Vietnam-South to North

• July 30, 2018
• Antoinette Bodeau
• Activities
• Tags: adventure, Asia, travel, Vietnam, Woman travelers

I certainly didn’t know what I was getting into when I decided to come to Vietnam. I found that it was a mixture of many things and if I where to describe it in one word, I’d have to say “intense”. When I arrived to Ho Chi Minh City (also called Saigon), I was overwhelmed! Just crossing a street is a feat not for the faint-of-heart. The streets, especially the roundabouts, are bustling with cars, motorbikes, and bicycles manuvering to get the the other side. Pedestrians do NOT have the right away so you just have to go for it! Somehow it works and how there aren’t more accidents is beyond me!  After a couple of days in Ho Chi Minh City, I was getting the hang of it….for the most part.

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I’m really not a big city person so HMC was not my favorite place but a good place to get acclimated to the Asian way of life. From HMC, I got on the train to Nha Trang which reminded me of what I imagine Miami to be like. It is on the beach and surrounded by high-rise hotels. I had a couple of days in Nha Trang before heading to Da lat. Da lat is about a 3-hour bus ride away….the bus ride was exhilarating with the driver honking and maneuvering the curves without going over the edge. I was very thankful for that. Da lat is a lovely city in the mountains and is much cooler which I found extremely refreshing especially after the humidity of HMC and Nha Trang. I stayed there for 3-nights and days and really enjoyed it.

From there, it was back to Nha Trang, (only because that was the best options to head north) I and went to a small beach city called Quy Nhon. My first stop was in small coastal town called Bai Xep just outside of Quy Nhon. It was remote and had a beautiful beach surrounded by fishing boats. I headed the 6 miles to Quy Nhon the next night so I’d be closer to the train station. I had a fun night of wandering around the city, walking the beach front, people watching, eating and just “being”.

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Hoi An was my next stop which is a Ancient town with a mix of eras and styles from wooden Chinese shophouses and temples to colorful French colonial buildings, and the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge. Hoi An is also know for it’s taylor shops so if you want to have anything custom made, this is the place to come. After a few wonderful days in Hoi An, I was ready to head to Hue.

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It was a beautiful train ride to Hue. Most of the ride was along the coast and I had a very nice chat with a local from Hanoi. I really liked Hue. The population of Hue is about 400,000 verses Hanoi at approximately 8 million! There is a lot of history in Hue. Hue is a city in central Vietnam that was the seat of Nguyen Dynasty emperors and the national capital from 1802 to 1945. A major attraction is the 19th-century Dai Noi Citadel, surrounded by a moat and thick stone walls. It encompasses the Imperial City, with palaces and shrines. I did a day tour on a motorbike and visited many places that you’ll see in the photos.

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As with travel, you sometimes have to pick and choose what you do and see. I choose to miss the Phong Nha caves because I was anxious to get up north to see Ha long Bay, Cat ba Island and Sapa.

Stay turned for part two of my Vietnam adventures….

Wishing you all much love and good health, Antoinette

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