Our next 2 weeks in Vietnam were pretty laid back. We had some dodgy tummies amongst us so we had lots of down time, chilling, and enjoying being in the Vietnamese countryside.
First we went to Ninh Binh and stayed in another lovely homestay. Travelling with kids has meant that what we are looking for in accommodation is a bit different, which usually puts us a bit further from the tourist-centre (and the karaoke bars!) and a bit more into what feels like real-life – a bit more country, a bit more rustic, and genuine happiness from the families that we have chosen their homestay. The homestays usually have scooters to rent, which makes it easy to see the sights but also to get a bit off the beaten track.
My favourite spot in Ninh Binh was the lotus garden at Mua Cave. The lotus flowers in Autumn so it was nearing the end of the season but there were still plenty of blooms.
There is something about the lotus flower that brings me such joy – so delicate but yet so strong, so even but not quite symmetrical, so beautiful even when the petals have fallen. They also bring back happy memories of the special year I spent in South Korea with Julie.
We climbed up to the peak above Mua Cave – apparently there are 500 steps to the top but we lost count at 381. Part way up, Lucas noticed a Vietnamese hat over the side of a lookout railing – presumably blown off someone’s head as they admired the view. Always up for a challenge, Lucas climbed over the railing and rescued the hat! He’d wanted to buy one but knew it would be a pain to transport so he was waiting until the end of our trip – but a free hat is a free hat!
The view of the surrounding area from the peak was beautiful, albeit a little chaotic with tourists. We were glad to have timed it to be on the way down as a huge group made their way to the top.
Back at the bottom, we marvelled at the eclectic array of sculptures, photo spots, and nooks to sit and reflect.
During the First Indochina War in the mid 1940s, there was a shortage of milk in Vietnam so, using what he had, a bartender in Hanoi created an egg coffee, or cà phê trứng. The original recipe is still a secret but it is usually made by whisking egg, condensed milk and sugar together and pouring it over hot coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker but this was something I needed to try – it was delicious but one was enough.
Another day we took a boat trip through the Trang An Landscape Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on the Red River Delta. Trang An is filled with towering limestone mountains, slow-moving waterways winding in and out of caves, and ancient temples and pagodas.
With the help of a Google search “best restaurants near me”, we found a tiny backstreet restaurant serving delicious and cheap bánh mì sandwiches. They were so delicious that we went there two days in a row. Yum!
From Ninh Binh we took a sleeper bus to Phong Nha. There was some debate as to whether we would arrive in Phong Nha at 2am, 3am or 4am – depending on how many off-the-main-road stops we made to fill the bus storage with a variety of produce! We were very grateful that the owner of our next homestay picked us up from the bus station at 3am-ish and we went straight back to sleep.
Phong Nha is home to a ‘cầu khỉ‘ or ‘monkey bridge’ on Cuong Rung Farm, set amongst mountains, lush tropical forest and the winding river below. A monkey bridge is a handmade bamboo or wooden passway across a stream or gully to link villagers to their local markets. They are named for the monkey-like postures people make as they cross the bridge. The one in Phong Nha however, serves a different purpose – the family who run the farm, led by the very animated and extremely enthusiastic Mr Cuong, have turned it into a challenge! For less than NZ$10, you have 3 tries to cross the monkey bridge on a bicycle with very thin tyres and no brakes…and if you make it across, you win a cold drink! We just happened to be there at the same time as a group from Ireland, which immediately made it a whole lot more fun! We loved cheering for them, and they were so awesome at cheering for Lucas and Logan. They could hardly believe it when Lucas made it first try and were astounded when Logan made it all three times, once with only one hand and one at speed – they had definitely pegged them as an overly ambitious kid and a those-days-are-over Dad, which meant much hollering and swearing from them when they were both so successful! Lucas tried one-handed for his last two attempts and was so close to making it across, meanwhile Logan was still dry so he rode into the water just for fun! So many laughs!
(Logan worked really hard on this video to edit out all the swearing from our Irish cheer squad, which means it loses a little of the joyful atmosphere but makes it much more family-friendly)
Cuong Rung Farm also has this wonderful swing that swings out over the forest and river below.
We extended our stay in Phong Nha as it was so peaceful and pretty, and we were keen to keep out of the way of Tropical Storm Yinxing approaching the coast. It also gave the kids more time with the puppies and Lucas another chance to have a go on a scooter on some quiet country roads.
From Phong Nha we caught the bus to Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen dynasty, the last Vietnamese dynasty. Off-and-on dodgy tummies were still bothering Lucas and Zara so we only visited a few sights and made use of the cooking facilities at our homestay (and were grateful to the well-stocked supermarket) to make some easy-on-the-belly meals.
The Imperial City contains the palaces that housed the imperial family from 1803 to 1945, as well as shrines, gardens, and villas for the imperial officials. Unfortunately it was seriously damaged during both of the Indochina Wars but it is slowly being rebuilt and restored. You are able to hire traditional costumes to wear whilst you visit the Imperial City and other relics around Hue (and sights in other cities too) – it was so lovely to see people wearing these gorgeous, bright coloured costumes as they made their way around the structures and gardens, and posed for photos in iconic spots. The kids enjoyed feeding the fish too.
Emperor Khải Đinh was the 12th and second to last emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, and was the last emperor to order the preparation of a mausoleum for himself. In 1920, when he was 35 years old, construction began on the Tomb of Khải Đinh, also known Ung Lang. Five years after the construction of the tomb began, Khải Đinh died so his son, Emperor Bảo Đại (who incidentally died in exile in Paris at the age of 83), oversaw its completion. After 11 years of construction, and six years after Khải Đinh’s death, Ung Lang was completed. Whilst smaller than the other Nguyen dynasty tombs, it is the most elaborate and includes a life-size bronze statue of Khải Đinh.
On our way back to the homestay we rode through Thuy Xuan Incense Village. Dating back around 700 years, this village was once famous for producing incense for the Nguyen dynasty. The incense was ordered by the emperors and other officials to be used in palaces, tombs, or mausoleums. Because of this, it was considered a prestigious craft associated with royal privileges. In more recent times, it became hard for the people of Thuy Xuan to make a living…but along came social media and suddenly the village became a tourist attraction and, with some carefully coordinated incense sticks, a new way to make money from their incense.
Hue is about 120 kilometres from Hoi An, our next stop. We could have taken a bus but instead we decided to use a service called EasyRiders and ride to Hoi An on the back of a motorbike! We each had our own motorbike, driver, and a piece of our luggage strapped on the back (great for leaning against). They kitted us out in helmets and protective jackets and then it was up to us to hold on tight! Our drivers were so awesome – they were fun and informative, and made us all feel very relaxed.
We made a number of stops along the way – a good chance to move numb-bums and to see some sights we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Our first stop was a cemetery for casualties of the Vietnam-American conflict. Rows and rows of people…and there are cemeteries all over Vietnam like this. Despite us smiling for the photo, it was so very sad.
The next stop was the Lang Co fishing village at Tam Giang–Cau Hai Lagoon, the largest lagoon system in Southeast Asia and a major fishing area in Vietnam. There was little action whilst we were there but we could imagine it as a busy place when the time is right for fishing.
Then we were off to the Nhi Ho Waterfall. Due to the recent tropical storm, there was a lot of water in the river so the waterfall was heaps of fun. Logan encouraged us all to go under the waterfall – it was so heavy and so noisy! We think the drivers were wondering if we’d ever get out of the water – they were amazed at how well the kids could swim.
Thankfully the next stop was lunch at Lang Co Beach – we were all hungry after an exciting morning. It was such a beautiful day and the beach was gorgeous…the kids would have happily played there all day!
Then it was time for the driving highlight of the trip – the 20 kilometre Hai Van Pass. The views were beautiful (unfortunately we didn’t take any photos on the way up of the turquoise water and rocky coastline) and we felt such a sense of freedom. Lucas absolutely loved it and was simultaneously pretending he was Valentino Rossi and thinking of ways to convince us to let him get a motorbike!
We had warned Zara that she would likely get special attention from random strangers in Southeast Asia – partly because of her blonde hair but also because she’s so flipping cute. She has been such a good sport having her her head patted, her photo taken, and being referred to as ‘Baby’, but nothing could have prepared her for this guard sweeping her off her feet and into his arms as she walked past, with his only word being “photo, photo, photo” and a big grin on his face! She was so good to just laugh it off!
Our next stop was Da Nang – a quick photo on the Dragon Bridge (we’d come back to that in a few days’ time) and then a long stop at Marble Mountains – a group of five limestone mountains named after the five elements: Kim (metal), Thủy (water), Mộc (wood), Hỏa (fire) and Thổ (earth). There are many temples, caves, statues and carvings, and we climbed to the top of Thủy.
Our final destination was Hoi An – the city of lanterns! It had been an amazing day and a wonderful experience.
Hoi An is home to the Cam Thanh coconut forest, a forest of nipa coconuts that has existed for about 200 years. Nipa coconuts are used for medicinal purposes, roofing for houses, cattle pens, huts in the garden, broomsticks, handicrafts, fishing gear, food and drink sources, and sources of renewable fuel. The forest has also become a source of eco-tourism with a variety of companies ranging from the rowdy/karaoke style to the quiet/reflective style. We were somewhere in between but with a potential 2000 basket boats out on the water, there was no choice but to accept that it was not the serene boat ride the photos made it out to be!
There are also special ‘boat spinners’ out on the water – men that spin their basket boat to endless repeats of “Gangnam Style”. For a small amount of Vietnamese Dong, they’ll take you for a ride. The kids likened it to a basket boat version of the teacups at Disneyland.
Two other experiences were an opportunity to fish for coconut crabs (the kids caught two, which they put back into the water), and watching how the fishermen cast their nets.
The beaches in Hoi An are lovely. We decided to go along with the “free parking for your scooter and a free sun lounger and a free sun umbrella…if you eat at my restaurant” as we were hot and hungry and that sounded like a pretty fine way to spend the afternoon.
The sandy beaches stretch for miles and it is currently low season so there were very few people there. Vietnam has such a wonderful variety of pretty landscapes! These basket boats were the real deal used for fishing – they seemed very heavy and awkward to pull down the beach but they were well kitted out with paddles, rods, nets, motors…and a reading lamp!
We had promised Zara before we left New Zealand that we would do a lantern making class in Hoi An. Everything about the class we chose was perfect – we didn’t have to book so we came in the late afternoon when it was cooler. We were beside the Thu Bồn River and, as the sun set, we could see the lantern boats floating up and down the river. It was so pretty and calm and the women helping us were so lovely. They remarked a number of times how well the kids were following the instructions. Amazingly, it cost the same amount to make the lanterns as it did to buy exactly the same ones in the market, without the joy of making them. It was such a lovely family activity and we were all so thrilled with how they came out. Thankfully they collapse to make transporting them easier and we can hardly wait to find a place to hang them.
After we finished making our lanterns, we wandered into the Old Quarter of Hoi An. Along the way we heard singing and cheering so went to investigate – it was a group of people playing the Vietnamese game Bai Choi. We watched for a while and asked a few questions and realised it was a bit like Bingo. It was really fun and the organisers were so kind to the kids, cheering them on and making sure they got their yellow flags. We played two rounds and didn’t win but it was really fun!
As expected, Hoi An was absolutely charming and delightful! We stayed at lovely homestay down a quiet lane and really enjoyed the variety of activities and places to discover across the city.
Our last stop in Vietnam was just north of Hoi An in Da Nang. A last chance for some final souvenir shopping, some final tasty Vietnamese cuisine, and some epic rooftop swims (thanks Amelia for the recommendation!).
We had seen these ‘ice cream rolls’ in markets all over Vietnam – you can hear them for miles as the vendors use the putty knives to smash up the chosen ingredients against the icy metal plate (and if they don’t have a customer, they just bang them against the plate to drum up business). We decided it was now or never to try them, and Logan even had a go to do the smashing. On tasting them, our verdict was that they were much more fun to make than they were tasty to eat! It’s hard to beat creamy NZ ice cream! I definitely preferred the coconut mango cakes!
On a Saturday and Sunday evening at 9pm, the Dragon Bridge puts on a fire and water-breathing show. It was a lovely clear evening and it was incredible to watch. We were close enough to feel the heat of the fire but not close enough to get drenched! We wondered if the people standing on the bridge realised they’d be right in the firing line – there were some very soggy people walking off the bridge afterwards!
Our four weeks in Vietnam have been so wonderful and we have thoroughly enjoyed our time here. The people are so kind and so eager to communicate (anyone with a phone is a pro at using Google translate), the food is so delicious (I’ll be dreaming of the summer rolls on Cat Ba and the bánh mì in Ninh Binh for a long time yet), and the landscape is absolutely stunning. It was so interesting for me to see so many similarities and familiarities between Vietnamese and South Korean culture and customs, and it has been the perfect place to introduce the kids to Southeast Asia.