Unlike in Thailand, our agenda in Vietnam is packed. Since we did not have time to organize things ourselves we booked a 14 day tour from the South to the North. Our journey started in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in the South. The city is even hotter and more chaotic than the previous ones we have seen. Basically you are stuck in a constant traffic jam with scooters whizzing past left, right and centre. Our first day is focused on the Vietnam war with a visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels and the war museum. The tunnels are really impressive. We crawled 20m through one that was doubled in size for tourists and it was still a terrifying experience being trapped under the ground.
From Ho Chi Minh we drove to the Mekong Delta. The drive is only 170km but it takes about 4h, the climate is hot and humid. We cruised the Mekong on a boat, visited the floating market, and saw how coconut candy is made.
The next day we boarded the night train to Danang in central Vietnam. We booked a 4 bed cabin to ourselves for the 17h train ride. While we didn’t sleep too well, the experience was great and we enjoyed travelling through the landscape just as much as through the cities where the train passes right next to the houses. We arrived in Danang at noon the next day and headed straight to the the ancient city of Hoi An. We explored the old town, cycled through villages, ate local food and enjoyed another boat ride. The weather was rainy and much cooler so we unpacked our sneakers and warm sweaters.
Our next stop is Hue, a 3h drive north of Hoi An. We visited some tombs on the way there (don’t ask me from what king and what dynasty….). While we did not really like the city we had fun in the surrounding villages where we again used a boat and bikes to explore the area. We also cooked spring roles and lemongrass chicken.
Our next stop is Hanoi in the North, this time we traveled by airplane. We visited some more pagodas (temples), the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Ethymological Museum. Overall, we are tired of sightseeing so we also enjoyed spending time chilling at the hotel and sitting in a bar at the street enjoying a beer for the adults and fresh juice for the kids.
Last but not least we headed to Halong Bay for a 2 day/1 night cruise. What a lovely place this is (although there are many many many ships on the water). We chilled on the sundeck and ate lots of food.
World Xperience 