PILC Trip To Vietnam

On the March 13, 13 of us, 8 ladies and 5 husbands, set off at 7am to the airport for our jaunt to Hanoi, Vietnam.  After arriving at the airport, and after introductions to everyone, it was time for the all important Starbucks fix for the caffeine addicts amongst us, check-in and investigate the duty free shopping before boarding the flight.  On arrival at Noi Bai airport the weather in Hanoi was a bit like a typical UK summer day, grey, damp and feeling much cooler than Pattaya, never mind, the forecast was for better weather from the next day and for the rest of the trip!  We met up with our Vietnamese guide Quan and boarded the bus to the hotel, as in the Thai language Vietnamese has several meanings for the same word, differentiated by the tonal pronunciation, which Quan demonstrated by the different meanings his name would have if spoken slightly differently, although the Vietnamese was easier to read (well to recognise the letters really) but just as difficult to speak.  Once checked in at the hotel we had plenty of time to explore or relax before it was time to meet and go to dinner in a local restaurant.  Dinner was very enjoyable, once seated we were all given a small ceramic bowl of saki and then what seemed to be a never ending supply of typical Vietnamese food, noodle soup, fried pieces of fish, prawns, noodles, pork, rice, whole fish, more noodles, prawn kebabs skewered on sugarcane and a dessert of fresh fruit.

Another early start for day two, we were off for the cruise and overnight stay on a ‘junk’ at Halong Bay, which was a three hour drive away.  An hour visit to an industrial unit which employed handicapped people making embroidery, pictures, linen items, handbags, carvings, furniture and clothing.  On arrival at Halong Bay our ‘junk’ was located and we had to negotiate down some very narrow, steep steps, luckily for us the crew took all our luggage, then at the water’s edge we had to do what can only be described as ‘walking the plank’ in reverse to board a boat then cross over from one boat to another until we reached ours.  Once aboard it was time to relax and look forward to our life on the ocean waves, setting sail we hoped all the luggage had made it and it had.  Luggage stowed in the cabins it was time for lunch, another multi-course meal with wonderful fresh prawns, crab and fish accompanied by a fine wine or three!  After our leisurely lunch we landed at one of the many small islands of Halong Bay with a lovely beach for swimming, unfortunately the forecast for good weather never materialised so a walk on the beach, and for the more energetic a climb to the top of what seemed to me a very high hill.  Back on board, and then it was a small boat trip (which I was press-ganged onto, good job too!) to a very serene and silent lagoon which is only accessible when the water is low, and where a General hid his troops in readiness for a surprise attack on the invading forces.  Back on board the ‘junk’ we were visited by several smaller boats selling supplies and cooking meals if anyone dared risk a snack before another marathon dinner was served.  All too soon and it was a final lunch on board before bidding a fond farewell to a wonderful crew and great experience, the general consensus was a longer trip onboard would be well worth doing.  Back to the hotel, time to spare before meeting for dinner at a restaurant which lit up Peggy’s eyes - a steak house – only to have her hopes dashed when served another Vietnamese feast!  After an early breakfast it was off to Hanoi for a city tour visiting Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and museum and the palace and house on stilts where he lived and worked, everything being left as it was from his last days there.  From there we visited the one pillar pagoda, temple of literature, son temple and gave up the last temple visit in favour of more time to explore the old quarter after yet another marathon lunch in a restaurant where our waitress spoke quite a bit of Thai, although when she said mia ow it was enough to convince Peggy she meant the beef was really cat!  After lunch it was off to the famous water puppet show which was very entertaining and amusing, although the leg room was a bit challenging for the taller of the party.  The old quarter of Hanoi is a rabbit warren of small streets full of very narrow, long high buildings, apparently land is expensive so narrow and high is best use of space.  Street names reflect the types of shops and businesses in them, embroidery, cotton, the street where pots are made, toy street, silver street etc.  Shopping is reasonable and fun, haggling expected and Mimi and Graham even gained new relatives along with their t-shirt purchases!  The roads of Hanoi have many more motorbikes than here, but crossing the road is better as they do not travel so fast, and the cyclo taxis, a sort of pedal bike rickshaw are more considerate to pedestrians than baht buses.  Traffic also stops at pedestrian crossings in the old quarter, as we embarrassingly found out when we stopped next to one to consult the map, and had to cross the road out of courtesy.  Nearly shopped out, we headed off to a restaurant for another Vietnamese banquet, and an early night was on the cards as it was a very early breakfast and start for the return flight.  A stop en-route to Pattaya had to be made at Starbucks, withdrawal was setting in as Vietnam has none.  We had a wonderful time, even the weather didn’t spoil it.  Vietnam is high on our list of must do again for longer, and would like to thank Peggy, Ann, Judy, Mimi, Graham, Kirsten, Jorn, Valerie, Alann, Jill and Don for being great traveling companions and making the trip most enjoyable.
Dot Knowles