Two things I like about Vietnam right off the bat. The first is I get 22,000 Dong to $1CAD which enables me to do this:
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| Remember me withdrawing 1 million KIP in Laos? How about 2 million DONG in Vietnam! |
The second thing I liked is the name of the currency, dong. It can be creatively input into any sentence and immediately that sentence is comical. I will give you a few minutes to try this on your own....here's a few examples:
"Whoops I tripped over my own dong!"
or
"Careful where you light that cigarette you may set my dong on fire!"
Yep, I'm still 13 years old.....anyways Vietnam, like China requires a visa in advance of your arrival. It's easy as you can apply online and print out the acceptance letter. You then bring that to the visa office upon arrival, pay the fee of $40USD (why USD I have no idea) and voila you're in!
And when I say you're in, I mean you're tossed into a world of chaos and anarchy that is Vietnamese traffic....first stop Hanoi
Traffic exhibit A:
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| Me crossing a moderately busy intersection |
Now here's a video of that same intersection during the day...keep in mind this is not at the busiest time of day. I shot it from a rooftop cafe....
Want to get a little closer in on the action? Sure ya do....
My 1 and only take, walking across the busy intersection....the trick is to keep a steady pace and don't make any sudden movements.
Believe me it's terrifying....there are like 2 intersections with traffic lights in the whole city
Here's one of them:
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| CAN YOU SPOT THE SCOOTER?! |
Scooters are the choice vehicle of Vietnamese people,
you can always hear them no matter where you are in the city.
It’s a constant buzz of noise that I suppose you get used
to....just like watching any World Cup soccer match back in 2010 (oh you forgot
about the vuvuzela’s didn’t you...)
Anyways I think you get the idea of how insane traffic is
here, it’s time to move onto more interesting pictures.
Like this one:
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| "You got to choose where the new couch went, so I get to choose where the new fridge goes...and it's going here, end of story" |
In the heart of Hanoi lies Hoan Kiam Lake, famous for a
story that involves a giant golden tortoise and a sword from heaven that drove
the Chinese out of Vietnam in the 15th century.
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| A real embalmed giant tortoise...apparently there still are a few living ones within the lake |
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| Tiny Tortoise Tower, which lies in the middle of the lake |
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| Another angle of the tower with Ngoc San Temple in the background |
Near the lake was St.Joseph’s cathedral which transported me right back to medieval Europe...
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| I miss bad-ass statues |
Lunch time!
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| I went with the Vietnamese bacon, spring onions and noodles...my buddy Anthony went with the British staple of chips and sausages...he was disappointed to say the least. And then disappointed again when the bill came and his meal was twice as much as mine. |
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| We washed down lunch with a few cold ones at a local bar. And by 'local bar' I mean some women pouring 25 cent pints out of a keg on a street corner....damn I love this country |
We also visited the famous prison which was nicknamed the
Hanoi Hilton by US POW's during the Vietnamese war.
This is the same prison that US Senator John McCain was held. Not much to this place, but a good history lesson regardless.
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| John McCain’s actual flight suit and possessions at the time of his capture |
While I was in Hanoi I celebrated my 29th
birthday, so I decided to take a little 2 day cruise around beautiful Halong
Bay to treat myself. This turned out to
be the highlight of Vietnam thus far!
The boat.....an old Chinese Junk
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| Woo Christmas tree! |
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| The room....Tony displaying his enthusiasm |
The two day cruise was amazing....I'll let the pictures speak for themselves
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| Top deck of the boat |
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| Floating village |
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| Awesome... |
We ended the night with some karaoke...with a catch. The Vietnamese boat staff sang English songs that we picked out (Genie In A Bottle anybody?), but then we had to sing Vietnamese songs that they picked out! It's safe to say we absolutely obliterated eachothers languages, but had a great time doing it!
The day after was my 29th birthday...so I decided to start the day with a sunrise swim.
I think I nailed the landing.....oh and if you couldn't make it out, I was yelling "I'm 29 bitches!" on the way in.
On the way back it was more of the same beautiful scenery...karst mountains stretching out as far as the eye could see
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| The position of choice for viewing the scenery....laiiiiiid back |
That pretty much wrapped up North Vietnam....now it was on to the southern region and Ho Chi Minh City. But first we stopped into a small town called Hoi An as we've heard good things. The small town is known mainly for it's tailors and custom made clothing. I picked up a few custom made shirts but came close to getting suits as well...2 for $150 and they are the best fitting suits you'll ever own! After the quick pit stop in Hoi An we landed in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
Saint Nick was there to greet us....
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| For a predominately Buddhist country, they love celebrating Christmas...go figure! |
Before arriving in Vietnam, there were quite a few people telling us about the cultural
differences between North and South Vietnam, and that they still exist. We looked good and hard but could find none,
both regions were very hospitable and welcoming!
First stop in former Saigon, the Vietnamese War Museum...
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| COME GET SOME....funny enough these were all US military equipment yet the Vietnamese star was stamped on every single one. I presume to let everyone know that they captured the units and claimed them as their own. |
And as a part of any war there are darker parts to
it....like learning about the various torture techniques used
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| The tiger cages in which they could stuff several prisoners at once and leave them in the hot sun....the cages were made from barbed wire |
We also visited another historical landmark, the
Reunification Palace famous as it housed South Vietnams’ final stand in the war.
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| A picture of the first North Vietnamese tanks breaking through the gates at the Reunification Palace |
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| Model of the actual tank that broke through
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One of the main reasons the US had such difficulties in the
war was the extensive tunnelling system that the VC (Viet Cong) had built over a number of
years. They used these tunnels expertly
to sneak around underneath the invading forces only to pop up behind and ambush
or to hide from attacks. The VC adapted to
their surroundings, and thus made it extremely difficult for the US to advance
through the jungle. Want to see these
tunnels? Sure ya do.....
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| Our jungle classroom where we learned much about the tunnels |
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| We sat and listened intently to our tour guide who explained the intricacies of the tunnels and the traps that caused so much trouble for the advancing Americans. All the while eating a tasty root vegetable which the VC lived on while they stayed underground for weeks at a time sometimes! |
The tunnels....oh man the tunnels
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| Inside the actual tunnels...they have been widened significantly for tourists |
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| This guy was short enough to actually just bend over and walk....I had to alternate between duck walking and crawling. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like to be down here for days, sometimes weeks at a time |
You could also shoot a real gun if you wanted....anywhere
from a pistol to a machine gun on a tri-pod
These fine gentlemen were happy to help....if they weren’t
too busy
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| Choose your weapon... |
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| The shooting range....highly safe and regulated (hahaha) |
Vietnam was a fascinating country for me, steeped in war and
controversy it left me with more questions than I had coming in. I feel like I’ve learned so much but only
scratched the surface...perhaps I should’ve paid more attention in history back
in school J
Cambodia up on deck baby!
