Whilst we’ve been to Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh City before we haven’t visited the Viet Nam capital Hà Nội. So at the ungodly hour of 06.15 we’re getting ready when our room-service breakfast arrives.
Well, an approximation to what we ordered arrives. No fruit or yoghurt but four “full American” so presumably someone else lost and gained too?? With no time to fix it we go with the flow, there’s ample anyway.
It’s a three hour drive to the capital. On the way we stop at a services (comfort break) and see some great stonemasonry, and a sweatshop selling embroidery at quite alarming prices (a 50 x 80 cm piece was $1800) of which I’m sure very little goes back to the mostly disabled workers.
Meanwhile our guide tells of the horrors of scooters in her country, and that whilst there are 100M people there are probably 110M scooters (she has two!) Also tales of what can be transported on a scooter including a pig & wife to balance and this one of an oxen trussed ready for market!
By 10:20 we drive past the opera house and are wandering around the French Quarter, full of street sellers and small shops. Typically each shop is 1.5m wide with a 1m corridor in which the entire family lives. The pavements are impasible with either fruit, veg, fish, meat or motorcycles everywhere. So we drift around the roads, tempting “death by scooter” more times than makes for good odds. Miraculously everyone survives and we continue onward to the lake, and then to a Confusious temple. It’s wedding season and we see any number of couples out being photographed, which is always done before the wedding here, one of our group photobombs but they are so excited she is invited for more photos!
We break for lunch, first impressions are it’s a bit rough, but in reality it’s fine just extremely cramped, and we’ve drawn the short straw of being up on the fourth floor! Again Viet Namese food – not disimilar to yesterday, but the spring rolls are a welcome addition.
We move on to the one-pillar pagoda, sited on an island in the city’s lake, also the site of a US bomber’s demise, the pilot, John McCain somehow went from enemy to reverence in the eyes of the Viet people who erected a statue close by.
Our final destination is cancelled. First we’re told we will only get to see the outside of the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, later it was demoted to a drive-past. Finally we couldn’t get near it as the neighbourhood is closed for an Indian Army General’s visit. Update: apparently there have been complaints so we have received a partial refund – some people will complain about anything!
We drive past the famous street where the main line train vies against trackside shops and cafes who have to remove their wares twice daily. Sadly we’re not there when a train is available but the street does look quite crazy. I’ve included a stock photo for effect.
Our drive home is pleasant enough and we enjoy the countryside and towns as the sun sets. The turn is a multi instrumentalalist from Melbourne who is very impressive.
Dinner is excellent with tempura prawns, sea bass and fillet steak with Tonkatsu sauce amongst other things.
As we sail out of Ha Long Bay we enjoy the tourist ships passing by our balcony and then the limestone rocks as we pass.
