Vietnam Diaries

They say your travels make you smarter, more experienced. And I think they are pretty much on the mark. One can have a variety of experiences when travelling, and when one sits down to write a travelogue, it is always hard to decide what to start with. Setting aside this confusion, I decided to start with when I felt the most at peace.  Standing right there at the serene Cua Dai beach, gazing at the South China Sea, letting the waves wash away the sand from beneath my feet. It was all so quiet and beautiful. The feeling that there is nobody else in this world, nothing else that you have to do and nowhere else you have to be. You can forget anything and everything and just live in that moment. Stand there and just look around and observe your surroundings – the surfer fighting the waves, the kids building a sand castle, the lady vendor trying to sell goodies.

Vietnam has a lot to offer when it comes to visuals. It had us engaged right from the moment we landed in Hanoi. Closely built narrow houses, good roads, several two wheelers driving haphazardly, funny helmets, small stools at the street food outlets, locals trying to sell you souvenirs, extremely cheap ice cream ( I am serious it costs only 30 US cents). Our two days in the capital were hectic and tiring. With so much to cover, old French quarters, Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, ancient house, temples, pagodas, museum of ethnology, Hoa Lo prison, Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem Lake and much more, we got a taste of how it used to be in old times with no internet and no GPS to assist you. Our first day mostly went in consulting a paper map and trying to find our way to places. A big wake up call on how much we rely on the technology these days. Kudos to us that despite our shortcomings we managed to visit all that was on our list along with finding out great places to eat. Well, some self praise doesn’t hurt! ;)

Post Hanoi, our plans to cruise along in the Halong Bay was washed out by a serious storm in the area. We were looking forward to it, dreaming about the great photo opportunities that we would get. What followed was something I never imagined us doing on a vacation, Trekking! But Mother Nature did not disappoint us at all. Walking along the trail with some breathtaking views of the rice fields of Sapa was a fun filled adventure in itself. However, our interactions with the locals here kind of dampened the high that we got from the beauty of the place. People are helpful but all for a price. Children are well versed in English and proficient in 101 of how to get friendly with the tourists. The continuous pestering is a deal breaker.

After the highs and lows of Sapa, we moved on to Hoi An, the quaint little town. The best stop of the vacation. Our two days here went by in a breeze and we wanted to stay and explore more. The good times started with us checking into Rock Villa. If you are visiting Hoi An, this is the peaceful and hospitable stay that you are looking for. And what more, it is easy on the pocket as well. Hoi An can be very conveniently explored on bikes. One would fall in love with the evenings of the town, with luminescent lanterns, floating candles, hustle bustle all around. The foodie within, gave us a shout out to set out on a gastronomical journey and we readily signed up for a cooking class. Working our way through four delicious courses accompanied with the chilled passion fruit juice was the adventure we would so fondly reminisce. If you are a fruit lover, Vietnam is definitely the place for you. The sheer abundance of the variety of tropical fruits can leave you wanting for more.

Ho Chi Minh City, our last leg of the vacation was a bundle of mixed experiences. The old city of Saigon, one of the most populous ones of Vietnam, left me pensive – wondering out loud about what the atrocity called war actually means. Looking at those heartbreaking pictures of Agent Orange victims in the War Remnants Museum I could only think of how the war affects the innocents the most. It scares me when the probability of a worldwide one keeps knocking the doors every now and then. I am sure what we see in the museum is just one side of the story and the other side would be equally gut-wrenching. The tales of the tough times told at the Reunification Palace, the reality of the Cu Chi tunnels just kept calling out to me. Why is that we fight? What good comes out of it? Are the winners happy for sure? Thankfully we decided to give the gloominess a break and went for an experience of a lifetime. Our dinner at The Noir was unforgettable. The realization of no sight makes one aware of all other senses and the possibilities of life. Our tryst with dining in the dark made us wiser and hopeful.

There is so much more to explore in Vietnam. We could only fit in so much in 10 days, but these 10 days were a great learning experience. It was like going to a school of a different culture of the world. It is commendable how the persistent hard work, clean habits, the ideology to renew of the Vietnamese people have brought the country out of the hell hole in which the civil war had left it. They are a brilliant example of the society that is evolving with the changing times and is still maintaining a balance with its age old culture. Uncle Ho’s country has something in its kitty for every soul.