the approval notice in 15 mins . At that point you think it's the right thing to do .
Life lesson: always always always check the specifics and any hidden rules that may not be published . And yes your friends who have visited before will miss this minuscule detail with major repercussions.
So what do you do ? You resort to google in panic mode and reach out pick the first website and at the cost of sounding dumb , pay some crazy money for the approval notice in 15 mins . At that point you think it's the right thing to do .
Life lesson: always always always check the specifics and any hidden rules that may not be published . And yes your friends who have visited before will miss this minuscule detail with major repercussions.
What we did though was get a tourist visa for our Transit airport at KL, which was not necessary but Air Asia insisted that we get a tourist visa and not transit visa . Fact of the matter is that you need transit visa . Again how are you supposed to know when the Malaysian visa online service only issues a tourist visa .
Now that we have the not so nice parts out there , we could go ahead and explore Vietnam .
In my mind the image of Vietnam was paddy fields and rice terraces . It could have been just the Sapa Valley pictures on Instagram. A tiny little country with a lot to offer , so you have pick and choose .
We didn't really plan much , but we had our apartment for day 1 booked .
To arrive at our apartment we took a taxi from the airport and the first thing that happened was the taxi driver charging us double the price. Fortunately we were not convinced of the fare, he was quoting ,so we checked with the apartment staff and paid him the actual price. So beware of the cabbies. They can take you for a spin .
Please remember to get your exchange at the airport , it's tough to find a foreign exchange place en route to your accommodation.
Our AIRBNB was a sprawling 3 BHK and very tastefully done at that.
We stayed at the fancy 56 ICON very close to the city centre . There was a supermarket downstairs , - super convenient and we could make some quick meals instead of scouting around for food. But we had managed to pick up some amazing street side fish curry and sticky rice.
Sleep came to us really quick . After a good power nap , we headed out to explore the city and our first stop was this yummy mango and dry prawn snack. We walked through the streets and went in search of the Ben Thanh Market in District 1 . It wasn't difficult to find. Like any other market it was filled with eateries , local shops , fruit vendors etc. As it was almost 8 pm , we were ready to have some good fish and settle down on some beers.After walking around the entire market , we walked through the shopping district.
To arrive at our apartment we took a taxi from the airport and the first thing that happened was the taxi driver charging us double the price. Fortunately we were not convinced of the fare, he was quoting ,so we checked with the apartment staff and paid him the actual price. So beware of the cabbies. They can take you for a spin .
Please remember to get your exchange at the airport , it's tough to find a foreign exchange place en route to your accommodation.
Our AIRBNB was a sprawling 3 BHK and very tastefully done at that.
We stayed at the fancy 56 ICON very close to the city centre . There was a supermarket downstairs , - super convenient and we could make some quick meals instead of scouting around for food. But we had managed to pick up some amazing street side fish curry and sticky rice.
Sleep came to us really quick . After a good power nap , we headed out to explore the city and our first stop was this yummy mango and dry prawn snack. We walked through the streets and went in search of the Ben Thanh Market in District 1 . It wasn't difficult to find. Like any other market it was filled with eateries , local shops , fruit vendors etc. As it was almost 8 pm , we were ready to have some good fish and settle down on some beers.After walking around the entire market , we walked through the shopping district.
The street coffee from this cart was the best we'd had .
We decided to walk back home .As we walked back home we came across some beautiful spaces. A little bridge where people laid their mats down and were just lounging . Some one was playing music, while others were engrossed in intense conversation . There was someone getting a photoshoot and lovers probably sharing a quiet moment . The whole vibe of this bridge made me wonder if we had such a quiet place in any of our cities.Maybe we do . But people would still butt into your space .And so our first day in the city had ended . That was our first impression of the country . The people friendly and subdued. Language was not a challenge, everyone spoke English mostly. The elderly were mostly clad in their Vietnamese traditional ensemble, while the youth and middle aged were trendy and quite western.
War Museum
I obviously wasn't doing any planning as I was accompanied by an efficient itinerary specialist , who was doing her research on the run. So the next day we decided we going to Da Nang. Within a few minutes Smoota had booked the flights for us and had a plan for us to visit the War Memorial.We spent the morning at the war memorial . A heartbreaking and gut-wrenching account of the Vietnam war. The ticket to the war museum costed 25000 VND. Be warned, a wave of sadness will envelope you. Depressing - yes - but you are seeing a side a story that you have only heard about.
Da Nang
With limited time you are going to have to pick and chose a beach to go . We picked Da Nang in the interest of time and our "plan a night ahead " itinerary. As you arrive at Da Nang , you will find people dressed like they would do in a Florida or even a Goa. Hats and shorts and beachy dresses and what not. Infact, Da nang is pretty modern and exceptionally clean. Some would call it a scaled down version of Miami. Throughout the southern part of Vietnam, you will notice the American influence.
The beach was beautiful and clean . There were very few people and at a distance you will see a life size statue of Lady Buddha. The sunset was pretty magical .
We then looked for food and came across a very tiny restaurant where we had the rice paper meal called Bahn Uot.
We went to the Dragon bridge and Little Heart bridge for a late nite stroll. These places were beautifully lit and quite pleasant. There are a lot of interesting bars and cafe's on this stretch.
We also got to try some fresh local fruits by the street side.
A happy little Naishu at the end of the day after a fall. We came back to our hotel and I decided to go to the restaurant downstairs for a few beers. The restaurant was buzzing with party goers. From what I could gather , there are a lot of clubs in Da Nang. Everyone table I could see was pre-gaming for a bigger party. Again , it occurs to you that people all over the world , irrespective of their cultures come together for pretty much togetherness.
The next morning we visited the Marble Mountains -
Ngũ Hành Sơn. which are by the beach. Well interestingly, they have an elevator which takes you to the top of the mountain. Now you know I would pick the elevator, by now you must know how much I dislike stairs. Just 250 and totally doable. The five mountains are named after five elements Kim (metal) Thuy (water) , Moc (Wood) , Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth).
Our next destination was Hanoi !
When we landed in Hanoi , we noticed a difference in the city vibe. It was not the same as Ho Chi Min. The french influence is quite visible in the architecture. We found ourselves in a beautiful homestay in the heart of the French quarter. The place was absolutely beautiful and the owner was very hospitable Vietnamese woman. The place was called Nam Phuoung bang opposite a d traditional french restaurant called "Madam Hien" . We did manage to get some dinner at Madam Hien .
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On the way to Ha Long , a local vietnamese boy on the bus kept narrating facts about the culture.
- Most Vietnamese practice Buddhism.
- According to the boy there were four stages in the human life - Birth, growth , illness and death . ( I couldnt figure why illness was necessary ).
- Most Vietnamese live in joint families , especially in rural Vietnam .
- The average income is about 200 - 300 USD per month for someone who works at the garment factory.
- No 4 is unlucky. Apparently you will rarely find a 4 storeyed house.
- Most marriages are arranged and the wedding expenses are borne by the groom's family.
- Sticky rice and pork is the a staple.
Back in Ha Noi .
On my way to the home stay I was intrigued by an old Cathedral . Something made me want to go there. And oh yes, I had also heard of the "Beer street". It was raining that day and I decided to take a walk around the little french quarter making my way to the beer street. On the way to beer street I also stood by a live concert in the middle of street. I finally the famous beer street and it was insanely crowded . A tiny lane with tables and lots of beer. Happy heart.
Finally the next morning , we had to leave for Hon Chi Minh to get back to India. We just knew it was our last evening. To our surprise , we were suddenly catapulted into a posh Air BNB. A fancy gated community in Hon Chi Mihn with the works. Everything out there screamed urbanisation , From the security systems to the apartment we were teleported into an ultra modern facility . I got my beers from a 7/11 for crying not loud. For me this was definitely not Vietnam . Everything around was fancy . Maybe a Singapore. But then you realise there is a large expat community out there.
My final thoughts on Vietnam were a country slowly opening up and my fear is that it is going to lose its sheen. My hope is that they keep as beautiful as it is . Something that India was going through aeons ago. It brought me sense of sadness , because someone somewhere was losing the fabric of their being. Someone somewhere was sold to idea of development . Some one somewhere was being sucked into capitalism .
This trip wouldn't have been possible without the amazing planning of Smoota and Bharat and ofcourse the delightful company of Naishu. She was an absolute doll during the trip .
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