Window on Vietnam
by Howe Sim
Popular with
backpackers and luxury travelers alike, Vietnam has witnessed a steady surge in
foreign tourism since it opened its doors to visitors in the early 1990s. Simultaneously
chaotic and colorful, this once war-ravaged nation offers adventures around
every corner: from white-knuckle motorcycle rides in its big cities, to
exploring stunning limestone towers by kayak, to trekking through lost-in-time
ethnic hill tribe villages. This country’s sublime beauty is suited not only to
the do-it-yourself thrill seeker, but also to the guided tour group junkie.
This is a land of
contrasts: the perfect blend of time-honored traditions with the techno-craze
of the twenty-first century, a unique mix of Communist doctrine with
government-endorsed transition to a market economy, and the magnificent
geographical diversity from north to south and areas inland. Whether you are
here for its stunning natural landscapes, its flavorful cuisine, its sinfully
cheap shopping, or a taste of its tumultuous past, you will find Vietnam’s
residents to be universally welcoming, generous, and highly cultured.
HANOI
Established almost
1,000 years ago as the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi exudes a unique blend of
timelessness and sophistication that makes it one of southeast Asia’s most
attractive cities. Put aside the ubiquitous honking and roar of motorbikes, and
you’ll soon discover the hidden charms of this cultured, elegant city. You will
encounter tree-lined boulevards, ancient pagodas and temples, manicured
lakeside promenades, and countless museums and galleries sitting side-by-side
with tiny shops, street side ‘squat’ cafes, and ancient tube houses. Elderly women
balancing wooden poles on their shoulders weighted down with baskets of fruits
and vegetables, 3-4 teenagers piled precariously onto a single motorbike,
sidewalks teeming with families indulging in a bowl of pho (noodle soup with
meat and cilantro) make for absorbing vignettes of street life.
HALONG
BAY
A UNESCO-designated
World Heritage site, Halong Bay is a highlight of any trip to Vietnam. A mere
4-hour drive from Hanoi, this bay is famous for its 1,500 square kilometers of
emerald green waters and the 3,000 pinnacle-shaped limestone and dolomite
outcrops that dot the seascape. Here you’ll also find several floating
villages, each complete with houseboats, gardens, gas stations, and even pig
pens. The best way to marvel in this serene landscape is by luxury junk with an
overnight stay, where you’ll be pampered with multi-course meals, a
luxuriously-outfitted cabin, and the opportunity to kayak or swim in the warm
bay waters.
SAPA
Perched on the eastern
slopes of the Tonkinese Alps, Sapa is a small market town that has been a
traditional gathering spot for local hill tribes for centuries. The town is
reachable by overnight train from Hanoi, and offers all nature of lodging, from
budget to five-star. The town itself, especially the market square, is teeming
with hill tribe villagers, who come in their exquisitely embroidered skirts,
elaborate head dresses, and silver jewelry, to sell their weaving and
silverware to unsuspecting tourists.
Visitors should make a
point of trekking out to a nearby hill tribe village. Not only is this the best
way to experience rural village life (short of a homestay), but it is also an
opportunity to view up close the terraced rice paddies that scale the majestic
broad valleys of the Tonkinese Alps. Weekend visitors should make the 3-hour
drive to Bac Ha market, where hill tribe villagers converge every Sunday to
conduct business and socialize. A uniquely colorful sight to behold.
NINH BINH
Two hours south on
Highway 1, Ninh Binh is often visited as a day trip from Hanoi. Popular nearby
attractions include Hoa Lu and Tam Coc. A former capital of Vietnam, Hoa Lu
attracts tourists to its Dinh and Le dynasty temples. Most of the massive
palaces are now in ruins, though the temples, restored in the seventeenth
century, stand intact. Tam Coc (The Three Grottos) features limestone karst
towers similar to those of Halong Bay, except that they are set in wide fields
of wet rice, and are best appreciated by an hour long rowboat ride along the
meandering Hoang Long river.
HOI AN
This former major
international port and trading post is now arguably the most popular riverside
town in the country. Given UNESCO World Heritage status in 1999, Hoi An is a
quaint and highly picturesque town of over 800 lovely historically-restored
buildings, including pagodas, assembly halls, family shrines, museums, and
craft stores. Don’t miss the smallish but jam packed central market by the
river, especially in the early morning when distributors sell their goods to
retailers and bargaining is at a frenzied pace.
After a day or two of
wandering around and checking out its little nooks and crannies, you’ll know
your way around the laid-back Old Town. Street side cafés and restaurants
abound, especially riverside. Take a sampan ride down the lazy river with an
elderly man or woman as your oars person. And of course, this is the
place in the country to get clothes tailor-made, for a fraction of what you
would pay at home.
MEKONG DELTA
Despite bombings,
floods, French and Cambodian occupation, and the devastating effects of Agent
Orange, the Mekong Delta and its residents still manage to hold onto an ancient
way of life. The tentacled waterways of the Mekong River bestow this area with
rich fertile soil, as evidenced by its lusciously green rice paddy fields,
fruit orchards, sugar can fields, and mangrove swamps. Rice production and
harvesting here still involve water buffalos and highly labor-intensive hand
planting and weeding of rice shoots.
An overnight trip (with
a stay in the commercial centers of Can Tho or Chau Doc) is best suited to
exploring the country’s “rice basket.” Here you’ll be able to visit the
impressive Cai Rang Floating Market, experience the timeless character of the
Mekong Delta via sampan ride along its narrow channels, and see how its
residents survive the annual floods in their floating and bamboo stilt homes.
