28,000 VIETNAM. DONG = 1 GBP (as of June 2009)

17.500 VIETNAM DONG = 1 USD (as of June 2009)

Vietnam…you may think of floating markets, boats, Vietnamese style pointy hats, beautiful scenery….or you may think of crowded cities, lots of noise and lots of pollution….

Well, to be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect…but it turned out to be all of the above!

We arrived in Hanoi (me and 3 friends) on June 9th 2009. We flew from Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia (KUL) directly to Hanoi with Air Asia. The flight cost us a total of around £133.15 each (to be specific). It is a little expensive considering that Air Asia do have special fares and promotions a lot of the time…but we had to book it there and then really. But if you can be flexible with dates and times of booking, visit www.airasia.com and check out their promotions. It might also be worth signing up with their newsletter.

We were greeted by our Taxi driver, which was arranged by our Hotel in Hanoi. It cost $18USD for the 4 of us to get to our hotel which was located in the heart of the city. But man, were we in for a shock! (I am going to fill you in with the worse first…but don’t worry….it isn’t all doom and gloom…in fact, Vietnam is one of my favourite countries…so I will also fill you in with the best too!)

Having lived in Malaysia for a month and a half, I thought that driving…and traffic couldn’t get any worse! But believe me…they can! In Malaysia, it is ‘normal’ for cars to drive in all 3 lanes PLUS the hard shoulder. That would seem CRAZY for us Brits, who are used to 3 lanes, queuing when there is traffic in a kind, orderly way, however frustrated and impatient we may feel¸ but those are the rules…the Highway Code.. But in Vietnam, it is a WHOLE other story. There is NO Highway Code…there are just NO rules…at all. People drive in ALL directions...even around roundabouts….LITERALLY. And the worse thing is…they don’t stop to let pedestrians cross…oh no, you literally have to risk your life every time you want to cross and shuffle out into the middle of the road, because that is the only way you will get to the other side. Don’t worry, the motorbikes will either swerve around you or slow down. But honestly, to cross a little road which would have taken me about 1 second, took me around 5 minutes, as I had JUST arrived and had not learnt the skill of crossing. WARNING! There are thousands and thousands of motorbikes in comparison to cars…so watch out! Another thing about traffic in Vietnam, is that drivers…whether in vans, cars, lorries or motorbikes… they DO NOT seem to indicate. In fact, to indicate, they use their car horns. And when they are complaining or annoyed, they flash their lights. So you can imagine, there is A LOT of beeping…so TIP: If you suffer with headaches, make sure you have some paracetamol with you. Also, pollution is quite bad, so again another TIP: If you suffer with Asthma, remember your inhaler. Something that many of the Vietnamese do to avoid inhaling the fumes, is to wrap a hanky over their nose and mouth. It is a REALLY good idea. I found the fumes unbearable.

The roads are also quite bad. There are lots of rubble and pot holes, so expect a bumpy ride, when travelling in cars etc…A lot of the time, you will see heaps of rubble stacked up in the middle of the road…but vehicles just swerve around. Also, don’t be surprised when small and HUGE vehicles over take each other ALL the time! NB: People drive on the right hand side in Vietnam but you will see that many drivers drive on whichever side of the road they like, or in the middle.

It can be a very scary experience for some, so if you are a nervous traveller, I suggest you either sit in the middle and don’t look in front of you…or sit to the right hand side and stare out of the window. You could close your eyes too (but you might miss out on seeing the stunning houses and local culture and spectacular scenery).

But honestly, the traffic and roads are the main negative things that I can think of in Vietnam…but everything else is…WOW! (in a good sense) I just thought I should start you with the disadvantages, as I think my tips will come in handy…so you shouldn’t be TOO shocked…as maybe now you can be a bit more prepared, unlike me.

One thing that I did find AMAZING, is how much one person on a bicycle or a motorbike, could carry. I mean HONESTLY, there were whole families on one bike, about 6 to 8 live pigs, being transported…again on one bike…stacks of boxes of water balancing…all on one bike! It’s just incredible! Really fascinating! In London, you definitely wouldn’t see that. You’d have that transported in lorries…definitely not such huge quantities and heavy loads being carried on bikes. It just goes to show, everything is possible when resources are short.

After our interesting ride to the hotel (oh I forgot to mention, our driver was also on his phone, sounding like he was about to cry AND overtaking…having near misses…but he assured us it was OK)…anyway…like I said, after our interesting ride to the hotel, we got out and in to Stars Hotel (for those on a budget) only to find out that they were renovating so had moved us to another hotel on the opposite side of the road. And wow, am I SO glad they did. We were sent to the ‘Hanoi View Hotel.’ It cost us $18USD per room. So for 2 sharing it was $9 pp a night! It was probably a 3 or 4* hotel. Really lovely! The deco is really beautiful. Our rooms were spacious, with lovely clean, crisp sheets, a huge wardrobe, a fridge and air con. Our ensuite was lovely. They provided everything we could possibly need…towels, toiletries, even FREE wi fi – with a personal computer in each of the rooms! We definitely got more than what we paid for. On the website the prices start from $35 USD, but they said they were also having a quiet period at the time, so they accepted $18 USD from us. If you don’t mind the risk, it may be better to ‘walk in’ rather than booking through an agency or even online.

The details for the Hanoi View Hotel are as follows:

ADDRESS: Hanoi View Hotel – 35-37 Bat Su Str
TEL: (84-4) 39233738 – 39233736 – 39233735
FAX: (84-4) 39233739
EMAIL: hanoiviewhotel@fpt.vn
WEBSITE: www.hanoiviewhotel.com

After freshening up and napping, we headed to the street renowned in Hanoi for tailored clothing. We really wanted to have some dresses made for us. So after a lot of looking around, we came back to the ‘Nice Silk’ shop. They really do have nice silks, and great quality materials. I fell in love with a top they had in the window, but I wanted a dress version of it. I managed to get the price down from $35 USD to $25 for a pure silk tailor made dress, that was to be made within 2 days to my measurements. My friends also got similar dresses but with slight differences and different materials.
I also bought some real silk ties for just $5 each.

NB: Remember, if you want to get a lower price, you HAVE TO barter…don’t always go for the first price they say.

TIP 1. Sometimes, it may be good just to walk away. They will usually give you another offer or go down to the price you want.

TIP 2: Let them give you a starting price – HALVE it and take away another 10 or so, and barter up. (e.g. starting price of $100 USD /2 = $50 - 10 = $40 ) (bartering starting price)

TIP 3: If you buy more than one item, the more likely you will receive a discount…and a bigger one too. Always see how much you can get for your money. Remember, $1 USD goes a long way in Vietnam for locals.

My tailoress was Hoa. She was brilliant and very kind too.

The details of the shop we went to are:

Nice Silk
ADDRESS: 74 Hang Gai Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
TEL: (84-4) 825 7616
EMAIL: nice_silk@hotmail.com

After our spot of shopping, we headed for FOOD! Mmmmmmmmmmm….food! Vietnam is great for food, as there are many restaurants and places where you can eat both local Vietnamese foods, or if you fancy a taste of home, then there is also the western menus.

NB: In Vietnam the main languages, are Vietnamese, French and English (especially within the cities). There are also many tribes and tribal languages. As Vietnam was under French rule, there is much French influence, as you will see in the house styles, and food choice.

NB: Restaurants usually will charge a service fee of 10%. If they do, you do not need to tip. But if they don’t charge a service fee, it is better to tip. Most shops and restaurants accept both USD and Vietnamese Dong, as these are their two currencies (although they do not use US cents – so if you owe $4.50 and give $5, either, don’t expect change, OR expect Vietnamese Dong.

A really nice thing to try, is a fruit salad consisting of mangoes, avocado, lychees, banana etc…with condensed milk and coconut cream in a glass….served with a separate box of crushed ice that you can add yourself. It is DIVINE! Yummy! It only cost us 12,000 Dong each (around 50p). A MUST TRY! I think you may get addicted!

I bought many other things…mostly presents and souvenirs. I bought another Vietnamese style costume for $27 (not tailor made) but absolutely gorgeous! Real pashminas for $4, a Vietnamese style had for just over $1 USD, and much more. Vietnam is a GREAT place if you like to shop...even on a budget. Just make sure you have enough space and weight to take it all back home!

Day 2 of our trip, we headed for Halong bay, where we stayed one night on a ship…big boat…I can’t decide which one it was…but it was BIG! It was an early start as we had to take a coach for 3 hours to the port. We booked the 1 night,2 days package tour¸ through Stars Hotel for $60 USD all inclusive APART from drinks, which you HAVE to buy onboard. If you get caught bringing drinks – whether soft or alcoholic – you will be charged a service fee – so you may as well buy it onboard – or drink it off board. But all meals are included – and they are BIG meals with lots to choose from.

As we only had one day, we headed first for Halong Bay, and took a tour of the famous and really beautiful cave. Absolutely gorgeous and breath taking! Natural air con too! We headed back for the boat and then went kayaking for an hour. That was great fun. We went past many floating villages, and homes. It is amazing how people live on water! There were even people coming over in little boats filled with food and drink, trying to sell us things.

After the hour was up we headed to the spot in the ocean where we were going to stay for the night (obviously inside the ship). That was when we had the opportunity to swim. I wasn’t going to do it but my friend twisted my arm. We ended up diving off the ‘ship’. I was so scared. I started from the middle pier. It took me ages to actually do it. The sea looked so far down….and I realised then, that I am not the best with jumping from high up! But after my friend took the plunge, I did and 2 dives later I headed for the top. My goodness, that one was a killer. Just looking down, my heart skipped a few beats! But after 5 minutes of debating whether to go for it or not, I decided to face my fears and took the plunge. Honestly, it felt like I was falling forever before I hit the water. The most adrenaline I’ve had pumping through me in a long time! Then after the first one, I took another dive from the top as my friend was having trouble coming to terms with jumping in from the top. Wow…again I think it was the longest fall ever….and my bum was really sore after hitting the water for the 4th time (when I finally decided to give it a break). But oh it was all worth it…to face your fears, jump into the middle of the deep ocean and take a refreshing swim. It was SO fun and it really seemed to bond the group of about 10 of us, as we didn’t all know each other.

Then after a shower, came a lovely dinner. I enjoyed it. It was seafood though, which didn’t seem to go down to well with the ones on my table. But I think when you are on a boat, it’s the ‘normal’ thing to get dished up…so BEWARE if you are not a fish lover! After dinner, I headed to the top with some friends and just laid back watching the stars and the silent storm in the background. It was so lovely and relaxing…so surreal…to be in the middle of Vietnam…on the top of a ship watching the stars. And then to finish the night off, before heading to bed, I tried a bit of fishing…had a couple of squid catch on, but I wasn’t quick enough…so an hour and a half later, after catching nothing, I decided to call it a night.

The bed was comfy. My friends decided to sleep up deck on the sun loungers for the night, but I wanted some comfort. It wasn’t bad.

The next day, it was time to head back to Hanoi. The 4 of us, just sat on the edge of the boat with our legs dangling over the sea. We saw heaps of big jellyfish and other fish too. It was quite amazing. It was just lovely, to sit and soak in the fresh air.

We arrived at the port and had lunch there…again seafood…but the good thing was…we got a ‘complimentary drink’ this time. So that was nice! Then after the 3 hours coach ride back to Hanoi, we headed for the tailors, tried on our dresses, had adjustments made, and carried on with a bit of shopping…oh and had our last fruit salad concoction. The dresses by the way, were great. I’d definitely recommend getting clothes made there if you can as the quality is great and you can choose what you want. Even if you don’t want anything there and then, my tailoress said I could email her my measurements and she can make me a dress and ship it over. It’s well worth it.

Then at 11pm, we took the night train to Sapa. It cost around $40 USD for the overnight train, which does not include breakfast or anything, just the room, beds and sheets…oh and a little bottle of water each. It was a fairly comfortable ride (but then again I can sleep through anything), but no showers unfortunately. Eight and a half hours later we arrived in Sapa.

From the train station to Sapa, there is a standard fare of 30,000 Dong each for the minibus. (Just under $2 each) WARNING: Sapa is located on a mountain so the journey there is very windy. SO if you suffer from car sickness, like me, take the window seat, as it is a long ride up.

When we arrived in Sapa, we were greeted by many of the local tribal people, who tried to befriend us, and sell things to us, which can be very overwhelming when you are not expecting it. But the receptionist at the hotel had to come and escort us to the hotel. We were taken to our rooms. Again…WOW! The views were just breath taking. (But it depends which side of the hotel you get as the views differ). Our room overlooked the mountains and in the distance, you could see the local villages in the far distance. There are just no words to describe! We were literally in the clouds. Those are the rooms at the back of the hotel…as you walk up the stairs, the rooms in front of you. If you want a scenic view, just ask at reception. The other view is of the village – a city like view. So if that is what you prefer, again just ask. The staff are very accommodating.

Sapa is a really lovely part of Vietnam. Just so…out of this world!

On our first day, we were still familiarising ourselves with this wonderful place, meeting the local tribal girls, looking around the markets and shops. It was really nice and relaxing. The four of us went out for a meal, ordered the set menu which was a 3 course meal plus a glass of wine, all for $5! Spring rolls for starters, sizzling chicken (or noodles if you’re a Vegetarian) plus pancakes for dessert…and a glass of Sapa wine (a must try too…lovely!)

On the Sunday, me and my friends decided to do the 6 hour guided village trek…through the tribal communities. Some tribal girls joined us on our trek. My friends were wearing flip flops, which they advised us against, but they didn’t want to wear the shoes from the hotel (although they did offer at a small price), after all we’d been through a jungle in Malaysia, in flip flops and survived, so how bad could it be? Well, I had brought my flat, sturdy shoes, so I thought I’d be in a bit of a better position, but I was wrong. In fact, just about 15 minutes into our trek, I slipped down the muddy tack, fell right on my bum, with a huge brown muddy stain on my backside!

There are no concrete roads, just muddy dirt tracks, so a lot of rock jumping, mud hopping and river crossing. My friends struggled in their flip flops too. The tribal women wore rubber sandals which seemed to work the best. Our guide was wearing trainers and even he was slipping and sliding, so if you can get hold of some rubber sandals, I strongly advise you. Oooo…and also DRINKING WATER! You get very dehydrated, and it’s quite a way a way until you reach the half way point.

The views were just breathtaking! We trekked through and around the rice paddies, hemp farms (which they use to dye clothes), through the local villages and past houses. We even met a bull on the way!

After about 3 or 4 hours, we reached the ‘half way’ point. I was so dehydrated, my eyes were just focused on drinks. We were also greeted by some local children from the village who were begging us to buy from them. Our guide made us our lunch – bread, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese. It was very satisfying. Then we gave what was left, and shared it with the children and with the tribal girls that had walked with us during our trek. There are many tourists who do similar treks, and also share their food with them, so I think these children are quite well fed. But they were so happy and thankful for the food that it made me very emotional.

We carried on with our trek…by his time my feet were killing so I decided to put on my flip flops. But just a few minutes after I did, it started to rain. And when it’s raining and muddy, it means more sliding! They didn’t last long, so back on with the shoes. I just couldn’t wait to reach the end, because even though it was a great trek, the rain was heavy, we didn’t bring our own umbrellas, our feet were so sore…and then the tribal girls who were with us, wanted to sell us some things as they were stopping for home…so I knew the end was near. And just a little while ahead, we were greeted by our 4x4 Land rover. Bliss!

Despite the blisters, the trek was fantastic. It was so nice to see ‘real life’ within the villages and also to see the ride fields and the river. 100% worth it!

There are other packages too, that Sapa offers, another being a Home Stay. This is when you can choose to stay in a local village with a host family, where you can live like the locals for a day or two. I would have loved to have done this, but unfortunately, time did not permit it. This package is quite low cost, when you consider what you get back – a glimpse into the daily life of a local.

You can book these treks usually through your hotel, or otherwise, in the shops along the road of the hotel. I think we paid around $8-10 USD each for the trek. It was a great work out too!

After some much needed rest, we hit the road for some Indian curry and a beer. It was quite sad, as it was our last night in Sapa, so we spent our last night strolling around.

The next day, we took it easy as we were leaving Sapa in the evening. So we did our last bit of souvenir shopping. Along the side of the street were some tribal girls making some friendship bracelets. So I asked if they could teach me. So on my last day, there I was, in Sapa, with my new friends making bracelets. My friends joined in too. It was really nice.

I forgot to mention, that the China border is just 2 KM away from the train station in Sapa. Unfortunately, we were not able to go, as we didn’t have visas, or much time. If you do want to visit China, whilst you’re in Vietnam, make sure you apply for a visa well in advance, the minimum being one month.

We took the evening train, again on the sleeper one, and arrived back in Hanoi and headed straight to the airport…our journey had come to an end.

In just 6 days, I was able to see SO much and DO so many amazing things. Vietnam has become one of my top 10 destination…a real MUST SEE! I really fell in love with it, and would definitely visit again, if the opportunity arises.