Our connecting flight, from Seoul, arrived at midnight. In the Hanoi airport we presented our approved visa applications, paid our fee, had visas attached to a page in our passports, and were allowed entry.
Then we picked up our luggage. Then I went into the restroom. After exiting the secured area, I almost immediately realized I'd left my just retrieved checked bag in the restroom (I was VERY tired, by this time, having been up for about 26 hours). Fortunately the security guard was very helpful, minimizing my embarrassment.
Two people from the cycle touring company picked the six of us up, in a large van/small bus, and drove us to our hotel in downtown Hanoi. En route, the guide told us a lot about how the tour would unfold.
Day 0 (Saturday)
This was a free day. After breakfast, in the hotel, we walked a short distance to Hoàn Kiếm Lake. The perimeter park is a pleasant walk of just over two kilometers.
On the street along the south end of the lake - closed to traffic - children were riding around in large toy cars, etc. Our favorites were the military style tanks, complete with flags, either Vietnamese or US.
Near the north end of the lake is Jade Island, connected by the bright red wooden Morning Sunlight Bridge. On the island is Jade Mountain Temple. The street on the eastern perimeter of the park/lake, Inh Tien Hoang, was closed to cars and filled with pedestrians. At one location, in a large courtyard, on the far side of the street, a large assembly of people were listening to an excited speaker. From the large posters, we could only make out the word "green," though hastily concluded the event was for some environmental cause.
We found a place for coffee and pastries, on this street. We sat on the sidewalk, on small chairs, facing a small market.
Then we returned to our hotel, to regroup.
And then we headed back out again, for more exploration of The Old Quarter. We walked through narrow streets, and occasionally through even narrower alleys. There was one shop, after another, the activities of which often spilled out across the sidewalk. The sidewalks rarely functioned AS sidewalks because of all of the motorbikes parked there. So one often walks in the street, where it is best to take some care to not be run over by the many motorbikes, and much rarer cars, that one encounters there.
It was interesting how certain stretches of certain streets seemed to have a theme to their shops. One street had many shops offering various metal objects (smokers, for cooking, for example). My favorite theme shops were ones which, unabashedly, labeled themselves as Propaganda Posters. Most of the posters appeared to be from the 70s, during a time of tensions between then North Vietnam (Hanoi being its capital) and the US.
Our first actual destination for the day was St. Joseph Cathedral. Built in 1896, by the French colonizers, its Neo-Gothic style was influenced by Notre Dame de Paris. The front of the church was inaccessible, due to a large chain-link fence, so it was unclear if the church is in use at the moment. The face of the church was a bit in need of cleaning, except for the large statue of St. Joseph, near the top, the cleanliness of which set it off, from the rest of the face, by contrast.
Then we found a restaurant, with outdoor seating that was shaded, on a quiet street, near the Supreme Court building. Perhaps judges come here for lunch, before hearing arguments in the afternoon. Our verdict: great food and beer!
From there we sought out the principal destination of the afternoon, the Hanoi Hilton. The prison was built by the French, around the same time as the cathedral. (Hey - the Lord giveth ... and the Lord taketh away!) It was originally used, by the French, to house political prisoners. Later, the North Vietnamese used it to house prisoners of The American War. Most of the prison is no longer there, but the gate house, and other remains, have been transformed into a museum.
Let's just say that, in its day, the place was NOT a country club. To Americans, its most famous prisoner was pilot, and future US Senator, John McCain. Perhaps its most famous visitor, again, to Americans, was Jane Fonda.
The return to the hotel, in late afternoon, was quite challenging. By this time of day the traffic had become very heavy. Occasionally we resorted to a rare crossing light, while being aware that red lights were merely a suggestion to drivers and especially to motorbikers. Just before finally reaching our hotel, somehow still alive, I saw a shirt, in a tee shirt shop, explaining all:
GREEN: I can go
YELLOW: I can go
RED: I can still go
Back at the hotel, I was able to squeeze in a short nap. Then it was time for dinner. The people at the front desk, of our hotel, recommended a restaurant only two doors down. The food was very good. The staff was very friendly.
Afterwards there was a group movement to see the Night Market. I was too tire, preferring some quiet time, back in the room in the hotel, to work on my blog!
Day 1 (Sunday)
Most of today was free. My roomie Jim, and I, headed to the Museum of Ethnology. It was about 10k away, so we took a cab, leaving the old quarter behind as we headed west. The drive was a bit TOO exciting. The car wove its way through lots of people on foot and motorbike. We learned a little more about the fine art of horn use. As Jim noted, road rage does not seem to exist. Drivers of whatever sort of vehicle, just keep on keepin' on, always moving, always looking for an opening. We also learned more about the fine art of driving a motorbike and acknowledging red lights. Many red lights have a countdown timer display. Within 10 second of green is the point at which a lot of motorbike drivers decide "close enough!"
One out of the old quarter, the streets became so wide that the sidewalks were rarely used by motorbikes, for moving or parking! The buildings became modern, and taller. Eventually a very large, curving building caught my attention. It turned out to be the indoor portion of the museum!
The 11 acre site is devoted to the 54 officially recognized ethnic groups within Vietnam. Many of the outdoor exhibits are displays of traditional buildings (often houses, but sometimes other types of buildings).
Bahnar Communal House
Long junk house (boat is still used in international racing)
The afore-mentioned large modern building displays traditional crafts, including fabrics and musical instruments. I was particularly impressed by its architecture. From wikipedia:
The exhibition building was designed by the architect Ha Duc Linh, a member of the Tày ethnic group, in the shape of a Đông Sơn drum, and the interior architecture was designed by the French architect Véronique Dollfus.[3]
Columns of Exhibition Building
Very large drum
Shadow puppet
Loom
From there we took a cab to the Ho Chi Minh complex. It is a large area, with two very famous large buildings - Ho Chi Minh Museum and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - and several smaller buildings, including the One Column Pagoda. The mausoleum had closed at 11:00 am, so we were not able to go inside. Seeing it from the outside was a none-the-less profound experience.
Last resting place of Ho Chi Minh
We walked the remaining distance, back to the hotel. We found a wide east west street, and stuck to the south side (shade!), to avoid the heat - 95° F! For an all too brief distance, we enjoyed a wide sidewalk.
In the late afternoon the tour company picked us up and transported us to the bike fitting. The bikes were lowered to the street level from the top floor of a residential building.
Bikes, about to be lowered
I had a chance to get acquainted with the bike I will be riding for six days.
If the bike fits, ...
I took comfort in an unsubstantiated conclusion that the bike's color - green - was particularly fast!
Then the tour people transported us to a restaurant, for the first official meal of the tour.
Day 2 (Monday)
We rode the minibus from Hanoi to Halong City, 150 km to the east. In the port we boarded a wooden junk that would take us out into Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In all there were about 30 passengers on the boat (which could accommodate about 40).
The Paloma
The bay has about 2,000 limestone islets, many with vertical sides and dramatic shapes. The day was overcast, which obscured the more distant islets.
Halong Bay
After finding an interesting spot to moore in, we rode a much smaller boat to an island. There we entered a cave and walked at least 70 metres into it. We could have gone further but the small boat was departing and it seemed best to not miss it.
Spelunking
Shortly after returning to the mother ship, we got into tandem kayaks and set out to explore the islets from the surface of the water. My boatmate and I worked hard to keep up with everyone!
Kayakers in Halong Bay
Kayaker exploring the bay (photo by Kirkpatrick)
Then we returned to the mother ship (mother junk?) for the night.
Day 3
The wooden junk returned to Halong City.
More karsts.
Once on shore, we boarded our minibus and headed west to return to Hanoi.
In the early evening we walked from the hotel to Hoàn Kiếm Lake.
Our destination was a theatre nearby, to see a water puppet performance.
Two puppets, dacing
Day 4
This was our group's first day of biking. There were lots of sights and sounds, from this agrarian country, as we travelled on a wide range of roads and paths. We saw people working in the rice fields, people herding animals on the same road we were riding on, and lots of impromptu outdoor snack bars.
We stopped periodically, to take a break and take in the view. In the early afternoon we stopped in Ninh Binh, first for lunch, and then to take a ride in a small boat on the Ngo Dong River to see the Tam Coc (Three Caves).
Boats in harbor at Ninh Binh
Exiting the longest of the three caves
Then a bit more exploring of the area, before being finished for the day.
Day 5
We started the day by driving nearly three hours to Huyen Nhu Thanh. There was a complication during the drive. Both people who had started their malaria medication regimen became quite car sick. The driver and guide, perhaps worried about accidents in the vehicle, then decided we should start biking 15 km before reaching the starting point.
When geese commute (apologies to Gary Larsen)
This meant we had to bike about 15 more km than anticipated.
The route was rolling and the region was not very populated. There was lots of rice fields and not so distant mountains.
Golden rice paddies
The setting was lush and very lightly settled.
Rolling terrain
As on the previous day, the roads were used by a wide range of vehicles and creatures.
Water buffalo
Eventually we reached a part of the tour that had very much intrigued us when we studied the itinerary - the Ho Chi Minh Highway (Vietnamese: Đường Hồ Chí Minh). We weren't sure what to expect, recalling the Ho Chi Minh Trail, from the 70s. We discovered a two lane road with an excellent surface and, although hilly, not steep. The lanes were wide and the truck traffic fairly light. There were generally settlements on each side, but actual villages were somewhat rare.
"Mile" post along the Đường Hồ Chí Minh (Ho Chi Minh Highway)
After covering 54 km for the day, we drove the remaining 80 km to Vinh. From wikipedia:
Vinh (Vietnamese: [viɲ] (
listen)) is the biggest city and economic and cultural center of the North Central Coast of Vietnam. Vinh is the capital of Nghệ An Province, and is a key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
listen)) is the biggest city and economic and cultural center of the North Central Coast of Vietnam. Vinh is the capital of Nghệ An Province, and is a key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
We had dinner in our hotel. We appeared to be the only people dining. The others were participating in karaoke, on the other side of the dining room, in celebration of International Women's Day. From wikipedia:
International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year.[3] It commemorates the movement for women's rights.[citation needed]
March 8 was suggested by the 1910 International Socialist Woman's Conferenceto become an "International Woman's Day." After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8 became a national holiday there. The day was then predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations.
We participated in the spirit of the celebration.
Petrolimex? What octane is this stuff?
Day 6
We drove 50 km to Huyen Can Loc, there to begin biking.
At about 10 km we reached Đồng Lộc Junction Peace Shrine. There are several memorials to the troops who fought in the American War.
Memorial to Those Killed in the American Way
There is also a shrine to the 10 girls killed in the 24 July 1968 bombing. We placed flowers and incense on the shrine. It was a very moving experience.
Shrine
After that we continued biking to Yen Binh. Then we drove a bit, had lunch, then drove to Huyen Minh Hoa and biked on the Ho Chi Minh Highway through Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
We ended the day at a farm stay in Chay Lap.
Day 7
We began our day with a short drive to Dong Hoi, on the Sông Côn River. From there we went on a small boat (only slightly larger than could accommodate our group of eight, plus guide). The boat motored a few kilometers up the river to the entrance to Paradise cave. At that point the operators turned off the motor. Then the two people rowed us into the cave and back. Then we motored back to Dong Hoi.
Waiting for the boat. Slogan describes Vietnam perfectly.
Strict rules (incl. #4) for would be boat riders.
Ada Compliance NOT spoken here.
On the boat
Entrance to Paradise Cave
Near mouth of cave
Narrow opening, in distance
When stalagmite meets stalactite.
Short section of cave can be explored on foot.
Then we biked through the town, to check it out, and then biked the short distance to the Ho Chi Minh Highway and continued until we had covered 64 kms. Then we called it a day, got in the van, and drove to Hue. At dinner we discovered gender specific alcohol:
Are you man enough?
Biking around Hue
Today was a relatively short biking day. We biked around Huế, visiting three major tourist attractions. It was our first significant experience biking in an urban setting. No lives were lost.
The first site we visited was the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady. This seven story pagoda is considered the unofficial symbol of the city of Hue.
The Pagoda of the Celestial Lady
Next up, we visited the Tomb of Khải Định. It was built from 1920 to 1931. Khải Định was the 12th Emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty in Vietnam, reigning from 1916 to 1925.
Tomb of Khải Định
Statue of Khải Định
Flag tower on the citadel. (Tee shirt: East meets West)
Meridian Gate
Meridian Gate
Day 9 (Monday)
This was our final day of biking. It was different from the other days because often we were along the water, or at least near it.
We started biking right from our hotel in central Hue. Eventually we biked along a long, narrow island that paralleled the mainland. It was great to finally see the ocean.
Wild life, on the beach.
Then we rode in the van for a while, eventually coming to another long, narrow island. We stopped to have lunch.
After lunch we got on our bikes and biked up and up and up. The traffic was light because the main highway, which parallels our route, goes under the mountains of ______ via a tunnel. The climb up to Hai Van Pass was work, especially since it was humid (though, thankfully not hot).
View, during the climb
Danang, from Hai Van Pass
We spent a few minutes at the pass, catching our breath, then make the descent and biked into Danang. After a little over a week in what seemed very close to the earth, it was somewhat of a shock to now be in a modern city. Then we got into the van for the short drive to Hoi An.
Danang
The beach at Danang
After getting situated in Hoi An, we went to the old part of town for dinner. Such a contrast, from our past week and a half, to see so many lights at night.
Bright lights, not so big city
Brings back memories from my visit 10 years ago. Keep up the stories!
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