Vietnam: Dien Bien Phu

Rather than commit to 30 hours on a bus from Hanoi straight through to Luang Prabang, Laos, we decided to break up the journey. Dien Bien Phu sits near the border with Laos and considering the history of the place we thought it would be an interesting stopover. Procuring a ticket from Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu required a bit more effort than other routes because DBP is not firmly on the tourist track. We ventured through the dense and chaotic traffic to one of Hanoi’s many bus stations (they all serve different destinations) and spoke with the designated English-speaking employee who sold us our tickets for the 12-hour overnight journey.

My Dinh bus station, Hanoi.

Vietnam: Ha Long Bay

I have a distinct memory of my eldest brother telling me how beautiful Ha Long Bay is. I'm not sure when we had this conversation, certainly many years ago, but it has stuck with me. Once Sam and I put Vietnam into our travel plans, I knew I wouldn't leave the country before visiting Ha Long Bay to see what Dan was talking about. Of course he was right, and the 1,969 islands of limestone karst are a spectacular sight.

Limestone karst islands surround you on all sides.

Vietnam: Hanoi

We left Hue as Typhoon Nari was approaching Vietnam just to the south of us. Luckily, we were heading away from the storm and only experienced rain and heavy winds as a result. We boarded the sleeping bus in the rain and noticed that not all sleeping buses are created equal. The assistant driver assigned me to a seat way in the back (next to the toilet, but that’s not the point). This seat happened to be just a few inches shorter than the rest in terms of legroom – which is sparing to begin with. Sam, seated ahead of me, didn’t believe my seat was any different and we switched so he could see for himself.

Yes, the seat was very small.

Vietnam: Hue

Looking back, we were very fortunate to have had such lovely weather for our first day in Hue. We arrived mid-afternoon after a beautiful train ride and got a room with a nice view before heading out to explore.

View of Hue.

Vietnam: On the train from Da Nang to Hue

There's a lot of talk about the trains in Vietnam when you're traveling in southeast Asia. We knew we wanted to take it for some leg of the journey and had heard that the portion between Da Nang and Hue was the most beautiful. Conveniently, it is also the shortest/cheapest leg at 2 hours/$4USD. We bought our tickets the night before and crossed our fingers for good viewing weather the next day.

"Foreigner" train ticket.

Vietnam: Da Nang City

After having a great day trip to the beach in Da Nang, we decided to check out of our place in Hoi An and head back to the city the next day. On the drive to the beach we had noticed a local bus going between Hoi An - Da Nang and thought we'd give it a try. We asked our hotel receptionist how much it would cost to take the local bus and after trying to insist that we take the tourist bus service, she finally replied, "I don't know because you're a tourist."

We wanted to give the local bus a try, so we walked to the bus station just outside the main part of town and waited for the next departure. Making a mental note that the highest price listed on the bus was 18,000dong, I wondered what they would try to charge us. We were on the bus for about 15 minutes when the ticket collector decided to come around. Sam handed him 40,000dong to cover both of us, but the man threw up his hands saying, "No, no, no. 30,000dong!" Sam pointed to the price list and the collector in turn pointed to our bags implying that's why we had to pay extra. Confronted with the language barrier and the fact that we were in the middle of a small village unsure of the other transportation options to the city, we just paid the 30,000dong each. Yes, that is equal to $1.50USD per person.

Bus driver decided to stop and rest for a few minutes.

Vietnam: Da Nang Beach

Only 30km away from the old town of Hoi An is one of Vietnam's largest urban centers and port cities: Da Nang. While still staying in Hoi An, we rented a motorbike and made the beautiful hour long drive up the coast to visit Da Nang beach where Sam heard there might be some good surf. The first portion of the journey was a collection of roadside shops, homes and temples. Then some open field space quickly consumed by large, private residential complexes with English names like Ocean Villas and The Residence and at least 3 golf courses. After this, luxury seaside hotels were intermixed with cafes and restaurants as we hit the city limit.

Stop for lunch on the beach.

Vietnam: Hoi An

We arrived in Hoi An around 6am and were greeted with the usual onslaught of moto and taxi drivers. At this point, I was so desperate to have a place to set my bags and a bed to lay flat in while stretching my legs out fully that we were relieved to have someone drive us rather than walk around blindly. Our first experience with a moto driver in Hoi An turned out to be indicative of what would follow - they capitalize on the language barrier and end up trying to charge double what you agreed on in the beginning when you reach your destination. In this case, we checked into our hotel and the driver sat outside waiting for us to give him the extra money he demanded. Watching him from our room window hoping he'd go away I saw his friend pull up and I realized it was not worth the fight over the equivalent of $1USD - I had heard enough horror stories about local "mafias." I grabbed the cash and went downstairs to give it to him and was met in the hallway with his friend who had come to collect. I was enraged and yelled at him, forcing him backwards and out of the hotel communicating that it was not acceptable for him to come into our hotel. Pleased with their extra money, the two drove away. I was reminded of my place here - a foreigner, unable to speak their language, completely vulnerable and at the mercy of those I ask for help.

Water buffalo. He won't take advantage of you.

Vietnam: Saigon and Nha Trang, Part II

While in Dalat, we got in touch with a wildlife conservation group in Saigon that we wanted to meet. Note: Sam and I are working on a project to connect locally run environmental groups with resources/volunteers. Thus, we are technically on a working holiday - building our itineraries around organizations we can meet with. We decided it'd be worth it to circle back for the meeting in Saigon and then continue our journey up the coast. To make the most of our time, we opted for the night bus which departed at 1am and arrived at 6am. This driver was particularly "horn happy" and I wasn't the most pleasant person to be around come 6am when I didn't have any snacks or sleep all night. Sam is a saint for putting up with me, really.

Add this to the collection "Sam is too big for Asia."

Vietnam: Dalat

From the scorching heat of Nha Trang, our next stop was Dalat. A big town in the south central highlands, it's a lovely city situated in the mountains and a lot colder than the upper 80s-90 fahrenheit temperatures we're used to. Though it's still about 75, it's a drop exacerbated by the rainy weather and I'm cold! I read that the Vietnamese and French used to come here to escape the heat and they were spot on with that.

View from our room.

Vietnam: Nha Trang

From Mui Ne, we planned to take a night bus up the coast to Nha Trang - another beach destination. Due to depart at 1am, we busied ourselves as much as possible with food, billiards and the hotel pool until everything started to close. We waited in the dark with the hotel security guards and were relieved when the bus showed up only a half hour late. Being one of the last pick-ups, we had to go on the top row of "beds" (really: reclined seats with an extended foot rest). From here, you can really feel the swaying of the bus with each curve and enjoy the thrill of wondering whether or not you'll fall out of your "bed" each time. Luckily, neither of us did.

Sam in his top row bus bed.

Vietnam: Mui Ne

Leaving Saigon for Mui Ne was the first time we had to rush to catch our bus. Usually, it's a hurry up and wait situation in which we get ready for the specified departure time and end up sitting around until people feel like moving. Not so this time around, as we sat at a café enjoying some ice tea and watched our bus stop at the booking office and drive away. Of course, it all worked out and we hopped on with our quickly assembled belongings, ready for the 6-hour ride to the coast.

Mui Ne fishing village.

Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City a.k.a. Saigon

As the days drew closer to the expiration of our Cambodian visa, I had a mix of emotions. Primarily, I was thrilled at the prospect of going to Vietnam, adding another country to the list and experiencing a new culture. After that, I realized that I was sad to leave Cambodia. Spending one month there, with the latter portion in smaller towns making more meaningful connections with the people I met, I had become very comfortable in this country that was one month ago completely foreign to me. I was nervous about starting all over again in a new country - not to mention enduring another border crossing.

Suddenly, our bus was on a boat - like this.