Continental Drifting: South Vietnam

No, not as in North versus South Vietnam, but more from a blogging and travel convenience point of view, although this country is still reeling from the effects of war and their version of the story is something to behold. Seeing is believing; experiencing is knowing; and that is part of why we travel.

Before Ricky and Michelle made their way back to Bangkok to pack up a few things and head home, I was encouraged by the envious looks on their faces as they helped us plan the next stage of our journey - Vietnam. They had recently explored this long and narrow country and had some very useful tips and advice for us. Their look of envy was justified by what I can tell so far.

We mapped out a general route and time frames for the 18 or so days we plan to spend here and so far we’ve only adjusted by one day. The main stops being Ho Chi Minh City, Mui Ne, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi and Halong Bay. Given the vast expanse of land running North - South and the general means of transport in these parts, I was fairly concerned about the travelling in-between the identified stop offs. Being 6f3 in a country where the average height is around 5f0 (generous I should think but short of the hard facts here), discussing things like ’12 hour overnight buses’ that are not designed for giraffes such as myself, is not really my idea of a holiday; in fact, it’s a little troubling. Luckily South East Asia has stepped up once again and the ends have more than justified the means on every occasion.

Some impressions:

Ho Chi Minh is an electric place and everything can and is done on the street. The War History Museum was hard hitting and the Cu Chi tunnels nearby were fascinating. How the best option can be to tunnel underground and live there blows my mind and to actually see the conditions and crawl through those passageways (widened for larger Westerners as myself) is not something I will soon forget

A Top Gun moment at the museum.

There were fewer smiles happening inside

Kara making her way through the Cu Chi tunnels

The Mekong Delta is massive, the trip we took had many cool sights and staying with a family there was humbling and thoroughly enjoyable

Cruising up a canal of the Mekong River

There are some incredible sights lining the river

The floating market

What's for sale on board is tied to the top of long sticks of bamboo

Mui Ne was a chance to take it easy and enjoy the beach atmosphere. Cycling to the fishing village and fairy spring nearby was a thoroughly enjoyable day out

Our digs for a couple of days

Local lady making her way up the Fairy Spring

Cycling to the fishing village nearby was totally worth it

Some of the hundreds of fishing boats in Mui Ne

We only dedicated one day to Nha Trang but we made the most of the well renowned night life, the beautiful stretch of beach, the Hon Chong Promontory, the Thap Ba Ponagar and my first mud bath. I’m embarrassed to say my skin was amazingly smooth afterwards - a pleasure really

Chilling out with an iced coffee at Chong Rocks

Po Nagar Cham Towers on the hill overlooking Nha Trang

The ancient and traditional looks and ways of Hoi An are beautiful and I finally own a (very reasonably priced) tailored suit; and you know what they say: a well tailored suit on a man is to women what lingerie is to men.

The streets of Hoi An at night

A wedding couple having pictures taken at a lantern stall

The Japanese Covered Bridge

Tea sketching out my bespoke specs at Lana Tailors

Hue has the Citadel and some incredible tombs near by visited on the back of motorbikes - what would mom have to say about that! Khai Dinh Tomb was most definitely the highlight of the three.