Vietnam Trip 2020
Tired as much as I was from the 10–12 hours’ journey, the adrenaline rush and excitement kept me awake when we landed at the Hanoi Airport in Vietnam on evening of 13th Jan 2020. Yes, yet another family trip and I was ready to explore the new place with the first destination being — Hanoi. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and we were staying at the heart of the city, the Hang Bong Street. The remaining day went in checking-into the hotel and resting at the Royal Palace Hotel.
The biggest challenge came the next day on 14th Jan 2020, to wake up early in the morning as we had to head for a day tour to Ninh Binh. I would definitely call it Vietnam’s hidden gem. So, we started off at 9:00 am on a bus with several other tourists. The first stop was at Hoa Lu, the Ancient Royal Capital and home to three full dynasties of Emperors.
We visited the Dinh King temple and Le King temple, finding out the heroic histories of these two kings from the 10thcentury. After that, we went to a place called Tam Coc which was nearly 10 kms from Hoa Lu. We had lunch at the local restaurant where we enjoyed delicious Vietnamese delicacies. Awesome experience indeed to try out some exotic local food in this lovely restaurant.
After lunch, we headed to the Bamboo Boat ride rowed by the local people in the Hoang Long river. You have to pass through three enormous caves which takes approximately two hours to go up and down the river and along the way, you witness local fisherfolk, village life along the river, and of course, the striking limestone karst formations that Tam Coc is famous for.
The last and final stop for the day was at Hang Mua. The real appeal of this place lies on the temple on top of the mountain. You can see the set of stairs to get there from a distance. It’s a fair climb of almost 500 steps. Yes, its exhausting specially because they are uneven — some are really tiny and others can be made for giants! But don’t get discouraged. Once you have had this proper workout, you’ll be rewarded with a spectacular 360 degree view over the Tam Coc valley. The views over the countryside and paddy fields are truly amazing. There’s no better place to catch your breath and find your inner zen again. Totally worth it!
15th Jan 2020, was the day I was waiting for as we were going to spend the day at Ha Long Bay on the luxury cruise named “Regina”. Ha Long Bay being a UNESCO World Heritage site is a vision of ethereal beauty floating on the emerald waters and past a thousand islands. In Vietnamese, Ha Long means “where the dragons descend”. We arrived at the port and checked-in to the cruise. Dragons play a prominent role in Vietnamese culture and the most popular legend has it that one such creature and her children descended from heaven to defend the Viet people from invaders, spraying fire and emeralds or jade. The jewels eventually formed towering limestone formations and over millennia, their protective act evolved into a backdrop of green islands, towers and water relished by visitors.
Engulfing the beauty and clicking a thousand pictures to store as memory, we reached our first stop — Sung Sot Caveswhich literally means Surprising Caves. The is a small dock at the bottom of Bo Hon Island, where you will dismount the cruise and begin the climb of around 100 steps or so to the mouth of the Sung Sot Caves. The interior is separated into two caverns, the first of which is a small amphitheater type of space connected by a small passageway to the larger cavern next door which was big enough to hold around a thousand people or more. There are around 1969 limestones inside the caves. The entire cave is bestrewn with stalactites and stalagmites, which serve as endless material for the legend and ‘lore of the area. After returning back to the deck, the next stop activity was Bamboo boat ride/River rafting after which we stopped at the Titov Island which has breathtaking landscapes with a beach known for its tranquility, powdery white sand and azure blue waters. The ride back was from Ha Long Bay was further entertaining with diverse people on board and a delighting sight to watch Argentinian and Romanian people dancing to Indian beats!
16th Jan 2020, the last day in Hanoi was spent doing a city tour starting with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. It holds the embalmed remains of Ho Chi Minh (the founder of modern Vietnamese state). Then we headed to the One Pillar Buddhist Pagoda built in 1049 by King Ly Thai Tong who ruled from 1028 to 1054. Further on our excursion, we visited the Van Mieu, Temple of Literature dedicated to Confucius and his four disciples. It is often cited as one of Hanoi’s most picturesque tourist attraction, extremely well preserved and is a superb example of traditional-style Vietnamese architecture. This ancient site offers a lake of literature, turtle steles, pavilions, courtyards and passageways that were once upon a time used by the royalty. In the evening we took a 3 hours flight to Hoi An, which is Vietnam’s most atmospheric and delightful town. We checked into Acacia Heritage Hotel which was very beautiful.
17th Jan 2020, was spent with a Basket Boat ride of few hours during the daytime which was quite an interesting way of spending the time relaxing and exploring the coconut lagoon. Some of the activities on this ride included learning how to row and control the basket boat, enjoying the performance of basket boat dancing in the basket boat, seeing and experiencing fishing crabs as well as photo shooting in the waters itself on the boat. The evening was spent engulfing the amazing view of the ancient riverside town.
18th Jan 2020, was yet another day tour to My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a great example of the ancient Champa civilization. The impressive Hindu-themed ruins feature many beautiful stone sculptures, temples and towers in tropical jungle surroundings. For history buffs and lovers of architecture this is a must visit spot. After the tour, there was a cultural performance with their traditional singing and dancing after which a boat ride took us to their famous market for shopping.
19th Jan 2020 was a tour to the Ba Na Hills. This was done with a ride through the cable car. The views of Danang and the coast in the distance are spectacular. As soon as you reach the top, you feel like you are in the French Alps when the mist comes in and the clouds fog the entire mountaintop. There are many attractions including the flower gardens, temples, amusement park and last but not the least The Golden Bridge. The Golden Bridge is one of the most beautiful man-made bridges of all time. It resembles two, giagantic hands holding up a shiny piece of gold to the gods above the misty clouds. Indeed a great place to take breathtaking pictures at the iconic bridge. After crossing the golden bridge we were led into the French Village consisting of 12 small gardens, each expressing a different emotion and with a different layout. The Debay Wine Cellar was a mini wine cellar built by the French in 1923 filled with vintage wine buckets and miniature wine cellars. The Linh Ung Pagoda was built about 14 years ago. The calmness around it was brought by the sheer magnitude of the statue of Buddha. Later on was time for food and nothing could beat the International Buffet for lunch with a plethora of dishes filled with strong aroma and delicious taste! After lunch, we went to the Fantasy Park trying out the exhilarating rides and experiencing the interactive 3D, 4D & 5D shows.
20th Jan 2020, was a day to bid adieu to Hoi An as we took another flight to Ho Chi Meinh City also known as Saigon where we stayed in a Hotel Apartment at Royal Towers which had a breathtaking view from the Roof Top Garden.
21st Jan 2020, was a day tour to the Chu Chi Tunnels & Mekong Delta. In order to combat the well-equipped American and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War, Communist guerrilla troops known as Viet Cong dug miles of tunnels. The tunnels stretched from Saigon to Cambodian border. The soldiers used these underground routes to house troops, transport communications and supplies, lay traps and mount surprise attacks. Some of the tunnels had as many as 3 different levels with camouflaged secret trapdoors separating them. By the end of the war approximately 200km of tunnels were constructed. The tourist spot over there now offers a sneak-peak at the underground life back in 1948.
The Mekong Delta tour included a visit to Ben Tre, which is known as the coconut kingdom where you can escape the chaotic ambiance of the city. A small, quiet and peaceful boat ride paddling along the canals under the coconut trees on both sides is a bliss. After which we stopped at the coconut island and were taken to a local place to enjoy tropical fruits, taste honey tea, see how the local products are made and enjoy a live folk music performed by the local artists.
22nd Jan 2020, the last and final day of our trip was spent relaxed in shopping at the local market as well as doing a City tour visiting the Independence Palace. Previously known as Norodom Palace, this palace explores nearly century-long (1868–1966) history of the building that once served as the seat of the French colonial government. In 1954, this building was renamed Independence Palace or Reunification Palace. It witnessed many dramatic episodes in the rise and fall of the government of Ngo Dinh Diem, the founding leader of the Republic of Vietnam. Those who love history can surely see, hear and experience the history they are exploring.
23rdJan 2020 was a flight back home taking along all the sweet memories of the trip feeling relaxed, refreshed and rejuvenated! A place must visit for those all who want to do everything in a short trip of 2 weeks which includes the city & the countryside including the mountains, the sea, the caves and the islands.
