Ten days ago, we entered Vietnam via the Mekong River. We cruised around in the Mekong Delta, visiting small towns along the way. When we disembarked, we took a bus to Ho Chi Minh City, where we boarded a plane to Hanoi. We’ve been in Hanoi four days, and now it’s time to return home. Here’s a Vietnam trip summary.
Papers, Please!
Our first experience in Vietnam was a four-hour wait at the Cambodia/Vietnam border. We had dropped anchor. A police boat from the Vietnam side came out to our boat. Some stern-looking guys in what looked to me like army uniforms boarded our boat, and met briefly with our (Vietnamese) captain. Then, carrying with them a small box, they headed back to shore.
But we weren’t going anywhere just yet. The box they took with them back to shore contained the passports of all of the passengers on the boat. Yikes!
I had wondered what it would be like to visit a communist country. Would we be followed by some sneaky-looking guy wherever we went? Would cameras be trained on us as we walked down the street? And would we have to be careful what we said, and to whom? All I knew at the time was that I’d be glad when we got our passports back.
The police/soldiers eventually returned with everyone’s passports. If there was an issue with any of them, we never heard about it. We crossed the border into Vietnam. Our first stop was at a place called “Evergreen Island.”
Evergreen Island and River Towns
Evergreen Island is a little oasis of tranquility. There’s a village there that I’m sure hasn’t changed much in decades. As we walked along, we were accosted ever so politely by the cutest kids imaginable, at least until the candy man showed up with his cart loaded with candy. We spoke with a few people there who knew some English. Everyone was so welcoming and nice.
We spent the next few days visiting river towns in the Mekong Delta, making stops at Tan Chau, Sa Dec, and Cai Be. Each had it’s own unique character, but what they had in common, at least from my perspective, was that people were happy, friendly, and hard at work.
We had come into Vietnam from Cambodia, where things seemed to me to be pretty laid back. It reminded me of Mexico. What’s your rush? Take it easy and enjoy your life!
Not in Vietnam. Here, people were BUSY. Busy buying, selling, building, transporting – everything that needs to be done in a thriving economy. And that was out in the countryside. I can only imagine what it’s like in the big cities.
Time to Head North
We disembarked and said “good bye” to our fellow cruisers at My Tho, a city 50 miles (80 km) south of Ho Chi Minh City. After an hour bus ride, we came into the city. From a bus window, by the looks of it, Ho Chi Minh City could have been just about any big city anywhere — except with a lot more motorbikes.
We would have liked to stay a while, but that wasn’t part of the plan. In particular, I would have liked to be able to compare Ho Chi Minh City with Hanoi. I had read that they’re really different. In a nutshell, Ho Chi Minh City is supposed to be relatively “fast and loose,” while Hanoi is supposed to be “staid and conservative.” But that’s only if you believe what you read.
We made our way directly to Tan Son Nhat airport. A few hours later, we landed in Hanoi. Well, we were almost in Hanoi. We had a scare on the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel, but it turned out to be nothing. Then, while still on our way to the hotel, we drove across the Nhat Tan Bridge. It was lit up so it looked like Disneyland, with multi-colored lights changing colors as we passed. So much for “staid and conservative!”
Hanoi
On our first full day in Hanoi, we went on a “Hanoi Street Food” tour that turned out to be one of the highlights of the whole trip. Our guide, Lemon, was awesome, and the food was even more awesome. Our taste buds were tingling at every stop with tastes we had never experienced. Everything was so good.
And as a bonus, Lemon taught us how to survive as pedestrians in the infamous Hanoi traffic. (See “Lemon’s Laws” here). Lemon’s laws worked pretty well, otherwise I might not be here writing this now.
On the next day, we took a whirlwind trip to see the famous Ha Long Bay. It’s just as neat as we’d hope it would be after seeing pictures of it everywhere. But I have to say, the highlight of this part of the trip was just being in Hanoi, walking around or just hanging out in the Old Quarter. It’s beautiful and enchanting, new and old, easy and rough all at the same time.
But the best thing about our visit to Vietnam – as it often turns out to be when visiting far-away places – was the people. When foreigners come as tourists to visit the United States, I hope they have similar feelings. I don’t know if they do. I do know that we’ll miss being in Vietnam.
To be continued…
(Note: In the Mekong Delta, we were on an Amawaterways river cruise. More details here).
