South to North Vietnam

After returning from Vung Tau to Ho Chi Minh City on an early morning hydrofoil trip we barely made it to the Saigon airport in time to catch our flight but of course our Jetstar Pacific flight was delayed.  Once we got in the air the flight was only around 2 hours and touching down in North Vietnam had me thinking if Hanoi would be a repeat of Saigon which I found to be nerve racking and not very enjoyable.

After the flight landed at around 4pm I really wanted to head to Halong Bay right away.  I asked a booth about the trip to Halong Bay and the packages they offered were pretty consistent with what we actually paid.   We decided to book the 2 day excursion to Halong Bay the next morning from our hotel in Hanoi.  We easily found the legitimate taxi (so we thought) and started off for the hour or so long drive into Hanoi.

Taxi Driver Hotel Scam

I saw two things that interested me during the taxi ride from the airport.  First of all, the air was completely filled with smoke.  I couldn’t tell if it was from a celebration or just a bunch of farmers.  The date was September 20th, 2009 so if anyone reading this knows do tell.  Secondly I noticed the very large presence of foreign companies.  Almost every billboard which were plentiful were from Korean and Japanese companies.

Chalk up another victory to the Lonely Planet Guide for warning us about the taxi driver scam.  We asked the taxi driver to take us to Church Hotel which was recommended by another guide book, the Hanoi Wallpaper Guide.  The Lonely Planet warned about taxi drivers taking you to the wrong hotel, or in our case he took us to a random room above a shop.  I know the language barrier is significant, but this guy was obviously trying to make some extra bucks.  I was not surprised because of my experience with the rip-off and scam artists in Ho Chi Minh City which were also in the Lonely Planet.  This taxi driver hotel scam had me thinking again that Hanoi was going to be a repeat of Saigon.

Hanoi is Nothing Like Ho Chi Minh City!

After the taxi driver started driving to the real Church Hotel I had a chance to sit back and observe Hanoi.  It was even apparent on the highway from the airport that Hanoi was a lot more friendly than Saigon.  In Hanoi I noticed a presence of young, smiling faced people.  It seemed that every time I turned my head in Hanoi I would see an attractive 20-something girl or a beautiful 30 something woman doing her thing. I

thought Hanoi really had a small town atmosphere, especially when compared to Saigon.  Most of the streets were narrow and while the traffic was hectic, there was nowhere near the volume of Ho Chi Minh City.   We finally got to Church Hotel and incoincidentally was located right next to this big Catholic church.  We had a chance to get our rooms and relax for a little bit then it was time to head out in Hanoi for the first time.

Places to Stay in Hanoi:  Church Hotel:  -Coming soon

Paces to Stay in Hanoi:  Gia Bao Hanoi Hotel

The Lake

Hanoi is a city with many lakes but the Hoàn Kiếm Lake is seemingly right in the center of the city.  Both hotels we stayed at were located a very close walk from Hoàn Kiếm Lake.  all around the lake was a very peaceful and relaxing place even though it was surrounded by the normal swarm of motorcycle traffic.  The noise of the traffic somehow disappeared when I was walking around the lake.

During the day the lake was a place for people who were just getting off work to sit and rest for lunch and by night time it was a place for couples and friends to go and just relax.   I would estimate the circumference around the lake to be around 1.5 miles and there is plenty of shops and restaurants across the street from the lake and one restaurant actually outside alongside the lake called Hapro Bon Mua. I met a guy selling Lonely Planet guides and post cards walking around the lake.  I first gave him the usual cold shoulder but ran into him again a short while later and started talking.

He said he was a student and explained his life story and we chatted for around 3o minutes.  He told me that he knew some good karaoke places and gave me his phone number and offered to show and my friend around.  He insisted I go across the street from the lake where there was a large group dancing.  It turned out the dancing they were doing was very far from traditional Vietnamese dancing.

Looking Across Hoàn Kiếm Lake at Night

More Rip-Offs

My friend who I was traveling with told me about the Lonely Planet warning about the English speaking people around the lake, I decided not to call back the guy who I spoke with at the lake.   I can usually tell if people I meet are good natured but the Lonely Planet had been 100% so I decided to not take the risk of getting ripped off.  Unlike Saigon there were very few cyclo drivers and other annoying people on the streets trying to sell you something or provide a service.

Taxi drivers seemingly drove around the lakes multiple times for no apparent reason which lead to large taxi bills.  They even did this when we were with our Vietnamese guide who we asked to show us some night venues when he was our tour guide at Halong Bay.  We asked him to show us around since he spoke English well but his guidance led to more rip-offs as he definitely brought us to less than spectacular places because he was going to get a commission.  This wasn’t necessarily a rip-off but an annoyance nonetheless.

Thinks I did in Hanoi

Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton)

Shopping at Cho Dong Xuan

Overall Impression

Since my less than optimally planned trip to Halong Bay cost 3 days I only had the chance to visit Hanoi for 1 full day and a couple nights.  I had the chance to stay longer I just booked my return ticket too soon.  At the time I felt it was time to head home to Bangkok but I definitely want to return to Hanoi as I missed out on a few tourist attractions as well as the city away from the lake.  Since Hanoi is close to China I’m thinking I may try to obtain a visa for mainland china and start my journey in Hanoi to see what I missed.

Go to Hanoi and Have a Seat!

Innocent Bystander

Elefin Coffee Culture is a cafe/restaurant which I think is named for the mispronunciation of elephant or Chang (word for elephant in  Thai) I have walked by literally several hundred times.  It is located in the middle of Soi 1 right off Sukhumvit road, close to the express way entrance.  It is right across from this German restaurant named Tilac which always has an expat sitting on the front drinking a beer but is mostly empty.

I have been hell bent on getting my picture site TourismPics.com up to date so I can begin to create more pages and take more pictures that I didn’t eat anything all day.  Sitting on the computer for hours on end without eating isn’t good for your health and causes you to crave some junk food.  I was walking to Villa Market to buy some salads and other healthy items when I ended up looking right up at the Chang sign and it was over.

Ordering Food

The place looks very nice inside and there is an apartment and an internet cafe above. The menu was on display on the outside and it had steak which is what I was craving so I had to try it.   I walked in the restaurant which was literally freezing so I sat outside one of the 3 or 4 covered, stone tables.  NOTE:  If you come to Elefin Coffee Culture at night and are wearing shorts, I can warn you that you will end up with at least a dozen mosquito bites!

I was far beyond self control so I quickly scoured the menu for the things I craved the most.  I was definitely getting a steak and to be as gluttonous as possible I decided to get a club sandwich too.  I ordered a mango icee as well which I hoped would kill my sugar high.  I waited to get my food outside in front of a busy Bumrungrad induced traffic jam on Soi 1 and was content to watch the nurses walk home from the hospital.

How Many Calories? I don't want to know

How was the food?

The club sandwich was so small I ate each quarter in a single bite!  I polished off the club sandwich which tasted good and its french fries which were crispy just the way I like them in about 2 minutes.  I then turned my attention to the T-bone steak which was covered in this spicy gravy and mushrooms.  It had another order of fries on the side as well as some steamed green beans and carrot slices.

The steak was pretty good.  Most of the time I get T-Bones there is too much fat for my tastes but this T-Bone was good although the gravy which smothered it kind of drowned out the taste of the beef (which may have been a good thing).  The mango icee was excellent but I’ve never had a bad mango icee ever in Thailand.

Would I Pick it Again?

Since Elefin Coffee is so close to my apartment I will probably go there again some day maybe to try to find a decent American breakfast which has eluded me in Thailand so far.  I was not super impressed.  The service was normal, the place was nice in a nice location and I had nothing to gripe about with the food.  The price for everything was a lot more than the average 35 baht ( $1.ooUSD) Thai food anywhere in Bangkok.  My double meal and mango smoothie which is probably what 2 normal people would eat cost 480 baht ($14.30).

Later on the First Day

If you missed it, Halong Bay Part I covered most of the first day of my 2 day excursion from Hanoi Vietnam.  I stayed and took some pictures and took a nap while everyone else was swimming.  I was awaken by a woman’s voice announcing “buy something”  and I had to investigate.

Just like Benh Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City vendors were trying to sell you stuff even in the middle of the bay!  At first, buying bottles of beer, water and snacks from the floating vendors was interesting, and felt kind of like feeding the pigeons but after a while it just got annoying as the relentless vendors and their calls of “buy something” and  “cold beer” just got annoying.  I found it interesting that even after midnight, these women most who were young and pretty were still on the bay, some sleeping and some on their cell phones which I could see lit in the distance.

Floating Vendor Ladies that Swarm the Boat

Dinner, Conversation & Partying?

When everyone came back from swimming they announced that dinner would be in an hour or so as it was just getting dark.  You wouldn’t expect anything less than a fun, unique bunch of international tourists at a world-renowned tourist destination and that is what we had.  Spending almost a whole day with our shipmates let everyone learn about each other.  Almost 3 weeks after visiting Halong Bay I can still remember everyone who I shared the White Dolphin with.

Our group consisted of a single divorced mother from New Zealand with her teenage daughter and son who had been in China for months.  There was an Australian husband and wife who were bankers living in Singapore.  There were two presumably gay guy friends from Australia who have been traveling the world for a year together.  Another lone traveler was a Dutch guy who also had been traveling the world for a year.  There was also 2 solo female travelers, an in-between jobs Filipina woman from Australia and a very cool mid-20s American girl who just graduated school who we actually randomly ran into in Hanoi 2 days later.  Last but not least there was me, an American living in Bangkok and my buddy Jae, a Korean American, living in San Francisco.

Dinner was a great 5 course meal which included very tasty crab.   I forgot the rest of the courses but I remember everything being very good.  We spent about an hour eating dinner and when it was finished everyone with the exception of the mother and two children went to the roof deck of the boat for conversation.

As our group of about 10 people sat and chatted over drinks we noticed the boat off in the distance was making a lot of noise.  It sounded like they were singing karaoke and drinking heavily.  Our group consisted almost entirely of mid to late 30 somethings so I would guess the loud boat in the distance had the group of British backpackers who I sat next to on the ride to Halong Bay.  Keep this in mind if you do the tour.  If you want to party hard, it may be a good idea to get a bunch of young people at a backpacker hotel or hostel to go with or you may get stuck sipping wine and chatting with us old folk.  At around 12:30 or 1:00am our conversation turned to the awkward silence that signals bedtime.

Early Rise

Picture Courtesy of gibtach.blogspot.com

Every guidebook, tour guide and previous visitor to Halong Bay raves about the early morning scenery with the beautiful fog covered limestone rock formations.  Our tour guide stressed that everyone should get up early to view the beautiful scenery.

I was all about getting some good photographs of what would probably be a once in a lifetime experience but when the guide said we were supposed to get up at 5:30am there was a collective groan from myself and the others.

Even though getting up at 5:30am is not something I ever like doing, I set my Nokia cell phone alarm for 5:30am.   I thought the bed was very comfortable in the room and I slept very soundly.  I really didn’t know what to expect but I now know that being in the middle of a shielded bay is pretty quiet at night.

I know it is anticlimactic but when I woke up at 5:30 and looked outside there was no fog at all.  The day was clear and it looked exactly like the day before.  Back to sleep.

Kayaking

After breakfast, which I unfortunately slept through it was time to kayak.  We put on our life vests and got in one of the little transfer boats and it took 10 minutes to get to the pier with all the kayaks.

The kayaks were the open kind where your sitting at the same level as your feet.  There were 2 people per each kayak and then we were set free to explore the bay.  The kayaking was great because you could go through some of the giant limestone rock formation’s caves.

I didn’t bring my HD Canon camcorder because I didn’t want it to get wet, but I was lucky enough to have my picture taken by one of my shipmates.

Saying Goodbye to the White Dolphin

Leaving

After returning from a little longer than an hour of kayaking around Halong Bay it was time to return to the boat for lunch.

I was tired from kayaking and really welcomed the food which never disappointed while on the White Dolphin.  Right after lunch it was time for checkout.  Just like any hotel, we packed our belongings and payed the bill for drinks and the mini bar.

We then loaded up all our baggage to the smaller boat and waved goodbye to the White Dolphin and soon Halong Bay.  We actually got a bigger,  spacious, more comfortable bus/van on the way back which made the 4 hour trip seem a lot shorter.

Overall Impression of Halong Bay

Everything met and/or exceeded my expectations including the great on-board service, fellow shipmates, food, tours and the facilities on the boat itself.  I haven’t mentioned the price of this 2-day Halong Bay excursion from Hanoi on purpose.  I myself didn’t know what to expect when they told me how much it cost.

The entire 2-day trip including everything I have mentioned except drinks only cost 1,600,000 Vietnam Dong or $90!  Considering most of the hotels I stayed at in Vietnam cost around $50 a night, the all inclusive excursion was one of the best bargains I have ever experienced while traveling.  I did go during “rainy season” (didn’t rain a drop) so the price I paid may be lower than someone would pay during peak travel time in December or January.

Save a Day

Since the flight from Saigon to Hanoi was only around 2 hours I thought it would be a good idea to try to get to Halong Bay the same day.  Halong Bay is a good 4 hour van/bus ride from Hanoi so I figured if you could take the flight and then drive straight from the airport to Halong bay it would save a day of travel.  If you read about my experience with flying Jetstar Pacific Airlines you will already know a flight cancellation and the associated delays cost me at least 3 hours of travel.

For anyone reading this who wants to go to Halong Bay, there are booths selling sleeping boat tours (for fair prices) at the airport so it still may be a possibility.  The moral of the story is, if you want to get from Saigon to Halong Bay in a single day, make sure you take the earliest flight from Saigon to Hanoi and book in advance.  I never book in advance so I ended up having to spend a night in Hanoi which wasn’t a bad thing but sometimes it just feels better to get the bulk travel done all in one shot.

Booking & Bus Ride from Hanoi to Halong Bay

Halong Bay is one of Vietnam’s biggest tourist attractions so finding sleeping boat tours is very easy in Hanoi.  Most hotels and all tourist information centers had multiple types of Halong Bay excursions to offer.  Myself and a friend chose a 2 day package which included 1 night on a sleeping boat.  They told us the itinerary which included swimming, kayaking and of course sight seeing and one night sleeping on the boat.  There are also tours that include hiking.

Before you can go on the exciting nautical adventure you need to get there.   I read you can take an hour helicopter flight for around $100/hr which I would have considered due to the fact I have never been in a chopper before and it would shave 3 hours off the trip.  The all inclusive cost for our Halong Bay sleeping boat exrursion included included the 4 hour bus/van trip so why not.

The good part about van trips to excursions like this is you get to meet a lot of interesting people.  Getting stuffed like a sardine to fit 13 or so people in an extended air conditioned van or short bus gives you the opportunity to get up close and personal with your possible shipmates.  Our group included a bunch of different characters on different points of their travel which I will talk about later.  Needless to say, the 4 hour ride which stopped once for a restroom and food break allowed us to get acquainted with some interesting travelers and is a blessing in disguise.

Once we crossed the bridge we knew it wasn’t too long before we boarded our temporary home on the water.  They separated the people in the van into groups depending on whether you were on the 2 or 3 day trip which meant we lost some of our bus companions for people in another bus.  After getting off the bus it took about 30 minutes to all board a small boat to take us to the large sleeping boat.  In a couple minutes we got to the sleeping boat and set sail (not literally) for the middle of Halong  Bay where we would anchor down for the first and in our case only night in Halong Bay Vietnam.

Just Boarded Sleeping Boat, Heading for Middle of Bay

Welcome Aboard

When we first boarded our sleeping boat which was called the White Dolphin we were given choices of rooms.  I was with a friend so we shared a room which had twin beds, nice washroom, mini bar and most importantly air conditioning.  For anyone who travels alone keep in mind you will likely be sharing a room with a complete stranger.  If the thought of this bothers you, it’s probably a good idea to make prior arrangements to avoid this situation.

The White Dolphin had 3 levels.  The bottom level had all rooms.  Our room happened to be the last one on the bottom level towards the back of the boat (sorry for not using the correct nautical terms) so the water was right outside our window.  The mid level had the dining room, bar and more rooms and top level had a bunch of lounge chairs and outdoor tables and furniture.  We barely got a chance to explore the boat after we got our rooms when we were called up to the main deck for lunch.

Lunch & Conversation

Food was included not surprisingly drinks were not.  They served the first meal in 3 courses of pretty good food.  The dining room was very nice with tablecloths and the whole nine yards.  Most of the tables had 4 seats which allowed us to chat with 2 people who happened to be two friends from Australia who have been traveling the world this year.  The conversation was interesting but as soon as we were close to finished we were told that we would leave the White Dolphin via small boat to explore a large cave in 15 minutes.

The Cave & Swimming

We were all shuttled to a big cave which was famous for having several rock formations which looked like objects from a lion to Buddha to the infamous pink genitals!  After the boat landed there was a decent hike up a bunch of stairs to get to the entrance of the cave.  By that time I was very hot and sweating profusely but it came as a relief to find out it had to have been 10 degrees cooler in the cave.

It was unexpected and surprising to me that the first thing we saw upon entering the cave was this very obvious pink penis with scrotum.  Our guide spent a good 5 minutes talking about this pink penis and seemed genuinely excited to talk about the pink phallus which I think was lit up for show.

The rest of the cave wasn’t nearly exciting as the pink phallus.  There was a basic 10 minute walk looping around the cave and then it was time for pictures.  After leaving the cave there are some great picture opportunities which allowed me to take the one at the top of this post.  After leaving the cave everyone got the chance to go to a nearby beach and swim, swim of of the boat or stay on the boat and relax which is what I did.   Most of the people in our tour opted to swim on the beach while a couple others were content to jump off the top deck of the boat.  Everyone seemed like they burned a lot of energy swimming and after I took a nap it was beginning to get dark…

I Told you our Guide was Excited!

Continue to Halong Bay Part II:

Get There; Beware!

To get from Ben Thanh Market from anywhere in the backpacker’s district near Pham Ngu Lao Street you can walk in less than 15 minutes.  I was staying at Elios Hotel on Pham Ngu Lao Street and I decided to go for a morning errand run and got to Ben Thanh Market by accident just by following the park and NOT following the advice of cyclo drivers, moto taxi drivers and various other people trying to make some money off a Saigon first timer.

(View from Elios Hotel Roof Restaurant) Park along Pham Ngu Lao St. Leads to Ben Thanh Market

Rip – Offs:  Getting There

Cyclo are Everywhere near Pham Ngu Lao

If you walk to Ben Thanh Market you will be under constant pressure from people trying to sell you services.  As mentioned in the overview of Ho Chi Minh City the best (and only) way to deal with the people who try to talk to you is to completely ignore their existence.  Yes, it does sound rude and against the mantra of most travelers but it is absolutely necessary dealing with the following skilled and very persistent characters roaming around district 1.

First and foremost you have cyclo drivers.  Cyclos are everywhere and while you want to ride in them the drivers have a horrible reputation for taking you to places you don’t ask to be taken and charging too much.  You also have motorcycle taxi drivers who will constantly be telling you that the Cyclo drivers will rip you off but they won’t.  They seem a little more trustworthy than the cyclo drivers and even provide testimonial books but seem pretty shady.   One thing they all have in common is they will tell you that Ben Thanh Market is expensive and they can take you somewhere cheaper, usually Chinatown.

Secondly you have shoe shine boys.  These kids who seem to be very poor and/or addicted to meth walk around and try to shine or brush your shoes with tooth brushes.  They are very very persistent and will follow you for blocks and if you talk to one, you’re likely to have a group surrounding you.  If you make the mistake of talking to them, they will likely demand several hundred thousand dong.

Lastly I ran into the Filipina women.  I was actually warned by a cyclo driver about the women and it was just in time.  I already had talked to 2 Filipina women in the park who asked where I was from in perfect English (as most Filipinos speak) and coincidentally she knew people there.  Next was talking about where you live and they gave me their phone number and asked to have lunch later.  Evidently they get tourists to trust them and somehow get them involved in gambling which can cost a lot of money.

I wouldn’t have thought twice about it at first, but I ran into 2 or 3 Filipina women on the walk who all said the same thing, “Hello, where you from? …. Oh my sister lives there…. “  It seemed to me that all the scam artists were working against each other.  I know it sucks having to suspect everyone being a scam artist but unfortunately in Saigon it seems to be the norm.  I guess you would expect this in a developing, communist country which has only been open for tourism around 25 years.

Rip – Offs:  At Ben Thanh Market

Before going over what is actually available at Ben Thanh Market you should know that you have to bargain very hard at Ben Thanh.  Not a rip-off per say but you can learn from my mistakes.  I bought some designer underwear (which I assume was knock-off) and nice Abercrombie cargo shorts and some T-shirts and I paid around 2,500,000  or more dong (around $140).

When I told this to my 2 expat friends over lunch, I received the dreaded double face palm as they painfully explained that the starting negotiating point for anything at Ben Thanh Market is 20% of the asking price!

Shop for Everything under the Sun Roof

You can literally find anything under the roof of Ben Thanh Market.  It is very big and crammed together like most markets in Asia.  There seemed to be no real organization of goods.  You could find clothes on one stall which was next to a stall selling mystery food (see picture below).  Vendors (especially young women) were often grabby when I expressed interest.  I found some pretty high quality (what I assumed to be) knock-off clothes and other products.

Name that Food

Recommendation

If you go to Ben Thanh Market take your time and bargain very hard.  You are no doubt going to visit another shopping area so compare prices and you can always come back if you don’t find what you want in Chinatown or another shopping area in Saigon or anywhere in Vietnam.

Land, Sea or by Air?

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the geography of Vietnam (like I was) , Ho Chi Minh City is pretty far from Hanoi.  I thought it would be a hop, skip and jump in a bus or train but in fact it is 3 day train trip.

Most people will tell you that the best parts of Vietnam are in between the 2 large cities in the north and the south.  Taking the train over a few days is probably the best way to explore Vietnam but a 2 hour flight is a lot easier, or is it?

Booking the Ticket

When booking a domestic flight in Vietnam the usual suspect websites such as Expedia, Kayak an Orbitz do absolutely no good.  You have a choice between Vietnam Airlines, Indochina Airlines and Jetstar Pacific which is the cheapest and offers almost 10 flights a day.  The price for a one way ticket to Hanoi from Saigon was around 880,000 Vietnamese Dong($50USD).

Saigon, we have a Problem

As we boarded the relic of an airplane I noticed what I thought were patches on the side of the plane.  It reminded me of when I used to patch up the inner tubes of my bicycles when I was a kid.  My friend argued that it was a compartment or hatch but I think this old plane was patched up like a sinking ship (see for yourself below).

Patch or Hatch? You be the Judge

Just as the plane finished boarding the pilot who happened to be from New Zeleand announced over the intercom in English before Vietnamese, “This plane’s wing is broken and it cannot fly.”  After the collective groan as they made the announcement in Vietnamese everyone got off the plane and went back to the terminal.

At the terminal I noticed there were at least 4 Jetstar pacific flights that were canceled.  I took it in stride as I wouldn’t want to be flying a plane with a defective wing so we waited.  Less than 2 hours later after a bunch of junk food consumption we boarded an equally old, but working aircraft.

Definition of Budget Airline

If you want an inch of spare legroom or a free meal on your 2 hour flight to somewhere in Vietnam Jetstar Pacific is not going to help you.  If you want the new LCD screen on the back of the seat in front of you with video games, internet and movies Jetstar Pacific is not your airline.

If you do want to spend around $50USD one way and don’t mind being herded around like cattle in a smoke smelling aluminum tube with a bunch of people with hacking coughs Jetstar Pacific is right up your alley.

Getting to Vung Tau

After spending 4 days in Ho Chi Minh City we desperately needed to go somewhere less nerve racking and the closest beach was Vung Tau.  While driving to Vung Tau was possible a boat was recommended.  The boat was actually a Russian made hydrofoil which zoomed very fast along the river.

The seats were comfortable enough for the smooth 90 minute trip.  Take note:  If you have large baggage and long legs, try to get to the front of the boat as there is far more room than the rest of the seats.

Kids Selling Stuff at Buddhist Shrine

Scooting Around Vung Tau

From the map handed out by the scooter rental, you can tell it is very easy to get around in Vung Tau.  From the ferry terminal you can go either left or right.  The left leads you to the main city while the right leads you to most of the resorts including a 10km beach called Back Beach which leads to another part of the city.

We chose to stay near Back Beach so we took a taxi to hunt for places to stay.  We ended up finding a place called Vung Tau Entourco which was located right on Back Beach and had bungalows.  As soon as we checked in and got our bungalows we head to the front desk and rented scooters which cost around $15USD per day.

The traffic was non-existent compared to Saigon so driving the moped (which happened to be my virgin ride) was not a problem at all.  It felt great to ride throughout Vung Tau looking at some beautiful natural and man-made scenery.  The moped was great because it gave us the ability to stop at our own pace to see the Buddhist and Christian shrines throughout Vung Tau.

The people we met seemed to be a lot friendlier than Saigon.  Thankfully there was a complete lack of hustlers trying to get you to buy junk or services you did not need which was a breath of fresh air.

More than Just a Beach

If you make it off the beach, plenty of physical activity awaits in Vung Tau.  There are 2 main hills you will notice with Christian statues which you can hike up.  Be warned:  To get to the top of the cross at the top of the hill (picture below) it took a lot of effort and was very hot so bring water and sun block.  Another hill has a Jesus statue which reminded me of Rio De Janeiro as I walked along Back Beach looking up at it.  You can also climb to the top of Jesus’ shoulders which I did not do because I had mild heat exhaustion from climbing to the top of the (below) hill on a low water tank, idiotically wearing a black T-shirt.

Many Many Steps to get to the Cross on the Top of the Hill

See Seafood

Since fishing is obviously Vung Tau’s bread and butter so to speak you can expect to find some great seafood restaurants which we did.  We saw a large parking lot filled with cars and mopeds which attracted us to this restaurant which I forgot the name of.   As you walk down the stairs you see the live menu items in pools on either side.  I saw everything from fish, lobsters, sea snakes and turtles which also appeared on the menu.

The dining area which is literally 1 meter from the sea and was shielded from the wind via sideways umbrellas.  The place was packed with Vietnamese people and the food (especially the fish) was delicious and fair priced.  I apologize for the vague details but I think it still deserves a mention.

Turtles and Sea Snakes = Yum

Hit the Beach

Back Beach was very long and big.  The sand was fine with few rocks and the surf was very mild.  To my surprise there were very few western tourists on Back Beach.  It appeared to me that the beach which was crowded all the way to dusk was filled with mostly Vietnamese people.

Back Beach was a very swimmer friendly beach with thousands of people swimming in the calm waters.  If you want to surf, unless there is a tsunami, Back Beach is not your spot.  I did see some people on jet skis.  A beach is a beach and the only thing I noticed different about Back Beach was all the spiral sea shells which were on the menu at a Saigon restaurant were inhabited by hermit crabs.

Back Beach with Jesus Statue on Hill

Overall Thoughts

Being in Saigon for me was like torture so I would have been happy if Vung Tau only marginally sucked but I actually liked it quite a bit.  We only stayed there one night because we had our flight booked from Saigon to Hanoi the next afternoon but I would think most people would enjoy 2 days in Vung Tau, 3 days max.  There are plenty of seafood restaurants, Buddhist and Christian shrines as well as nightlife and entertainment to keep most tourists happy for a couple of days.

Tunnel Away from Ho Chi Minh City

Regardless of how much you enjoy city tourism Ho Chi Minh City is likely to get on your nerves if you stay within the city limits  too long.  The Cu Chi Tunnels are located about an hour away from Saigon via car and are a great way to get out of the city, walk around without the endless parade of motorcycles, cyclo drivers and street vendors.

The most common way to get to the tunnels is purchasing an all-inclusive tour which includes transportation.  If your hotel doesn’t have a tourism center there is probably one very close by where you can view the various tour packages.  Most packages offered are full day 8am to 5pm trips which include the Cu Chi Tunnels and other tourist attractions.

Since waking up at 8am wasn’t a viable option we ended up opting for a “4 hour” trip solely to the Cu Chi Tunnels.  I say “4 hour” trip because the Saigon traffic will largely determine how long it actually takes to get there.  We decided to leave at around 12 noon and we returned around 5:30pm.

We were offered a price by a taxi driver for a trip to the tunnels but we chose to book through the hotel.  I don’t remember the exact prices but I’m pretty sure the hotel charged more than the taxi driver although the trip included admission to the tunnels and an English speaking guide.  We ended up paying $80 each which seemed quite expensive.

Dine along a Stream before the Tunnels

Eat Along the Way

The cost of a meal was not included in the price of the trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels.  You can bring snacks or your driver will take you to a restaurant before you visit the tunnels.  Dine along alongside a flowing stream (Picture on left) and amongst tropical greenery at an indoor/outdoor Vietnamese restaurant.

The prices were moderately cheap, the food was good and the service was excellent as we ate alone in the restaurant.  I remember the mango and other fruit smoothies were so good we both ordered two.  The restaurant looked like it was ready for a lot of people so I think it would be busieer if you were on the schedule of a full day tour rather than our 1/2 day tour.

More War History

After parking the car you walk uphill through a large (unrelated) tunnel before you meet with your guide at the top.  After a brief introduction you are lead to a covered bunker looking encampment to watch a video.  The video is a straight out of the 1970s (literally).  As well as providing some history about the war and the area it also talks about rewarding the Cu Chi people for being the best “American killer” as well other war time propaganda.  I liked how they threw in a classic video (I assume on purpose).

Not Just Tunnels

Array of Available Weapons to Fire

The guide walked us in a small group around the wet, clay floored forest as he explained everything.  The first thing he showed us was one of the tunnel entrances (video below) which was so small I couldn’t even fit both of my thighs in it.  The people small and flexible enough were allowed to attempt to squeeze in.  One German tourist said he saw a bat in that first tunnel which made me think how horrible it must have been to live in those tunnels while constantly being bombed and attacked.

The actual Cu Chi Tunnels are only a small part of the attraction.  We were shown the actual infamous array of booby traps used by the Vietnamese.  The demonstration of the traps gave me chills thinking of how bad they would hurt a human being or an animal for that matter.  There were various set-ups showing how the soldiers would have looked like during war time including a robotic group of soldiers creating weapons from US bomb scrap metal.

Finally we were invited to enter a tunnel as a group.  The tunnel was enlarged to accommodate for western tourists (Thank God).  I am extremely claustrophobic and while duck walking through the sweltering sauna-like heat and darkness of the tunnel was uncomfortable it wasn’t unbearable.

After the tunnel we were  invited to a gift shop where you can not only buy souvenirs but you can shoot high powered assault rifles!  You are given a choice of 5 or so assault rifles used during war-time then and now.  The catch:  each round cost $1USD to fire with a minimum of 10.  Even though I knew my money was literally going up in smoke I still couldn’t resist and fired 10 AK-47 rounds while my travel buddy fired from the extremely loud M-60.  Don’t worry, all the guns are mounted and do not allow anybody to shoot someone’s eye out.

Cu Chi Tip

If you plan to fire an assault rifle make sure to fit your ear protection properly and/or bring your own ear protection.  The ear protection they gave us was shotty at best and firing the M60 was deafening to say the least.  As you would expect the area is very hot, damp and clay-muddy so make sure you don’t wear your school clothes or you will get muddy.

Overall Impression

Leaving Ho Chi Minh City was a prize in itself but the Cu Chi Tunnels were definitely a highlight of my Vietnam experience.   The trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels not only showed a lot about the Vietnamese people but it made you learn a lot more about how the Vietnam war was fought and the actual poor peasant people who stood against the military juggernaut and won.

Historic

Let me start off by saying Reunification Palace  formerly known as Independence Palace is probably the most significant piece of real estate in the history of the country of Vietnam.   When you think that the Vietnam war ended when the tanks of the communist north crashed through the gates you get chills down your spine.

Reunification Palace is located in the heart of Saigon.  I can remember at least 5 times we drove by it in a taxi while on the way to other locations.  The palace sits behind a big grass field with the actual tanks that crashed through the gates sitting on each side.

One of Many Conference Rooms

Touring Reunification Palace

After you pay for your ticket and walk in you have the choice to start wandering around the palace by yourself or picking up an English speaking guide for a small group tour.  Our guide happened to be a middle aged Vietnamese woman who was quite funny as well as informative.

The group basically walks around and looks in the different rooms which were all decorated a little differently.  The guide enlightened us with the story of each room and the contents of them.  This was pretty much the entire tour.  Towards the end was a room full of pictures with stories that were pretty interesting for people not well versed in the history of the Vietnam war.

Tips

There is no air conditioning or air flow in most of the building.  It feels like a sauna in the palace for most of the tour so if you don’t like profusely sweating you should come prepared by wearing light clothes.  There is a snack bar on the roof selling refreshments but it may be a good idea for most people to bring a bottle of water to avoid letting thirst detract from the tour.  After the tour is completed you can view an optional video in a room with fans.

Historic Significance does Not Equal Most Exciting

The Reunification Palace tour was cheap and the guided tour only took about an hour to complete.  While the Reunification Palace was not drop dead boring it wasn’t something that you will be raving about to all your family and friends.

Anyone from outside of Vietnam who finds themselves in Saigon should definitely visit Reunification Palace if not for the sight seeing, to soak in the history of the long Vietnamese struggle and victory.

50 Tons of Steel Victory for North Vietnam

Blame it the Rain

We arrived to an empty  Lonely Planet recommended restaurant Le Jardin.  There was a couple outside in the covered area chatting over a laptop but the restaurant doors remained closed with a young Vietnamese woman walking back and forth to the window and ignoring our every attempt to make contact with her.  We were starving and decided to break the ball and chain of the Lonely Planet to find another place to satisfy our hunger when the skies began to open up.

Without umbrellas we started walking down Le Thanh Ton street in search of some food.  We saw no decent looking sit-down restaurants in the general vicinity until we saw Bibi restaurant.  There was a Vietnamese man sitting on a chair at the entrance and he invited us in (without speaking English) to get out of the intense rain.   Upon entrance, it was apparent that the restaurant was not open as it was quiet and empty.

Did Not Know what to Expect

As we sat in Bibi’s high backed, soft, comfortable upholstered booths we noticed how quiet it was.  The only noise we heard was the tropical downpour as we sat alone in the restaurant.  There was no staff in the restaurant other than the guy that let us in as we waited for some kind of service.  Five minutes later the guy at the front door brought me a cell phone with a woman who told me in English that the restaurant didn’t open for another 45 minutes but we were welcome to stay and have a drink.

As a couple restaurant workers showed up we were brought a plate of warm potato chips to wait until the staff arrived which was okay with us during the rain storm.  I ordered wine about 5 times but the Vietnamese guy didn’t understand so I ordered my usual, “Tiga Beea” which was easily understandable in Asia.

Chat with the Owner

A business casual dressed Caucasian man was sitting alone at the corner table and we figured he was the owner which he was.  Valentin was a 1/2 French and 1/2 Vietnamese gentleman who talked to us about the restaurant scene in Saigon as well as other helpful information about the night club scene and more.  He even invited us to attend a party at Bibi the next night but we had other plans.

What You can Expect

The food at Bibi was excellent.  I am not a French food connoisseur but I can tell you I had the best steak I’ve had in Asia at Bibi outside of Tokyo.  The rest of the food was excellent and tasty as well.  My travel buddy who consumes fine dining on a regular basis was equally impressed with the quality of the food especially the foie gras.

I apologize for writing an entire blog entry about Bibi Restaurant without providing a detailed explanation of the food but you can rest assured you will be satisfied.  I also do not remember the exact price but I remember comparing it something comparable in the USA and like most things in Vietnam, Bibi was well worth the price. If you are a Lonely Planet follower and are heart broken that there is a huge wait at Le Jardin don’t be.  Walk up the street a little bit, take a right and find Bibi and have a nice, quiet delicious meal for an extremely fair price.