Mid-Coast Vietnam

Mid-Coast Vietnam

Ninh Binh:
After a brief stop in Hanoi, we continued out travels south in Vietnam. We took a two-hour bus ride to the town of Ninh Binh, where we would spend the afternoon before taking an overnight sleeper bus. Ninh Binh is a great small town, with very friendly people. We took a quick ride on the back of motorbikes to visit Tam Hoc, known for it's massive rock formations that seem to rise out of the rise paddies. We were running a little behind schedule, but found a small rowboat and two guides (sisters, in fact) to show us around. It was an amazing atmosphere, as we glided through the water, with the sun setting over the craggy rocks. We took an abbreviated version of the tour since we were running late, but the views were breathtaking.

Hue:

After dinner in Ninh Binh, we took an overnight bus to the town of Hue (Hoo-ay). The bus was quite an experience, involving 13 hours of bumping around in a semi-flat bed, listening to DVDs dubbed in Vietnamese (using only the voice of one middle aged woman for all the characters).

We spilled out of the bus into the streets of Hue, along with loads of other backpackers. Everyone is quick to offer a taxi or a hotel, and will follow you for blocks to get a sale. We quickly walked away from the big group to get our bearings, and eventually found a place to stay that was recommended by the guidebook. Having settled in, we again hopped on the back of some motorbikes (with our guides driving- the roads are a suicidal mess of thousands of motorbikes and trucks going in all directions). We went to Tu Doc tomb, which was a grand collection of buildings, lakes, and monuments, all in honor of one man (who many believed was impotent). It was a very tranquil place, that looked relatively undisturbed and peaceful compared to the hectic city of Hue. We then visited a few pagodas, and worked up an appetite cruising around and holding on for dear life. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant recommended by our guidebook, where we enjoyed a seven course meal, kicked off by an impressive appetizer served up in a pineapple carved to look like a rooster. The entire meal cost just under $10US, and we nearly had to roll ourselves out of the restaurant. That evening, we caught a couple of soccer games at the local stadium (Thailand v. Vietnam and Myanmar v. Singapore). The games were almost as entertaining as the crowd, who were occupied with beating drums, heckling the teams and being disorderly. We were the only two white people around, so we kept a low profile and chatted with locals about the nuances of soccer and inter-country relations for a few hours before heading back to the hotel.

Hoi An:

The next day, we took a relatively quick bus ride down to the town of Hoi An, which is just about halfway down the coast of Vietnam. Hoi An's reputation as a city full of tailors and beautiful architecture held true. As we walked around, it was hard to imagine how you could fit so many tailor shops in one relatively small and quiet town. Ian and I picked a shop at random and placed our orders, quickly getting carried away by how cheap, easy and customizable the clothes were. If you could think it up, they could have it made by the next morning, and perfectly fitted by the afternoon. I managed to get away with only a pair of linen pants, a shirt, and a wool jacket for when I returned home, but given more time I would have needed a few more suitcases for my new wardrobe.

The sea of shops with mannequins displaying their sartorial work in the windows was broken up by some amazing buildings; testaments to the diverse past of Vietnam, they represented architecture from Japan, China and ancient dynasties that had a presence in the area. The buildings have all been wonderfully preserved, and serve as mini museums that both educate and astonish with their historical significance and beauty. We strolled along the narrow streets, poking our heads into the mini factories where the seamstresses worked making the clothes that had been ordered in the various shops (probably the clothes that we had ordered that morning), and meandered back to our hotel, which was an old, charming building constructed with dark wood, and with enough character and decoration to be confused for another architectural museum.

The next day, we left Hoi An to fly out of Da Nang airport. Destination: Ho Chi Minh City.