I'm not a veteran, but I've been to Nam

For more pictures click album 1, album 2 and album 3

For a lot of people the name Vietnam is automatically associated with the horrible Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s. Many people also automatically think of the involvement of the US and the massive popular anti-war movement. As the title illustrates, I also have those associations. But, it was now time for us to broaden our knowledge and get some new perspectives and associations to the name Vietnam.

Our first meeting with, and impression of Vietnam can be summarized in two words; 'charmingly chaotic'. The chaotic part is most likely connected to the fact that Vietnam holds more than 86 million people (13th in the world), in an area smaller than Norway! However, many factors made the seeming chaos appear rather charming. For instance, the atmosphere was good and people were happy as a big holiday was about to take place. As part of the preparations for the holiday people were buying big fruit trees that they strapped onto their motorcycles, making the whole scene look even more chaotic and, yes, charming...

Chaotic and charming ;)

We arrived Hanoi in the late afternoon without a visa and no ticket out of the country. This could've caused us problems and perhaps even a night or two at the police station (at least that's what we had heard). Katrine was quite anxious and didn't enjoy the flight too much, but luckily we had no problems getting a visa upon our arrival. Together with the Chileans (seven of them by now!) we went straight for the old quarter, where we found a small hostel/hotel. For the first time in a while we felt that we got great value for our money; 12 US$ for a spacious double room with AC, cable TV, breakfast and free internet. Not bad, huh! Hanoi was pretty cold and very stressful, but it was all somehow very charming and interesting, at least for the few days we spent there. The traffic is among the worst I've ever seen. Thousands of motorcycles honking their way through the narrow streets and crowds of people, and buses that don't stop for no one. The traffic isn't controlled by robots (or traffic lights as most non-Africans would call them), so at first you feel like you're walking the green mile every time you try to cross the street. But, after a while you realize that you just have to walk, and the sea of motorbikes will pretty much treat you like the Red Sea treated Moses back in the days... (Alright, I get it, enough with the amazing anecdotes)

After some sightseeing in the capital, we were off to one of the most famous tourist attractions in Vietnam, Halong Bay. Our spirits and expectations were high and we were looking forward to see this natural wonder, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But, in the end we were quite disappointed. Not because of Halong Bay though. The bay area itself is truly stunning and unique, with thousands of small and big islands erected straight from the ocean. We were disappointed because of the way the trip was arranged, the unprofessional tour guides and the fact that we didn't get what we had paid for. In addition, it was windy, cloudy and freezing cold. We didn't have warm clothes at all, and despite us buying gloves and beanie, we were still shivering. And, believe it or not, on top of it all we had a huge rat running around our cabin eating our Orios in the middle of the night! We spent two days floating around Halong Bay, but unfortunately we didn't enjoy it too much. I'm sure, though, if you go there in the summer, when the weather is nice and warm, it should be an amazing experience. The tour company reached a new level of unprofessionalism (if that is even a word...) when the bus driver, for no obvious reason, started yelling at his costumers on the way back to Hanoi. Well, at least we can say 'been there, done that', and from there it could only get better...

Katrine was freezing and very happy;) One of the oddly shaped islands that make Halong Bay unique and beautiful

The tour also included a visit to some amazing caves (the lighting is not natural, if you wondered...), and some floating fishing villages. This is a floating house, but they also had a floating bank and a school!
Traditional boats and typical Halong Bay scenery

The same evening that we got back from Halong Bay we 'checked in' on the night train from Hanoi to Huê. This was the night when the Têt holiday started, which explains why suddenly the happiest Vietnamese guy you can imagine jumped into our cabin singing 'happy new year songs' and offering us gifts(!). For non- Vietnamese people the Têt holiday isn't too exciting as almost everything close and the prices for accommodation and transport get much higher than normal. Têt is the Vietnamese New Year and it's the most important and popular holiday in the Vietnamese calendar. Traditionally it's a celebration of the ancestral spirits that return from heaven for their annual three day visit with their family. And, the holiday goes on for days. At least the main attraction in Huê was open, the Citadel (the old city). Within the city walls of the Citadel you can see the forbidden city with the old palace and other historic monuments. Much of this is in quite bad shape as it's one of many places that suffered severe damages from American bombings during the Vietnam War. We decided not to stay in Huê for very long, and our next move was down to the charming city of Hoi An. We could easily have spent a few more days in Hoi An, but because of the Têt we figured we'd rather spend some time traveling down to the warm weather and get there by the time things opened up again.

Inside the Citadel in Huê. The picture of Ho Chi Minh (communist revolutionary and former president) is seen everywhere in Vietnam.

From the charming city of Hoi An

Nha Trang, one of Vietnam's most touristy cities, was next on our list. We arrived at sunrise and were feeling a bit stiff after a night on the sleeping bus (a bus with actual beds). We walked around looking for a place to stay, but it was pretty hard to find. Finally we managed to find a decent room at a fair price. We spent two nice days in Nha Trang; one day on the beach and one on a boat. The boat was packed with people, but since most of the Asian tourists by all means try to avoid sunlight and don't like to swim, we enjoyed a spacey roof top almost by ourselves;)

From Nha Trang we experienced a horrible and nerve wrecking bus trip. We were going to a small beach side tourist village called Mui Ne, and I have never, not even in Africa, experienced more idiotic driving. 'Maniac' is the only adjective that rightfully describes our driver. And the scary and sad part is that there are thousands of maniacs like him on the roads in Vietnam. Miraculously we arrived Mui Ne in one piece, and it was a good place to get rid of the tension created by this bus ride. Mui Ne is also a perfect place for kite surfing and wind surfing. I've never seen so many kites in the air at the same time. At the most I counted around 100 kites; an incredible sight.

Mui Ne is El Dorado for wind surfers and kite surfers

However, if you turned your head 180 degrees you would have a clearer view. The next picture is from Nha Trang where more traditional tourist activities are popular. (I had to make it bit arty to make it interesting though...)

Katrine had been singing and talking about 'Miss Saigon' for weeks already so we were quite enthusiastic when we finally got to Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City which is its official name. Saigon soon became our favorite destination in Vietnam. Cheap and central accommodation was easy to find and the city had a lot to offer. In many ways Saigon was very different from Hanoi. Overall we found that there are many differences between what used to be North and South Vietnam. If you ask us, we'd tell you that the southern part was the most enjoyable. We spent much time walking around the city, sightseeing and shopping. The most interesting was the War Remnants Museum, which gives you a rich insight into the Vietnam War. It must be a bit embarrassing to be an American visitor at this museum as the the whole exhibition was, not surprisingly, very anti American.

Another interesting war related activity that we enjoyed was the Cu Chi Tunnels. These tunnels are part of an impressive network of connecting underground tunnels that were used by the Viet Cong during the war. It was incredible to see how the Viet Cong soldiers lived and fought. Most of the tunnels are really narrow and claustrophobic, and although the ones that tourists try are widened, I still had problems, and I ain't too big... In the tunnels there's also lack of fresh air and light. Learning about the Viet Cong and seeing the tunnels was very interesting, but we also needed some non-war related fun. On our last night in Vietnam we went to a fancy live jazz club. It was cool, very western and ridiculously expensive, even for a Norwegian! That was the end of Vietnam. We have definitely gotten some new, different and nice associations to the name Vietnam, but I don't think we'll ever stop thinking about the war when we hear the name.

Saigon is a lovely mix of designer shops and communism, local snake wine and international jazz clubs

...and war history

From Saigon we headed to another country with a recent history of violence and war. Stay tuned for the next post from what came to be one of our favorite countries in the region - the amazing Kingdom of Cambodia.