17th May 2023
On My Way to Vietnam
18th May / Hanoi
After a long flight via Singapore I have finally arrived in Hanoi.
After checking in at the hotel I went for a stroll through the small streets in “Old Quarter” of Hanoi. Lots of motorbikes and rickshaws.
The temperature today is 35 C, but not too humid. Tonight’s low is about 25 C.
Lots has changed since my last visit in 1993, when nearly all were riding a push bike and hardly any cars or buses were available.
Good to be back for another look and soaking up the atmosphere and busy life in the streets.
19th May 2023 / Hanoi
organised my travels for my stay. Night Market tonight.
20th May / Hanoi
On Saturday, lots of people were socialising in cafes and having a great time.
For the afternoon I had booked a vietnamese cooking class which also included shopping for ingredients at a local fresh produce market.
We learned how to make springrolls, chicken soup, and bbq chicken. The final was an egg coffee, the alternative was a coconut coffee.
Egg Coffee – Why is egg coffee famous in Vietnam?
First created in Hanoi in 1946, egg coffee is the brainchild of Nguyen Van Giang. In response to the pressures of a milk shortage caused by the French War (also known as the First Indochina War), Giang whisked in egg as a much-needed substitute while bartending at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel.
Vietnamese Coconut Coffee
is a unique drink loved by many coffee devotees. The flavor of tastily rich, aromatic coconut milk combined with coffee helps dispel fatigue and energise the body. There is no doubt that you will immediately fall for the drink. One can drink it cold or hot.
21st May / Hanoi
Motorcycle tour with the Backstreet Tour. Fun day ahead and so it was. We were fitted with an army helmet, not sure how much protection there would have been in an accident, but it looked cool. All drivers were very safety conscious and I felt very safe. We explored the Old Quarter and non tourist areas with the very small alleyways, which were supposed to be one way, but… very tide passing by oncoming traffic. Driving over the Long Bien Bridge (built 1899-1902 by the Eiffel Tower designer). was one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of the French colony and a showpiece of colonial infrastructure. In the Vietnam War it became a symbol of Hanoi’s resistance to relentless US bombing. The bridge is only open to trains, bikes and motorbikes and got a very heavy use by the motorbikes. We had the opportunity to visit a private home and listened to an 80 year old telling us stories. the tour finished in a crazy decorated cafe and enjoyed a good choice of Vietnamese dishes.
22nd May / Hanoi
A fantastic City Tour started at the oldest Hanoi Market. They sold three kinds of chicken eggs. One of them even had little chicken in them which got boiled and eaten, but not by me. Visit to Tran Quoc Pagoda, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Hanoi dates back to the 6th century.
The Temple of Literature, the very first university in Vietnam where worship to Confucius the founder of Confucianism, the main platform of social moral and culture throughout many feudal dynasties of Vietnam.
Visit to the newly opened Vietnamese Women’s Museum, one of the best museums in Hanoi, chronicles the history, culture and contributions of Vietnamese women in society throughout the country’s history. Our last stop was the Hanoi Hilton – nickname for an old prison where USA prisoners of war were kept.
23rd May / Halong Bay
Early Start and 2.30 hours drive to Halong Bay. Tender to cruise boat with 26 other passengers. After a very tasty lunch, visit the Trung Trang caves on Cat Ba Island. relaxing evening with only 26 c and a slight breeze.
24th May / Halong Bay
We transferred further into the bay and got ashore for a bike ride to a nearby village. In every village cafe was a little pond with Garra Rufa fish also called Doctor or Nibble Fish. So how does a doctor fish work? Many pedicures involve removing dead skin using razors, but doctor fish provide an alternative. When you stick your feet in a pool of doctor fish, they immediately begin feeding on your dead skin. They don’t have any teeth, so they can’t bite off healthy skin. They can only nibble at the dead, flaky skin with their lips.
Unfortunately it is very foggy, I believe this is from the high humidity.
25th May / Halong Bay
Cruisy morning as this tour will end at lunch time and we will be shuttled back to Hanoi on a 4 line autobahn. This is a bit different from my last visit in 1993, where everyone was walking, riding a bike or if they could afford a motorbike. A bus was going a few times a week to the countryside.
26th May / Sapa
Early start 6.30am pick up and 6 hours scenic drive to Sapa. Temperature only 26 C and overcast weather, just perfect. Sapa is a remote town in northwestern Vietnam and lies at an elevation of about 1500 meters. Sapa is known for its pristine rice terraces, cool mountain atmosphere, and community of ethnic minorities. It offers a wealth of trekking opportunities through the region’s picturesque hillsides and smaller ethnic villages.
I did a guided trekking to the village of Cat Cat. The guide, a 22 year woman Sai, taught herself english, got married when she was 16 and has 2 children. She is very knowledgeable in tribes, their customs and traditional costumes. The clothing here is very colourful, mostly woven and then dyed.
27th May / Sapa
We hiked through rice terraces and three villages and experienced the differences of three ethnic minorities: the Hmong, Giay and Red Dao. Read more here. Women are easily recognized by their different head ware and tops.
We walked through beautiful rice terraces and small villages. It was mostly downhill, after about 8 km I can feel my legs now. The tour finished strolling over Sa Pa market. Enough impressions and activity for today.
28th May / Sapa
Woke up and my legs felt like concrete. It didn’t spoil another great day in Sapa. Went to see the Silver Waterfall and relaxed, chatting to the guide and visiting cafes and watching the world pass by over a mango smoothie and coconut coffee. In the afternoon I started a six hour drive back to Hanoi.
29th May / Hanoi
enjoyed watching the street live and chaotic traffic. Tried out different cafes and relaxed in the hotel pool.
46 degrees today.
30th May / Mai Chau Area
7am pick up and a 4 hour drive to Mai Chau. It’s a super hot day and we waited until 2.30pm with our bike ride through the rice terraces in Mai Chau. During the bike tour there was a stop to watch some weaving and drink some Vietnamese green tea. . It is rice harvest time and lots of workers are on the fields. Tough to watch them as it is already too hot for riding a bike dressed in a sleepless top and shorts, leave alone harvesting rice. They cover themselves to get protection from the sun. The guide, Mr Alex, speaks very good english. Overnight in Pu Luong in a bungalow with magnificent rice field and mountain view.
31th May / Pu Luong Area
The day started at 4.30am, it was enjoyable, cool at 26c, waiting for the sunrise and it was beautiful. After a plentiful breakfast we started our 7 km hiking day through a forest and all downhill, through rice terraces and several small villages. Watching working in harvesting rice. On our way back we walked on a street which had 25% increase. Very slowly we got to the top. Everyone soaked wet and we got rewarded with a magnificent view. Because of the heat, it was a late start in the afternoon after a swim in the cool hotel pool. The Doi Cave is the largest cave in the Pu Luong area. Cave entrance can only be reached after climbing 240 steps and once you’re inside an impressive limestone system will greet you with its mighty beauty. I managed to go down half way, It was so steep and no safety only free fall if I slipped. The total of today’s walking was 10.6km and another soak in the cool pool after our return. Not even to be mentioned, but it was again a very hot and humid day.
1 June / Pu Luong Area
Market day in Pho Doan. Anything on offer from hats, dresses to living larvae and grasshoppers.
Scenic drive the Ninh Binh region and relaxing at the mini resort. After yesterday’s marathon day it was very welcomed.
2nd June / Tam Coc – Ninh Binh Area (pronounced Ning Bing) – Halong Bay on Land
The day started at 5.45 am, 30c and 85% humidity, with a motorbike ride to Ngoa Long Mountain and Mua Cave. Hike up 500 steps and be rewarded with an amazing view of the Ninh Binh area. 500 up also means 500 steps down. Luckily we started so early. The motorbike sightseeing tours today have been fantastic. The motorbike was the best option to explore the region, for cycling it would have been a “little” hot.
3rd June / Ninh Binh – Sampan and Hua Lu
Trang An region is a Unesco Heritage site. The Landscape is a spectacular landscape of limestone peaks, many of them partly submerged and surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs. We did a boat tour on the river in Tam Coc and enjoyed watching the harvesting by boat. I learnt about a new rowing technique, which is by feet and legs.
On our way back to Hanoi we visited the ancient capital Hoa Lu, which was strategically established here in the 10th and 11th centuries AD.
Arrived in Hanoi in the late afternoon and finally it is raining and hopefully it will get the temperature down.
4th June / Hanoi
Just relaxing, coffees, street life and the weekly night market.
5th / Motorbike Trip to Countryside
Motorbike trip to the countryside this time through banana plantages and not rice fields. Closer to Hanoi they don’t grow rice and it is too time intensive. We visited the largest manufacturer of ceramics in Vietnam. They build vases that are taller than I. Lots of these are hand painted by art students. Later we had the chance to try to make our own piece of art from clay. The outcome was very crooked and I rather stay with leadlighting.
6th / Hanoi
Two sightseeing choices for my last day. First choice Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, there are only seven mausoleums in the world and they are all communist leaders. It is still 34C and one has to wear something that covers the knee and shoulder. And stand in line for at least one hour or be there at about 6am. Second choice is the Quang Ba flower market. For both I needed an early start and I could only manage one. The flower market won and I was even a little bit late, it started about 2am. Even late I could still visit lots of stalls with beautiful flower displays. Lotos, sunflowers, roses and many more. I left the mausoleum for next time, Ho Chi Minh won’t move.
Ho Chi Minh
founder of the Indochina Communist Party (1930) and the Viet-Minh (1941), and president from 1945 to 1969 of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). As the leader of the Vietnamese nationalist movement for nearly three decades, Ho was one of the prime movers of the post-World War II anti-colonial movement in Asia and one of the most influential communist leaders of the 20th century.
In his will, President Ho Chi Minh wanted to be cremated and had his ashes laid in the three regions of the country after his death, but according to the will of the Party and people at that time, the government decided to keep his body intact and placed it in the Mausoleum so that people can come to commemorate and pay their respect.
7th / On My Way to New Zealand
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