Vietnam : Our highlights

We were looking forward to Vietnam, even though it is not completely foreign to us. It's the country of origin of Victor's father's family, who lived there for 6 years during his childhood.

We are very excited about it because it's the first time we are going there together. Victor is delighted to make me rediscover the local specialties. As for me, I am eager to continue my discovery of the country, which I started a few years ago, during a very short trip of about ten days.

We set out again on the tracks of the biggest attractions of the country, some of them unavoidable, but sometimes disappointing, others less famous, and yet incredible! Let's go for the story of our highlights in Vietnam! Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is unavoidable when it comes to the top 10 Vietnamese attractions. After all, it's one of the new wonders of the world.

Although he lived in Vietnam for 6 years, Victor had never been there. So we decided to add it to our list of things to do. There is no shortage of excursions to Ha Long Bay, all hotels from Hanoi to Ha Long as well as travel agencies offer them, which makes it difficult to choose.

We booked our cruise directly at the departure port of the Ha Long boats (Cang Tau Khach Quoc), which saved us from spending our energy listening to the various proposals and negotiating. The disadvantage is that the boats only leave when they are full, forcing you to wait more or less long before our departure. We waited for an hour, in the crowded and very noisy harbor. If the cruises are cheaper at the ticket office (about 15€ per person for a 5 hour cruise), it's because they offer lunch menus at 10€ per person. It works by table, so if like us, you don't want to take lunch, you can simply group with people who don't take lunch either.

After a few minutes of sailing, Ha Long Bay appears before our eyes. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994, the site covers more than 1,500 km2 and has about 1,600 islands and karst reefs.

According to the legend, these karst formations come from the battle of a dragon against the sea currents. The dragon would have dived many times to tame the impetuosity of the sea, leaving craters that filled with water. This is what gives the bay its name, "Ha Long" means "descent of the dragon" in Vietnamese. The first step of this cruise is the visit of a lagoon by collective boat. Surprise: the boat tour costs 50 000 dongs extra person (2€). There was never any question of paying additional costs when booking the cruise. The tone rises in the boat, a Vietnamese couple, as surprised as us, do not seem very inclined to pay. It's a bit of a haphazard situation: two other travelers didn't pay anything, because the controller forgot their boat. The excursion is not extraordinary: a quick round trip of a few minutes during which we discover a lagoon surrounded by karst rocks.

The second step is the visit of the cave of Thiên Cánh Són. The cave in itself is magnificent, but we quickly lose interest when we find ourselves in a gigantic human traffic jam. People push, cling to all that they find not to slip on rocks (including to our shirts, shoulders or hips), do not hesitate to cross the barriers of protection of the place to take photos... We do not take any pleasure in this visit, much too embarrassed by the mass of people. We are even happy to put the feet again on the boat to have some calm. The last stop is Tiptop Island. This is the swimming place. The problem is that the beach is stuffed with people, and that the zone of bathing is not big enough to really swim (anyway, the impressive number of children in the water would make any attempt of swimming fruitless). So we decide to climb the staircase which leads to a point of view on the bay. There is nobody, we move away from the crowd and the noise which accompanies it. For the first time since the beginning of the cruise, we enjoy, far from the mass. It is the last stop of the cruise before the return to the port.

We are rather disappointed of this cruise in Ha Long Bay. There were too many boats, too many people. For a site classified as a UNESCO world heritage site, we were deeply sorry to see that there is no regulation measure in force concerning the number of boats authorized to navigate. On top of that, the water is littered with garbage in some places.

We hesitated to go to the island of Cát Bà to explore the western side of Ha Long Bay. More difficult to reach, this part of the bay requires more time, but it is also much more spared from mass tourism. It is definitely this part of the bay that we will discover next time.

Ninh Binh: The land of Ha Long Bay

A breath of fresh air and serenity: this is what we felt when we arrived in Ninh Binh. The karst formations are the same as in Ha Long Bay, except that this time, they are admirable from the ground.

Much less promoted by the tourist guides, Ninh Binh is much quieter, and therefore also much more pleasant. Of course, you can do a lot of activities there, like riding in boats led by women who paddle with their feet (yes, with their feet!), taking pictures in lotus fields or renting bikes to discover the area.

We went for a ride on a motorcycle, enjoying the calm and the magnificent views of the karst formations. A favorite for us, which is welcome after the disappointment of Ha Long Bay.

Phong Nha National Park

The town of Phong Nha is home to the Ke Bàng National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003. The interest of this park, in addition to being nestled in the heart of the mountains, is the large number of caves that can be found there, more than 300, two of which are considered to be among the largest in the world.

Personally, we will not have the time to visit the caves. However, we really enjoy riding our motorcycle through the mountain, which allows us to enjoy the view. The park is also composed of villages of small ethnic communities that can be reached with a personal vehicle. It was a good discovery, in spite of the dogs which were rather aggressive: we had to push the motorcycle a little bit several times to avoid being crunched on the ankles!

The tunnels of Vinh Moc

It's impossible to go to Vietnam without being confronted with the terrible past of the war. Between the cities of Dong Hoi and Donh Ha, lies the village of Vinh Moc, strategically located on the border between South and North Vietnam. This village is infamous for its vast network of underground tunnels built by the inhabitants to protect themselves from American bombing.

Very quickly, these tunnels, only protection against the bombs, became their houses, their schools, their hospitals, their nurseries... The tunnels are more than 2 km long and go down to a depth of 23 meters.

Entering them leaves a strange sensation, almost unreal. It is impossible to imagine that there can be such an underground construction without having seen it with your own eyes. And it hurts to think that so many people have lived there, holed up, afraid, while the vegetation outside is lush and the sea a deep blue.

In addition to the tunnels, you can see reproductions of life underground, the craters left by the bombs and some shells.

It's a place that's not often mentioned in tourist guides and that's a shame, because it's well worth the detour, just to pay tribute to the men and women who lost their lives in a war that has been much talked about.

The imperial city of Hue

The imperial city of Hue was built during the 19th century by the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945), the dynasty at the head of the country at that time. It's this same dynasty that gives its name to 40% of the current Vietnamese population.

Unfortunately, the interior of this city was largely ravaged and plundered by the arrival of the French in 1885. The walls and gates are still in fairly good condition and so are the interiors of some buildings. But overall, we found the entrance ticket way too expensive for what there is to see.

In addition to the imperial city, it is possible to walk along the Perfume River, and even take a sunset cruise there.

Fortunately, we do not stop us only at the imperial city and we explore until we reach to the Thien Mu pagoda (Chùa Thiên Mu). Symbol of the city of Hue, its story tells that an old lady appeared one day and predicted that whoever would build a pagoda on this hill would found a great dynasty. Obviously, the prediction came true. If this lady had predicted that the pagoda would be our favorite monument in Hue, she was right!

The ghost town of An Bang

The village of Ang Bang, located a few kilometers southeast of Hue, is also nicknamed "the ghost town". Indeed, there are more dead people than inhabitants, its cemetery covers more than 20 hectares and is a real open-air museum. The tombs are all bigger, more colorful than the others.

After Vietnamese reunification in 1975, many people from An Bang village emigrated to the United States and Europe. They then sent money to their relatives back home. As a result, An Bang has become one of the wealthiest villages in the country.

The graves in An Bang Cemetery are not just simple graves, they cost between 30,000 and 70,000€, can accommodate two or three stories, are decorated with mystical carvings, are hand painted. Some look like small temples with their own pagoda. They are blue, red, yellow, and often all at once. We don't know where to turn, all are magnificent, surprising. It is completely crazy, disproportionate, especially when we think that many Vietnamese live in wooden houses. The most amazing thing is that all religions are represented here: Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, Islam.

We are here in one of the most unusual places of Vietnam, which reflects the great respect that the Vietnamese people have for their ancestors. It is by far one of our favorite places in the country!

Hoi An, the Vietnamese jewel

Hoi An is an old city center, classified as a UNESCO heritage site, with more than 800 buildings of character built in the 16th and 19th centuries. If the city miraculously survived the destruction of the American war, it is above all thanks to the silting up of its river, preventing warships from sailing there.

The city can be discovered on foot, which is particularly pleasant since the town is closed to cars during the day.

Obviously, such a jewel does not go unnoticed. Travelers and tourists flock here and the stores in the old center are all dedicated to them. But in the evening, the lanterns light up, the boats are crowded on the river, which suddenly seems to be too small to welcome them all and the charm works... It is very difficult not to like Hoi An.

However, we prefer it early in the morning, even before the cafes are open. A good morning walk before enjoying a typical Vietnamese coffee is by far the best way to enjoy Hoi An.

The natural reserve of Ngoc Linh

Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve is one of the most difficult places to reach on our trip. We managed to get there by motorcycle, but due to the state of the road, which suffered from multiple landslides, it is not accessible by car for the moment.

If we go there, it is to discover small ethnic villages lost in the heart of the mountains. After hours of driving, a magnificent surprise awaits us: rice terraces in the hollow of the mountain. A dazzling spectacle which extends on several kilometers. Who said that the most beautiful rice fields of Vietnam are in Sapa? One thing is sure: after seeing those of Ngoc Linh, we do not believe it! And we were almost disappointed not to have been able to visit the north of Vietnam, precisely because of the rice fields of Sapa.

The many hours of tortuous and uncomfortable road are finally rewarded. Impossible, on the other hand, to find food in the ethnic villages. You will have to push your foot a little and go down the mountain before you can put something under the tooth.

Finally, I admit that we did not really pay attention to this point, but it should be known that the Ngoc Linh reserve is primarily known for the observation of these species of birds.

The mountains around Dalat

As we continue our way to the south of the country, we are faced with a choice: taking the coastal road, more direct and therefore faster, or taking the mountain road, longer but also much more authentic.

We choose the second option and we cross small villages, meet the rural population, and enjoy the views of the mountain. There are certainly no splendid monuments to see nor exceptional landscapes, but the atmosphere is unique and very far from the Vietnam of Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. An experience not to be missed!

The Vietnamese art of living

Finally, what we like the most in Vietnam are these incredible street scenes that bring us a little closer to the culture of the country. The immersion in their way of life is pleasant, the food is good, the people are welcoming (even if they speak very little English) and the streets are lively. It is one of the few countries where customs and traditions have remained the same despite the passage of time, and the countryside is the ideal place to appreciate them!