Good Morning Vietnam!

Off to Vietnam where I decided to take three weeks to do the hop on/off bus route from the North to South. Advice for travelers going to Vietnam--whether or not it is the rainy season..be prepared for rain.

Halong Bay--Hanoi--Hue--Hoi An--Nah Trang--Dalat (Easy Riders)--Mui Ne--Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon)

My friend from Colorado, Andrea, had been working in Bangkok and came with me on a two day cruise around Halong Bay. We spent the night on a rustic wooden boat where we were able to enjoy good food, kayaking, cruising through the bay, and of course karaoke!

(Halong Bay)

Spent a day in Hanoi. The city is busy with more motorbikes zooming around then I have ever seen. We spent several hours enjoying just crossing the streets. You literally have to just start walking out into the middle of the zooming traffic and just pray that nothing hits you. After playing frogger in the streets we enjoyed a steaming bowl of Pho. Pho is a delicious Vietnamese noodle soup that is best enjoyed on the street sitting in itty bitty chairs while enjoying a bottle of Bia Ha Noi beer.

(Hanoi Traffic)

(Vietnamese famous Iced Coffee)

(Bowl of Pho)

From Hanoi I experienced my first sleeper bus in Vietnam. These buses are the cheapest way to travel through the country and are quite the experience. With sleeper seats that are at the worst possible angle, crazy bus drivers who swerve and speed and randomly blast cheesy music videos and turn on the lights (no matter if it's after midnight), and locals who sit in the aisles between the bunks it is a very relaxing journey. If you are lucky to have a bottom bed you might even get the treat of having a local rest his head on your shoulder or an old woman keep insisting on you trying all her food, everything from tasty ginger candy to not so tasty treats. And don't forget the 4am pit stop to the middle of nowhere food shacks.

Eventually I made it to the city of Hue. Not too much to see or do in this city. Walked around and saw the historical sites and made friends with the Hostel staff who took me out dancing that night. I sat in a park one day enjoying a snack off the street. Couldn't tell you what I was eating except that it was brightly colored yet tasted like meat. Anyways, a local college student came up to me and started talking to me to practice her English. She was so interested in America and had so many questions for me. It was interesting to see all the similarities and differences between our cultures. For example, we want straight silky hair and tan skin whereas they love blonde hair (they don't believe it's real most of the time) and do everything they can to have light skin using skin whitening lotion and keeping themselves completely covered from the sun. On the beach you will see locals wearing pants, jackets, gloves, and socks even if it's hot and humid out.

(Day boat in Nah Trang)

From Hue I visited the city of Hoi An. Hoi An is a picturesque town with laterns lighting the streets. I enjoyed the warm water at the beach, peeking in all the tailor clothing shops, and going out with all the backpackers to enjoy food and drinks.

Once in Nah Trang I took an Easy Rider tour with a Brazilian girl and a German girl. We spent three days on the back of Harleys riding through the mountains and countryside. It was a great way to see some rural areas of Vietnam off the tourist path. We saw coffee plantations, passion fruit farms, a silk factory, visited the city of Dalat, and rode through many small villages where the kids would chase after our bikes. The last two days of riding it poured down freezing rain as we rode on. It was a really cool experience!

(Local kids near a pepper farm)

(Easy Riders!)

(Awesome view after the rain stopped in the mountains)

Onto the beach town of Mui Ne. I hung out with several guys from Scotland, Ireland, and England for a day. We went ATVing in the sand dunes and hiked up a muddy river to a small waterfall. The next day I rented motorbikes with a few friends. We were having fun cruising around until someone slammed on their brakes forcing me to turn sharply and ending with me crashing. I was lucky that nothing was broken and I only had some scrapes and road rash on my feet, knees, and hands. When I returned the moped all bandaged up the guy only charged me $15 for the damage done to the bike since apparently "Bike have bad brakes." Thanks for the warning.

(Walking through the mud in Mui Ne)

(Bandaged up after my accident)

My last stop in Vietnam was in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon). I was able to visit the War Remnants Museum and do a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels where Vietnamese soldiers hid and ambushed from during the war. It was interesting and sad to learn more about the Vietnam War and visit these sites.

(Fermented Snake drink in Ho Chi Minh City)

I was the the only young American I encountered while in Vietnam many backpackers were curious why I was there and asked if the Vietnamese were rude to me which they were not. The people, places, and food of Vietnam were all great!