VIETNAM - Discovering regional wonders

In my many trips around Asia, I never prioritised travelling to Vietnam. I was always searching for more ‘remote’ locations, and I admit that my very first impressions of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi had not been that remarkable. I visited Ho Chi Minh City with my family (when the kids were still young) about ten years ago, and the fumes from the deluge of motorbikes – added to the difficulty of crossing the roads – didn’t contribute to appreciating what the city offered. I had a better feeling about Hanoi, but I was just spending a couple of days there, and this short passage was not enough to leave a lasting impact.

Therefore, this time, I gave Hanoi a second chance. My 8-day trip to Vietnam, with my travel companions Nunzia and Kathia, was quite ambitious, as we travelled from North to Centre to South, starting from Hanoi.

Strategically well-located, our hotel was in the heart of Hanoi Old Quarter. From there, we could walk to Hoàn Kiếm Lake and around the lanes, characterised by the typical ‘tube houses’ – tall, colourful, and as narrow as two metres wide. These houses are not only residential apartments, but host quaint cafés, restaurants, and shops, making each enterprise look unique, also thanks to banana plants and palm trees growing next to them and bougainvillea, orchids, and creepers crawling out of the walls.

In Hanoi, we visited the Guangdong Assembly Hall, founded by the Cantonese community about 400 years ago during the settlement and trade in the nearby streets. The beautiful hall is now called 22 Hàng Buồm Culture and Art Center and hosts various exhibitions.

From there, we walked to Ma May Ancient House. As soon as we stepped through the wooden door and into this heritage house, we had the impression that time had stopped. It’s a quiet space secluded from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi. On two stories, with an internal courtyard that lets the light flow in, and divided into different living spaces, this house is a well-preserved example of late XIX-century Hanoi architecture.

The Temple of Literature is, instead, a sprawling area of mature gardens developing around five courtyards, with temples dedicated to Confucius, local sages, and scholars. It was very inspiring to see students of different ages posing for pictures. Here they light up incense, asking for good blessings for their exams, during their school or university years.

When we reached the Imperial Citadel of Thǎng Long, we admired the main gate, an excellent example of Vietnamese architectural style, with a two-story tower, curved roofs, and intricate carvings. This Unesco site has its relevance as its history stretches over centuries of domination and wars, being the core of the earlier Đại La Citadel, when the region was ruled directly by China (7th to 9th centuries), but also the headquarters of the North Vietnamese government and army during the Resistance War against the Americans between 1954 and 1975.

After an intense day, we decided to enjoy a beer on Hanoi Train Street, where small tables and chairs are set up by the bartenders one step from the rail tracks several times daily, and quickly removed the moment the train approached fast. It was quite a hair-raising experience, not to be missed.

The next day, we took a 2-day 1-night cruise along quiet Lan Ha Bay, located off the touristy Hạ Long Bay and full of mystical charm. Despite the cool and cloudy weather, this scenic landscape of dramatic karsts rising from the waters was an opportunity to unwind and prepare for the next destination.

After bustling Hanoi, Huế and its surroundings exuded a sense of quiet. The ancient Thiên Mụ Temple, by the banks of the Perfume River, dates to the 17th century and it’s an important place of worship for the Buddhists. It was the first Buddhist pagoda we visited, in a country where the three main religions are Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, sometimes, grouped as one only religion called ‘the three teachings’.

We couldn’t miss a visit to the tomb and monument of Minh Mạng (palace, shrine, towers, etc), and the tomb and monument of King Tự Đức, kings of the Nguyễn Dynasty. Both places are vast and boast lakes and spectacular landscapes that complement the decorative architecture. Still full of energy despite the long walks, our next stop was the Huế Citadel, which is in itself a real city within the city and even includes a reconstruction of a XIX century French palace-style building.

The highlight of our trip was Hội An. Hội An Ancient Town is a Unesco World Heritage site near the mouth of the Thu Bồn River. It was a trading port active in the 15th to 19th centuries and is exceptionally well-preserved. The timber-frame buildings reflect a fusion of indigenous and foreign cultures (principally Chinese and Japanese with later European influences).

Combined, these residential and commercial houses, the open market, and the religious buildings, contribute to Hội An's unique charm. We ambled around the roads visiting traditional shops and admiring the beauty of the typical houses. Even here, lush trees, plants, and flowers flourish in every corner.

Hội An acquires a magical atmosphere at night when the boats that carry colourful lanterns slowly move along the river.

The countryside around this city has its treasures to offer too: we had been invited to the refined rēu restaurant, where we enjoyed a fine Vietnamese meal; we took a bike ride; we toured the river on a "Thung chai”, or “basket boat”, followed by a cooking class and an herbal foot massage.

No trip to Indochina is for me complete without exploring the Mekong River. So, after flying from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, we travelled to Mỹ Tho, located by the Mekong River Delta. We didn’t have great expectations, fearing that the place could be overcrowded with tourists, being only a 2-hour drive from Ho Chi Minh City. Luckily it was not.

We first took a boat trip around four islets – Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix, and Tortoise – visiting two of them and walking around tropical fruit trees. As we sat on a rowboat and went through the Vam Chua small canal, we were surrounded by lush vegetation. In complete silence, accompanied only by the sound of the birds, we took in the green landscape of mangroves, palms and Vietnamese water coconut fruits that looked like wooden sculptures hanging from lower branches. We finally sat in a restaurant by the banks of the river to enjoy our last Vietnamese meal.

This packed itinerary gave us the possibility to travel from North to South, from the cool and cloudy weather of Ha Noi to warm and sunny central and southern Vietnam while discovering the cultural differences between the regions, in people’s character, food, language, and traditions. The country had been divided for too long. It went through different colonial rulers and dynasties, underwent horrible conflicts, and was finally struck by a bloody civil war that contributed to widening the gap between the North and the South.

Regardless of the differences, Vietnam's economy is thriving. Its people are hardworking, the country is fast developing and it’s a treasure trove of natural and cultural wonders, from its northern mountainous area – that I’ll surely explore in my next trip – to the fertile Mekong river delta.

In the cover:
Hoàn Kiếm Lake © Thể Phạm Khắc

Photo credits:
Húc Bridge © Khoado11
Train street © Penny Ash
Gallery: Hue, left (Tien Mu pagoda) © terimakasih0
Gallery: Hue, centre (arch) / right (trellis) © baonguyenne
Hoi An left and right © Penny Ash
Slideshow My Tho/Mekong © Tho Ge