The Vietnam Master Post Part II

Days 8-11: Da Nang (and Hoi An)

Joe’s mum’s birthday meant we spent a few more days relaxing at a beautiful coastal resort

• Marble Mountain – this has to be one of the best places we went to, even if it was a little busy. A series of shrines, statues, caves and grottos are perched high up on one the karst formations, which can be reached through a glass lift or by climbing a number of steps.
  
• Hoi An - a beautiful old port town that was once the shipping and trading capital of Vietnam. Old traditional buildings were influenced by the foreign traders who passed through and the whole area was preserved because river silted up, cutting off larger trading boats
• My Son – UNESCO World heritage ruins of Champa Hindu temples 4th -14th century AD Kings of Champa

Days 12-13: Hue

After celebrating Lisa’s birthday, it was back on the road (or should I say train) to the next stop on our itnerary, Hue. Here we made a few stops in the city (including the Imperial City, the Perfume Pagoda and a horrendously stinky local market) before hiring a private driver for a full day tour:

• Imperial City – this is a walled palace in the city with open courtyards and some beautiful gardens
• Perfume Pagoda – this was just a quick stop on one day to visit the towering pagoda that over looks the river which gives it its name
• The old North/South Vietnam border bridge – this is pretty self-explanatory!
• Vinh Moc Tunnels – we decided against visiting the more famous Cu Chi tunnels and instead took a trip to Vinh Moc, where the tunnels are a little taller and A LOT less crowded. We only saw one other family group and these tunnels had the benefit of being right next to the ocean as they were used to move munitions and weapons during the war.

Days 14: Ninh Binh

Having only one full day in Ninh Binh meant we had to make the most of our time and so once again we had to don a set helmets and travel like locals on motorbikes. Luckily Ninh Binh is on the whole a very quiet place with plenty of wide roads connecting some of the main attractions. Our one day self guided tour included the following:

• Bich Dong Pagoda – reached by riding through the limestone karst formations that sometimes earn this region the nickname Dry Ha Long Bay. The Pagoda entrance was surrounded by lotus flowers and there was cave to explore and catch a glimpse of some of the scenery from a high vantage point
• Tam Coc – this was mainly a lunch stop for us but you are able to take a boat trip through the rice paddies here which is often very busy with bus loads of tourists
• Hoa Lu ruins – this area was once an ancient capital of Vietnam but we opted not to pay the entrance fee see as you could see most of the old structures from the outside
• Boat trip in Trang An – this was the biggest stop of the day where we were paddled around by a little old lady through three sets of caves and some pagodas. The trip took about two and half hours and the scenery was stunning!

Day 15: Hanoi

The capital of Vietnam is both similar and different to its Southern counterpart – it is still humid, loud and intense, but the streets of the atmospheric Old Quarter are narrower, resulting in even more dancing around scooters, cars, vans and buses. Most of the ‘must see’ sites are in walking distance from each other:

• The Ngoc Son Pagoda - this site sits on an island in the middle of the famous Hoan Kiem Lake which in itself is lovely to walk around in the evening. The paths are filled with locals jogging and taking exercise classes so the people watching is quite fun!
  
• Ta Hien Street – this area is also called Beer Street and was full of locals and tourists alike sitting in street side bars on tiny plastic chairs. The beer served is said to be fresh, meaning it is not stored for more than a day before being served to waiting customers.
  
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum – the final resting place of Ho Chi Minh himself has very restricted opening times which we missed, but the site itself is located in an impressive square
  
• Imperial Citadel of Thang Long- this was an ancient capital of north Vietnam which has been repurposed over the years and served as an operations base during the war. Today it houses a number of exhibits and education programmes.
  
• The weekend walking street and night market- selling all the usual kinds of tourist fodder, allowing for plenty of souvenir shopping!