Vietnam - Inside And Out - a pictorial.

The photos in this post were collected over a few trips to Vietnam. I love to look at architecture, whether it be temples, old historic buildings, new houses or crumbling ruins. And sometimes the interiors can be just as intriguing. I've weeded out some of my favourites to share.

A new house in Que Nhon

Many houses and hotels, no matter what they may look like on the exterior, go into great detail when it comes to their ceilings and lighting. From modern angular recesses to the more traditional ornate cornicing.

And, until I saw new furniture being sold in the shops, sort of where retro meets Uncle Ho...

Some of these lounge suites would make a great feature
in the right room.

...I thought this sink, in one of our hotels, was an prop left over from a Dean Martin (Austin Powers for those of you too young to remember) movie. Now I'm not so sure.

Same, same, but totally different - Thailand and Vietnam

Thailand and Vietnam have some things in common...they're both in Asia (obviously) and over time, have been home to some of the same ethnic tribes. And, each have given and taken from the Mon Khmer language in years gone by. But they are very different.

After having been in Thailand now for 9 months, I guess one tends to notice, well, odd, trivial or smaller differences when travelling to another country.

In Vietnam you might find....

Ho-ax Chi Minh City

I suppose I shouldn’t just single out Ho Chi Minh, because wherever there are hoards of tourists in big cities, there are bound to be scams. And, to be honest, some of the practices back in Australia regarding foreign tourists leave a lot to be desired. But, this time, Ho Chi Minh took the cake.

It started at the airport. Generally taxi coupon services are there to save you from being taken advantage of. In fact Saigon Air Taxi’s motto is ‘Safety - Save’. Upon arriving we asked the price to be taken to a particular area. US$8 the young female attendant quoted. Without raving on too much, dealing in U.S. dollars in Vietnam is one of my pet peeves.

We’re not American, nor are we in America, “So, how much in Vietnamese Dong (VND)?”

“190,000” she says. Stray does a quick conversion and tells her it should be 160,000 VND and confirms it with two guys from the U.S., standing next to us.

“OK, 170,000 then.” she says, "You can go outside and check the other prices for yourself". After a bit of umming and arring, we agree, but we’re not happy because of the unprofessional behaviour. There shouldn't be any bargaining at this type of facility and whose exchange rate was she using anyway?

Da Lat (and what costs what).

About two weeks ago...

It’s a very short flight from Danang to Da Lat, only an hour and twenty minutes, and after a bit of shut eye, coffee for me and energy drink (relieved to find out Vitamin PP is another name for B3) for Stray, we’d landed.

Body of water on the way to Da Lat

Shortly prior to landing

Da Lat's Lien Khuong International Airport had only recently been built when we were here last year and it was reassuring to see that the control tower was now complete. Purchasing a taxi coupon (200,000 VND) from within the airport is the only way to go, as it turned out, we paid less than half the metred price for the 30 minute drive along a newish highway and up into the mountains...albeit a trifle teeth clenching. Driving in Vietnam is something to be experienced (or not), especially if the guy behind the wheel thinks his last name is Schumacher.

A Vietnamese Wedding - Day 2

About two weeks ago...

The ladies are dressed in their embroidered and beaded Ao Dais by the time we reach Dung's house and some of the girls are putting the finishing touches to the bride's wedding costume. It doesn't take long before the groom's procession is delivered by mini van and they make their way inside the house to 'receive the bride'.

In day's gone by the groom's mother may not have partaken in this ceremony, just in case she scared the away 'bride to be'. The gifts being carried are traditionally representations of wealth, on the groom's side. Once the introductions are out of the way, we're invited to the tables in front of the ancestral alter. Again, we're given front row seats with the immediate family.

A Vietnamese Wedding - Day 1

About two weeks ago...

The reason for our visit to Vietnam is upon us. Our friend, Dung's wedding.

Danang is the closest city that has an airport, major bus or train station, which is only around 40 minutes away from Hoi An by car. Along the way, the coastline and local houses are being devoured by gigantuos resorts, contrasted by the quonset huts, still standing from the war.

The venue for the first day of wedding celebrations is her parent's house, a short distance ouside of Hoi An. Hoi An is similar to Chiang Mai in some ways, but smaller. It has preserved many of it's temples and ancient buildings that now house shops and business.  The town lines the banks of the Thu Bon River and out to the shores of the South China Sea.

Where in the world is Pho Chien Phong? Part II

...continued

Some hours later back at the hotel, our friend Thanh arrives and Stray expresses his desire to find Pho Chien Phong. Thanh was with us the first and only time we'd eaten it, but isn't sure where we can find it close by. He reassures us that what we're having for dinner is just as appetising.

And it is, but it's not PCP. We break up the evening of eating with a trip to the cinemas to watch Transformers III in 3D. Just the thing one does in Hanoi ;)

Where in the world is Pho Chien Phong?

About two weeks ago...

In March last year our friends took us to West Lake, Hanoi, to dine by the waterside. One of the dishes we enjoyed was Pho Chien Phong. Little square pillows of deep fried puffed up rice noodle, topped with meat and water spinach.

Since that time Stray, especially, has had a hankering is determined to try it again. We did try to find it all the way down the coast of Vietnam, but like many dishes, this appeared to be a particularly regional specialty. 

So, he asks the receptionist at our hotel where we might find PCP and she kindly writes down the name in Vietnamese and of an eatery that may have have it on their menu. We walk to the restaurant avoiding the banana mafia (ladies carrying baskets of bananas or fruit on each end of a pole. If you don't buy the fruit, you'll probably end up with that pole slung over your own shoulder for a photo opp. If you do take a happy snap, you maybe hounded and surrounded by her and members of her 'family', to pay an unexpected exorbitant fee) and seat ourselves.

Stray shows the waitress the piece of paper, but alas, she says they don't have it. However, she does charade that they make a similar dish which is just as good. We order a glass of Hanoi beer while we wait and contrary to popular negative reviews...I liked it! It was light and had a hint of jasmine tea, or something or other. Or, could that have been a remnant of dish washing detergent? Just kidding.

Hanoi - 4th Impressions

About two weeks ago...

This was our fourth visit to Hanoi and it's just as kaleidoscopic and cacophonic, as we left it 18 months ago. During the drive from the airport into the city we noticed many more motorbike helmets (and not sitting in the scooter basket), than last time...the smog haze, sadly, looked just the same.

London to a brick she's wearing stocking socks.

Just as in Thailand, staying out of the sun's tanning rays while riding around town, is a major priority, especially for the fairer sex. It's not uncommon to see women completely covered from head to toe. When the sun shines, this is the land of wide brim hats, decorated with ribbons, flowers and bibs and bobs...

... face masks, gloves and stockings. This time, instead of long sleeved shirts and gloves, or just long sleeved gloves, some fashionistas were sporting hooded sweat shirts, with extensions that cover the top of the hands, or with mittens built into the end of the sleeve. The hood fits neatly under the motorbike helmet and the front is zippable up to the nose. Too warm for me in the Hanoi heat I'm afraid, but practical, inexpensive and popular.

Safe and sound in Vietnam

Stray and I arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam this morning...it's just as vibrant and crazy as we left it, last year. Blogging won't be a priority until we return to Chiang Mai. Too much to do, fear of getting another virus in my camera and limited commenting access (Martyn, there's a funicular up to Wat Doi Suthep, isn't there? ;) will keep me quiet for a while.

Anyway, I've caught up on some sleep with a Nanny Nap and Stray's out wandering, exploring ... somewhere.

Cheers!

Snap's other blog Chiang Mai Thai

A Vietnamese Wedding

Back in 2008 (I think) Stray and I returned to Vietnam for a second time. Before taking the trip, I'd befriended a reservations officer (Dung - pronounced Yuum in the south) at one of the hotels we'd be staying at, via email. If you haven't read some of the opening posts on Cooee you wouldn't know that we were lucky enough to catch a barge across the river and bicycle out to visit Dung's family farm to meet Mum, Dad and some uncles.

Ms. Dung, Stray between two uncles and Dad

Me, Dung and Mum

Last year we revisited the ancient town of Hoi An and Stray peddled out to the family farm once more to

Nata De Coco...Salacca...Favourite Foods!!!!!

Stray and I have enjoyed broadening our food horizons as we travel, trying different dishes, vegetables and fruit. We dropped into (not our usual) an Asian grocery store yesterday on the hunt for fresh, thick sheets of rice noodle, but they didn't stock it.

We want to try our hand(s) at making Pho Chien Phong. Little pillows of fried noodle topped with beef and kang kong. We love cooking, because we love eating good food.

Not my photo, but we tried it in Hanoi, it's delicious.

Videos - Vietnam 2008 and 2010

Everyone who's visited Vietnam has their own 'crossing the road' story, photos or videos...we're no different. This one is called NOT crossing the road in Saigon. We're trying to reach our pink hotel on the other side, but stopped to take a video of what we were up against.

Dalat digs

A couple of weeks ago Retire 2 Thailand was calling for alternative retirement locations and fond memories of Da Lat, Vietnam came to mind. Then more recently American Vietnamese was blogging about university student housing in HCMC (Saigon) and of course I had to add my two bobs worth about our experience with the same, but in Da Lat

Earlier this year we caught up with an old, young friend, Dung, in the picturesque mountain city of Da Lat (a MUST SEE).

It's a sign 4, 5 and 6

POINT TAKEN !!!!!

Brunei, Borneo.

Not so much a 'funny sign', but more of an ODD sign. We found this sign not far from funny sign number 2 and went into the store, which was filled with many wonderful, amazing treats...but no Tim Tams or Pavlova in sight? To be honest I was hard pressed thinking of confectionery that is uniquely Australian (owned). Nice combo though, Malaysian, English and Chinese...very multi cultural.

Say no more. This funny sign in the centre of Hoi An, Vietnam. A beautiful, charming ancient city filled with wonderful memories for both me and Stray.

To train or not to train? Part III

To train or not to train? Part I

To train or not to train? Part II

Hanoi 2010. We’ve caught up with old friends and made new ones. Now it's time to make our way to Hue. Adopting the ‘winging it’ method of travelling more and more in recent trips, we had not booked any flight. The price, by Vietnamese prices, was expensive and there weren’t any departing soon enough for our pencilled in itinerary. I had read about Livitrans before arriving and opted to give it a go. The VIP cabins, for two, were only available on runs to Sapa, so it was Tourist Class for us.

One of the hotel staff accompanied us to the station where we entered (a controlled and sanitised room) and waited in a separate area to the local travellers. We boarded. Our roomies were a couple from Holland. Pleasant and friendly. Our cabins were similarly pleasant and friendly, with complimentary water, snack and tooth brushes. Not a bad trip and would probably do it again, although next time, perhaps medicated.

It’s just that lack of sleep thing that gets me every time and the train driver had a habit of slamming on the breaks every hour or so. Arrive Hue.

A couple of days later we biked it from Hue to Hoi An, which is not far from Danang (about 6 hours with scenic stops) and is the end of the line for the Livitran service. Not sure if it’s a north/south remnant left over from the war. From Danang we were headed for Nha Trang, but the trains weren’t overnighters.

I spoke to the girls at the Mango Split cafe (photo) in Hoi An, who suggested stopping in one of two towns to break up the trip. Quy Nhon (will be going there again) here we come!

*Word of advice – check out the price directly from/at the train station, before buying your ticket. Ripped off severely by VN standards....

Day 23 Home Sweet Home

Leaving Saigon.

Day 22 Saigon

Shopping day today...just a few souvenirs to take home, eating and relaxing. Nothing interesting to tell so below are a few pics.

Vietnamese electricity cables.
Stray writing postcards to Sophie and Chu.
Tim Tams...even in Vietnam!
The quieter end of District 1
One of the more affluent homes in the hills of Dalat

Pretty in Pink.

Day 21 Saigon - Cu Chi Tunnels

Today we went on a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels, which we had booked through our hotel. Only US$5.00 in comparison to the US$25.00 options we had seen elsewhere.

Even though the day was incredibly hot and humid, it was interesting and going through only 25 metres of the 50 metre tunnel open to tourists, was unnerving. It's hard to believe that 16,000 people used the 3 levels of the 250 km of tunnels over a period of 20 years. Barely big enough to squat in, we crawled most of the way. We had the luxury of dim lights in the tunnel, but in one part it became pitch black...spooky!

To survive they created a sanitation system, a way to hide the smoke from their cooking, ventilation and many different traps to snare the enemy.

The whole time we were being guided through the grounds, in the distance the sound of gunfire could be heard...also a little unsettling had we not known tourists can pay to fire guns, which were mounted and unable to turn to face anything other than the targets.

Day 20 Saigon

Bored with the area our hotel is in (OK if you like Gucci and expensive souvenirs), Stray went looking for another hotel with Hieu, a taxi bike rider. The power went out where our current hotel was, which made packing our bags really uncomfortable and poor Stray had already spent the morning running up and down stairs in about six different hotels.

We decided on Madame Cuc's 3 Hotel which is located in the same district, but in a more interesting area not far from the Ben Thanh Markets...and we saved a massive US$14.00 per night :) The hotel had no elevator, but it did have an electric winch to upload and download luggage.
The staff where wonderful, even sharing their cooked duck embryos with Stray. The room came with a free modest breakfast, dinner, and all day bananas, tea, coffee and juice. It was by no means the Ritz, but a lot more entertaining and personal.

People watching from the hotel entrance was always a good time passer...like why are Vietnamese people walking into the police station next door with pink books in the evening, or why are young men riding around on bicycles at night shaking rattles as they go?

The pink books turned out to be records of foreigners staying at the local hotels, passport details etc. Their way of keeping track of who is where. We probably do the same, but in a computerised version.

We were told that the young boys were offering massages and I think the person who told us this, really believed it. After Googling it, I found that they are actually male prostitutes.