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Hoi An, Vietnam.

4/23/2015

Third Stop 15/04/2015 to 21/04/2015
(written by us)

Having already spent a full week in Vietnam we were getting into the swing of the travelling lifestyle. Another day, another hotel room, another Vietnamese city. We weren't getting bored by any means but certainly accustomed to our context. Hoi An, however, is like nowhere else! This small town is a little taste of China nestled discretely into the central Vietnamese coastline. Only a short road trip from Da Nang, Hoi An has firmly established itself as a tourist trap for those in the know and today sports more souvenir shops and hotels than any other industry. That said the town is drenched in tradition and authenticity from a different time and place.

Like the historically wealthy European cities of Paris and Florence, one need only wander the characterful pedestrian streets of the Old Town to be in awe and admiration of the beauty which has been meticulously embroidered into these old building. The entire area of the Old Town is now protected by UNESCO and as such authenticity abounds.

Originally a port town in the 18th and 19th centuries Hoi An was a centre for shipping and trade hosting visitors from across the globe. In turn many of the wealthy visitors, particularly the Chinese, adopted Hoi An as their new home building grand houses, ethnic assembly halls and temples in their own traditional style. The result is a magical and mystical mix of Oriental charm and serenity dotted among the typical Vietnamese hustle and bustle.

We began our time in Hoi An arriving at our home-stay. The equivalent of a B&B we were staying with "Mr Lucky" and family on the outskirts of the town. First rule, shoes off in the house and we were directed to a pile of western looking runners and flip-flops strewn to the right-hand side of the front door. This is a long time tradition of Vietnamese households which persists today. Once settled into our new accommodation it was time to explore.

Our first stop was the street of Tran Phu which bisects the Old Town centre. Here we caught our first glimpse of Hoi An's many treasures. The Assembly Hall of the Hainan Chinese Congregation, built in 1851 memorializes 108 Chinese merchant sailors who were killed when mistaken for pirates. The wall of incense hits you like a second threshold once you enter the grounds. The style of all Hoi An's Chinese buildings is relatively similar.

A large and grand single, free standing wall entrance way from the street opens to a courtyard of bonsai trees, ponds, statues and sculptures. There is a single central focus feature and on either side are smaller features with both sides identical to each other creating balance and symmetry. Chinese Feng Shui is heavily employed in these designs. Across the courtyard you step over the large wooden threshold used to protect the building from evil spirits into a roofed altar area comprising gold figures, statues of historic war heroes, incense cauldrons and walls of Chinese characters written on huge parchment. The outside of the roofs are equally adorned displaying carp rain spouts, the Chinese symbol for serenity, dragon style roof crowns and ancient tiling.

The video link below will take you through the aesthetics of these sights but will not describe the feelings these places stir in visitors. They are sensual and giving places. The sight is beautiful, the smell of incense is distinct and pungent, the sounds of birds in hanging cages chirping and the feel of the heavy wooden furniture and polished stone all culminate to bring about uncanny feelings of calm and peace. It is impossible to pass through these magical places without taking a moment to sit, look, listen and contemplate. Regardless of religious faith or beliefs every visitor will derive a sense of inner-peace and content from these places which one can take with them for the rest of the day. We visited many more of these beautiful Chinese halls and tombs dotted throughout the streets of the Old Town.

Much like its big city neighbour Da Nang, the locals of Hoi An are among the friendliest and open in Vietnam. They are used to Western guests and are eager to share welcoming niceties and cultural nuances. In between our early morning temple touring we were haphazardly wandering along the large stretch of pier when a meaningful call in our direction caused us to look around. From the street we spotted a traditional Vietnamese hat, a pair of excited eyes complete with frantically beckoning hand from below the pier wall.

A local lady who, giving her every benefit, must have been in her late 50's was inviting us to take a boat trip around the bay. I cannot say a sail around the bay because this boat had no sail, no awning, no hand rail, no motor... in fact there was very little boat-like about this raft apart from the fact it was optimistically floating on a body of water.

It was the most austere craft in the bay and certainly unsafe looking. More than that this elderly woman was proposing to bring us around the bay gondola-style sporting a simple pole rather than a pair of oars for propulsion. She was a complete dote however and we did not want to leave her empty handed. We paid her a little money to take some photos with her on her boat and she seemed quite happy with this. The following day we found ourselves again beside the pier where we received a big wave and crinkly smile from our new friend all without any hint of a sales pitch!

Travelling healthily is very important and despite the variety of vaccinations we endured before we left there is no injection capable of staving off home-sickness. With this in mind we made the short trip outside Hoi An towards Cau Dai beach where you will find Paddy's, Hoi An's only Irish Bar. Run by a Northern Irish guy and his Vietnamese wife this pub / restaurant is aptly located among the paddy fields which line the road out of town. Complete with swimming pool and handsome bulldog pup this new enterprise is a real pleasure to visit. The food was excellent and a welcome taste of home. Scotch egg, Bruschetta, Chicken Kiev and Pork belly with mash all washed down with some local beer for good measure was just what the Doctor ordered as thoughts of home threatened.

Our last night in Hoi An we went to a recommended restaurant, full of local delicacies. We were coming to the end of a delicious meal when an inquisitive little gecko decided to join us at our table. I wasn’t thrilled so I swapped seats with Cian only to realise that I had been sitting under three of the little buggers for the entire meal.

Geckos in Vietnam are like flies in Ireland, they are a penny a dozen and ignored by locals. We calmly came to terms with our visitors and were even contemplating dessert when a rat, the size of a small cat (no exaggeration), pranced along the awning in front of our table. The entire beam shook with the weight of the well fed critter. Obviously, dessert was declined and we decided it was time to make a move! What have we learned from this experience? 'Don’t look up’ – what you don’t know can’t hurt you?!?

See you in Hue!

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STOP, STAY AWHILE – OUR TIME IN DA NANG

4/17/2015

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Second Stop 12/04/2015 – 15/04/2015
(Written by Her)

Glad to get out of the noise, chaos and heat of Saigon, Da Nang offered a much welcomed break. It has taken a while but we seem to be finding our feet; rising early without complaint, washing the same t-shirt for the third time already and finally figuring out how to work the hot water! For me, Da Nang has given me back some of my necessities - I feel clean, rested, a little more in control (we even had some rain).

The halfway point between Saigon in the South and Hanoi in the North, Da Nang has a laid back feel, with long wide roads, white sandy beaches and the friendliest people we’ve met so far. A port city on the South China Sea, Da Nang is considerably wealthier than Saigon; cars are more widespread, houses are more securely built and public spaces are pretty. However, given its close proximity (within 100km) of major UNESCO heritage sites, Da Nang is often bypassed by tourists on the way to more well-known attractions.

We decided to spend four days in Da Nang, not much in the grand scheme of things yet surprising long according to the locals who always looked inquisitively at us – asking ‘why not go to Hoi An or Hué? What will you do here? In fact, we had no trouble filling our days. Over the course of our stay we hit all the notable landmarks and few off the beaten track.

The Cham Museum of Sculpture

Although we were slightly annoyed about having to pay the 'tourist price', it was a nice little museum housing large Cham sculpture from the 4th to 10th Centuries excavated by a Polish guy no less! The Cham people are an ethnic minority who migrated from Borneo and left many legacies across Vietnam including sites like My Son. The sculptures are huge and incredibly detailed but the English descriptions leave a lot to be desired. Many of the voice overs seem to end with "this symbol may mean [insert guess here] but we are not certain on any meaning". Needless to say I got a little bored and had some fun with my selfie stick!

Cao Dai Temple

We were both very excited to visit the largest Cao Dai temple in central Vietnam. We removed our shoes and entered the empty temple only to meet a student monk who was more than willing to practice his English and tell us all about Caodaism. The religion was founded by a French civil servant in 1921 who received a vision of the divine eye (a symbol of the faith and present behind every Cao Dai alter). Caodaism draws heavily (or one could say cherry picks) from other major religions such as Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, seeking to unify all religions and bring mankind together.

(Below) Numerous religions symbols adorn the outside of the building and above the alter is a decorative plaque that reads “all religions have the same reason”.

Although Caodaism has fairly ordinary (perhaps even questionable) foundations and has never really established itself outside of Vietnam, kneeling in the cool, serene temple there is no doubt that Caodaists are helped to live better lives by following their faith. The student monk showed us his private living quarters behind the temple where he works in his overflowing vegetable garden that sustains his vegetarian lifestyle. He also patiently taught us how to pray using specific gestures and movements around a small cushion on the marble floor (dividing men from women). It was a simple, peaceful place where everyone was welcome. Even two, not so practicing Catholics, from 6,000 miles away!

The Marble Mountains

Wanting to follow in the footsteps of Michael Palin, the marble mountains, more specifically marble mountain (Thuy Son is the only mountain accessible to tourists) was on our list of must dos. We rocked up at 7am, more than ready to scale the 156 giant, jagged steps carved into the rock face all the way to the summit. We weren't quite prepared for what was ahead. The base of the mountain was full of vendors shouting over each other to get the attention of the seemingly ONLY white people in the vicinity. We politely said “we’ll be back later” not realizing that this meant they would literally hunt us down!

The caves dotted throughout the mountain were once home to a Viet Cong hospital. They now house Buddhist and Hindu temples, adorned with multiple alters, burning incense and ‘happy Buddha’ statues. During the war, the caves were blasted by bombs, leaving them with large craters in the roof where sun streams in, creating a calm, spiritual atmosphere.

Once we got to the entrance we were handed a very rudimentary map and we set off on our assent. The climb was tough. It was 30C, 85% humidity and only getting hotter. Not to mention that health and safety is not really a Vietnamese priority (handrails were less than sturdy and steps were slippery). I made it a little over half way before having to turn back because of the height. Cian kept going solo (applause well deserved). From the top, the five mountains are visible – each representing one element (metal, water, wood, fire and earth).

I can’t go without mentioning the second entrance to Thuy Son mountain! If you weren’t in a very active mood, the second entrance to the mountain has an enormous concrete lift (like something from a James Bond movie). Standing tall, and incredibly ugly, the narrow lift shaft is tied to the mountain by a walkway designed to shuttle tired tourists up and down to see the temples and caves without the headache of the climb. The second entrance was brimming with ‘white people’, all eager to buy their lift ticket! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted but we gave that one a miss!

WATCH US CLIMB MARBLE MOUNTAIN

China Beach (My Khé)

Running for 20 miles along the coast from Da Nang to Hoi An, China beach is cited as one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world. Of both tourist and military significance, American troops were sent here for some rest and relaxation during the war and it was they who christened the area “China Beach”.

With a backdrop of the Marble Mountains, the beach may be familiar to us Westerners for scenes of surfing soldiers in the movie ‘Apocalypse Now’ but it is well used by locals who treat it as their back garden. It is a fantastic place to waste time, especially during the early morning when elderly locals perform tai chi exercises in the rising sun, and the modest fishing boats are set to work for the day.

Dragon Bridge

When you arrive in Da Nang, you are almost sure to spend half your day crossing the Han River. From any crossing point, the most colourful structure on the horizon has to be the Dragon Bridge. Designed by a group of American Architects, the bridge was opened just recently (2013), and holds six lanes of traffic. The locals are very proud of the impressive structure that spans more than 2,000 ft. While we got time to appreciate the bridge itself, we missed it changing colours at night and blowing fire and water on Sundays - like all good Dragons do.

The Locals

Perhaps because the locals were less familiar with tourists than in some more trodden places, they were all keen to talk to us and practice their English. We made a new friend in Wayan who gave Cian a ride back to the hotel on the back of her motorbike! She also did well to sell him some marble from the base of marble mountain (a Turtle for a long life, and an Elephant for strength) made by her parents from Marble dust they imported from China! The Vietnamese government recently banned rock extraction from the mountain realising that they could make more from Marble mountain as a tourist attraction than by cutting into the rock to make huge marble statues. Overall, it was the people that were the most endearing about Da Nang, hugely helpful, enterprising and above all things memorable.

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LIFE ON THE STREETS - OUR TIME IN SAIGON

4/12/2015

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First stop - 08/04/2015 to 12/04/2015
(written by him)

By way of introduction, Saigon comprises the city centre area of this large province within south Vietnam while Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is the name given to the surrounding suburbs of the same province which border Saigon. The locals make a firm distinction between the two (Man United or Man City?). In Saigon, every aspect of life is here and on display.

Life is lived on the streets in Saigon. It's hard to believe there could be anyone indoors as we squeeze among the bustling markets, scooter hang outs and street vendors. We have only spent 4 days here and of course we are still getting to know Saigon but the reveal of the city's personality is definitely on its street corners. The volume of people is astounding.

Everywhere you look someone is doing something you have never seen done quite the same. Men cool down by rolling up their tops and exposing their bellies, female scooter drivers wear flowery face masks and skirts to protect their clothes as the navigate through the dangerous polluting traffic while some of the poorer teenagers still skulk about in bare feet.

A stream of scooters endlessly roar past on every road and in every direction. They carry anyone and anything you can think of: office workers, whole families, boxes of chickens, blaring stereo speakers etc. Trying to cross the road always provides a jolt of adrenaline, drivers and riders do not stop in Saigon, they swerve... sometimes! More than anything else the scooter must be the unofficial symbol of Saigon. They are everywhere! Beep Beep...

(Below) I caught this xe om motorcycle taxi driver just as he caught me.

(Above) Outside the central post office in Saigon, these school girls on a day tour just spotted me as they posed for someone else.

We have divided our time in Saigon between typical sightseeing and simply rambling around the streets experiencing the unique atmosphere. From the time we now wake at 5:30 am to the time we fall asleep the street is alive with the sounds of scooter horns, shouting street vendors, and later in the evening music floating from lively bars. There is also a cockerel residing somewhere in our hotel but we did not manage to catch a glimpse of him. Of the rambling, the pleasure is in seeing, smelling, hearing and interacting with a completely alien way of life.

Many of the local stalls and shops never seem to close, open from the time we leave the hotel at 6am or 7am until we return for the night at 9pm.The stalls sell everything but are predominantly food and drink based. Many of the people operating the stalls are poor and this fact is unavoidable. But they are hardy and business minded people eager to chance their arm with tourists when it comes to pricing. Of course this can be very trying but when poverty is so prevalent we are tolerant.

A litre of bottled water typically sells for 6,000 dong which is about €0.30. A pint of draught Saigon beer is about 9,000 Dong which is less than €0.50. In the mid 1980's Vietnam was one of the 5 poorest countries in the world. It is a communist country and it has taken a long time for Vietnam to make economic progress.

(Right) This unknown gentleman was begging outside the Notre Dame Cathedral in Saigon. I gave him some money and asked him if I could take a photo.

Of the sightseeing, we visited some of the usual hot spots. The central post office in Saigon is something special. Designed by Mr Eiffel (of Paris tower fame) it is a large, proud building, with an arched roof inside, a portrait of Ho Chi Minh himself and is complete with its own gift shop. The post office sits adjacent to the classical Notre Dame cathedral. From here we walked the short distance to the Reunification Palace. This huge building and gardens celebrates the re-joining of North and South Vietnam following the war. While heavily guarded you can buy tickets to view the inside of the building. From our research the outside of the building was its most spectacular feature so we decided to leave it at that.

(Left) Meet Mr Ngo, the last public writer of Saigon's Central Post Office. He has worked as a polyglot letter writer in the post office since he was 17 years old. He has connected countless people around the world. Customers who require his services simply dictate their letter while he writes it for them.

From the Palace we walked the short distance to the Centec tower, one of the largest skyscrapers in Saigon. We (she) had read there was a restaurant occupying the top floor of the building with unbeatable views across the city. From the street level entrance there was nothing inviting and we were unsure if we even had the correct building and whether the uniformed guards would stop us as soon as we past a certain point. We decided to keep going until told otherwise. With our heads down we found the lifts and took one to floor 23, the top floor. Still no indication that there would be anything except offices when the lift doors would eventually open. The Restaurant, was beautiful and empty. At 11:30 in the day we were very early for lunch. The staff were delightful and impressed with Western visitors. We ordered drinks and mixed breads while we went out to the viewing area for photographs. It was certainly worth persevering through the uncertainty of the ground floor.

The Cu Chi tunnels are a popular tourist destination and the competition among tour operators for your custom is fierce. We got vastly different quotes from $7 per person up to $60 per person depending on the operator, the tour group size and the method of transport. After researching we made further enquiries at our hotel reception where they offered to book us on a small group tour for $20 each. We agreed and at 8am next morning a mini-bus arrived with "Son" our tour guide. The man was certainly a character. His English was relatively good and he made every effort to joke with us and get to know us during the drive to the tunnels some 50km outside Saigon (in Ho Chi Minh). We had the mandatory gift shop stop halfway to the tunnels but this was no great hardship and we were not pressured to buy anything. The tunnel tour itself can be a free-for-all. It was very important that we stick together and stay with Son as we might end up getting caught up with another tour group very easily.

(Above) Son, our Cu Chi tunnel guide, delighted to show-off some of the deadly traps used by his ancestors to fight foreign forces.

The tour itself takes about 2 hours. You are sat to watch a short video of the tunnels origins during the war with the French in the 1940's to their continued use in the war against the USA. The tunnels were an amazing feat of engineering comprising three levels, with the lowest level going as deep as 12m below ground. The system spans an area of some 250km. There are booby-trap demonstrations, examples of the various tunnel features including ventilation mounds, underground kitchens and hospitals, B52 bomb craters and a taste of Vietnam war rations, tapioca root dipped in sugar with palm leaf tea.

Visitors also get to crawl a tunnel some 400m to experience the space and conditions. To see the traps and think of the tunnels as they were when actually in use, pitch black, tiny, with snakes and scorpions nesting inside brings home how tough and scared the combatants on both sides must have been. The tour also offers the opportunity to fire machine guns (at a price). The tour is worth the half day excursion but the guide will make or break the day for you.

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Hoi An, Vietnam.

STOP, STAY AWHILE – OUR TIME IN DA NANG

LIFE ON THE STREETS - OUR TIME IN SAIGON

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