Getaways in Startlingly Beautiful Vietnam
On 13 June, I was heartily welcomed by Buffalo Tours representative at the Hanoi International Airport. After the brief meet and greet, I got into the car and they drove me to Hong Ngoc 1 Hotel which was pre-booked for a brief stay as I was scheduled to leave that night for Sapa.
After a good traditional Vietnamese lunch at Old Hanoi Restaurant (a restaurant set in a renovated French Villa), I was given full information about my tour destinations and how Buffalo Tours would help me to have a memorable tour in the country. After the orientation, I had a chance to do a quick tour of the city. I went for an hour ‘cyclo’ tour through the chaotic streets of Hanoi Old Quarter. There were definitely lots of things to see, try and eat here. It was a crazy thing to witness on how motor bikers swung their way through the busy intersections, narrow streets and even on the sidewalks as they compete with the mobile vendors. I’ve never seen drivers willing to crash into pedestrians. No one cared to stop for anyone. It was a frazzling experience.
Finally, we got to our last stop, Thang Long Puppet Theatre where I enjoyed a puppet show proudly exhibiting the everyday traditional life in Vietnam. This activity was definitely one of the must-sees when in Hanoi. However, crossing the streets and roads is the most interesting and daring activity that every tourist should experience. The apparent trick is to leave the fear behind, take control of the road. Good luck!
At 8 pm, I was back on the road with my luggage, heading down to the train station to catch the 8.30 pm train to Sapa. With the assistance of my tour guide, the check in process and getting aboard on the train were stress free. He assisted me from the reconfirmation of my ticket to boarding on to the doorway of my soft sleeper berth (4 shared air conditioned berth). The bed was so comfortable that I slept like a baby waking up at 5 am the following day just in time for the arrival of the train at Lao Cai, Sapa’s main station.
There was a crowd of locals who were meeting passengers and offering transportation services to Sapa town. Sapa is the centre of stunning views of rice terraces that look like works of art. May, the Buffalo Tours local representative, welcomed me at the station. She graciously helped me carry my luggage as we walked towards the car. It was an hour drive from the station to the Victoria Hotels & Resorts, a 4-star hotel situated on a slight hill of Sapa town. The hotel location was within walking distance to the town center. We arrived at the hotel at 6 am and my room was not ready yet. So I took advantage of the time to go for an early breakfast at the hotel restaurant. After breakfast, the hotel staff assisted me to carry my luggage to my room. It’s always great to receive warm welcomes from the hotel staff. The room was very clean and comfortable with complimentary coffee/tea/water. Wifi access was free of charge.
I started my first day in Sapa at 10 am. The day tour included a walk around the hill tribe villages of Cat Cat, Ta Van and Cau May where you will encounter some of the indigenous people trading at the markets. I had a very interesting encounter with 3 young local traders. One was carrying her younger sibling on her back, which is a tough responsibility for someone at a relatively young age. But this seems to be a common scene in the village. It was a rainy day and had the opportunity to stop for a quick snack. Rain or shine, life goes on and farmers continue to 
do their daily activities. I totally enjoyed the natural mountain scenes and fresh air in Sapa.
The following day, 15 June, was my last day in Sapa. I did a walk tour and took the challenge to dress-up in a Sapa’s hill tribe village traditional attire with a matching basket, which I carried on my back. After a quick hike to the Ham Rong Mountain to get a panoramic view of Sapa town and the green botanical gardens, May took me to the nearby market in town. May’s mother and grandmother (who sell traditional dresses at the town market) were kind enough to rent 
me a whole outfit for the day. The basket was courtesy of one of the local kid vendors who gave me a tour to her local village house. I certainly had fun and obviously got a mass attention from the villagers of Ta Phin, home to the Kinh, Red Dao and Black H’mong communities. I had the opportunity to mingle with some local kids, who most of them start learning to make a living, at an early age by selling their own handmade merchandises. Since I have been deprived from purchasing due to lack of luggage space, I decided to purchase some candies to give away to the kids.
On the same day, I took the train for an overnight trip back to Hanoi. I arrived at Hanoi around 4.30 am on 16 June, for an other quick stay at the Hong Ngoc 1 Hotel. By 8.15 am I was back on the road with my new tour guide, Pheung, and a driver, Duc, for a 3.5-hour drive to Halong Bay. Driving and crossing the roads of Hanoi are survival skills that one must learn. It was a relief to identify straight away that Duc has acquired such great driving skills. I was certainly entertained watching his clever maneuvering of the car every now and then. It absolutely made the trip entertaining. We got to our destination on time.
It was around noon when I boarded onto a nice looking traditional wooden junk, my official carrier for the overnight cruise along Halong Bay. The boat was relatively new and my berth was equipped with a twin-single bed, which appeared to be very comfy with its freshly washed and ironed white bed linen. The bathroom was very spacious and spotlessly clean.
After a good fresh seafood (5-course) lunch served at a cozy and comfortable dining section, we headed to our first expedition – a visit to Hang Sung Sot (Cave of Surprises). As I walked into the main part of the cave, I was indeed surprised with the intriguing colours, cuts and shapes of the ancient limestone. The walkway was wet and slippery, which made it a bit challenging to walk so it is important to wear a suitable footwear. Outside the cave was the Fishing Village. The people who live in the villages spend most of their lives on the water. Locals here live in a floating house and mainly go fishing from the morning and then sell their catches to bigger boats. The village is equipped with a floating school, where boats are used as a classroom and the water obviously serving as their playground.
By 4 pm, we arrived at our next destination, Tito Beach. Here, I had the opportunity to enjoy swimming and kayaking. For those who wish to exclude water activities, and prefer hiking, a more than 400 hundreds steps hike facility is available. At the top of the steps, you will get a panoramic view of the bay. Do not forget to bring your camera. At 5 pm, everyone was back on board in preparation for a nice and relaxing sunset view on the deck, which was followed by a seafood dinner under the stars. The bay evening view was stunning combined with the illuminated myriad junks throughout the bay, which added tranquility to the surroundings.
In the middle of the night, I was awakened by the sound of the lightning and thunder followed by heavy rains. It took me an hour before I was back to sleep, as I was entertained with the sound of the thunder and flow of the rain from my window. I had a good sleep and woke up just in time for the 7:30 am breakfast. By 8.30 am, we visited another cave: the Luon Cave. We rode a ‘sampan’ boat to get through the cave. As we entered into the cave, we stopped by at an office of tranquility, away from a computer and the city hustle and bustle. The fragrance of the morning fog and haze made the place more magical. All I heard was the sound of the birds, boat paddles, and silent whispers.
As we boarded on back to the boat, it started to rain. We arrived at the port at 11 am with Pheung and Duc patiently waiting for my arrival. A seafood lunch was served at the local restaurant in town and we were joined in by the lovely couple from Sydney, Ian and Christine, with whom I spent most of my time during the cruise.
After lunch, we drove back to Hanoi Airport to catch my flight to Hoi An. This time I dared to ask Pheung if I could swap seats with him and be at the front passenger seat. He had to ask Duc, the driver, who graciously granted my request with a smile on his face, Duc surprisingly uttered “No one in my two years of being a driver, has a tourist dared to ask and sit on the front passenger seat.” I mischievously responded to him “there is always a first time.” He must have thought I was crazy. After a few minutes, I immediately felt the sensation of being in the front seat as I watched the road constantly, and witnessed the road swarming with motorbikes and merging in from every corners, with horns ceaselessly honking, and trucks approaching and coming from different directions – ‘Oi Troi Oi’, (Oh my God). It was insanely crazy. I felt like I was playing a car racing Nintendo game for 3 hours 30 minutes. A couple of times I thought of myself going back to the rear seat but as I got accustomed with the craziness and entertained by the street action, fear just went off naturally. We finally arrived at the Hanoi Airport safe and sound at 3 pm.
On our way, we made 2 stops: one at a fruit street vendor and another one at Phu Luyen Thit Cho, a dog meat restaurant (not to eat but just to check it out!). Dog meat is considered as a delicacy in specific restaurants and certain regions of Vietnam.
Hoi An is a historical and peaceful little town and famous among travellers for its tailors and tasty foods. Half the shops in the town are tailors. Tourists would stay for days just to get that high quality and perfectly tailor made suits and dresses, at a good price. Why not, when you can relax and enjoy the city gems and at the same time enjoying many tasty options of local dishes and delicacies. Knowing that taking a recipe back home is light and will definitely not take a lot of space in my luggage, I opted to take some cooking classes.
On Saturday, 18 June, I learned the traditional Hoi An cooking and at the same time had an awesome time interacting with the local market merchants as I shopped for ingredients required for in the cooking lesson. It was a good experience to actually learn how to pick fresh ingredients. We took the boat to cruise along the Thu Bon River to get to the cooking school. At the cooking school, we also had a chance to visit the school’s organic herbs garden. What I loved about the cooking lesson was not only learning how to cook but savoring the dish that I cooked.
Visiting Hoi An at the right month can be magical. But the best time to be in Hoi An is on a full moon where motor bikers are banned from the old town. The town turned into a magical land as they celebrated the lantern festival. Even in a normal night, a stroll along the waterfront was definitely a wonderful experience. The bridge was lit up at night and the river of Thu Bon was surrounded by giants multi coloured illuminated images of a cat, dragon, fish and tiger. Hoi An is also the perfect and safest place to explore the countryside and the nearby beaches by motorbike.
On Sunday, 19 June, I took my last domestic flight via Vietnam Airlines from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City. I spent my night in Ho Chi Minh City ( Saigon ) at Tan Hai Long 3 Hotel. The hotel room was relatively small but it was a perfect location for exploring the city – easy walking distances to everything. My day culminated with meeting with Mario, an ex colleague (Metro Travel) from 15 years ago, followed by a night out along with his group of friends. Nothing could beat a great night out with the locals.
While I had mixed feelings of Vietnam, it definitely has a special place in my heart. And whether you start from the North or South, both are gifted with all travelers’ interests: the sunset and sunrise, bays, mountains, adventures, food lovers and cheap shopping and massages opportunities. I will always cherish all these experiences. These are all good reasons why you should not miss Vietnam as your next travel destination.
From here, I will be going on an 8-day Luxury Mekong River cruise, which I will be featuring in my next article.
© 2012 by Michelle Riel, retains sole copyright to her contributions to all the contents of this site.
