Saigon Day 2

 Had a great nights sleep, but up at 6 for an early breakfast then a 2 hour bus trip to Cu Chi tunnels. The number of motor bikes/scooters is hard to imagine. There are wave after wave of riders as the lights change, though not all obey the traffic signals. If they can sneak through against the lights they will. On the way out our guide informed us that a typhoon off the Philippines was due to hit Ha Long bay, he thinks John and Kaye will be just in front of it - hope so! 

Our guide talks to us about war involving the French and the US. Duc explained how family members ending up fighting against each other. Some moved north to fight the French, but then the north would not let them return and they were then trained to fight the US. It was very complicated and tragic when families including husbands and wives were separated for 20 to 30 years. Some had even remarried.

We watch a film which was pure propaganda from the Viet Cong side. While it is difficult to condone the type of warfare from the US - carpet bombing, agent orange and the use of naplam, the Viet cong were not entirely blameless in the fighting. Wiping out families of the south Vietnam supporters. The south wanted a western style govt. but Ho Chi Minh was steadfast in his communism having aligned with Stalin and Chairman Mao, and that is why the south Vietnamese asked for support from the US. Plus the US were concerned about the spread of Communism to all of Indochina. Just like in Ukraine those fighting to save their homeland were more resilient, resourceful and determined. The booby traps were deadly and as we walk through the area you could imagine how dangerous it was in that terrain. There are a number of bomb craters and bits of shrapnel everywhere. We learn all about the tunnels and different levels. Some were originally built by the south Vietnamese in their rebellion against the French. They were expanded upon by the VC after they infiltrated the south.

We get to go down one of the tunnels, only three of us have a go. It is narrow and low. You have to duck walk but after a few metres I continued on my hands and knees. It is very hot in the tunnels. While all this is going on there is continual gun fire in the background. Tourists can purchase to shoot a few rounds in a shooting range. It is loud and repetitive and increases your experience  of what it must have been like to be here during the war.

We then head back to Saigon and lunch. For lunch Ann has chicken and noodles and I have chicken and fried rice. Ann does a great job with the noodles and then we have spring rolls, a light meal but very tasty. We then walk to the market and have free time. The market is hot and noisy and everyone wanted wants you to buy from them. We give it a miss and head back to the hotel. After a short break we head off to Uniqlo and Zara which are nearby, I pick up a couple of shirts and Ann gets three tops at Zara.

After a shower we head off to the signature lounge for a couple of pre dinner drinks.

Saigon

 We have a late breakfast this morning as we need to check out by 10.30 for our flight to Saigon.

I forgot to mention when we dined at the press club we had to cross the road. Our guide was encouraging, walk slow at a steady pace and stick together. Got across safely and also on the way back. Very nerve racking though.

Our breakfast was in the garden area, a lovely ambience. Our drive to the airport was hectic with traffic everywhere and going in all directions. We arrive at the airport safely and are getting organised when one of our group realises he has left his phone on the bus. Duc our guide quickly contacts the driver and arranges for him to return and drop the phone. We proceed through check in while Duc waits with Rodney to get his phone back. Everything worked out and he got his phone back. I said to him he was lucky he remembered so quickly, he told me his Apple Watch notified him he had left his phone behind! Our group is getting on well, there are a couple from Winchester England, a couple from NZ and the rest are Aussies. 

In the next couple of days we will meet up with the other group of 20. The flight was 2 hours and I passed on the meal but Ann tried a pork and rice where Ann only ate the rice - didn’t look very appetising. After landing we had a bus ride to the terminal, all bags arrived and then off to the bus. We thought Hanoi was busy, Saigon is three times as busy! We get dropped off near the Notre Dame cathedral, which unfortunately is covered with scaffolding. We then proceed to Ho Chi Minh train station and now a post office. We then walk to our hotel and along the way Duc points out significant buildings, including one where the rooftop was used as a helicopter pad to transfer south Vietnamese out of Saigon.

We check in and the hotel is lovely, but the staff do not seem as friendly and courteous as the were in Hanoi. We had paid extra for a signature room which had complimentary privileges but nothing was mentioned. Ann had to return to the desk to get it clarified and find out where the signature lounge was.

We have a quick shower - now showering twice a day. A lot warmer and more humid. We meet up 6.45 to walk to our restaurant for dinner. We have a lovely entree and then chicken, but the chicken was just cooked, tasted ok but was bordering on pink. We then had a lovely desert of chocolate mousse with vanilla ice cream with gold leaf on the ice cream! 

We walk back to the hotel, it is Sunday night and the traffic - motor bikes is incredible. Ann and I decide to have a drink at the signature lounge. Ask for a wine and champagne but told I would have to pay! Appears free drinks only available during happy hour from 5.30 to 7.30 pm. I said we weren’t aware and I would pay but then apologised that it was not explained to us and I wouldn’t have to pay. One drink and off to bed.

More Photos

Hanoi Prison in the French area

 

Village on Cat Ba island

In rowing boat at Floating Village

Docking area floating village

Metropole Hotel in Hanoi

Rowing Boat

Walk yo Cat Ba village

Golf cart

Metropole Hotel Hanoi

Lunch in village on Cat Ba

Pool at Hotel In Hanoi

Back to Hanoi

 We have an early light breakfast as 10 of our group are going to the cave, leaving the boat at 7.30. There are boats everywhere all going to the cave. We have leisurely morning repacking for our departure. When the group get back there is a brunch, which is practically breakfast. We skip this as we will also stop for lunch on the way back to Hanoi. We disembark the ship around 10 am for a 4 hour journey back to the city. While it only took just over 2. Hours to get here that was on the expressway, we will be going back via the highway, a longer and slower route, plus a stop for lunch and shopping.

The weather has been great, mostly sunny with temperatures around 28 degrees. The humidity has not been too bad, and Ann has not been concerned by it. The ships crew were great, so friendly and helpful. There a total of 28 guests on board, 16 in our group and 12 others, crew numbers nearly matched guests, and the crew did many roles. The scenery was amazing.

We head off back to Hanoi and after 2 hours we stop for lunch at a typical tourist shopping building. Inside there are workers weaving intricate designs that just look like paintings. There are also the usual bags, silk ties and shawls, clothing, confectionery, carvings and so on. Ann buys a carved figurine and then we are off to lunch. Lunch is a multi course event with chips as an entree, then spring rolls and sauces, chicken and salads, beef and noodles and then fruit.

Back in the bus and we get to Hanoi at 3.30. There are ten going on the vesper tour and six eating at the press club. Before that we have a tour of the bunkers below the hotel! These were only discovered in 2011 when the hotel decided to expand and put in a pool. They decided to preserve the bunker and not fill it in. It was built as safety for management and guests during the bombing by the USA. The bunkers are small and narrow only holding about 60 people, no more than two people side by side would be the width and only about 6 feet high.The concrete was about two feet thick. 

They also had photos of important people and celebrities who had stayed at the hotel over  the years, including Joan Baez and Jane Fonda and many powerful leaders including “Scott Morrison”

The meal at the Press Club was fantastic. We had a private room for us. We started with prawns and avocado, lettuce, and diced apple, then followed duck ala orange and a lovely mousse desert with fruit. Tomorrow we leave Hanoi for Saigon.

Halong Bay

Both had a good nights sleep, and after a great breakfast we head off on the bus to Halong Bay. Because we are coming back to the same hotel we were able to leave one suitcase behind. It is a 3 hour drive and we have to dodge the motor bikes and early morning traffic, but we get a good run and will be early at our dock in. So our guide Duc suggests a stop off along the way at an oyster farm. It is quite a busy place with buses and vans everywhere. After a 45 min stop where we learn about oyster insemination and farming and the obligatory walk through the shop we head off to docks. We have a 15 minute wait at the docking area before we can board. The ship is quite large and spacious. WE depart as soon as everyone is on aboard. We are told internet will be intermittent with poor reception. 

After settling in we have lunch as we continue to cruise through the bay. It is an amazing sight. The food is amazing, many dishes but small servings. After lunch we have a kayak paddle around the area near Trinh Nu. I partner up with Vince, as his wife doesn’t want to go and neither does Ann. We paddle around for 45 minutes, it is smooth waters and easy going but tiring on the back and legs. We then head to the main boat where we pick up others and head to a cave that we walk through and on the other side is a clean beach. Some have a swim and then we head back.

There is happy hour at 5.30 and a demonstration of how to make spring rolls and then a vegetable carving demonstration. 

Dinner is once again many delightful dishes.

Tried internet but no luck. It has been a busy day and tomorrow looks like the same.

Sorry about photos not coming out in order, process is very touchy.

Water Puppet Show

We head off to the water puppet show in green carts - electric buggies. We have an hours long ride around Hanoi to show us some sights. The traffic is unbelievable, motor bikes everywhere, they go round you on both sides, going through the intersections is  chaotic, but traffic continues with a lot of horn beeping. We arrive at the puppet show unscathed and we have front row seats. There are 10 acts with different puppets acting out some cultural identities. We had dragons spouting water and sparks. It was very clever how it was done. One comedic piece described how a farmer protected his ducks from a fox, it was funny but we missed a lot of the Jokes spoken in Vietnamese. Afterwards we had 20 minutes asking questions of the puppeteers. 

We then headed off for dinner to the Hanoi culture club, which was done some narrow laneways and then up a flight of stairs. We were given approx. six dishes of lovely food. Head back to the hotel for hopefully a good nights sleep.