Vietnam-Trip-2015 on Sauvik Biswas

Day 10: Squeezing a visit to Cu Chi tunnels

Sun, 05 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Cu Chi tunnels are a tourist attraction now #

But it wasn’t built for that reason at all. It is a “must visit” place if you are in Ho Chi Minh City. A trip there takes about half a day and we were worried if a trip would cause us to miss our flight. The drop-off time for most trips barely allowed us enough time for check-in. A guided tour is the best you can get for this place. It would be foolish to roam around Cu Chi village without a guide. I believe guides are provided at the counter and that fee is included in the ticket prices. Since we had booked a half-day trip, we got a guide right from the travel agency. His name was Micky.

Day 9: Sai Gon Kick

Sat, 04 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The nearest hub to get to Ho Chi Minh City from Hoi An is Da Nang #

We had a flight from Da Nang International airport to Ho Chi Minh City International airport at 8.25 am. This meant that we had to settle all our bills and leave the hospitality of Ly at Hoi An by 6.00 am. The cheapest way would have been using a bus from Hoi An to Da Nang to cover the 40 km distance. However, the buses aren’t regular and take more than an hour to reach Da Nang. We paid about 300k for a taxi instead for the sake of reliability.

Day 8: Exploring the not so known parts of Hoi An

Fri, 03 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Hoi An market #

Hoi An market is a daily grocery and meat market that does business between 6.00 am to 6.00 pm. Most meat and grocery shops are inside a large building. The green groceries are sold outside the building on the footpath. Thu Bon river passes beside the area. Fresh catch of the day is sold underneath a large thatched shelter that borders the river.

It is best to reach there early in the morning when the mercury isn’t about to bust through the capillary of the thermometer. After that, park your vehicle somewhere safe and explore the entire area on foot.

Day 7: Making our way to Hoi An

Thu, 02 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000

“Take the bus.” - that’s what Mr. Pho Said #

There are two ways to get to Hoi An from Hue. The first is to take a train from Hue to Da Nang and then take a taxi from Da Nang to Hoi An. Cumulatively, that turned out to be very costly. There are local buses that run from Da Nang to Hoi An but they take a long time to cover that distance. However, by paying a price that is marginally more than the train tickets, we were able to book a bus from Hue to Hoi An.

Day 6: Riding around Hue on a rented motorbike

Wed, 01 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Driving on the roads of Hue #

The simplest way to get around Hue is to rent a motorbike for 5-6 USD. With just 80k VND of petrol it is possible to go around the city for the entire day. We got to know about this from Mr. Pho yesterday. Our hotel arranged for a beaten up Yamaha. I do not know how to drive any motorised vehicle, so Nandy took up that job while I happily agreed to take care of the navigational duties.

Day 4: From Ha Long bay to Hue via Ha Noi

Tue, 30 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The art of flipping a kayak #

We still had the whole day to us on our lodging boat. The vessel had arranged kayaking for us. Although Phuong asked two people to get into one kayak, I got a kayak to paddle on my own. I felt a bit uncomfortable carrying the camera, so I decided to leave all the stuff that I usually carry inside my pocket[1] at our room. It was a very good decision.

Day 5: Metaphorically floating in Hue

Tue, 30 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

If you meet a man called Mr. Pho, trust him #

Our train, SE3, was a bit late. A Vietnamese lady, who was on her way to Da Nang helped me out with identifying the station when our train arrived at Hue. Designated vendors were ferrying various food items for breakfast along the aisle. They were in uniforms and were probably employees or contract workers for Vietnam Railways. We decided to forego our breakfast and have something once we had alighted SE3 at Hue.

Day 3: First day and first night at Ha Long bay

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

2 Day 1 Night at Ha Long bay #

Ha Long bay is a popular tourist destination in the Northern part of Vietnam. In order to avoid the hassles of permit, we decided to book a package. Every hotel / hostel / travel agency has the same brochure. It is advisable to not go with the prices mentioned on the back. We paid 73 USD per person for the trip inclusive of all tickets, permit, transport, lodging, food and drinks. Later we got to know that the other guys on our trip paid varied fees. Nearly all of them paid about 20-30% more than what we had paid. It is best to look around and get the best prices for the same trip.

Day 2: Ha Noi is full of good food and good surprises.

Sat, 27 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

A failed attempt at being a tourist in Ha Noi #

We left Winter Hostel in Ha Noi because the room was very dark and depressing. A decent suggestion by Tripadvisor was Aurora Hotel on Ma May street. En route, I came across hawkers which reminded me more of Kolkata suburbs.

Hawkers sit with fruits, veggies, meat. etc. in the morning on roads of Old Quarter.

Day 1: Getting to Ha Noi

Fri, 26 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Like Tom Hanks in The Terminal #

I ended up taking three flights just to get from Bangalore to Ha Noi. The first of them dropped us at Singapore Changi airport. The transit areas are the only places where one can obtain some good sleep. We had about five hours to spend before our second flight. I spent about three of them sleeping.

These benches at transit lounges of Changi airport are perfect for a quick nap.

Day 0: Leaving Bangalore on a weekday evening requires patience

Thu, 25 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Minimalist packing #

Tigerair allows a carry-on allowance of max 2 pieces with a combined weight not exceeding 10 kg. Or so the tag says. I made sure that I pack the lightest stuff, eg. tracksuits that weigh no more than 100-200 g each.

Quechua for the win! 22 l Forclaz and a 5 l Arpaez strapped to it. The entire assembly weighs less than 7 kgs.