Halong Bay

Well we got it right - the cruise was great. Halong Bay itself is an amazing sight and to be cruising amongst the isands in smooth waters on a luxury boat is rather special. Our cabin on the boat with its own ensuite and picture windows was brilliant. The food was so good we must have both put on weight. We had a 7 course fresh seafood banquet when we arrived on board and that was only lunch. It was so nice on the boat that when there was an opportunity to go in the tender to see a fishing village the temptation was to think it was another tourist trap and not go. Well thank goodness we did. The two of us ended up in a bamboo sampan being rowed around the village and between the islands by a young woman. She must have rowed for at least 30 minutes without tiring. The village we stopped at had about 250 inhabitants, the houses on floating pontoons were tiny but everyone seemed to have a TV! Apparently a boat comes from the mainland daily to deliver supplies, fresh water and take away garbage and their fish catches for market. Also the children are educated for free which was not the case anywhere else we visited in Vietnam.
Back on the ship we settled down for cocktails on the sundeck before another banquet for dinner. Up at 5.30am the next morning to watch the sunrise.
All good things come to an end and we disambarked midday on day 2. The cruise had included being picked up from our hotel in Hanoi and the 5 hour bus trip to and from Halong Bay but we decided to spend our last few days in the bay area rather than go back to busy Hanoi.
We found an island resort on Wotif.com and had a villa overlooking the bay in a 5 star resort for 2 nights. 2 more mornings when we set the alarm to watch the sunrise! The resort was quiet being low season but the pool was still warm enough for swimming and we walked around the island enjoying the views and the golden sandy beaches all to ourselves. The resort restaurant was a disappointment but we had eaten so well in Hanoi and on the boat that we just did not need more gourmet food.
We booked a private car to take us back to Hanoi airport and while we paid more than we had expected the car was very comfortable and the driver safe and cautious.
The journey home from the resort to Turramurra took a mere 26 hours - car, planes, train and bus.
Its nice to be home planning our next adventure.

You can view more photos at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/sc9111/Vietnam2009

Hanoi

After our experiences on the buses and train we decided to fly from Hue to Hanoi. The journey went smoothly and was completely uneventful. The Vietnam Air flight was on time, the plane was clean, the service excellent and the fares cheap ($50).
We selected the hotel in Hanoi to be in the Old Quarter and that is exactly where it was! The streets were narrow and crammmed with street traders, bikes, cyclos, motorbikes and the odd taxi like ours trying to get to hotels. The hotel itself was in a great location although we could have done without the disco next door. Having settled in we went out to explore the tiny streets and many tourist shops. It was shoppers' heaven and we probably should have bought more but we were trying to keep the luggage weight down so just enjoyed window shopping. The Lonely Planet again came up trumps with a restaurant. We went to "Five" both nights for 5 star meals for about $30 each night.
Our first task in Hanoi was to change our flights home having decided not to go to Sapa. The chance of a perhaps unpleasant sleeper train up and back at the end of a great holiday just did not appeal to either of us. Having made the decision we then booked our trip to Halong Bay. There are so many cruises to choose from and we would be doing this once in our lifetime so it was important to get it right - we threw money at it and picked the best we could afford.
Hanoi was so different to Saigon, equally busy but whereas in Saigon the motorcycles went round us as we crossed roads in Hanoi we had to go round the bikes. We saw many tourists with bandaged arms and legs having been burnt by the motorcycle exhausts in near misses. In the narrow streets of the Old Quarter I (Jane) found I did not enjoy walking around as much as I had in other towns and cities as I had to focus 100% on not getting injured.

Hue

Our hotel in Hue is again 4 star, very nice and for the first time has carpet in the room rather than polished floors. We were shown to our room but it took a few more rooms to find one without a smell - carpet is obviously not good here in the humidity. Hue used to be the imperial capital of Vietnam, and the main attractions are the Citadel (emperor's palace), pagodas and tombs. We took ourselves around the Citadel, which bares the scars (bullet holes) of the Vietnam War. To see the pagodas and tombs we hired a driver and guide for a half day. The pagoda in the photo was home to the monk Thich Quang Duc who burned himself to death in Saigon in 1963. The car he used to drive himself in Saigon is now kept at the pagoda. More photos in the web album.

Hoi An to Hue

We waitied in the lobby at Hoi An for our private car and had no idea what to expect. We thought all our prayers had been answered when a new Ford Explorer with driver turned up to collect us. At last a civilised trip - well nearly. The car and driver were excellent. The road up and over the mountain pass while in much better condition than those we travelled on the bus had no less hairpin bends and sheer drops! The view from the top of the pass was breathtaking however it was quite misty and we took no photos.

My Son

We took a day tour from Hoi An to the historic site of My Son, once described as Vietnam's Angkor Wat. It was once the most important intellectual and religious centre of the kingdom of Champa, and was occupied from the late 4th century until the 13th century. Unfortunately the Vietcong also occupied it during the Vietnam War so the Americans bombed the **** out of it. Consequently there's not much left!

Hoi An

This turned out to be a lovely city on the banks of the river. Hoi An is famous for it's clothing shops and being able to order a suit one day and collect it the next. The Hoi An 'icon' is the Japanese Bridge (photo), built in the 1590s. We had a great time exploring the town, we found a couple of really excellent restaurants on the river front, we took a day trip to My Son with a boat trip back and we booked a private car to Hue and flights from Hue to Hanoi. All in all a great place.

More photos are in our web photo album.

Last Train to Hoi An

After our previous experiences on the buses we decided to use the train to go north. We spent sometime investigating the various trains, looking at websites etc and decided we needed to be on an "SE" and that as we were only travelling during the day a first class, airconditioned soft seat was our choice. Tickets bought we were at the station at 5am and the train duly arrived. However it seemed everyone on the platform was heading to our carriage! We were the last to board and found our allocated seats in the middle of the carriage. Half the carriage faces forward and half back and the middle seats face each other with a lot less leg room. We had scored the worse seats possible, we were the only non Vietnamese and we were the only ones not to eat at least one if not two meals from the food carts on the 8 hour journey. The bathrooms were another experience all together and if I had been even one size bigger would have been impossible. We arrived safely in Hoi An and made the decision that a longer train ride north to Hanoi was just not going to happen.