World Travel with Bob: Viet Nam

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Hue, My Son and Hoi An - 2016

Hue, Viet Nam

Driving from Da Nang to Hue, over the 1,600 foot elevation Hai Van pass, we arrived for a short visit to the historic Imperial City and the tombs of the Nguyen dynasty.

During our visit, we stayed at the modern Eldora Hotel in downtown Hue. This hotel had nicely furnished public areas but the actual rooms could have used a little attention. Though hot water availability was not an issue. The registration desk warned us about the hot water temperature and they were correct. It was the only hotel that I can recall where you had to turn on the cold water tap first and slowly add hot water to avoid getting scalded.

A couple blocks away from the Eldora was the Hanh Restaurant, where we stopped for a dinner of local Hue specialties. Our dinner for two ran a very reasonable $10USD. We later learned that Anthony Bourdain also stopped for a meal at this same restaurant in 2014.

Hanh Restaurant

Dinner for Two, $10USD

The Citadel, Hue, Viet Nam

In 1804, the Emperor of Viet Nam began building his palace in Hue. The plans called for a fortress and palace similar in design to China's Forbidden City. The Citadel is surrounded by four fortified walls, each 1.2 miles in length. A palace, many buildings and gardens were constructed within the four walls. The innermost area was called the Forbidden Purple City and reserved only for imperial family members. The Citadel was no longer in use by the mid-1900s.

In early 1969, during the Tet Offensive, the North Vietnamese Army invaded Hue and seized much of the city. The Battle of Hue was one of the bloodiest and longest battles in the Viet Nam War. During the Battle of Hue many of the Citadel buildings were damaged or destroyed. Only ten of the 160 Citadel buildings remained after the fighting. 80 percent of the city of Hue was destroyed during the battle.

In 1993, the Citadel was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site.

It was raining throughout our visit to the Imperial City and, thus, we didn't have many opportunities to take photos.

Nguyen Dynasty Tombs, Hue, Viet Nam

On the morning of our departure from Hue to Hoi An, we visited two tombs of Nguyen emperors, Khai Dinh and Ming Mang.

The tomb of Khai Dinh was built over 11 years and was completed in 1931. This tomb was much more modern in style, reflecting European and Asian architecture. Concrete and steel products, rather than wood, were used to construct the tomb. Elaborate wall mosaics contained cultural icons as well as more western items, such as clocks.

Ming Mang was the second emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. His tomb is very large and offers a tranquil vision. Completed in 1843, two years after the death of Ming Mang, the tomb area contains 40 buildings, a large lake and beautiful gardens. Again, it was raining during our visit and given the slippery tiles and mud walks, we shortened the length of time we spent at this tomb.

On our return drive from Hue to Hoi An, we drove through the Hai Van tunnel. Completed in 2005, the Hai Van tunnel is almost four miles long. While the current tunnel supports two traffic lanes, a second tunnel was built alongside the first for future use as traffic needs dictate. Note the longest automobile tunnel in the world is the Laerdal Tunnel in Norway - a mere 15.23 miles long.

My Son, Viet Nam

About an hours drive from Hoi An, lies My Son, the home of the Champa Kings. Constructed between the 4th and 14th centuries, the temples were used to worship the god Shiva. This lush valley was the ultimate resting place for Champa Kings and national heros. At one time, My Son was home to about 70 temples. However, over time the area was subject to dramatic changes. In 605AD, an invasion by Chinese military resulted in the removal of many temple relics and statues.

The French studied and restored several temples between 1939 and 1943. However, bombing by US armed forces in 1969 is said to be responsible for the destruction of many My Son temples, including those restored by the French. In 1999, UNESCO designated My Son as a world heritage site.

Hoi An, Viet Nam

With historical roots from the Champa Empire, Hoi An became an international trading port during the 15th to 19th centuries. Later, international trading migrated to Da Nang and Hoi An's importance as a trading center diminished.

As we walked along Hoi An streets, it is easy to see the construction influence of the Chinese, Japanese and French. The central town was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1999.

We were surprised at the number of tourists visiting Hoi An. There are many restaurants and bars in town, as well as historical and cultural buildings to see while in Hoi An - not to mention custom tailor shops. In fact, there are so many custom tailor shops that selecting one is somewhat of a challenge. I had a blazer custom made at Kimmy Tailors while we were there. After taking many measurements, I returned for a couple of fittings and picked the blazer up after two days. The cost of a custom tailored blazer starts at $60USD, but can easily increase to $140 depending on your wool and lining selection.

Our stay at the Anantara Resort was very convenient to walking into the central city area for dinner and walking tours.

Hoi An Market and Other Photos

During a Hoi An country-side tour, our guide took us crabbing in a circular rattan boat. This was a pretty unique experience. Crabbing was not easy, we only caught one while on the water.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang - 2016

We enjoyed our 2011 visit to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the villages along the Mekong River. As Vietnam is only a two hour flight from Yangon, we decided to add an extension to Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An to our Myanmar trip. This would give us an opportunity to visit the central Viet Nam area.

With flight availability dictating our schedule, we flew into Ho Chi Minh City for a one night stay at the Sofitel Plaza Saigon. A modern hotel, this was within easy walking distance to the central downtown area and under $160 for the night, including a delicious breakfast buffet. I've noticed that Asian hotels focusing on business travelers generally host lavish breakfast spreads - including Asian hot noodles and dishes, regional juices and fresh fruit slices, yogurt, muesli, a variety of breads, along with western style eggs, omelettes and breakfast meats. My guess is that this is possible only with lower labor and produce costs.

We stopped at our favorite Cuc Gach Quan for our only dinner in Ho Chi Minh City. Once again, we were not disappointed. This restaurant is housed in a multi-storied house. Each room is unique in decoration and offer intimate dining areas. The menu selections are so broad that we find its easier to simply ask the waiter for suggestions. We enjoyed a banana flower chicken salad, stir-fried morning glory, fried tofu with lemongrass, ginger chicken, carmelized pork, rice beers and freshly made juices - all under $40USD.

The next morning, we had about a half-day before our flight to Da Nang. This provided plenty of time to walk into the central downtown area. We could see the street decorations being placed in preparation for the upcoming Tet celebrations.

Along our walk, we stopped at the Rex Hotel. The rooftop bar was a perfect spot to have a cafe sua da and retreat from the increasing morning heat. The Rex has an interesting history. Built in 1927 as an European automobile dealership and auto garage, in 1958, it was converted into a hotel complex. During the Viet Nam War, the hotel hosted the daily 5pm communication update by the US Armed Forces. In 2003, the Rex Hotel underwent extensive updating. The hotel is owned by the government tourist agency.

Evening Motorscooter Traffic, Ho Chi Minh City

Moving on to Da Nang

Arriving at the Da Nang International Airport around 7pm, we were picked up by Tommy, our guide that would accompany us from Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An. As we drove through Da Nang, we could see a modern city, the third largest in Viet Nam, that was very clean and much less traffic than Ho Chi Minh City.

We stayed two nights at the Hyatt Regency Resort in Da Nang. This resort sits on 50 acres with over 1,900 feet of beachfront. It is only about five minutes driving time from the Marble Mountains. We were booked for a standard hotel guest room ($270USD), but received a free upgrade to a condominium unit ($350USD). The third floor condo unit had a full kitchen, large great room, separate bedroom, walk-in closet and bathroom with separate tub and shower. Our unit was located at the extreme north end of the resort complex, overlooking the beach. I can't recall staying at a hotel with a larger grounds footprint. A map was needed to navigate ourselves around the property and, frankly, a bicycle would also have been helpful. After returning to the US, I noticed that VRBO/Homeaway listed a similar condo unit in the same resort for $200 per night. This figure may not include resort fees and/or breakfast buffet access.

Overall, our two-night stay in Da Nang was enjoyable and convenient as a homebase for day tours. We particularly enjoyed a seven course Vietnamese seafood dinner at the resort's Beach House restaurant. This included shrimp mousse on sugar cane, wok-fried squid, pork-rib soup, bamboo chicken, steamed tilapia, mong-toi leaves, rice and a banana sago in coconut milk dessert ($65USD for two). Departing Da Nang, we were on our way to the Imperial Citadel in Hue, a 2.5 hour drive away, over the Hai Van pass.

While in Da Nang, we spent one morning at the resort gym and pool. In the afternoon , our guide picked us up to start a tour of the Marble Mountains, (aka Ngu Hanh Son). There are five marble mountains and they are named after the five elements; Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth). The mountains are very close to the location of the American Marble Mountain Air Facility that was used during the Viet Nam (or American) War.

All of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels; however, we entered Water (Thuy Son) Mountain for our tour. An elevator took us half-way up the mountain and we continued our visit via stairs. As we climbed up the interior of the mountain, we were provided with wide panoramic views of the surrounding areas and the other marble mountains. There are a number of religious grottoes that are visited along the climb, including Huyen Khong and Tang Chon, and many Hindu and Buddhist sanctuaries, the pagoda Tam Thai (built in 1825), Tu Tam and Linh Ung and the tower of Pho Dong. The sanctuaries feature statues and religious scenes carved from marble.

During the Viet Nam War (or American War), the Viet Cong reportedly maintained a hospital in Huyen Khong. Later, a Marine observation post, "Crow's Nest", was located on the top of Water Mountain. This post was used to protect the US Marble Mountain Air Facility.

As we left Da Nang, we were left with some mixed feelings. With the beach shoreline being developed by large hotels, condominiums and golf course companies, the local residents seem to have diminishing beach access. I wouldn't be surprised if this area takes on the appearance of a Hawaiian resort shoreline in the next ten years.

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Thursday, February 11, 2016

Hue, My Son and Hoi An - 2016

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang - 2016