For U.S. citizens, Vietnam requires a visa no matter your length of stay. Through extensive research we discovered that rather than going through all the hassle at a Vietnam Embassy in Bangkok, we could apply online to get a Visa on Arrival. Supposedly this entails paying a small fee to a program that gets a letter from immigration asking Vietnam to let you in. You then go to a station when you arrive, fill out a form, pay another fee for the visa itself and badabing badaboom you've got your visa. We were sufficiently worried that this may not be a real thing and that we would end up getting deported from Vietnam before our vacation even started, but through Julia's faith in research and my Dory-like faith in not knowing what's going to happen but trusting it'll be okay, we stuck to this service and it all worked out perfectly. We brought American dollars to Thailand just for this purpose because many countries still accept USD as well as their local currency. (We'll see if that remains true in another 20 years or so.) And holding American money is like holding play money, except it's not nearly as fun because unlike almost any other currency in the world, it's incredibly boring and all the same color. I'd like to think that once your "home" currency becomes not just weird, but sufficiently surreal to hold and use as valid money, then you have definitely lived long enough somewhere else to call it home.
Our first couple meals in Hanoi were Banh Mi, which are Vietnamese street sandwiches, heavily influenced by the French (hence the baguette) but with sufficient Vietnamese flare (everything inside of the baguette). Julia LOVES these and I quite enjoy them as well. They vary from doner kebabs to simple sandwiches with omelettes (made to order of course), laughing cow cheese (the most common cheese you'll find in Asia since it doesn't need to be refrigerated), lettuce, tomato, cucumber, possibly pâté or some other meat, mayonnaise, hot sauce, and whatever else you can think of really. If I could bring street food to California, I would in a heartbeat. It's funny that it's something quite prevalent in New York City and even on boardwalks for some of California's beaches, but it's still not something that is frequent or widely accepted. It should be. Let me tell you, we are thoroughly missing out in America.
Hanoi is the current capital of Vietnam and it's where our friend Jenna (who was Julia's roommate in India and whom we realize we've seen in 4 countries now, which we believe confirms us as lifelong friends) is currently living and teaching English. These two facts combined to make Hanoi one of our obvious favorite cities in Vietnam (though you'll soon see that it's actually hard for us to pick favorites because every city was wonderfully unique. It's actually easier to pick the cities that weren't quite up to the high standard that the rest of tourist-Vietnam sets). My absolute FAVORITE dish by far was Bun Cha. It's this delicious soup served with vermicelli noodles and basically grilled pork meatballs. And you dip in various greens and herbs. It's served at a coolish temperature, which is interesting because it seems like it's supposed to be served hot. It's also only available from 11 am-2 pm throughout Hanoi, though I'm not sure of the reason. It's awesome because people will set up stands in alleyways that just have one sign that says Bun Cha with an arrow underneath. So you go and sit down on these extremely temporary plastic miniature stools and eat this incredibly delicious meal. And then an hour later the whole station is gone without a trace. Jenna toted us around on the back of her motorbike to tons of local food stalls and coffee shops, including a coffee shop that is hidden behind an art store. You actually drive your bike through the store to park in the back and then go up a bunch of winding staircases to get to this absolutely beautiful view of Hoan Kiem Lake in Old Quarter, which is basically central Hanoi. We tried egg drop coffee which is delicious Vietnamese coffee topped with a sweet whipped egg yolk. We also tried delicious traditional Vietnamese drip coffee with condensed milk. And we tried Vietnamese coffee with yogurt, which gives it a really tangy creamy taste.
Food aside, since Jenna lives in Hanoi and isn't really a tourist (like us with Chiang Mai, but more so with Thailand as a whole), she did some touristy things for the first time with us. One of these is the Water Puppet Show which originated in the rivers of northern Vietnam and moved to an enclosed theater. It involves puppeteers waist-deep in a pool using a rod to manipulate the puppets and tell traditional stories of Vietnam. It was pretty cute and fun to watch and one of those must-dos for Vietnam and specifically Hanoi since that is where it originated. We also went to Beer Corner, which isn't a specific place but rather a fun activity where you sit on those ubiquitous miniature plastic stools (which Julia says isn't good for people with long legs. I wouldn't know) and drink a cup of 5,000 dong draught beer (which is about 20 cents but is equivalent to paying like a nickel for beer). From the "Fresh beer" signs we learned that vendors sell beer that production centers make fresh everyday and it goes bad within 24 hours because it doesn't have any preservatives. It's an interesting concept and a one of a kind experience, though can get a bit hectic with vendors being really pushy about you sitting at their corner, ordering more beers, or leaving immediately after you've paid. It's also something that easily went from a fun local tradition to a backpacker craze in Vietnam, but no complaints here for almost free beer. :) We also walked around Old Quarter where all the shopping is. The streets are laid out in a very interesting manner; they are named after the product that is sold on the street. So most streets begin with the word "hang" which means merchandise or shop, followed by the name of the product. If you're looking for scarves, try scarf street. Maybe you need jewelry from silver street or a raft from bamboo raft street. It's great and it's almost like a child's drawing coming to life with such an intuitive and simple way of laying things out. What's fun and very meta is that many stores sell things like mannequins or LCD signs, which is kind of confusing. I'll be looking at a bunch of naked mannequins, wondering what clothing the store is selling and then I'll realize they're selling the actual mannequins. Or I'll be reading a light up sign to see what it's advertising, and it's blinking the words "LCD Sign."
One of the beautiful places to visit in Vietnam is Ha Long Bay, which is a 4.5 hour bus, boat, bus ride from Hanoi. It's a weekend getaway of kayaking, snorkeling, rock climbing, scuba diving, and breathtaking views. Cat Ba Island is one of the more popular and largest amongst Ha Long Bay's 366 islands. Jenna loves rock climbing there so much that she goes there about twice a month, which is saying a lot considering the long and tedious trip to get there and back. You know when guide books tell you the on and off seasons for visiting certain places? And since it's dependent on weather it usually just means that off season has lower prices and fewer people. That's why my family always went to places like Death Valley in the summer time or Sequoia National Park in the winter. Well for Vietnam (and I imagine much of southeast Asia), off season means basically nobody else is there but you. This became very apparent in places like Cat Ba Island. It was like that one time my parents and I went to Coney Island when it was closed; a place that's normally lively and somewhat chaotic and filled with noises and sights and smells is just...closed. It was kind of fun to be two amongst a mere handful of tourists and locals on the island, despite the construction and less-than-perfect weather. Jules and I really wanted to go rock climbing because many sources told us about how it's the perfect place for beginners and experts alike, but we just didn't have the funds. Instead we took a peaceful kayaking trip around the islands as well as a hike to Cannon Fort which boasts amazing views of the bay below. Unfortunately our weekend getaway was incredibly foggy the entire time so we definitely did not get to see the epicness of Cat Ba's beauty. Jules and I got some great pictures of us holding up the guidebook (with a picture of what the view should look like) over the real viewpoint (which is what we actually saw). When it comes to the weather, you win some and you lose some.
The trip between Hanoi and Hue (in central Vietnam) is the longest trip that a backpacker takes in Vietnam as there aren't any tourist destinations between these two cities even for the traveler who likes to go off the beaten path. We had bought a train ticket from Hanoi to Hue that was leaving at 7:30 pm the next day, which enabled us to spend a day and a half in Ha Long Bay before heading back to make the evening train. We wanted to leave the island around 1 pm to give us plenty of time to get back to Hanoi, possibly share a meal with Jenna, and comfortably get on the train. Unfortunately, this is not what the universe had planned for us. The earliest bus we could get was 2:30 pm. With a 4.5 hour trip, this would be cutting it a bit close, but there wasn't much we could do but hope we made it on time. A bus, a boat, a bus, and another bus later, we pull up to the bus station at 7:20 pm, our backpacks ready and our anxiety high. The minute the bus stopped we jumped off and hopped on a xe om, which is basically a motorcycle taxi. We told them we needed to be at the train station in 10 minutes to make our train and they thoroughly understood that. I know this because they ZOOMED through Hanoi. That was one of the fastest and definitely most dangerous rides I've ever taken, putting full trust in a stranger to keep us alive. We get to the wrong train station at 7:29, which I communicate to them and we immediately hop back on and go down to the correct station. We SPRINT into the station and my watch, the train station clock, and my iPhone all say it's 7:30. But the train had left. Even describing this moment now, sitting in my home in Thailand, fully aware of how the story ended, my heart is starting to beat fast again. I was SO upset. Yes it was our fault that we weren't earlier, but I know for a fact that the train left early and that just killed me. Those tickets were $32 each, which is a lot of money by American standards, let alone by our Thai living standards. We worked so hard to save enough money to go on vacation and we just threw $60 out the window. I was thoroughly upset and did all I could to get at least a partial refund, but they just wouldn't have it. What bothered me more was their lack of customer service; it's simply not a thing in Vietnam. There's no such thing as trying to reach an understanding or making the customer feel valued. If you're not buying something from me, then go away, is the attitude there. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but it is definitely very different from America, where a business arguably can't get away with that kind of attitude. Let me be clear here, it sounds like I'm complaining that they didn't immediately come to me with a glass of water and a pat on the back. What I'm saying is the way they wave their hand away and ignore you before you even say a word; the way they throw your ticket at you or frown or roll their eyes and act like you're the scum of the earth. It's something I can deal with as a whole, but in this moment it took all I had to keep it together and try to persuade them to even listen to me at all. At the end of it though, I was able to get through to a lady who explained that she just couldn't do anything because it's against the law to refund money after 4 hours before the train departs. Sigh.
But what better place to be "stranded" than with Jenna in Hanoi. So we stayed another night and were able to find something called an Open Bus Ticket. Basically, you buy a ticket package that covers all of your transportation for the whole of Vietnam. They have one or two buses that leave everyday and all you have to do is book the bus on the day you want to leave. The total of those tickets for each of us was $42. So instead of rebuying the train tickets that take us only to Hue, we were able to get a pretty good deal. The reason people don't generally use the Open Bus is because they're fairly uncomfortable and a bit dangerous as the drivers go at incredibly fast speeds over bumpy roads.
So the next evening we were on a sleeper bus on our way to Hue.
And that was Hanoi :)
Note: I didn't have time to proofread this entry before posting so I apologize if my natural tendency towards using too many words to say things gets confusing, like this very sentence.
Our first couple meals in Hanoi were Banh Mi, which are Vietnamese street sandwiches, heavily influenced by the French (hence the baguette) but with sufficient Vietnamese flare (everything inside of the baguette). Julia LOVES these and I quite enjoy them as well. They vary from doner kebabs to simple sandwiches with omelettes (made to order of course), laughing cow cheese (the most common cheese you'll find in Asia since it doesn't need to be refrigerated), lettuce, tomato, cucumber, possibly pâté or some other meat, mayonnaise, hot sauce, and whatever else you can think of really. If I could bring street food to California, I would in a heartbeat. It's funny that it's something quite prevalent in New York City and even on boardwalks for some of California's beaches, but it's still not something that is frequent or widely accepted. It should be. Let me tell you, we are thoroughly missing out in America.
Hanoi is the current capital of Vietnam and it's where our friend Jenna (who was Julia's roommate in India and whom we realize we've seen in 4 countries now, which we believe confirms us as lifelong friends) is currently living and teaching English. These two facts combined to make Hanoi one of our obvious favorite cities in Vietnam (though you'll soon see that it's actually hard for us to pick favorites because every city was wonderfully unique. It's actually easier to pick the cities that weren't quite up to the high standard that the rest of tourist-Vietnam sets). My absolute FAVORITE dish by far was Bun Cha. It's this delicious soup served with vermicelli noodles and basically grilled pork meatballs. And you dip in various greens and herbs. It's served at a coolish temperature, which is interesting because it seems like it's supposed to be served hot. It's also only available from 11 am-2 pm throughout Hanoi, though I'm not sure of the reason. It's awesome because people will set up stands in alleyways that just have one sign that says Bun Cha with an arrow underneath. So you go and sit down on these extremely temporary plastic miniature stools and eat this incredibly delicious meal. And then an hour later the whole station is gone without a trace. Jenna toted us around on the back of her motorbike to tons of local food stalls and coffee shops, including a coffee shop that is hidden behind an art store. You actually drive your bike through the store to park in the back and then go up a bunch of winding staircases to get to this absolutely beautiful view of Hoan Kiem Lake in Old Quarter, which is basically central Hanoi. We tried egg drop coffee which is delicious Vietnamese coffee topped with a sweet whipped egg yolk. We also tried delicious traditional Vietnamese drip coffee with condensed milk. And we tried Vietnamese coffee with yogurt, which gives it a really tangy creamy taste.
Food aside, since Jenna lives in Hanoi and isn't really a tourist (like us with Chiang Mai, but more so with Thailand as a whole), she did some touristy things for the first time with us. One of these is the Water Puppet Show which originated in the rivers of northern Vietnam and moved to an enclosed theater. It involves puppeteers waist-deep in a pool using a rod to manipulate the puppets and tell traditional stories of Vietnam. It was pretty cute and fun to watch and one of those must-dos for Vietnam and specifically Hanoi since that is where it originated. We also went to Beer Corner, which isn't a specific place but rather a fun activity where you sit on those ubiquitous miniature plastic stools (which Julia says isn't good for people with long legs. I wouldn't know) and drink a cup of 5,000 dong draught beer (which is about 20 cents but is equivalent to paying like a nickel for beer). From the "Fresh beer" signs we learned that vendors sell beer that production centers make fresh everyday and it goes bad within 24 hours because it doesn't have any preservatives. It's an interesting concept and a one of a kind experience, though can get a bit hectic with vendors being really pushy about you sitting at their corner, ordering more beers, or leaving immediately after you've paid. It's also something that easily went from a fun local tradition to a backpacker craze in Vietnam, but no complaints here for almost free beer. :) We also walked around Old Quarter where all the shopping is. The streets are laid out in a very interesting manner; they are named after the product that is sold on the street. So most streets begin with the word "hang" which means merchandise or shop, followed by the name of the product. If you're looking for scarves, try scarf street. Maybe you need jewelry from silver street or a raft from bamboo raft street. It's great and it's almost like a child's drawing coming to life with such an intuitive and simple way of laying things out. What's fun and very meta is that many stores sell things like mannequins or LCD signs, which is kind of confusing. I'll be looking at a bunch of naked mannequins, wondering what clothing the store is selling and then I'll realize they're selling the actual mannequins. Or I'll be reading a light up sign to see what it's advertising, and it's blinking the words "LCD Sign."
One of the beautiful places to visit in Vietnam is Ha Long Bay, which is a 4.5 hour bus, boat, bus ride from Hanoi. It's a weekend getaway of kayaking, snorkeling, rock climbing, scuba diving, and breathtaking views. Cat Ba Island is one of the more popular and largest amongst Ha Long Bay's 366 islands. Jenna loves rock climbing there so much that she goes there about twice a month, which is saying a lot considering the long and tedious trip to get there and back. You know when guide books tell you the on and off seasons for visiting certain places? And since it's dependent on weather it usually just means that off season has lower prices and fewer people. That's why my family always went to places like Death Valley in the summer time or Sequoia National Park in the winter. Well for Vietnam (and I imagine much of southeast Asia), off season means basically nobody else is there but you. This became very apparent in places like Cat Ba Island. It was like that one time my parents and I went to Coney Island when it was closed; a place that's normally lively and somewhat chaotic and filled with noises and sights and smells is just...closed. It was kind of fun to be two amongst a mere handful of tourists and locals on the island, despite the construction and less-than-perfect weather. Jules and I really wanted to go rock climbing because many sources told us about how it's the perfect place for beginners and experts alike, but we just didn't have the funds. Instead we took a peaceful kayaking trip around the islands as well as a hike to Cannon Fort which boasts amazing views of the bay below. Unfortunately our weekend getaway was incredibly foggy the entire time so we definitely did not get to see the epicness of Cat Ba's beauty. Jules and I got some great pictures of us holding up the guidebook (with a picture of what the view should look like) over the real viewpoint (which is what we actually saw). When it comes to the weather, you win some and you lose some.
The trip between Hanoi and Hue (in central Vietnam) is the longest trip that a backpacker takes in Vietnam as there aren't any tourist destinations between these two cities even for the traveler who likes to go off the beaten path. We had bought a train ticket from Hanoi to Hue that was leaving at 7:30 pm the next day, which enabled us to spend a day and a half in Ha Long Bay before heading back to make the evening train. We wanted to leave the island around 1 pm to give us plenty of time to get back to Hanoi, possibly share a meal with Jenna, and comfortably get on the train. Unfortunately, this is not what the universe had planned for us. The earliest bus we could get was 2:30 pm. With a 4.5 hour trip, this would be cutting it a bit close, but there wasn't much we could do but hope we made it on time. A bus, a boat, a bus, and another bus later, we pull up to the bus station at 7:20 pm, our backpacks ready and our anxiety high. The minute the bus stopped we jumped off and hopped on a xe om, which is basically a motorcycle taxi. We told them we needed to be at the train station in 10 minutes to make our train and they thoroughly understood that. I know this because they ZOOMED through Hanoi. That was one of the fastest and definitely most dangerous rides I've ever taken, putting full trust in a stranger to keep us alive. We get to the wrong train station at 7:29, which I communicate to them and we immediately hop back on and go down to the correct station. We SPRINT into the station and my watch, the train station clock, and my iPhone all say it's 7:30. But the train had left. Even describing this moment now, sitting in my home in Thailand, fully aware of how the story ended, my heart is starting to beat fast again. I was SO upset. Yes it was our fault that we weren't earlier, but I know for a fact that the train left early and that just killed me. Those tickets were $32 each, which is a lot of money by American standards, let alone by our Thai living standards. We worked so hard to save enough money to go on vacation and we just threw $60 out the window. I was thoroughly upset and did all I could to get at least a partial refund, but they just wouldn't have it. What bothered me more was their lack of customer service; it's simply not a thing in Vietnam. There's no such thing as trying to reach an understanding or making the customer feel valued. If you're not buying something from me, then go away, is the attitude there. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but it is definitely very different from America, where a business arguably can't get away with that kind of attitude. Let me be clear here, it sounds like I'm complaining that they didn't immediately come to me with a glass of water and a pat on the back. What I'm saying is the way they wave their hand away and ignore you before you even say a word; the way they throw your ticket at you or frown or roll their eyes and act like you're the scum of the earth. It's something I can deal with as a whole, but in this moment it took all I had to keep it together and try to persuade them to even listen to me at all. At the end of it though, I was able to get through to a lady who explained that she just couldn't do anything because it's against the law to refund money after 4 hours before the train departs. Sigh.
But what better place to be "stranded" than with Jenna in Hanoi. So we stayed another night and were able to find something called an Open Bus Ticket. Basically, you buy a ticket package that covers all of your transportation for the whole of Vietnam. They have one or two buses that leave everyday and all you have to do is book the bus on the day you want to leave. The total of those tickets for each of us was $42. So instead of rebuying the train tickets that take us only to Hue, we were able to get a pretty good deal. The reason people don't generally use the Open Bus is because they're fairly uncomfortable and a bit dangerous as the drivers go at incredibly fast speeds over bumpy roads.
So the next evening we were on a sleeper bus on our way to Hue.
And that was Hanoi :)
Note: I didn't have time to proofread this entry before posting so I apologize if my natural tendency towards using too many words to say things gets confusing, like this very sentence.
Good stuff! Good stuff! Long legged people ain't got no right to complain! I must admit one of my favorite parts of this is that you remembered and liked the trips we took when you were young...:)
ReplyDeleteI love that you describe it as "Dory-like" faith. I totally get it. Also Bun Cha sounds delicious! And I'm sorry that Cat Ba wasn't as good as it could've been. At least it was interesting to see it in the off-season? The whole train thing sounds like no fun. I'm glad you guys found another way but that's still sucky!
ReplyDeletewhere are the pictures
ReplyDeletewhen are you coming home
-sammers