Vietnam. May 1, 2017
1) Hanoi:
With great anticipation, we arrived late in the evening at the famous Hanoi hotel: The Metropole, where we stayed 3 nights. We were not disappointed. This is a wonderful place to stay, so much that it made the list of hotels where Ann would gladly spend her final days basking in luxury.
Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by an attentive staff and felt immediatly at Home.
The hotel has a rich history and we felt very special being on the foot steps of very famous people who stayed at the Metropole such as Charlie Chaplin (this is where he spent his honeymoon with Paulette Goddard), Jane Fonda, Francois Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac and famous writers like Graham Greene and Somerset Maugham. A painting from Joan Baez displayed in the lobby is a reminder of her multiple visits including her stay during the war in 1972 with Jane Fonda and an American delegation when she wrote her famous song Where Are You Now, My Son?. A bomb shelter had been built in the basement of the hotel in the 60's to protect guests from the American bombing raids.
Different times, different experiences: The Metropole was for us an oasis of luxury and peace where we rested after long walks in the bustling Hanoi. Some of the highlights were "High Tea" served every day from 4pm to 6pm,
and the reminders of the French colonial "Indochine".
In Hanoi, one must experience the street food scene. Thanks to Carol W., who recommended us Mark - our food tour guide, we were able to play Anthony Bourdain. Starting late morning from the Metropole, we walked all over Hanoi's old district and stopped at food stands carefully curated by Mark enjoying a very tasty stroll.
and the typical street scenes.
There is no better time than early morning (jogging time) to witness Vietnam's DNA characterized by a mix of communist values with western culture. Badminton games, ball room dancing, butterfly dances, tai chi exercises, meditation and much more. At 7:00 am, Hanoi is up and running, working in groups on their bodies and minds.
2) Sa Pa:
A five hour drive from Hanoi heading NorthWest took us to the mountain area, known as the "Tonkinese Alps", on the border of China. Our destination was the picturesque town of Sa Pa.
Sa Pa is surrounded by rice terraces, lush vegetation and many hill tribes. One of the main ethnic minority group is the H'mong [Mong] people. Close to Sa Pa is Fansipan, the highest mountain in Vietnam with its summit reaching 3,143 metres (10,312 ft). We stayed at the Victoria Hotel, a very comfortable hotel with great views over the town.
The best season to visit Sa Pa is in August-September when the rice fields are the greenest and ready for the harvest. Being in altitude, the rice fields in Sa Pa have only one harvest a year contrary to the rice fields in the delta area that are being harvested 2 to 3 times a year.
After few hours trekking down in this beautiful valley we stopped for lunch at The Dzai House Homestay, a bed and breakfast in Lao Chai operated by good friends of Chuong.
During lunch we learn from Chuong the incredible Black Hmong marriage tradition: Kidnapping!
The next day we went to another valley close to Loa Chai to explore the famous Love Waterfalls.
The lunch of the day before at the Dzai House Homestay was unfortunately catching up with Rocco. A rescue mission had to be launched to extract him from the valley back to our bus. A special thanks to the very nice Vietnamese park rangers, they do not have the fancy uniforms but definitely possess the right skills and spirit.
Isabelle was next in line and had to lay down for a while. Fortunately, we had kept one of our rooms while waiting for our bus, it quickly became our infirmary.
Pierre was next and had a chalenging bus ride down to the valley where we were to embark on our sleeper train back to Hanoi. Ann was the hero of the day and survived the experience without a scratch.
We had a fun but somewhat sleepless night aboard the Victoria Express. Not sure where the Express comes from but happy to be back in Hanoi at dawn to head to our next stop: Ha Long Bay!
3) Ha Long Bay:
Ha long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A beautiful landmark with thousands of limestonekarsts and isles in various shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, it is also a very popular tourist destination and the bay has become overcrowded and quite polluted. It is also difficult, due to restrictions, to visit the more remote areas off limit to the tourists.
Being warned by friends who had visited Ha Long Bay before, our expectations were kept in check and we did enjoy our 2 days and 3 nights on our private boat, the Bhaya Legend 3, cruising this unique nature creation.
We visited a pearl farm, Ngoc Trai Ha Long, and a cave....
and practiced Tai Chi on the deck every morning, quite a spectacle...
Ha Long Bay is still a very active fishing area and we could contemplate a constant ballet of small local fishing boats.
A last gorgeous sunset over the bay and we were on our way to the next stop: Hoi An.
4) Hoi An:
Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hoi An is a charming ancient town located on the South China Sea coast at an equal distance from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This historic trading post dates from the 15th century and has been extremely well preserved.
We were fortunate to visit Hoi An at the time of a Full Moon Lantern Festival.
We stayed in a charming hotel located in the center of the old city that we highly recommend, Maison Vy.
This former harbour town of the Cham at the estuary of the Thu Bồn River was an important Vietnamese trading centre in the 16th and 17th centuries, where Chinese as well as Portuguese, Japanese, Dutch and Indians settled. During this period of the China trade, the town was called Hai Pho.
Originally, Hai Pho was a divided town with the Japanese settlement across the "Japanese Bridge" (16th-17th century). The bridge (Chùa cầu) is a unique covered structure built by the Japanese, the only known covered bridge with a Buddhist temple attached to one side.
Hoi An Lantern Festival is one of Southeast Asia’s most popular events. For centuries, the Vietnamese have considered the full moon a time to pay their respects to their ancestors, hold candlelit ceremonies at temples and send their best wishes to loved ones by sending floating lanterns on the Thu Bon river.
On the Lantern Festival night, the streets of Hoi An are packed with local people as well as tourists. It is a very joyful event for families, everyone is out to celebrate the full moon.
We couldn't resist to get on a scooter to cruise around the busy streets of Hoi An and drive to the nearby beach where we discovered these unusual floating pods, probably used in casting fishing nests. Definitely not designed for rough seas!
We will probably remember most Hoi An for its talented and very affordable tailors. Ann and Isabelle had a field day in getting their favorite clothe designs duplicated in multiple colors. Even Rocco and Pierre got some pretty cool pants tailor made. Equally remarkable, are Hoi An's farmers markets. Amazing patchwork of colors and scents. We could have spend days watching the people and the activity around Hoi An's markets, the best we have seen in Asia.
Next stop in Southeast Asia!
