Most people agreed that Vietnam was their favorite country that we've visited. Although personally, I'd still have to go with Japan, Vietnam was awesome as well. First and foremost, Vietnam has very little in the way of provocative architecture, so it felt more like a vacation than school. Second, everything is ridiculously cheap in Vietnam, so we were able to take our traveling college student budgets and stay in nice hotels, eat nice meals, and just generally live like royalty. That's the good part about Vietnam. The bad part is that it has some of the worst heat and humidity I've ever experienced, rivaled only by Cambodia, its next door neighbor. It makes the sweltering heat of Kuala Lumpur feel like an igloo. When we first arrived in Hanoi, the five minute walk between the airport doors and the bus left us pouring with sweat and gasping for water. However, that didn't stop us from having a great time!
The first city we stopped in was Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. In the city, we visited the "Hanoi Hilton," a prison which held hostages during the Vietnam War, including John McCain. We also went to the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, one of Vietnam's great leaders, and saw his body which has been preserved for over 40 years. We also saw where he lived and worked. One afternoon, we had the opportunity to take rickshaw rides around the city that ended at a water puppet theater where we saw a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show. The rickshaw ride was scary since it involved darting around all sorts of crazy traffic and thousands of motorbikes. [Speaking of which, here's a sidenote about driving in Vietnam: don't. In the U.S., traffic lanes, signs and signals are the law. In China, they were more like guidelines. In Vietnam, they're solely for decoration. The best way to get around in Vietnam is to get a local to do the driving, then close your eyes and hope that you get there.] However, I think we would all agree that the best part of Hanoi was actually the day we left for an excursion to Halong Bay.
Halong Bay is a geological wonder that people come from around the world to experience. It consists of steep rock formations emerging from the water with steep cliffs, but covered with vegetation at the tops. It's such an amazing place to see. Our day started with a 3-hour bus ride from Hanoi before boarding the boat that would take us around for the day. On our way from the mainland to the rock formations, we were served a fancy lunch onboard. Once we got into the bay and cruised around for a while, the boat found a secluded place to anchor and we were able to jump out and go swimming. Swimming was a welcome relief from the heat and humidity, and we actually agreed that the water could have been a bit cooler. Once we were done, there was sunbathing and drinks on the top deck until we reached a series of caves where the boat docked and we were able to walk through them. From there, the boat took us back to the mainland, where no one was ready to leave for the long journey back to Hanoi.
After 3 days in Hanoi and an incredibly sketchy flight on Vietnam Airlines, we arrived in Hoi An, the second stop in Vietnam. Hoi An felt even more like being on vacation than Hanoi. We did see an old house and a historic Japanese bridge, but highlights included a boat ride on the river, cheap, good food and drink, a bike ride to a pristine white beach that felt like we had arrived in paradise, and of course, the tailor. There is a tailor in Hoi An which the students visit every year and most of us suspect that this is the real reason our instructor even brings us to Hoi An at all. This tailor can make you anything you want for a fraction of what it would cost in the states. You can create something yourself or you can bring them something to copy or you can bring a picture. The end result will be something that fits perfectly that you never would have spent the money on back home. And the turnaround time is amazing since they can do in two days what would take two weeks back home. I think all but one or two people ordered stuff from the tailor. I ended up getting a gray suit as well as a dress shirt. Some people went all out, ordering multiple suits, dress shirts, pants, skirts, shorts, ties, bow ties, etc. I think everyone was happy with their purchases when we went to pick them up. We also went to another place that tailors shoes. I custom designed a cool pair of shoes for cheap, but they're already falling apart, so I wouldn't recommend the place.
After yet another sketchy Vietnam Airlines flight, we arrived at out final destination in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. Although Hanoi is the capital, Saigon is the largest and most developed city in Vietnam. During this time, the world cub started, so we spent a few nights in a bar by our hotel watching the games. I also had the most delicious burger of the trip at another hotel near ours. For Vietnam, the price of the hamburger was outrageous, but it was what I would have paid back home for a high quality burger, and it was definitely delicious! We also had the opportunity to try real pho, which is a Vietnamese noodle soup that was really good. The stuff in the states just isn't the same.
One of the days in Saigon, we had the opportunity to take a boat around the Mekong River, which is considered to be the lifeblood of Vietnam since the Vietnamese are dependent on it for so many things. We stopped at a floating fish farm where fish are raised and harvested for food. Apparently, theft is an issue and each fish farm usually has dogs to warn of any intruders at night. After the fish farm, we went to an island where coconut candy is made. We got to watch them make it, then taste free samples, which were delicious. It's not like any candy I've had before. From there, we went to another island where we had the opportunity to try a number of Vietnamese fruits. They were all good, except for the disgusting durian. It smells horrible and reminded me of moldy eggs, but it's very popular here. In fact, I hate going to supermarkets here because they all reek of durian. Anyway, the boat dropped us off, and we rode in the back of an atv truck thing to another area of the river where we rode canoes through the mangroves to our lunch spot. After another delicious meal, we boarded the bus and headed back to town.
It's easy to see why Vietnam was a favorite destination for everyone. Between the three cities we visited, we got to experience a lot of the local culture and still have time to relax. With reluctance, we boarded our final sketchy Vietnam Airlines flight and headed for Cambodia.
Vietnam pictures here!
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