Vietnam: The good, the bad and the very strong coffee

Vietnam

Anyone you speak to who has been to Vietnam says that it’s their favourite country in South East Asia. Let’s just say our view differs somewhat from the norm. This is probably due to the fact that this was our sixth month travelling throughout Asia and the unfortunate turn of events that ended our trip a tad shorter than expected. 

Hoi An

Ho Chi Minh

We started our trip in Ho Chi Minh city. I would recommend staying a maximum of two days. This is plenty of time to experience what the city has to offer (not the four that we did). It is a hectically busy city, separated by zones. Zone one is the main tourist region and where most people stay. So naturally we stayed in zone three in a residential apartment block. Beside the fact it took us double the time to get to the main attractions, it was a massive win because close by there were some delicious local cafes. Where no one (and I mean no one) spoke english. This, funnily enough, can become tricky when vegetarian. A big shout out and thank you to our friend google translate who made this exchange possible.  

These cafes were where we fell in love with sitting on tiny chairs on the street drinking strong coffee. Which sounds simple but it’s where you can watch day to day life. Think entire families fitting on one scooter, vendors selling their fresh vegetables, the constant hum of a busy city, and of course near misses of car accidents every few minutes (and by cars I definitely mean scooters). 

Luke and I were in Ho Chi Minh for a few days before we picked up Sue and Tim (Luke’s parents) from the airport. I think it’s fair to say it wasn't on their bucket list of destinations to visit. But being the supportive parents they are, they decided to come visit us anyway (and thank goodness they did).

In terms of things to do in Ho Chi Minh, close by there are the Chu Chi tunnels. This is a half day tour (30 AUD each) where you have the opportunity to witness the war traps and weaponry used by the North Vietnamese throughout the war. It was extremely confronting and reminds you just how awful war really is. To get a bit of an understanding of the war as a whole before you go I would recommend visiting the War Remnants Museum ($3.60 AUD pp) in the city to get a bit more of an overview.

Hoi An

Best time of day to go to the old town, all the streets are blocked off to scooters 

Hoi An

Hoi An was our next stop. It is a heritage listed town on the coast of Vietnam. It has beautiful buildings, night markets, and is known for its lantern festival (which sadly we missed). It’s also famous (well in our family at least) for being the town where my mother in law Susie was a millimetre away from getting taken out by a scooter, and I mean a millimetre. It’s safe to say crossing roads, or being anywhere near a road, was not her favourite thing about Vietnam. Me being the caring, supportive, daughter in law that I am coaxed her the following day to get on a bike and “be one” with the traffic and ride a few kilometres to the local beach, Da Nang with Tim and I. We couldn't have asked for a better day. The sun was out, the swell was clean and the wind was non-existent (I definitely intend you to read that the same way as “the sun is shining the tank is clean” for fellow finding nemo lovers out there, otherwise please disregard). Well, nearly everything was perfect, beside the fact Luke was stuck in bed all day (and the following few days) crook as a dog. Later we found out he had golden staff, so I guess it was fair that he was feeling sick..

Only on the way back from the beach did we realise we could ride through rice paddies instead of the main road (Sorry!)

It's ok the ride to the beach was worth it

Hanoi

When Luke was well enough to move (kind of) we hopped on a plane up to Hanoi. If you go there, make sure to go on a Sunday. Just because I like the day… but really all of the roads are closed off around Hoan Kiem Lake. Which if you go to Vietnam you’d understand how amazing it is to have some reprieve from all the scooters. And that’s not even the best part. The best thing is that all the locals come out to play. You’ll see teenagers having dance battles, old couples doing the waltz, people playing board games and everything in between. You will also find young Vietnamese people out with their english tutors coming up to you to ask to have a conversation to practice their english. We met this young cracker of a kid who was telling us about the time he was fishing and caught a great white shark (He was 6 year old and had never been to the beach). His tutor didn’t seem to be impressed with this story, but it was entertaining as hell for us! Hanoi had plenty of bars, coffee and good food but we were ready to get a bit more peace and quiet so we headed over to Cat Ba. 

Sue and Tim helping a little boy practice his english 

Cat Ba

The town of Cat Ba on Cat Ba island

We took a bus and ferry to get to Cat Ba Island taking four hours in total. The ferry crossing was the shortest we have had, but was the dodgiest boat we have been on so far. It was so packed full that the safety inspector actually came on board and told half the people to get off. This was an absolute shock- I mean who would've thought there would be a safety officer?! Cat Ba is a large island just south of Halong bay, the region is famous for emerald waters and limestone islands. We chose to go to Cat Ba instead of taking an overnight cruise in Halong Bay (which is how tourists typically enjoy Halong) as it worked out to be about the quarter of the price and we got to do the day tour instead. 

Beach 3 (this was literally the name of the beach), Cat Ba

Cat Ba was all four of our favourite place in Vietnam. Entirely due to the fact that it was surrounded by water (yes I chose well marrying into a family of fellow water lovers). The day cruise was fantastic, it cost us $18 AUD pp for a cruise around Halong. This included lunch, snorkelling, kayak rental and stopped off at two different swimming spots. It was absolutely stunning and a perfect day. Until the last swim where I started to feel a bit off..

Halong Bay day cruise, snorkelling spot

Hours before our mate dengue paid a visit

This was when the splitting headache, nausea, cold sweats, temperature and the next three days in bed began. And when I learnt what it was like to be sick. We were supposed to leave a day later to go to Sapa and go hiking. I could not get out of bed. On the third day Nurse Susie and Luke made the decision that I had to go to the hospital. Did I mention that the closest international hospital was in Hanoi? A ferry ride with a sneaky spew and the longest bus ride of my life later we were back in Hanoi. I went to Vinmec hospital’s emergency department where I was diagnosed with Dengue fever. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do apart from rest, stay hydrated and make sure that it doesn't develop into haemorraghic dengue fever. After the nurse attempting four times to put a drip in (whilst Susie and Luke were watching on trying their hardest not to but in and do it themselves) the fifth time was lucky. I was sent home and and told to come back two days later. 

Two days later I was admitted to hospital because I hit the jack pot and developed haemorrhagic dengue (which basically means you start bleeding in places that shouldn’t be bleeding). Thankfully it was minor and three days later I was discharged. But by this point we had had enough and we were on the first flight back to Australia. The acute phase of dengue lasts 10-14 days but let me tell you the fatigue lasts months. We went back to Crescent Head (Luke’s home town on the mid north coast of New South Wales) for a few months to relax, regain our health (turns out fried rice for every meal for six months isn't “ideal”) and get ready for the next stage of our trip: seeing my best friend Dani in London for CHRISTMAS.

Love always,

Claire and Luke (Luke was doing yoga on the roof with the Taj Mahal in the background whilst I was writing, so he counts as a co-author too right?)

If you squint your eyes you will see the Taj Mahal, I swear