Having left the maze of narrow streets bursting with traffic, street stalls and bewildered tourists of Hanoi behind, I have found an array of beautiful places along the week-long journey to Saigon - a much more modern, but just as hectic, city. It's hard to believe that the quiet lantern-lit streets of Hoi An, the sparkling beach resort of Nha Trang and the lively fishing village and watersports haven of Mui Ne could all be situated in the same country.
The famous Vietnamese cuisine has been as varied as it’s country of origin, from grey slop consisting of rice and cabbage to amazing local specialities and the best seafood I’ve ever had. One night we indulged in a seafood stir-fry and Crabia fish hotpot for the bargain price of £5. Supermarket food, however is pricey, and so our craving for cereal the next morning cost us almost as much.
Experiencing Halong Bay was just as hectic as Hanoi, being moved from bus to boat to bus many times - never knowing which tour group you would be joining next. The bay was beautiful but you barely had time to look at it before being ordered to clamber over various other boats to visit a cave reminiscent of Disneyland, with added herds of Japanese tourists. In contrast, the theme park island Vinpearl in Nha Trang that we visited (which was allowed to feel like Disneyland) was practically deserted, meaning that we could run around and go on every ride as many times as we liked. The lack of rules meant that we could take photos mid-ride but also increased the possibility of injuries, especially on the array of giant waterslides.
The only thing that links these destinations (quite literally) is the mode of transport between them. We have been on the same battered sleeper bus four times so far, having bought a multi-stop ticket, not realising each leg of the journey would be made in tiny rusting bunk beds, with mouldy blankets, on a bus with a whole side held together with masking tape. Despite Vietnam’s varied landscapes the roads are always the same; potholed, unruly and full to bursting with mo-peds and the odd bus. We decided to brave the traffic in the quitest place we found, Mui Ne, by hiring our very own mo-ped for the day. We thought this would save our legs cycling between the sights of the area. I’m afraid to say we ended up on the floor, after having missed a turning and attempted a u-turn on a busy street, with many not-overly-bothered locals around us who are obviously used to tourists doing silly things on mo-peds.
Vietnam is one lively country - exemplified in the street life of it’s biggest city, Saigon, where I am currently watching a mixed group of tourists and locals play a game of keepy-upy with a strange-looking shuttlecock, in the middle of a busy road, whilst the park is full of badminton players, skateboarders and street dancers - it’s people-watching heaven. I was dreading this city but its turned out to be fantastic. It goes to show that no matter how many books you read or web-searches you do, you don’t know how somewhere will strike you untill you get there. This country is very good at delivering the unexpected, which is what I love about travelling, you can hop on a bus and afew hours later arrive in another world.
