Vietnam Diary : Halong Bay and more

Pictures and text by Nirmalie Alahakone

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Vietnam should be on anyone’s bucket list of countries to visit, not just for its scenery and food, but also for its people. I’m amazed by how they stoically go about their life, amidst hardship and having endured so much through the years. The present day museums are filled with reminders of the past. For history buffs the Cu Chi tunnels are a must. This is a little way out of Ho Chi Ming City, or Saigon, and towards the border with Cambodia. Here you will be allowed to witness first-hand part of the tunnel system that enabled the Vietnamese to evade and attack. If you are up for it, you can crawl through a 100 metre expanse of this tunnel system.

Halong Bay

Each place we visited had its own uniqueness. But there was never any doubt that we were still in the same country. South to North, rural or city, Vietnam, and the Vietnamese, are beautiful. A common feature is the hammock. Cloth or net, the hammock is seen all around Vietnam, with young and old alike lounging in its comfy enclosure. And ofcourse hats.

In a previous column we reflected on the romantic side of Vietnam and the shopaholic’s paradise at Hoi An. To conclude this account of a travel worthy country, we feature the two ‘cruise’ experiences in the South and North. One was a boat trip on the Mekong Delta (South), the other on a bigger boat in the other-worldly Halong Bay (North).

The Mekong River empties into the sea after splitting up into many parts. This creates a very unique system of estuaries. To experience this, even in part, a trip by water is warranted. A typical boat trip includes a stop at an island famous for many local varieties of fruit; an island where there is bee keeping; an island where they farm and barbecue ‘exotic’ animals (rat, snake, crocodile, frog); a canoe ride up one of the many waterways; and most importantly a visit to the authentic floating market. We say visit but it’s actually the market that comes to you as you make your way up the river. Vietnam’s floating market is no government sponsored tourist attraction.

These are a people who have lived this way for years. They come up to your boat in various boats – some big, some small – and flog their produce.

The bigger boats house entire extended families. Children play amidst the washing hung out to dry on their family’s boat and their life spent moving up and down the river.

The other boat trip was on the UNESCO World Heritage site of Halong Bay, in the North. Here, thousands of limestone and Karst formations emerge from the sea. Most are topped with greenery, and punctured by caves and grottoes due to erosion. The junk boat tour offers a sleeping berth so you can witness a magnificent sunrise or sunset if you are lucky. If your idea of a good time is lounging on a boat, on what is possibly one of the most beautiful natural surroundings ever, this is where you’ve got to be. The tour stops at a couple of remarkable islands, and there is an interesting visit to a Pearl farm. You can kayak around or just marvel at the various oysters and pearls on display.

Each island is unique and on the larger ones many activities are available, such as hiking, Tai Chi sessions, fishing, hiking, kayaking and of course swimming.
Tour operators frequently offer a cooking class on board.

This is great because not only did we learn to make spring rolls, but we got to sample them.