Quick overnight in Can Tho

My family here in Vietnam (& in the US) worry that we are planning to travel the entirety of Vietnam on our own... without the guidance of a tour guide. For us, tours are  just too pre-planned... with little free time & so-so food. To be fair, there's a lot to worry about when you're traveling here. As the Lonely Planet guide book offers, there are many ways for you to part with your money unexpectedly in Vietnam. This is very true, but I think also somewhat part of the experience that you have to accept when you're out adventuring...

And so my uncle arranges for a driver to take us (R, myself & two friends) down to explore the Mekong. A very quick trip... a couple hours  at Cu Chi Tunnels, which was formerly an extensive underground network of tunnels that the communist soldiers used to hide from the Americans during the Vietnam war. Then a couple hours at a snake research center, then an over-nighter in Can tho to see the floating marketing. It takes us about 5-6 hours to finally make it on our detoured trip from Saigon to Can Tho.

Roads in Vietnam are much improved from 12 years ago but traveling by car still has its commonalities with my prior trip. The drivers are just as ruthless as ever. Road signs and signals are mere suggestions for driving guidelines... it's all about honking your horn here and trying to get in front of the driver in front of you. Every man for himself. This seeming chaotic transportation system somehow works... And as a passenger, it can be a bit unnerving.


Cu Chi Tunnels

Aside from the propaganda about the US during the Vietnam war, the tunnels are an interesting sight. Hard to imagine 40 people living in a tiny underground tunnel room for a month during war time. Here's the big american trying to fit into one of the tunnel openings. 

The Snake Research Center
A lot of sleepy/angry looking snakes and sad looking animals at this center. Peta would not be happy with this research center. Below - sad looking sloth.

Can Tho 
Is a beautiful city intertwined with the Mekong Delta. The image below is from the top of our hotel in Can Tho, very close to the waterfront. 12 years ago, this bridge was not here... and I traveled to Can Tho via car & barges... the alternative way to travel that's much faster and more convenient is via Hydrophoil. For the next trip...

Floating Market

Found the best bowl of ramen for 10,000 VND ($0.50) at the floating market.

Saigon week 1

I'm writing this post 4 weeks after my arrival in Saigon.

The airport is much cleaner and more spacious than I remembered. & despite warnings of corruption & such at the airport, I breeze through customs & security without even a mention of "money for coffee" - so different from my experience 12 years ago.

& just outside, in the large crowd of folks waiting for arrivals, I see my uncle, who hasn't changed much all these years. He looks a lot like my dad, so pretty easy to recognize. I arrived late in the evening, just after 10 pm. I wheel my luggage over to my uncle and we walk towards a taxi. He asks the driver, how much? The driver says, 200,000. My uncle shakes his head and we walk to a different section. Again, he asks the price, and this time seems more agreeable. Bargaining is such an integral part of this Vietnamese culture... only the beginning.

At my uncle's house, I get settled into my cousin's room for the next couple nights. The house is tall and narrow. There are 4 stories - the bottom front room is rented out during the day to a group of ladies who sell clothing. The back of the first floor hosts the kitchen. My aunt's sister and brother-in-law & mother live in the two rooms on the second floor and my uncle, his wife and two sons live in the two rooms on the third floor. The fourth floor is a roof-top garden and also has an area for washing and drying clothing.

The house was recently built about 5 years ago, but its walls are covered in grime, and show the evidence of a tropical climate and what looks like crayon/marker drawings of young kids.

In the middle of the night, I'm awakened by the sound of a neighborhood rooster crowing... every 2 or 3 minutes... by morning, I'm irritable and tired. The rooster had an active night. Sigh.Only 1 more night of this before I head to the quietness of a hotel.

In the Vietnamese culture, it's not proper for two unmarried people to travel together. In fact, according to Vietnamese law, it's unlawful for two unmarried people to stay in the same hotel room together (if at least one of the two is a Vietnamese citizen). Fortunately, this rule does not apply to us, so we're in the clear.

Prior Experience

My previous trips to Vietnam happened 16 and 12 years ago. On my first trip, I was 17 years old. I could go into details about my experience (but I'll save myself from repeating all of the embarrassing details of a teenager). I do remember stepping off the plane and getting hit by the humidity and heat, and a very distinct smell that I've grown to associate with the country. I do miss this smell.

It was July of 1996 when I first arrived to Sa`i Go`n. I was shocked & surprised by the poverty and unprepared to see the stark contrasts between rich and poor, side-by-side. And the religiousness of both the country and my family. I spent four weeks traveling with my family (American and Vietnamese) from Saigon to Rat Gia, to Da Lat and back to Saigon. At the beginning of that trip, I wanted to go home after just a week. By the end of it, I could have easily stayed another month. The food was amazing, among my favorite dishes were a caramelized pork dish called thịt kho eaten at a tiny road-side restaurant on the way from Saigon to Da Lat and another called Ba'nh Xe`o in Saigon.

Four years later, I returned to Saigon, with my sister and two friends. We spent two weeks in Nha Trang and two weeks in Saigon. We did some charity/volunteer work with the indigenous folks in the mountains by Nha Trang and then my sister and I spent two weeks with my family in Saigon. I developed a taste for soda chanh (lemon soda) and also was introduced to an amazing dish call Banh Trang Phoi Xuong (thin sheets of rice dried over bones, used to wrap vermicelli noodles, boiled pork, herbs & dipped with an aromatic fish sauce).

The experiences from both trips were so memorable, though I'm sure my memory of them has changed over time. This time, I'll keep this blog to help me organize my memories & experiences.

I'm curious to see what it'll be like as an adult female, traveling in Vietnam. Partly by myself, partly with family, partly with friends, and mostly with Rob. A different perspective, a different experience. 16 years after my first trip, I'm sure I won't be able to recognize any of the places I've visited before. And I'm eager to try some of the dishes from my last trip as well as a few more dishes that are my favorites even here in the states.

P & P

Planning & preparation for a 5 week trip to Vietnam. Where does one begin?

I'm a planner & worrier by nature (the former project manager in me). I love to travel, but I hate to plan for travel. It really stresses me out. I thought I'd make it easier on myself by having a travel agent help me book hotels & the tour. Though after a few exchanges with a travel agent based in SF, I realized a few things:

1. It's not cheaper to book hotels via travel agents. The travel agent added about 5-10% on top of hotel price and assured me that this was the cheapest rate, that it's high season, and I would not find anything less than what she found. Sounded like a typical sales pitch to me. After a quick check online on the hotel websites, I found much cheaper rates and plenty of availability. 
2. Booking with Travel agents means following the tourist herd... sightseeing, tour-buses, or very expensive private tours of the same type of thing. Very boring. 
3. To customize a fun (more adventurous) yet comfortable 5 weeks in Vietnam, I would have to do the planning myself. 

My natural instinct is to book my hotels in advance. A balance of 3.5 - 5 star hotels... but there's a part of me that dares me to be a little more adventurous... 

Things accomplished 3 months in advance:

1. Dates: 5 weeks Nov-Dec
2. Round-trip flights booked: SFO to Seoul to SGN
3. Vaccines: Tdap & Flu
4. Agree on rough itinerary

Things to do in the next couple weeks

1. Apply for 3 month visa
2. Book hotels w/ free cancellation
3. Book Ha Long Bay cruise/junk boat tour
4. Book domestic flights