overlapping with Paul's) one! Here is my Top 5 and some honourable
mentions:
1. Halong bay - for once my number one choice absolutely deserves the
top spot. Paul has already written a detailed blog on it so not too
much detail here but I really can't write about this part of the trip
without saying what an absolutely beautiful place it is. A wonder of
nature, and the 3 day junk boat tour was fantastic. The Kayaking was
serene and not too hard to manage, the sea was warm and swimmable, the
company was great, the food was plentiful and fresh (seafood of
course) and the rocking motion on the boat was very conducive to a
great night's sleep. There was even karaoke! And I did my best to ruin
the tranquillity of the bay with my version of Let It Be! A reason to
go to Vietnam all on it's own (the bay not my singing).
2. New Year's Eve - a crazy night spent in Mao's Red Lounge (he would
be spinning in his grave if the embalmer's would let him!) with free
beer from 9.30 to 10.30 to get the party started, which it certainly
did as you couldn't move by midnight due to the huge numbers of ex
pats, other travellers and the gay Vietnamese contingent. Made for a
great atmosphere but it did mean they didn't follow through with the
free champagne at midnight promise! Felt every bit of my age the next
morning (and for much of the night during conversations with gap year
students who put my drinking skills to shame (really!!)) but the
resulting hangover did end up with the discovery of the Cafe Puku Kiwi
breakfast (2 poached eggs, sausage, bacon, mushroom, tomato, mashed
potato and water spinach) which was possibly my favourite meal of the
trip so far. Happy 2010!
3. The Ho Chi Minh Experience - this is really 3 attractions in 1:
HCM's embalmed body in the mausoleum, the HCM museum near the
mausoleum, the Presidential Palace but more particularly the two
buildings which were occupied by HCM (who refused to live in the
palace like the good communist he was) which are preserved as was at
his death (alledgedly). The 3 things are best done in one day to get
the full HCM experience although the excessive security and silly
opening times conspire against this.
The mausoleum was my first experience of a dead body. It looked like a
waxwork and I was a bit creeped out by the cultish elements of it.
The museum is insane. Communism in a nutshell - full of grand ideas
but shambolic delivery. I left there having learnt absolutely nothing
about HCM but still impressed by the scale and style of some of the
exhibits.
The cult theme continues at the HCM homes where Uncle Ho's cars,
books, busts of Lenin etc are all still as he left them. A bit like a
Pravda edition of Hello magazine, so of course I found this intriguing!
Overall, a great set of attractions.
4. Flower Festival - an annual event to celebrate the new year (with
special meaning this year; Hanoi's 1,000th as Vietnam's capital). It
consists of a number of displays set around the lake, some of which
are strange, some spectacular but all in a lovely lakeside setting.
The lake also has an attractive pagoda and an average temple in the
middle of the water.
5. The Old Quarter - we must have pounded every street in the OQ at
least ten times but every time you spot something different, be it a
new shop, bar, restaurant, temple, building or people going about
their daily business in a way that is new and fun to watch. A walk
around the lake (see 4 above) and a sunset drink at the rooftop City
View cafe are specific recommendations, but no recommendations are
really needed - walk around and make your own fun, it is a great place
(see 2 above)!
Honourable mention:
- Rising Dragon 2 hotel - excellent clean, modern hotel. Nice decor,
enough hot water and a (tempremental) computer in every room. Very
quiet too (our room was off the road). A definite step up from the
Astoria which we stayed at for the first 2 nights and only $10 more.
- Ha Loa prison - an interesting exhibition detailing how terrible
life was there for the Vietnamese under French control and how cushy
it was for the US POWs under Vietnamese control (hmm...) John McCain's
flight suit too.
- Perfume pagoda - a day trip out of Hanoi and only really recommended
if you have plenty of time in Hanoi. You can see why the scenic cave
temple would be a draw for Buddhist pilgrims though.
- Vietnam Fine Arts museum - a decent collection of Vietnamese art
through the ages with some good war stuff.
- Vietnam Army Museum - mainly for the courtyard sculpture made from
remnants of destroyed US war machines. Currently occupied by a cute
brown tabby cat!
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