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Although I didn’t really have any pre-conceived ideas about what to expect I was, nevertheless, surprised by some aspects. Vietnam is modernising rapidly. Ho Chi Minh has a skyline that is reaching up as more hotels are built as well as commercial buildings that would not be out of place in Sydney’s CBD. Similarly, Nha Trang on the central coast has quite a number of building sites for new hotels being built by the big Western chains. Other developments, usually in the form of joint projects with other countries, include large scale infrastructure projects building roads, bridges and airports. An outstanding example is the 6 kilometre (perhaps 12 kilometres – there were conflicting reports!) Hai Van Tunnel through the mountains beneath the Hai Van Pass. This tunnel which has a “ spare” tunnel running parallel to it was built in four years with Japanese assistance and runs from Danang to Thua Thien-Hue Province. It only opened in June this year, six weeks before we went through it and when we went did so our driver and guide were obviously excited by the experience. Another big project was the new civilian airport for Nha Trang. Ignore the maps and your Lonely Planet info about the 5 minute trip to the airport – it is now a 40 minute drive along a new coastal road to the new airport at Cam Ranh.
I referred above to our having a driver and guide so I should explain the setup we had for this trip. Our time was limited to 16 nights and we had quite a number of places that we wanted to see in that time so wanted to have all the airport transfers organised before leaving Australia so as to save time. Also, we wanted to go to Nui Dat where Tony had been stationed during the Vietnam War. To do this requires gaining permission the from local Peoples Committee to enter the area, a task which we also wanted sorted out before leaving Australia. We approached Ross Goddard of Goddard & Howse, a travel company specialising in Asia, here in Canberra. It turned out the company has an affiliation with Asian Trails, a Bangkok based travel company that also operates in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. This was the company that had so well organised our travel by car through Thailand after Anthony & Sarah’s wedding last December. Ross took our requirements and turned then into an itinerary which gave us ground transport by private vehicle accompanied by driver and guide from Ho Chi Minh to Dalat to Nha Trang then from Danang to Hoian to Hue plus all airport/hotel transfers. We had two internal flights – Nha Trang/Danang and Hue/Hanoi. Apart from two guided trips to Nui Dat and the Cu Chi tunnels our time was our own to do as we pleased and find somewhere to eat. We had found in Thailand that by choosing a tour where everything was covered whilst it was great a way to see things one soon got sick of the buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At least in Vietnam whilst it was convenient to have breakfast at the hotel it was good to go looking for interesting places for lunch and dinner – and we were never disappointed. And filling in our days by going to places after looking at the map, reading the Lonely Planet or seeing notices about something somewhere gave us plenty to do.
Ho Chi Minh City really shows it French colonial background with some fine boulevards and old colonial architecture. Road are full of motor bikes and to watch them swooping along is like watching shoals of fish as they flow around corners and pedestrians. Our first problem upon arrival was “How do we cross the road?” The technique is to simply step out and walk at a steady pace, make no sudden movements and don’t step back. This allows the 437 motor bikes bearing down upon you to make some navigational adjustments then flow like water around you. Another method is to step off the footpath side by side with a local (on the down side of them just in case they get it wrong) and shadow them across the road. If they spot you next to them they simply give you a big knowing grin and tend to shepherd you across. In Nha Trang as I stood contemplating a rather large deadly looking intersection on Thai Nguyen a woman swept up from behind, grabbed my wrist and walked me through the maelstrom.
HCM reminded me of Darwin with its monsoonal rains that you could set your clock by. Each afternoon at 2.45 it would start to belt down, soaking you through to the skin instantly and rapidly filling the gutters. On our first afternoon out walking we got caught by this and sheltered under an awning outside an optician’s shop. We were pleasantly surprised when the chap running the shop arranged three chairs inside and signalled to us to come in and shelter. After the rain eased a little we continued on towards where were going (map wet and ripped by this time) and we noticed that all the roadside stalls sold ponchos so we geared up like the locals then stood for 20 minutes, like the locals, under the awning of a rather good looking bakery. By 4.15 the rain had gone, the sun was out in strength and the humidity had shot up. This was the normal weather pattern whilst were in HCM.
Although we had no general interest in going to see sites relating to the Vietnam War we were, of course, interested in going to see the area where Tony was stationed and subsequently killed in action. We spent several hours at Nui Dat looking at the remains of bunkers in various areas then moving on to an area where 3RAR had been located and the local guide who took us through this area was able to pass on information that he has gained over time from visiting Australian ex-servicemen. He was able to show us a hospital area where Tony may have been brought to after he was shot whilst on night patrol. The footings remain of other buildings but the area is now largely a rubber plantation. From here we were taken to the Long Tan Cross which we hadn’t expected but were very pleased to visit. We were the only visitors at the time but I understand that many Australians do make their way there. Our guide for this area told us that both his mother and father fought as Viet Cong, which they now prefer to reference as North Vietnamese Army. His father was killed at Cu Chi.
Other sites of the Vietnam War, or American war as it is known in Vietnam, we came across inadvertently. Whilst in Hoian we went out to the ancient ruins of My Son (Beautiful Mountain) which was the centre of the Cham kingdom from the 4th to 13th centuries. They are Hindu towers and buildings of brick similar to what can be seen in India and Nepal. As you wander around the site bomb craters can be seen. At the entrance to the site there is an information centre which explains the history of the site. It also has photos of what it was like prior to the American air strikes. In particular, there is a photo of 24 metre Cham tower. This tower survived the bombing so a sapper team was brought in by helicopter to place explosives on it, reducing it to a chest high pile of rubble.
Also, in Hue the north bank of the Perfume River is home to the walled enclave known as the Citadel. It was the base of the Nguen Dynasty, with 17 palaces and attendant buildings. Given that as well as running the country the Emperor had 500 concubines to house, the Citadel is a sizable piece of real estate. In 1968 Hue was occupied by northern forces during the Tet Offensive. Hue was hit hard by air strikes and artillery and little was left of the Citadel. One walks through large open spaces with only stone footings and floors to show where buildings once were. The loss of innocent life in Hue itself during those 15 days was measured in thousands. It was big news at the time and I still remember it well – since 1968 I have always associated the words Tet and Hue and this was the one city that I was determined to see on this trip.
One can mourn the loss of these historic sites and think of it as something of the past but indications are that far worse is happening to Mesopotamian sites right now probably with a far greater loss of innocent lives.
Speaking of Hue, we took a day trip up the Perfume River on a so-called “dragon boat” which is sampan with additional colourful trim which has been given a larger cabin space to suit a group of Westerners. Many of them ply the tourist trade on the river. We had one just for the three of us which was run by what appeared to be a husband and wife team. We were somewhat bemused to find that as soon as the boat got underway she put up a table upon which she laid out postcards, prints, statues and all the odds and ends that the street vendors try to sell to tourists. In addition she had shirts, t-shirts and other garments. We had thought that having a boat trip would give us some respite from vendors but this is a nation of traders. However, the boat trip was good, stopping at various points along the river so that we could go to Pagodas, temples and mausoleums. The mausoleums were several kilometres inland so we had to ride on the back of motor bikes to reach them. No helmets of course, just the wind through your hair. Lunch on board was a good meal which as far as we could tell was not affected by our failure to buy from her on board shop. Later in the afternoon we did wonder at one point if we had been dumped. They had tied up at a point so that we could go ashore to Minh’s Mausoleum (not a bad one – I could spend eternity there) but when we got back to the river our boat was gone. We wandered up and down looking at the other boats when we heard a distant shout and saw the boat returning from the other side of the river. They were full of apologies for some time afterwards. I suspect that they had crossed the river to chat with friends on other boats and we were a bit quick in looking at Minh’s final resting place.
From Hanoi we spent a night on Halong Bay on a junk cruise. The junks are quite good with air conditioned cabins complete with ensuites and a very good dining room. Seafood is the mainstay of the menu of course. Halong Bay is dotted with over 3,000 islets, vertical masses of limestone with covering vegetation and some have small beaches. The junk stopped at one such beach to allow us all to swim (there were 13 guests on board). It seemed slightly surreal to wallow in the warm water of the Gulf of Tonkin looking out at the profusion of islets with a junk tied up 50 metres away – but it certainly beat working. The cruise business is certainly a slick operation. You spend 24 hours on board, noon to noon. Late morning of the second day whilst we are doing other things such as jumping over the side or being rowed in bamboo boats into grottoes then having lunch in the dining room, a team is down below cleaning and setting up the cabins for the next group of passengers.
I really enjoyed this trip. Many places you go to you know in the back of your mind that you will be very unlikely to return. In the case of Vietnam I have no such ideas. I’m sure that I’ll go back to see more of what it has to offer. Several articles I read before going indicated that it might not always be a friendly place. That was never my experience. People were always friendly. Occasionally, when walking in the non-tourist areas of smaller places such as Hoian people would simply stare at you but the moment you acknowledged them with a nod or smile they instantly responded in kind. I noticed that the older generation, the granddads and grandmums, would often give a small bow with hands pressed together similar to Thailand and Nepal but this gesture doesn’t seem to have survived down the generations.
My photos are posted at http://au.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kurdis
