Oh Vietnam. I think I have done you a dishonour. You really weren't all that bad. And yes, throughout half of my stay in you I had the biggest case of travel fatigue, brought on by the cold weather and various bouts of illness. Yet, in places you were truly beautiful. And I am sorry I didn't give you enough of a chance...
Vietnam... What can I say? I loved the south and hated the north. But I don't think my opinion is a fair one, and I shall explain why later. However, I will start with Ho Chi Minh City, or, as I prefer, Saigon. Saigon ended up one of my favourite cities, and returning there just before we flew to India proved this. The contrast between north and south Vietnam is astonishing, and if I return I will most definitely be staying firmly in the south!
Matt and I flew from Kuala Lumpar to Saigon to bring in the new year, and what a place to do so! Matt and I did indulge in some sight seeing about the city, but Saigon is more a place for the atmosphere. The locals are lovely, and we had plenty of late night conversations in broken English with curious young people. One girl in particular will stick in my mind. I met her and her fiancée at the Saigon food festival, and she taught me some Vietnamese before asking every question under the sun about England. What is the weather like? What are your parents called? How much money did you earn in your job? Does your neighbour have a cat or a dog? Matt had disappeared to find a toilet, and when he returned I had found a new friend, or, as Matt called her, “ooooooh, Vietnamese friend”.
Locals aside, I think we were particularly lucky to arrive in Saigon for the annual food festival. This was quite an event there, and we found ourselves eating dinner there every night. It was a great chance to try food from very expensive restaurants at a fraction of the price, and Matt and I certainly indulged. Matt even convinced me to try a litre of beer... Thankfully, I had plenty of volunteers to help me finish it!
The highlight of Saigon was, of course, new year's eve. We had noticed a few days before that they were putting speakers up in the heart of the city, and when we arrived there at 11.30, there were literally thousands of Vietnamese people dancing the night away, having a great time. We had an amazing time whilst it lasted (unfortunately, Vietnam has a strict curfew so the party ended at 12.30), and went back to the hostel to wish everyone at home a happy new year, ready to wake up at 6 the next morning.
Our next stop was Mui Ne, a windsurfers paradise. I was particularly fond of Mui Ne. The beach was as nice, if not nicer, than those of Thailand. The crowds were young Australians instead of sleazy old men, and the bars and restaurants were cheap. We decided to only spend one day on the beach as at the time we were eager for culture after enjoying many days at the pool in Kuala Lumpar. However, Mui Ne is most definitely a place I would recommend.
North west of Mui Ne is the charming little town of Dalat. Compared with its surroundings Dalat is remarkably cool, and the temperature came as a shock to us! However, due to the micro climate Dalat is a food paradise. They grow all sorts, and I was particularly fond of the delicious strawberry jam. Food aside, there was not a lot to do in Dalat. There was the infamous 'Love Valley', full of plastic animals and general tat. A great stop though to get away from the heat though.
Next stop was Vietnam's ultimate beach resort, Nha Trang. Unfortunately, the weather had taken a turn for the worse when we arrived, and it rained non stop! Never mind, I, by this point, had contracted illness number one, a cold. As such, I was more than happy to sit around enjoying coffee and chilling out. Still, we moved on pretty sharpish. We decided to go to Hoi An next, an inevitable stop for anyone returning from travelling to get a job – it is tailor heaven.
First though, we had to go on our first of two sleeper buses. Fortunately, Matt and I had managed to avoid sleeper buses until Vietnam. I hated both of the ones we went on. No matter where you are on the bus you can smell the toilet at all times. They are also not designed for Westerners, so if you are above 5 foot tall you won't fit. And, apparently, it is necessary for the driver to sit with his hand on the horn throughout the entire journey. Nevertheless, it got us from A to B both times, and I can say this in the knowledge that I have promised myself that I will never, ever go on a sleeper bus again.
Hoi An is a charming little town. It was quite chilly whilst we were there, but we enjoyed it all the same. Matt had by this point contracted my cold, and I was beginning to get really bad stomach cramps everytime I ate. Still, we managed to make our way to Adong Silk, where we spent three hours choosing fabrics and designs, whilst being measured from every conceivable angle for our suits and coats. Two days and three fittings laters, our suits were ready. We are both very happy with the result and would recommend Adong Silk to all. It was very reasonably priced, even with shipping (and I have received confirmation that the suits have arrived safely!) and we are now ready for all those job interviews back home...Next stop was Hue. Poor Hue, it is actually quite a charming city, but, unfortunately, Matt and I were both ill by this point. My cold had come back, and I was still suffering from stomach cramps. Matt had really bad tummy trouble, and we just couldn't stomach walking further than a restaurant for lunch or dinner. We did manage to get to the Citadel; well, the outside of the Citadel. The thought of going in was a bit much, and we decided to cut the trip short and head to Hanoi.
Oh Hanoi. In hindsight, you actually weren't all bad. I want to try to avoid writing too much about Hanoi, but it is actually quite a charming city. It has nothing on Saigon, but it isn't that bad. The problem was Matt and I both got very ill there. I am not sure what exactly caused it, but we both had serious stomach problems, although, luckily, not at the same time. I am not sure we would have coped at all well both being ill, as finding the energy to get out of bed was pretty hard, let alone trying to eat something. Trying to get Matt to eat something when he was recovering was like trying to feed brussel sprouts to a toddler. Fortunately, the shop down the road sold Snickers, so it was was 5 Snickers a day for Matt until he felt well enough to eat pizza, and other “safe” food. In case you are wondering, his eating did get better in India. Until he ate mutton (I did say I would avoid the meat in India...) and he got sick again. Fortunately in Goa they have Heinz baked beans, so getting him to eat is not such a struggle...
Unfortunately, once we were both feeling a bit better (I actually got ill again just before we left Hanoi!) we couldn't leave Hanoi, as we were applying for a visa at the Indian embassy and they had taken our passports away. We did manage a trip to Halong Bay, which was incredibly beautiful. Unfortunately though, our entire boat consisted of French people. As good as I can read and understand spoken French, I cannot speak it well at all, so we had no one to talk to. Although, to the French woman who looked like yoda please note that I understood when you said in French, why should they get a double room and we have to get a twin, stupid English pigs. Although, I think she might have realised I understood when I said to Matt that I couldn't spend another second around pretentious French people. Her yoda face did look utterly horrified, I think.
At last though, the day arrived for us to pick up our Indian visas and return to Saigon. It was great to be back – no one staring, 30 degrees, clean rooms and restaurants. Thought we should enjoy it whilst it lasts, as I can't see India being particularly clean! All in all though, can't see myself returning to Vietnam anytime soon. If I do though, I must remember not to leave my heart in Saigon next time...
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