Exploring Vietnam
In Hanoi we stayed in the Old Quarter, not far from Hoan Kiem Lake. This is the traditional commercial heart of the city with many shops and restaurants. We stayed for three days in Hanoi, using it as a base, and only spent one day in the city itself, but we felt that was enough time to see all the main points of interest. The other days we visited the Perfume Pagoda, about 2 hours north of Hanoi, and one of the main Buddhist sites in Vietnam. This is a good opportunity to see the countryside around Hanoi and includes a very picturesque 1-hour boat ride to the temple.
We also went to Halong Bay – possibly the highlight of the whole trip! The scenery is stunning, and even though it was cloudy the whole time, it didn’t detract from the beauty and tranquillity of the area. We stayed overnight on an old (but very luxurious) junk and visited the (aptly named) Surprise Cave, and a local floating fishing village.
From Hanoi we flew to Ho Chi Minh City (HCM) in the south of the country. We stayed at a hotel right on the river. The rooftop bars offer great views over the city and you could easily lose an afternoon just watching the world go by from here. This hotel is also at the heart of District 1 which has the main tourist sites and the most high-end shopping and restaurants. It is also opposite the river cruise terminal, if you can cross the road! We wandered across one evening and just went on board for a few drinks as we had already eaten - it was 50p each for the trip and was a very enjoyable hour or so.
HCM has many iconic buildings, from its French colonial past up to those made famous through the images of the fall of Saigon from the 1970s, so a city tour is well worth it. If you’re interested in a Vietnamese perspective on the “American War”, do visit the War Remnants Museum, be warned though, several the exhibits are not sanitised in any way!
We also visited the Mekong Delta on a short river cruise. It’s certainly a great way to get up close to village life along the water and I was amazed by how friendly people were, especially the children. They loved seeing visitors. If you do think about visiting Vietnam, it is worth remembering that tourism is still relatively new. Be aware - they eat virtually anything, especially in the north. “Dog anybody?”. As for the traffic – it is manic, especially in the cities. There are thousands of mopeds per square foot! Walk slowly into the road and they will dodge around you!