Vietnam Diary II - Nha Trang & Ho Chi Minh city

In 1975, after America's withdrawal from Vietnam, the communist forces took over the southern city of Saigon and named it Ho Chi Minh city. Ho Chi Minh remains the biggest hero of Vietnam and his rebel organisation Viet Cong fought the French for many years and then fought USA tooth and nail which forced American forces to leave Vietnam- all bruised and battered.

Ho Chi Minh city lies in the South of the country. We didn't want to just visit the big cities but wanted some flavour of Vietnam from small cities and towns. Three beach towns are very popular. Da Nang perhaps is most popular and glamorous. Da Nang is where the golf tours from India go. It is a beach resort with some magnificent upmarket resorts. Not very far from Da Nang is Hoi An- a city known for its old town architecture, french colonial buildings, a very well preserved ancient town and the famous lanterns. To go to Hoi An you have to travel to Da Nang and then take a cab to Hoi An. To enjoy Da Nang and Hoi An you need time. We didn't have much time so decided to bypass these towns and instead traveled to the beach town of Nha Trang.

Nha Trang- The beach resort town

Nha Trang- a view from our room.

Nha Trang on South China sea has a lot of offer. It has a huge coastline with nice beaches, and mountains on the side.It has a lot to offer as far as corals and marine life is concerned.  You can see Buddhist temples at different places as you drive around. What I found most fascinating as we drove from the airport to the town was the construction happening all along. Massive resorts, golf courses and amusement centers seem to be coming up not very far from airport. These all are almost along the coast. As you cover distance, the construction of these resorts seem infinite. The Golf courses seem particularly tempting. Nha Trang perhaps will be a force to reckon with in a few years as far as luxury tourism is concerned. It has a good airport, great coastline and good infrastructure - the most important things that a luxury tourist demands. I think that in a couple of years the town will be on international tourist map in a big way.

Vietnam Airlines had delayed its flight so we reached Nha Trang later than what we had planned. The revised flight schedule was known in advance so we didn't waste any time at the airport but morning was spent window shopping at Hanoi. Hanoi is turning out to be the manufacturing hub for American brands and you can see these brands being sold in hundreds of shops in downtown Hanoi. With trade wars between USA and China taking a toll on China exports to USA, the Vietnam government has stepped up to take the manufacturing responsibility by empowering the small scale sector. I wish our Indian Government had done the same.

Hotel 'Nagar' at Nha Trang was well situated and in the middle of everything. The balcony of the room gave a panoramic view of the beach and the sea as we were on 19th floor. We walked to the beach and saw a lot of happening bars and restaurants there. Each lane had many massage parlors and foot massages appeared to be very popular. The look was similar to what we had seen in Phuket 25 years ago.

We took a walk in the Phu Dong park and decided on Louisiane Brewhouse & Restaurant for dinner. It was a huge place near the beach and had a swimming pool around which tables were laid. It had a large bar and indoor seating as well. Live music made the place lively. The wheat beer was delicious and I loved the Vietnamese food they served. This was one of the best meals that I had. Otherwise my staple diet in Vietnam had been their delicious beef soup with noodles.

We took a longish walk inland after dinner exploring the lanes and by lanes and settled down for an hour of foot massage before calling it a day.

Louisiane Brewhouse & Restaurant

It was just as well that we had walked a lot and got acquainted to the area,  as the next morning we got up to a very wet and stormy day. The mist covered the sea and visibility was very low. Thankfully we had not booked any excursions for the day or had any concrete plans. So, it turned out to be day of forced relaxation with a leisurely breakfast, Vietnamese massage,  and lunch at the top floor of the hotel sitting next to the swimming pool. It was fun swimming while the rain continued relentlessly. It relented late in the evening and there was not much we could do at that time other than a long walk again and the ever welcome foot massage. Nha Trang may be famous for mud baths, snorkeling, diving and island hopping but for us it was just a place where we chilled out for a day and a half.

Ho Chi Minh City

If you think that Hanoi had a lot of 2 wheelers then Ho Chi Minh city will surprise you. The streets are flooded with 2 wheelers. People are very comfortable eating their meals, talking on mobiles and taking care of their children while riding. There are millions of two wheelers and it shows everywhere you go.  

Our hotel was near the river. Next to the Sky Deck. 

Our hotel was bang opposite the Saigon sky deck. The Silverland Charner hotel was a nice hotel in the middle of everything. It had a lot of cafes and restaurants nearby and the river was just a short walk away. On the other side was the pedestrian street which was preparing for the New Years eve. The entire town was decking up for the big party and seeing the population, I am sure it must be a hell of a party. The hotel had a nice swimming pool and a spa. They served complimentary evening tea with delicious snacks. The prawn pancake that they served me was out of this world.  We walked all around the town and the legs were dead tired by the end of it. The best solution for this is to enter one of the omnipresent foot spa parlours. The legs and feet become as good as new after a good massage. 

Saigon was capital of Republic of Vietnam till 1975 when the Communists from North Vietnam captured it and named it Ho Chi Minh city after their biggest hero. The name 'Saigon' is still visible in many places. Most of the war with Americans had happened near Saigon in Cu Chi and Mekong Delta area. Paul Hardcastles song '19' released in 1985 describes as an average US soldier age to be 19 when sent for this disastrous war. Most died before turning 20. Going to South Vietnam and not visiting the combat area would have been like missing out on history. It was time to visit Cu Chi tunnels.

Cu Chi tunnels

A couple of hours by bus brought us to the famed Cu Chi area. Another couple of hours more and we would have been in Mekong delta. On a warm day, I am glad we avoided the Mekong Delta as it became progressively hot as the day went by. Cu Chi area can also be approached by the speed boat as Saigon river runs all the way to the famed war area. We had chosen Kim Travels and they were pretty good. We didn't go for the boat ride but just chose a simple bus tour called the 'Half day Cu Chi tour (luxury).' The group had limited people so it was more comfortable than the large buses. Our guide was entertaining and knowledgeable with good sense of humor. I learnt a lot about Vietnamese lifestyle while talking to him en route to the tunnels.

The Jungles of Cu Chi

It becomes easy to imagine what war must have been like once you reach the place. The claustrophobic tunnels and the network of tunnels of hundreds of miles underground going up to Cambodia is quite a marvel. They say the network is 250 miles long under the ground. All this was in thick jungles which are not friendly to outsiders at all. The ingenuity of Viet Cong to develop this underground system with different levels of tunnels and the way ant hills were created to facilitate oxygen in deep tunnels is quite remarkable. I did enter the tunnel and crawled for around 30 meters. Some ladies ahead of me panicked seeing the darkness and stuffy tunnel and they had to be evacuated. It was tough crawling in the tunnel and it seemed never ending. Some youngsters were not satisfied with just 30 meters and they went for more while I was relieved to see an opening from where one could get out. Mind you, these are clean tunnels which have been now tailored for tourists like me. I shudder to think how the network must have been created and how the Viet Cong soldiers spent hours and hours crawling in these narrow openings. It must be great determination and resilience to take on USA army through the Guerrilla tactics and escape through these narrow tunnels. 

The tunnels can be entered from here..

But many a times from such camouflaged tiny spaces.

One has heard a lot about the lethal American chemical 'the orange agent' and how it was used to destroy jungles and humans. One has heard how the traps were laid to incapacitate the young American soldiers by Viet Cong. All this was in front of us here and one could feel the tragedy of the Vietnam war by visiting the Cu Chi tunnels. 

Back to the city

The food stalls and eating area of Ben Thanh

Souvenir and spice shopping. 

We got dropped at the famous touristy Ben Thanh area on the way back. It had a lot of activity with a huge food market where we had lunch sitting with thousands of people. The shopping area was nearby to buy souvenirs, fabric, coffee and nick knacks. 

The markets in Vietnam are full of cafes and the people of Vietnam do spend a lot of money on coffee. Their coffee is pretty famous so I did pick up a couple of packs. It was our last evening in Vietnam so we just strolled the streets and spent time with locals on the pedestrian street. The city was getting prepared for one big New Years eve party 2 day hence. But for us it was time to fly back home. 

The Pedestrian street at Ho Chi Minh City