Planning Vietnam

Da Lat

High in the Southern Central Highlands, Da Lat is the main mountain resort in Vietnam and a great place to chill out; it attracts huge numbers of honeymooners but some tourists as well. The main sights are Emperor Bao Dai's Summer Palace, the French Quarter, the Hang Nga Guesthouse & Art Gallery, and the Valley of Love, which is 5km north of the city centre and aimed to the newly wed.

Around Da Lat:

Five kilometers south of Da Lat, halfway down the dramatic Prenn Pass is the Lake Tuyen Lam (daily 7:30am–4:30pm); boats can be rented on the lake's north shore. On the summit behind it there is a meditation pagoda. A few hundred meters onwards are the Datanla Falls (6am–6pm; 5000d).
Da Lat area is home to several minorities of Hill Tribes; many companies offer tours to their villages. The most accessible one is the Chicken Village (Lang Con Ga); it can be reached independently with a motorbike taxis. Unfortunately, it resembles more a huge handicrafts shop than anything else.

Transport:

Several places in Da Lat validate the open-tour bus tickets. Sinh Café tickets are served at the Trung Cang Hotel (4a, Bui Thi Xuan), while the Dalat Tourist Transportation Service (Kim Travel 2, 9 Le Dai Hanh) works for Kim Travel Buses. The buses arrive at those offices.

Due to its importance to the local tourism, Da Lat offers express minibuses to Ho Chi Minh City (every hour, 24hr; $4) and Nha Trang (4:30am, 6am & 7am; $3.30) from Le Dai Hanh, by the food market. These are a handy alternative to the tourists’ buses.

Hotels:

Most budget hotels lie around the cinema and along Phan Dinh Phung. Before checking-in, the most important thing here is to check the hot water since it gets cold at night. As well, it should be clarified if it is included in the basic price of the room. A recommended hotel is Hoa Binh I, at 64 Truong Cong Dinh; it is popular with backpackers and it offers great-value rooms with hot water, starting at five dollars for a single; they rent mountain bikes as well. Next to it is the Peace Café which serves excellent travelers dishes.

Food:

Dalat is not a place to experiment with basic local food, here sophisticated cafes rule and serve interesting adaptations of French dishes and specialty ones from the Vietnamese cuisine. Excellent rice dishes cooked in a claypot can be found at Huong Tra (1 Nguyen Thai Hoc) by the lakeside; the rabbit one is outstanding.

Leaving Da Lat:

It is worth leaving Da Lat towards Nha Trang in the morning, because night-buses skip a spectacular sight on the way there. Where Road #9 meets Road #20, are the Poklongarai Towers (5000D), a structure from the Cham Kingdom dating back to Angkor days. If arriving from Cambodia after a visit to Angkor Wat, the similitude among them would be immediately recognized. The most obvious shared characteristic is the use of fake arches, though the angular shapes of Angkor are replaced here with soft rounded shapes and the black stones of the former by pink stones.

Nha Trang

Despite being a solid part of the Vietnamese soil, the small islets half hidden under the eternal mist in front of its coasts, create the illusion that Nha Trang is just another one of them. A blue sea, a wide, sandy beach and lazy daiquiris welcome the many visitors to this pastel version of Eden.

Highlights:

The municipal beach is the main attraction of the town, and the biggest one as well, since it is six-kilometers long; next to it is a beautiful promenade and a spacious avenue that creates a luxurious feeling of space.

The Long Son Pagoda in the northwest of town hosts a huge White Buddha which is the town’s major landmark; it symbolizes the Buddhists struggle against the repressive Diem regime. Around its base are carved images of the monks and nuns that set fire to themselves in protest.

The Po Nagar Cham towers are two kilometers to the north of the town (just after the bridge) and were built between the 7th and 12th centuries on a site that had been used for Hindu worship as early as the second century. The largest and most impressive of the towers is the 23-metre-high northern tower, built in 817 and dedicated to Yang Ino Po Nagar, Goddess Mother of the Kingdom and a manifestation of Uma, Shiva's consort.

The Pasteur Institute at the north end of Tran Phu, houses the Alexandre Yersin Museum (Mon–Sat 8–11am & 2–4:30pm; around two dollars), a Swiss-French scientist who settled in Nha Trang in 1893 and discovered the plague bacillus.

Nearby the town are other beach resorts, still in early stages of development; it is possible to reach them independently and then rejoin the open-tours path later.

Water Sports:

This is the best place to dive in Vietnam; the main operators are Octopus Diving Club, 62 Tran Phu and Rainbow Divers, 52 Tran Phu, both are placed along the promenade.

Islands:

All the tourism operators offer day-trips to one of the nearby islands, for six to seven dollars per person; the closest island to the Cau Da Wharf is Hon Mieu. It is served by a local ferry departing from there (one dollar) and docking at a fishing village called Tri Nguyen.

Food:

Being a major fishing port, excellent and fresh seafood is available at most restaurants. One of the most remarkable establishments is the Louisiane Café, opposite the airport on southern Tran Phu; it has a private stretch of beach so that hawkers cannot approach the clients, an inner swimming pool and a French colonial style. Its relatively high prices result in its offering the rarest commodity in Vietnam: quiet. A daiquiri after a healthy lunch will buy the whole place for a couple of hours; their mint chocolate ice-cream is excellent.

Fruits:

The dragon fruit (thanh long) is native of the Nha Trang area: its exterior is covered with what looks as pink, thick leaves with green edges and it has a white interior peppered with black dots. The size of a small pineapple, it is usually consumed as a shake.

Accommodation:

Nha Trang has many guesthouses and hotels; most of them are around Biet Thu and the southern end of Tran Phu, near the airport. However, looking around is worthwhile; My Long Hotel at 26A Nguyen Thien Thuat close to An Dong is an excellent option. It is in an extremely quiet location, a few blocks away from the promenade. For five dollars a night, they offer an extra-spacious single room with an attached private bathroom and a very pleasant ambience.

Leaving Nha Trang:

The next location to the north, according to the open-tour buses map, is Hoi An; however, if pressed on time, it is possible to reach Hue (already in the northern side of the country) directly.

Hoi An is better reached using the night bus, since there are no major sights on the way there. If advancing directly to Hue, the day bus is better due to the spectacular views at the geographical limit between the southern and northern parts of the country.

Getting the Visa

The best strategy to get the Vietnamese visa is to start early and get it in Bangkok. Due to the magic powers of the traveling agents in Khaosan Road, this visa is one of those which is less expensive to arrange through them than in the relevant embassy; thus, leave them the passport and go for a couple of days to the beaches in Pattaya while it gets ready. Other option is to issue the visa in Phnom Penh. There the situation is different: getting it through the travel agencies is more expensive than directly at the embassy; both are more expensive than the Khaosan agents.

Getting There

The best place to begin the trip to Vietnam is Phnom Penh; however, it is possible to reach Highway 1 from Kampot and then advance to the border independently. From Phnom Penh there are two options: one is through the road that connects the city with Saigon, and the second is through the Mekong River to the town of Chau Doc; both options are offered by the Capitol Agency.

The land way is faster, but the river trip is fabulous and has the bonus of visiting Chau Doc. A word of warning: the packages through the Mekong vary in price; that happens because they are different despite the sellers’ claims. The more expensive the trip, the longer the way along the river; the cheap packages travel by land most of the way, until a pier close to the border is reached. The immigration process through the river is more complicated; however, a reward waits at the Vietnamese side. There, next to the immigration, stalls sell the extraordinary Vietnamese coffee and announce: Good Morning, Vietnam!

Chau Doc

Like many off-side locations, Chau Doc offers some incredibly good accommodations. Hang Chau II Hotel, near the market area, charges eight dollars per night for a homey, comfortable room with excellent furniture, a private bathroom with the best hot water I found in Vietnam and a television set which introduced me to the sounds of the local language. The hotel changes money at a fair rate and gives a courtesy pack of local "555" cigarettes (accordingly, the main beer in the country is called "333" or "ba-ba-ba" in Vietnamese). I do not smoke, but it helped me later to soften moto-taxi drivers while searching for hotels in other towns.

All the Mekong Delta area excels in its fruits; the locals gather in the evening to drink extraordinary shakes. The Night Market justified the trip to Vietnam after the first shake; the first of the four drank in the span of a few minutes. Jack fruit, durian, rose apple, coconut, papaya, guavas, mangos and many other fruits waiting to be named were available there, fresh and sweet.

Another point of interest in the town are the very old-fashioned "cyclos" – tricycle taxis - maybe the last of their type in the country. The biggest attraction nearby, is the Sam Mountain, five kilometers to the southwest, which rises spectacularly from a sea of paddy-fields; the place is a worshipping site.

Reaching Saigon

The next stop is Ho Chi Minh City (its first and central quarter is still called Saigon). Minivans leave from Chau Doc’s main road; the trip costs 50000 Dong.

Ho Chi Minh City

The minivans final stop is at Cholon, the local Chinatown, a bit far away from the main backpackers’ area in the city. From there it is possible to reach the backpackers’ center in Pham Ngu Lao with a moto or by walking some fifty minutes. The backpackers’ enclave is conveniently placed less than one kilometer west from Saigon’s center and it includes also the Bui Vien and De Tham streets. In those three streets, travel agencies, restaurants, bars, hotels, guesthouses and internet cafés compete intensely for the tourists’ hearts.

Traveling

Saigon is the place to take the first important decision regarding the visit in Vietnam: how to travel northward. The tourists’ open-ticket bus-packages are the best option. However, it is possible to take a train out of Saigon and buy a city-to-city bus ticket from the same companies later, albeit the tickets will then be a bit more expensive on a comparative basis. Sinh Café and Kim are reliable operators; the TM Brothers are to be avoided.

Exploring the Surroundings

The travel agencies can offer more than the bus tickets to the north; Saigon has exciting surroundings that are well worth a visit.
The Cu Chi Tunnels, one of the bases of the Viet Cong in the Southern Vietnam, are a must; they are located forty kilometers from the city. The best conserved part is at Ben Dinh; some of the tunnels have been adapted to what Vietnamese call "Tourists Sized Tunnels." An intriguing field-kitchen can be seen there; it was built in such a way that its fire is hidden and its fumes diverted.
South of Saigon, the Mekong Delta can be reached through several kinds of tours, from a short tour to My Tho and its surroundings to tours lasting several days and making all the way to Rach Gia on the Gulf of Thailand. This area is the food basket of Vietnam and the views are all related to the riverside life, orchards and paddy-fields, as well as small industries of food-related products.

Exploring Saigon

However, the star of Southern Vietnam is Saigon; the city has enough views to keep the visitor busy for the whole thirty days of the visa. A suitable place to begin the tour is the War Remnants Museum (28 Vo Van Tan, daily 7:30–11:45am & 1.30–5.15pm; 10,000d), which tells the story of the American War - as it is called here. A block away is the old Government Palace, (nowadays is called the Reunification Palace; at 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia; daily 7:30–11am & 1–4pm; $1). Beyond its central structure, it displays a few old tanks and commemorates the fall of the southern government. "You cannot give something that you don't have", was the answer of the northern general who met inside the last governing general of the south, when the last offered to handle over the power. It is possible to combine these visits with a tour to the amazing GPO – built in the best French Colonial architecture style and the old cathedral nearby.
In a happier mood, ten minutes' walk northwest from the Botanical Gardens through Nguyen Binh Khiem is the Jade Emperor Pagoda on Mai Thi Luu; it was built by the Cantonese community.

The Ho Chi Minh City Museum (Gia Long Palace at 65 Ly Tu Trong, daily 8am–4pm; 10,000d) was built in 1886 for the governor of Cochinchina and nowadays explains the history of the city and describes its ethnic groups with clear English signs.

The five kilometers long Tran Hung Dao links downtown with Cholon – it can be reached by foot or with the Saigon Star Co bus to Huynh Thoai Yen, on Cholon's western border. The Hoa – as ethnic Chinese are called here – run there the biggest Chinese Market in South East Asia and the place is worth a special day. However, most of Saigon neighborhoods have markets that are a feast to the eye and an excellent place to taste the local delicacies. Vietnam is one of the biggest producers of coffee in the world (almost all of it Robusta type from the highlands); it is usually served in a charming metal filter placed over the cup. To avoid it getting cool during the filtering process, they place the cup within a bowl of hot water; the final result is glorious.

Leaving Saigon

The open-ticket bus companies offer two options for leaving Saigon, the one reaches Nha Trang (the main beach in the country) and the second stops at Dalat (a mountainous resort) before reaching the beach. Even if Dalat is a secondary attraction, it is worth choosing this option since only then the intersection of highways nine and twenty in the way to Nha Trang is reached. The best example of Cham Towers in the country is there.

Hoi An

Hoi An is a unique place within Vietnam: a small town with no aims of expansion, populated with astounding ancient structures of various cultures.

Highlights:

There is a combined ticket ($3.30) that covers Hoi An's more famous sights and allows access to five sights to choose from a list of temples, handicrafts´ shops, Chinese Assembly Halls, merchant’s houses, family’s chapels and museums. The tickets are available at the Tourist Office of Hoi An, 12 Phan Chu Trinh, or at each site.

Moreover, Hoi An is an open museum, and walking along its narrow streets is a feast. There are more than 850 historical structures; a thorough description will need a book. The main points of interests are the many Chinese structures and temples; interestingly these are usually better preserved here than in China since most historical structures there have suffered unrecoverable damages from the Communist and Cultural Revolutions. The different Chinese communities living in the town have each a colorful Assembly Hall. Wooden merchants’ houses and family chapels enrich the way among the temples. It is recommended to dedicate a whole day to such a tour and to do it by foot since most locations are around the Tran Phu Road.

Japanese Covered Bridge:

The Japanese Covered Bridge is the best known structure in the city. It was constructed by the Japanese merchants living in Hoi An at the mid-sixteenth century. Due to its fragile wooden structure, it has been faithfully reconstructed to its original shape several times since then. The red overpass transfers the visitors into Medieval Japan for a while. It is located at the western end of Tran Phu Road and spans the tiny stream splitting the town. Inside the narrow bridge is a collection of stelae and four statues, two dogs and two monkeys. They record that the work began in the year of the monkey and ended in the year of the dog. Motorbikes are forbidden on it and pedal bikes must be pushed across it.

Tailors:

Hoi An is famous all over Vietnam for its tailors and silk. Most of the tailors’ shops are around the main market. They display Western fashion magazines, from where the customers choose their desired garment. After the cloth and the shape are chosen and the price is set, the tailors prepare the garment in a few hours, making it possible ordering at the morning and picking up the garment by the end of the day.

Accommodation:

Hoi An is more expensive than the rest of the country. A recommended place, basic but centrally located, is the Phu Thinh Hotel at 144 Tran Phu. A single room there costs ten dollars.

Food:

The Bo Bo Restaurant is located at the very center of the town, and caters for the many tourists in the town, serving classical Vietnamese dishes with care and love. A good lunch costs less than five dollars, while the dishes themselves are priceless. The place offers seats by the street and within the colonial interior as well; in any case the place is comfortable and the service is excellent. The interior seats have electric sockets nearby, so that charging gadgets while enjoying the meal is possible.

The most attractive dishes offered are:

Cao Lau - rice noodles, bean sprouts & pork-rind croutons in a light soup flavored with mint & star anise, topped with thin slices of pork. It is served with grilled rice flour crackers or sprinkled with crispy rice paper.

Banh Bao - white rose steamed manioc flour parcels of finely diced crab or shrimp. It is served with lemon, sugar & nuoc man (sauce), complemented by a crunchy onion flake topping.

Around Hoi An:

Hoi An is a god base for a tour of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). It is recommended to take the long tour along roads 1 and 9, which passes through the Vinh Moc Caves. The caves are by the sea and near the old border between North and South Vietnam; they are much bigger than those in Cu Chi and give a real sense of a community living underground during a harsh period. Afterwards the tours continue to the Rockpile Stronghold and to the Khe Shan airbase.

Leaving Hoi An:

The next main location to the north is Hue; it is imperative to take the morning bus, since the way crosses the spectacular geographic limit between the southern and northern parts of the country. Another option is to stop at the port of Danang.

Hue

Hue is one of Vietnam's main cultural and religious centers. In 1802, Emperor Gia Long, founder of the Nguyen dynasty, moved the capital from Hanoi to Hue and built his Imperial City. The French kept them as nominal rulers since 1885 onwards. The dynasty ruled from there until the abdication of Emperor Bao Dai in 1945.

The Imperial City, or Forbidden Purple City, is still one of the biggest attractions of the town. However, the first time I visited it, the entrance fee was 55000D for foreigners and 5000D for "Locals and Asians." The place being a UNESCO sponsored site through the World’s Heritage Site system, I complained to that organization about racial discrimination. In my second visit the situation was slightly better, a ticket costing 55000D for foreigners and 15000D for "Locals and Asians."

Around the City:

Sampan trips up the Perfume River include visits to some of Hue's main attractions. The standard boat trip reaches the Thien Mu Pagoda, the Hon Chen Temple and the Royal Mausoleums. It is possible to take a bicycle on the boat and to cycle the way back. The river tours start at two dollars per person (not including the entrance to the tombs or to Hon Chen Temple).

The Thien Mu Pagoda is within cycling distance of Hué (6km; 30min); follow south Highway 1 till the train tracks and then turn west along the river.

The Hon Chen Temple is nine kilometers from Hué and is only accessible from the river; to skip the tours, it is possible to hire a sampan from the ferry station opposite the temple for 5000D.

If searching for a swim, head 13km northeast to Thuan An Beach, where there is a lagoon and a hotel, which are reachable by sampan or bus.

Another way to enjoy the Perfume River is to assist a traditional folksong performance on its waters; tourist offices and hotels sell tickets for nightly events on the river, starting from three dollars.

Daily tours to the DMZ zone are available from here in two variations: the short one stays close to the coast, exploring the Vinh Moc Caves and nearby attractions, while the long trip does that and then goes almost all the way to the Laotian Border through the rests of the Rockpile and the Khe Shan American Airbase. If planning to leave Vietnam through the exit to Savannakhet using the Lao-Bao cross, delay the DMZ tour until before the departure; details are given in the last entry of this journal.

Transport:

Sinh Café open-tour buses have two offices – at 2 Hung Vuong, and at 7 Nguyen Tri Phuongm, next to the Thuan Hoa Hotel. Kim Travel open-tour buses operate from Queen Café 3, 8 Hung Vuong. Both offices offer additional tours and the usual all-in-one shop.
Bicycles (less than one dollar), motorbikes ($4–5) and cars ($20–30) can be rented from most travel agencies and hotels.

Accommodation:

The main backpackers’ area is around Hung Vuong and Nguyen Tri Phuong. The comfortable Binh Minh I (aka Sunrise, 12 Nguyen Tri Phuong) is a popular hotel offering clean, homely rooms, as well as free tea and coffee; singles start at five dollars. Hue has many guesthouses not only in this area; the promenade along the Perfume River has some excellent deals to offer.

Food:

At Quan Hanh-Bistro at 2 Nguyen Tri Phuong you can taste the most famous local dish: banh khoai, a small, crispy yellow pancake, fried up with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts, it is served with a sauce of peanuts and sesame, star-fruit, green banana, lettuce and mint leaves.

The Mandarin Café at 12 Hung Vuong has a cheap, filling and tasty menu of Vietnamese and Western dishes as well as a Sinh Café's booking desk.

Leaving Hue:

Hanoi is the next stop to the north and is well worth planning at least a week there, since the exciting city and its surroundings have much to offer. The way connecting between the cities is long and not very interesting, thus, it is better to take the night bus.

Hanoi

Elegant and majestic, Hanoi is the pinnacle of a visit to Vietnam, not only due to its richness and beauty, but also for the attractions surrounding it, which are among the most spectacular in the country.

Highlights:

Old Quarter, The 36 Streets Market

From Cau Go Street on the northern end of Hoan Kiem Lake, begins the 36 Streets Market. Its narrow, twisting streets take their names from the products sold there since ancient times. The area is divided among 36 guilds, each gathered around a dinh (communal house) or a temple dedicated to its patron spirit. The backpackers' quarter sits just next to it and creates a wonderful opportunity to leisurely explore the alleys.

Museum of Ethnology

Bao Tang Toc Hoc Viet Nam, the Museum of Ethnology is situated on the western outskirts of Hanoi, six kilometers out of the town, in the Cau Giay district. It is an excellent source of information about the Vietnamese People. To reach it follow Thuy Khue Avenue along the southern edge of West Lake and then keep heading west, or take a taxi (Tues-Sun 8.30am-5.30pm, closed Mon; 10,000D).

Water Puppets

Water Puppets is a traditional form of art in which folkloric plays are performed with wooden marionettes; the puppeteers stand waist-deep in water. There is one group next to the backpackers' area, by the lake: the Thang Long Water Puppet Troupe performs at the Kim Dong Theatre, 57b Dinh Tien Hoang (daily 6.30pm & 8pm; Sun 9.30am; 20000D and above).

Temple of Literature - Van Mieu

The Temple of Literature, at 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc, is Hanoi's holiest site, its principal Confucian sanctuary and its historical centre of learning. It is one of the few remnants of the Ly Kings' original eleventh-century city; it was modeled on the temple standing on Confucius's birthplace in Qufu, China (daily, summer 7.30am-6pm; winter 8am-5pm; 2000d)

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum

Ba Dinh Square, two kilometers west of Hoan Kiem Lake, is the main ceremonial center of Hanoi. Beyond the expected monuments, is the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh. The entrance is free, but many guards tend to ask for a fee.

Hoan Kiem Lake

South of the backpackers' center is this lake which offers romantic spots during the evenings, Tai Chi at the early morning and close encounters with the denizens at all times.

Around Hanoi:

Halong Bay, 3000 islands rising from the clear waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, is one of Vietnam's natural and cultural wonders. Remnants of prehistoric settlements sit here next to old Communist meeting places in endless caves. The bay is a couple of hours away from the capital and a plethora of tours are offered. The single day ones are the most popular and exist in several variations. Skip the cheap ones since they limit the visit only to the main views and use transport of lesser quality; a good tour costs around twenty-five dollars per passenger.

Fansipan and Sapa - the highest mountain in Vietnam offers many trekking options to its peak and to the Hill Tribes villages in its immediate surroundings. See my journal about Hanoi for more details.

Dien Bien Phu - the key location in the French defeat is located in a remote location next to Laos. In 1954 the Viet Minh won a decisive victory after a two months siege on the French army. Unless you have plenty of time and confidence, it is better to arrive there through a tour; all the tourism agencies offer one.

Accommodations:

It is impossible to do a good survey of the options before choosing a resting place in Hanoi since there are too many options in any given category. The best strategy is to settle down at the first spotted attractive site. A good place in the backpackers' area is the Nam Long Hotel at 104, Dinh Liet Str. It offers an acceptable level of comfort at a reasonable price (six dollars a night for a room with air conditioner). The rooms are basic and clean, with attached private bathrooms; however, some of them have problems with the water heaters.

Food:

Hanoi offers a culinary feast and is an excellent place to get acquainted to pho - the Vietnamese noodles soup which is the national staple. It is eaten at all hours from little benches surrounding tiny stalls along the streets.
Hanoi restaurants serve unusual kinds of meat - doves, eels and yellow-dogs are typical examples - it is better to study the menu carefully to avoid unpleasant surprises.

The coffee has an important place in the local culture. A good place to sample it is in the backpackers' area. While walking away from the Hoan Kiem Lake along Dinh Liet Street, there is a narrow street at your right between Gia Ngur and Hang Bac roads; take it and just before its curve, there is a small coffee shop at the right side. Despite the simple beads-curtain separating it from the street, the interior is almost completely isolated from the noisy street; the place is well aired and has a pleasant light diffusing in from unknown worlds. The waitress does not speak English, nor does her husband; but that did not bother any of us, it just added to that wonderful dislocation in the time-space coordinates that this place offers. The coffee is served in small metallic filters which sit atop your glass; the glass is placed within a hot water bowl so that the drink doesn't get cold until the filtering process ends.

Leaving Vietnam

Traveling overland, it is feasible to leave Vietnam from Hanoi to China and Laos. For both countries a prearranged visa is needed; Hanoi is a good place for that, but Bangkok is cheaper.

If having entered the country from Cambodia, then leaving through Laos will complete the loop around historical Indochina.

Laos offers two handy entry points; the most popular is Lao Bao, but it is a longer trip to get there from Hanoi than to Cao Treo. Moreover, Lao Bao leads to Savannakhet, an uncomfortable place to begin a tour in Laos.

Lao Bao

Lao Bao is between Savannakhet in Laos and Danang in Vietnam, on the main route of trade between Thailand and Vietnam. Direct buses to Savannakhet depart from Hue daily at 6pm, arriving the following day at 2pm; tickets ($18) can be purchased at Sinh Café; nevertheless, the best strategy is to travel independently until the border.

In the way to this border the DMZ is crossed. The Rockpile Stronghold appears at the right side, but the Khe Shan Base will be out of sight; in any case, not much is left of it to be seen. Hence, if planning to exit from here after visiting Hanoi, it is better to keep the tour to the DMZ for the end or to make the short one along the coast while in Hue or in Hoi An and complete the last leg before leaving the country.

Reaching the border independently is easy; take any bus to Dong Ha on Highway 1 and wave down any minivan heading west to the border.

At the border, the immigrations' posts are somewhat separated and it is possible to walk between them among the green mountains around or to take an improvised local vehicle. Unless crossing early, the last bus to Savannakhet in the early afternoon would be missed.

Cao Treo

Cao Treo is the northernmost between the two border crosses opened to foreigners between Vietnam and Laos; it leads to Vientiane - the Laotian capital - which is the perfect place to begin a tour of Laos. Reaching it independently is possible - but the area is far less developed than Lao Bao and a bit trickier. Cau Treo is 105km west of the city of Vinh on Highway 8 and can be reached from Vinh's provincial bus station (Ben Xe Cho Vinh) taking a morning bus for Trung Tram and then traveling the last 35km with a motorbike taxi or another local bus. The other option is to book a bus from the open tour operators from Hanoi directly to Vientiane - though this is much more expensive.

Lao Cai

Lao Cai is the border cross leading to Kunming in China and to the Sa Pa trekking area; it is a small town 300km northwest from Hanoi along the Red River. The best way to reach it is through the night train from Hanoi. The pass is a bit north from the train station and there is no way to enter even for a short walk without a Chinese visa on the passport.

Background

Any country with such a complex story holds a promise of many cultural attractions. However, Vietnam adds to those a strikingly beautiful and lush nature which spans varied landscapes, from the fruits and rice basket of the Mekong Delta to the four season’s solemnity of Hanoi. A long exploration seems to be compulsory under such conditions, but most visitors find the over-extra-hyper-assertive approach of the locals towards the tourists intimidating. Few visitors feel comfortable after a month there; by then, the first impressions begin to fade out and the violent reality becomes evident. Thus, it is better to arrive with at least a basic plan for such a trip, so that no time would be wasted. Here, I present a sensible approach to such a visit.

Political Issues

An important point to keep in mind is that Vietnamese do not enjoy political freedom, thus it is better to avoid such themes will talking with them. Moreover, apparently the local government hires foreigners as informants. I – and other travelers I spoke with – have been approached in Vietnam by foreigners at hotel’s lobbies and even at noodle soup stalls and then asked – without any provocation from our side – many questions regarding our political attitudes. The best approach in such a situation is to be polite and avoid giving any concrete answer: "I do not know about that, but the soup here is great!"

Traveling Around

This journal is built assuming an entry to the country from the south and an exit from the north, due to personal preferences; however, the country can be easily visited in the opposite direction. Budget travelers will find only two feasible ways to tour the country: by tourists’ buses and by train. The local buses are not recommended since they are very congested and somewhat dangerous. The trains are the safest way to move around, but usually it is difficult to get a ticket on short notice and they travel too slowly. The compromise is to use the tourists’ buses, but not without a word of warning. There are several operators offering the same package – a ticket connecting Saigon with Hanoi through given stops with a flexible schedule – at prices that seem similar when translated to dollars; nonetheless, the differences in Dongs are significant and the cheaper companies make harmful shortcuts – for example not stopping by the attractions along the way.

The Country

Very narrow and with a length of over 2200km, Vietnam is an easy country to tour; the main decision for such a trip is if to begin from the north or from the south.

Highlights:

Mekong Delta

After traveling for a while in South East Asia and seeing the Jinghong in several countries, its delta is the perfect end for such a quest; especially since many traditional industries which have disappeared elsewhere, are still alive here. From liquor bottles with scorpions and snakes swimming in them to coconut candies, everything here reflects the flavors of the Vietnamese culture.

The DMZ

The geographical transition between the south and the north provides amazing views; the horrors of the American-Vietnamese War are here evident from the caves on the shore – where whole Vietnamese communities lived – to the Rockpile and Khe Shan American bases.

Fansipan Mountain is the highest mountain in the country and provides some solitude after the suffocating crowds in the plains. The nearby town of Sapa is a local center for Hill Tribes, mainly of Hmong people.

Hanoi is the capital city and it feels as one; not only because of its monuments but also for the obvious care to the details: romantic lakes, old temples and wide, shaded streets. The 36 Streets Market provides a fascinating look into medieval times. Nearby, Halong Bay with its thousands of islets endows with a glimpse onto the birth of the Vietnamese culture.

Hue was the old capital and it still hosts the Imperial City, or Purple Forbidden City; the old kings’ majestic tombs are an unforgettable sight.

Hoi An provides a look into the far past, with an unspoiled center, Chinese Guild Houses and a four-hundreds years old Japanese Bridge.

Nha Trang is the main beach of the country with clear turquoise waters and small islets hidden in eternal mist.

Dalat is a mountainous resort nearby where many newly wed choose to spend their honey moon.

Ho Chi Minh City

Nowhere in Vietnam are the scars of the war so evident and alive like in Saigon, known nowadays as Ho Chi Minh City. The War Remnants Museum, the Government Palace and the Cu Chi Caves turn recent history alive, while the Cathedral and the GPO belong to a romantic version of the 19th century.

Cham Towers

On the intersection of Highways 9 and 20 and in Nha Trang it is possible to appreciate Cham Towers. The Cham culture was related to the Khmer one in Angkor. Such a visit is an essential complement for a visit at Angkor; appreciating the similarities and differences between them vastly enriches the visits experience.