Britgirls says "Good Morning Vietnam"

VIETNAM

 HO CHI MIHN 20th December 2010

"XIN CHAO"

13 hours to Tokyo plus 6 hours to Ho Chi Mihn and here we are in this crazy...dirty...noisy....busy...exciting city!
Our hotel is fabulous right in the middle of all the action and next door to the big Ben Than market great for street food and knock off Ed hardy t shirts :)

Spent our first day avoiding death on the roads. Whenever anyone talked about the crazy roads here I was like "Oh year Asian roads are insane" Well nothing I have experienced in Thailand/Cambodia could prepare me for the Saigon streets and moped insanity
Millions of mopeds, no crosswalks. Hell.... no traffic lights for the most part.

Crazy streets and please note there are no crosswalks and this MASS of mopeds is constant

Here's how our days street crossing went- edge two feet into a mass of mopeds, watch them part like the Red sea around us (and hope they do), edge another two feet, repeat, repeat until you reach the safety of the other pavement. HOWEVER, don't let the sidewalk lull you into a false sense of security as mopeds often take short cuts across the paths too! gulp
This city is rather overwhelming, everything here is full on!

We saw in the Lonely planet that the Jade Pagoda offered "A remarkably peaceful refuge" from the craziness of the city, so already feeling stressed from almost dying at every street crossing we made a bee-line there.

The Jade Pagoda...anything but peaceful

 The Jade Pagoda was anything but a peaceful refuge.

The entrance was crowded with people selling bags of little fish or turtles and cages with birds all I'm sure bring luck to those who spend the cash to buy and release said creatures in the pagoda. Judging by the crowded pools of fish and turtles clambering over each others shells these touts are doing a roaring trade!!!
So on walked....

The War Remnants museu

The War Remnants museum was WELL worth a visit. Like visiting the "museum of Terror" in Budapest or Auschwitz in Poland, this museum is not for the faint hearted and I had a hard time getting through some of the devastating photos on display. The original name of the this was "museum of American War crimes" so I'm sure you get the idea.....
You were allowed to take photos of the photographs inside but Ive spared you by not including them here...so tragic.

Funny Xmas decor in Saigon

On to a lighter note....there are Xmas decorations all over town and most are made out of cheap materials and well dodgy looking Santas, HO HO HO Even expensive stores use cheap tin foil on mass

In my wanderings yesterday i met a 50 something English woman who had been here 4 years. I asked how she adjusted to the noise and the traffic and she said after a while she just didn't notice it.... I just can't imagine that! They say you either love or hate Saigon. I neither loved nor hated it but i am happy to be moving on today.......

HOI AN
December 21st 2010

Just one hour by Vietnam airlines and we left behind the chaos of Saigon for Hoi-an which is an UNESCO world heritage site and full of lovely preserved buildings down winding streets and Chinese style shophouses
Our Hotel (Long Life) is gorgeous with tiled floors, Chinese style lanterns hanging above the windows and views over the pool and outlaying rice paddy fields. So tranquil!

The Central market in Hoi An

Spent an idle afternoon wandering the narrow streets and checking out the multitude of tailors that exist (Karl needs a coat before we hit Beijing)

Hoi An

The river in Hoi An

There are more tourists here than we saw in Saigon and the town is a photographers dream
There no cars allowed but still the ever pesky motorcycles zipping around the alleyway. However a few times a day the streets get blocked of all but "primitive vehicles"(push bikes) and classical music is piped into the streets. Its very random and we haven't quite figured out when or why this happens but despire it sounding tacky its quite lovely!




I like the fact that Hoi An is a preserved city, because on the airport road from Da Nang  (where we landed) its pretty obvious that Vietnam is well and truly on the tourist map with huge resorts being built along the coastal road, and I mean Vegas style resorts!
I think in a year or two this area of the country will be unrecognizable.



 Wednesday December 22nd 2010 
I'm enchanted with Hoi An already.....Whilst its obviously very Asian there is also a very French feel to the streets and houses. We have also had some amazing food here already and its so fresh and so cheap
Last night we found a local place "Green Moss" and for $10 we ate (very well) and had drinkies!

We had company

It was pretty low key...3 generations running the restaurant plus the cats trying to beg some leftover from us.
That was about as wild as our evening got, as we assumed Hoi An was pretty low key but as we made our way back to the hotel we spotted a nightclub AND a Karaoke bar! Ha....another night maybe!

Karl getting measured up

Today Karl got measured for a sport jacket. HoiAn is infamous for its Tailor shops and whilst there are plenty of fly by night establishments we have heard there are just as many high quality ones.
Well i guess watch this space as to how that all works out......









We also went out to the local beach. China Beach (made famous by the American TV show of the same name) was prettier than I thought it would be but you can already see signs that its on the brink of HUGE development.

Basket boats on China Beach-Vietnam

I wasn't expecting any beach time until Phu Quoc Island as its meant to be rainy season still here, but the weather is beautiful so we altered plans just so i could say i dipped my toes into the South China Sea. Had more fantastic food at a beach side cafe. Have a mentioned yet how FANTASTIC the food is here??!!!

finishing the day with a dip in the hotel pool

LATER:
Thank Goodness for Wifi as the nights here are fairly quiet. I got excited when we found a nightclub just doors away from the hotel but despite the out of place neon lights and dance(ish) music coming out the doors we have yet to see anyone go in or out of the doors. Hoi An is just a laid back place and whilst there are plenty of drinking holes I think that will the most nightlife we find. Last night the after dark excitement came from trying to find a bar/restaurant we had heard about (The Lighthouse). To begin with it was on the other side of the river from the main old town and once there we had to navigate dirt (pitch black, potholed) roads in the search for it.
Stray dogs wandered past us giving us odd glances...what are these odd white folk doing stumbling around our alleyways!!?? 

The extent of our nightlife tonight

As you see it wasn't my usual caliber of nightlife but it WAS worth seeking out as we got to sit on the balcony over the river (looking back onto the old town) and drink local Dalat red wine and have good eats! The stuffed squid was wonderful and I didn't even mock the dodgy ABBA tunes playing.

Thursday December 23rd 2010 

Woke to rain this morning. I'm surprised there hasn't been more as we are at the tail end of the rainy season. It made for an atmospheric breakfast with the mist over the paddy fields but cleared up quickly and we headed.
Today was SCHOOL....Cooking school that I booked for me and Karl as Karl's Xmas gift.We met some really cool people today both Vietnamese and Americans.

Vietnamese milk apple

First we got taken around the main market and taught different fruits, veggies and herbs used in cooking here.

Siesta at the market

The we took a small boat down the river the the cooking school (Red bridge cooking class) From here we studied the local herbs and their smells/tastes and uses in local cooking

Karl making the pancakes

The chef demonstrated a few local dishes and gave us print out instructions then we were let loose to replicate the dishes.

"A" for effort karl

Harder than it looked

We made three dishes:
Rice paper spring rolls, savory pancakes and then a clay pot eggplant dish
Karl struggled with the spring rolls!
We also got taught some of the food decoration techniques like a tomato rose and how to make a cucumber look decorative...this was much harder than it looked and my decorations looked nothing like they were meant to
Overall a great day and hopefully Ill be able to repeat the recipes. We did get a print out of all we made and what we need to repeat.
Afterwords Karl went for his jacket fitting and its coming along great :)

Friday 24th December 2010
XMAS EVE

Woke to a gorgeous day and took a trip out to My Son (meeee son).
My Son is the major site in Vietnam from the ancient Champa Kingdom which flourished between the 2nd and 15th centuriess and whilst much was destroyed by Americans during the war its still worth a visit.

passing through the countryside

The drive took us through the Vietnamese countryside which was gorgeous seeing all the locals at work in the paddy fields.

 Compared to Tikal and Angkor Wat My Son is small and not that exciting but karls loves that and the day out in general was great.

My Son

We traveled back to Hoi An by boat down the river.

Lunch on the river boat

Once back at the hotel we were given an invitation to their sister hotel for a free Xmas eve party. I'm cynical when I travel, so I expected the buffet they said would indeed be free but expected to be paying all night for overprice drinks.
When we got there it turned out everything was free, great buffet, dodgy Xmas (and not so Xmas) music and local beer. In fact as much as we could drink (which was highly encouraged)

Free beer anyone??

Not only was this Xmas party for the guests (of both hotels) but also for the staff so we got to hang out and party with the staff too who are all so friendly and nice

Staff table

 We met some English, Canadians and Argentinians too so got to exchange travel stories. The English were working in Saigon so we got to exclaim about the insane traffic. Whats funny is Christmas is not really celebrated here (only about 10% are Christian) so the celebrated is done more for tourists but then the locals pick up on pieces of it and dress their kids in Santa hats etc.

"it was this big"

As we were walking back to our hotel (drunk) we passed many dive bars where tourists and locals were all dancing in the streets to Whams  "Last Christmas" which I must have heard about a million times already!

I have really enjoyed Hoi An....In fact Vietnam in general is fast becoming a favourite of everywhere Ive traveled. The people are so very humble and friendly and whilst you get plenty of locals trying to sell you things we haven't had one single beggar approach us. I think they are too proud for that and even the very poor would rather sell you something crap than ask for $$.
Ive also felt very safe here and judging by the amount of Australians/European holidaying here with young children I guess I'm not the only one.
Random observations
The average local home is very small but nice with large front doors that open out so the whole front of the house is open (imagine a small fire station!)

Traditional home

Basically the front room (which opens up) is the living room with TV and often dining table then round a corner at the back is the sleeping quarters (bedrooms) Its small but functional.

For us everything is so very cheap. I told Karl that by the end of the 2 weeks we will have easily made back our flight $$ in what we saved spending here as opposed to if we were in Florida or Mexico on vacation.
When I think about all the ritzy hotels going in along the coast from Da Nang to Hoi An I wonder what this place will look like in a few years time. Its behind in the tourist path compared to Thailand and yet it has all the appeal and more so i can only imagine when the (tourist) boom hits it will go with a bang
I know Vietnam is excited to get more tourists but as I sat at he Xmas eve party with all the local hotel workers I hoped small hotels like that will survive the changes. Often when huge chain hotels arrive (and the ones going in along the coast looked like they could rival Vegas in their glitz and glamour) the typical tourist will gravitate towards the home away from home comfort they can offer and small local places will not be able to compete. I certainly hope not as that would be a huge shame!

DECEMBER 25th 2010
Christmas Day

Phu Quoc Island
We were a little sad leaving the hotel in Hoi An this morning (and hungover) The staff waved us off and we promised to return which im sure we won't but if I was to return anywhere this enchanting town would be a top contender!
Traveling with a hangover on Xmas day proved not pleasant. Flight to Saigon..layover..flight to Phu Quoc and now here we are on the beach in a basic but charming beach hut (bungalow) on Christmas day!

our beach bungalow

A brief walk down Long beach showed this would be a restful few days.

Long Beach

 There is a scattering of beach BBQ spots and resorts with restaurants and bars but thats about it. Pho Quoc has also yet to reach a tourist boom and the whole beach is still backed by palm trees (and the odd Xmas tree!!!)

Merry Xmas from Phu Quoc

As the sun set on the beach me and Karl both took turns to call our family. Mine more emotional than most as the weather in UK has stranded my mum away from my sister for Xmas day :(
....and Karl's was more humorous as he forgot the time difference and woke them up at 4 am :)

Karl talking to his dad on Xmas day!

December 26th 2010

Tough life on Phu Quoc

Long beach-Phu Quoc

Swim...read...swim...rest...swim...eat...sunbathe....read...eat

Life is a Beach on Phu Quoc

Its so nice having the bungalow right on the Beach and we have been lazy just swimming and eating and reading books. The only time we moved was to wander to a French restaurant called La Bistro for food...and even then we didn't really have to as Vietnamese women wander along the beach selling snacks

snacks??

Tomorrow will be more active as we have a snorkel trip planned.....Watch this space!

Wednesday 29th December 2010

Time escaped me here on Phu Quoc and now 4 nights later here we are at the airport leaving! Had a wonderful time enjoying the beach and the relaxed atmosphere here. Phu Quoc has not yet developed as a tourist destination (Like much of Vietnam) so there is not a whole lot to do here if the weather wasn't nice.
Luckily for us (and my ace planning) the weather WAS nice and we were able to enjoy the beach by day and then venture into the night market each night to eat.

Bai Sao Beach

There are plenty of resorts all along Long Beach and you can wander into any of them and use their facilities. The first night we went for dinner in one but found it just ok.
On recommendations we tried the night market the next night (about 20 stalls) and from that point on we returned there every night to eat as it was the best freshest seafood cooked right there under your nose

Cat food??? Well technically that's right!!!

We made a point to try a different stall each night and were not disappointed once. The favourite being a dish of grilled squid rings that we ordered a second plate of! GREEDY.

The best squid ever!

It was very cheap too. The night market was a good 15 minute walk from our place down quiet unlit roads and I never felt unsafe. in fact my whole time in Vietnam I have never felt unsafe or threatened. The locals are so friendly and helpful even though their English (and my Vietnamese) is limited
As with any country, they appreciate you trying with the odd words (please, thanks you etc) and their sometimes stern expression (cultural) turns into a huge smile!

We did do a boat trip which Karl just about survived. Poor Karl...I did tell him I would go alone but I think he feels he has missed too many good times by not going on the boat trips so he came along. Of Course it was the windiest day of them all but once we got going it calmed down and he was fine.

Karl surviving the boat trip

We went off the South of Phu Quoc to smaller islands (pineapple island,lamb island etc) where we could swim and snorkel. It was stunning...islands that were not inhabited at all and some just had the local fishermen there.
The boat captain swam with us and caught sea urchins then showed us how to trim their spines and served then as a pre lunch snack.

enjoying my sea urchin

I tried a cooked one and then as that was so good (and I was feeling brave) tried the raw one (the spines were still moving!)
Once back on Phu Quoc we went to Bai Sao beach (South Beach) which has the whitest sand on the island and chilled out here a while

Bai Sao beach

Pretty much that was the extent of our excitement here on Pho Quoc.
We did take a taxi to a local pepper farm as pepper is one of Phu Quocs biggest exports (along with fish sauce which you aren't allowed to fly on Vietnam air with!!) At the pepper farm they were quite surprised to see us and even though its mentioned in the Lonely planet as something to do and there really wasn't anything to see except the pepper vines themselves and to buy cheaper than usual pepper corns

At the pepper farm

Next year when they open the international airport I see this island going through big changes. Even though I usually like "action" on holiday it was great to enjoy some enforced R and R and I got used to the laid back atmosphere and friendly laissez-faire locals. As yet they still don't really know what "to do" with tourists.

Sea star resort

There are resorts and there are trips (like our boat one) but don't go expecting it to be the same as a trip you would take in Mexico or such. Whilst they are well organized and timely its still very unstructured and things can change at the blink of an eye. Be prepared to go with the flow!.

One more night back in Saigon then we will leave Vietnam for China (Beijing) I will be sad leaving Vietnam behind even though Im excited to experience a new country.
Vietnam has exceeded my expectations and judging by the comments I'm getting has surprised a few people too.

Those who asked "Why Vietnam?" are realizing (just from the photos) why i wanted to come here. I hope my photos and words encourage people that may have shied from traveling here that its a fantastic place with fantastic people.
If you like the comforts of a full tourist environment wait a few years, but if you want to come to Vietnam before the full boom hits book quick!!

Wednesday 29th December (much later)

So back in Saigon for the day/night. This time we stayed in a total different area.
Last visit we were in District 1 where all the action was; and this time (due to ridiculously early flight tomorrow am) our hotel is closer to the airport in a business section of town. Being geared for business men it is decidedly seedy with prozzies in the bars..subtle though not like Thailand.

The plan was to stay here and just use the hotel to relax and decompress before tomorrows flight to Beijing. However within an hour we got antsy and got a taxi back into district one to finish up some of the sightseeing we missed first time around.
I'm so glad we did....this time we saw the reunification palace proper and had some of the best pho of the trip at the chain fast food Pho place (pho 24)
Funnily enough we thought now we had settled into Vietnam and over the jet lag we wouldn't find the traffic so unnerving...Ha...wrong...I'm not sure how anyone gets used to this craziness!!!

ready steady GO

It was so very humid today too though, so after that we found AC in another mall before seeking out the Sheraton hotel for what was one the the better views of downtown Saigon

drinks with a view at the Sheraton

We cabbed it back to the hotel in time for dinner and after wandering our hotel (business) section we realized there was not much to chose from so we settled for a seafood place oppostite our hotel (owned by the hotel too i think).
The restaurant was a mix of Asian tourists and Asian business men clustered around a huge swimming pool and the menu was HUGE...anything from suckling pig to spaghetti bolognese. We didn't have much hope for the meal being any good so was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be very tasty
Such a bizarre place though....at one point in the evening loud music began and the staff all gathered in a  vietnamese rendition of the "chicken dance" Why ???? We had no idea!!
Sort of like a bad TGI Fridays birthday celebration without the birthday..

However nothing about this restaurant (or area) made much sense but we rolled with it and had a fun time. Back at the hotel now which is more modern and western than most we have stayed in (still under $50 though) and time to catch a few winks before the 5am wake up call.
China here we come.....( See "made in China" Blog)

Goodbye Vietnam...we heart you