Magical Lantern Night

Hoi An's signature trademark: colourful silk lanterns

February 8, 2011

Hoi An, Day 1

 

We couldn't choose a better time to visit Hoi An then during the preparation for the "Legendary Night Festival" or "Full Moon Night" which will be held on February 18 the following week. A colourful and unique monthly ritual of homage and gratitude to the moon. Held on the 14th evening of every lunar month, the town transform itself into an early 19th century town with no artificial lighting's. Motor vehicles are not allowed in the city during the event. The city lights are shut off between 17:30 and 22:30 and the streets are lit up by an array of colourful lanterns.

Honestly we haven't heard about this event before until a friendly local told me after I was asking if the Tru Bon river is always full of giant and artful lanterns.

Footbridge to An Hoi Peninsula is ready for the Full Moon Night

Giant and artful lanterns on Tru Bon River

In Love with Hoi An

View of Thu Bon River from Bach Dang Street

 

February 8, 2011
Hoi An, Day 1

4H Completed!

We are in the proverbial midway of Vietnam and Hoi An crowns the series of the must seen places with "H" from North to Central Vietnam after Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Hué. My image of the most charming coastal town in this country and everything what I've read in books and saw in documentary films, reassured by the first minute we walked through the Old Quarter.

It was almost 4 pm when we arrived from the Marble Mountains of Da Nang. We knew with a group of six persons it won't be that simple to find a budget accommodation where we all can stay together. And the mere fact that this place is one of the main tourist spot and still Tet, we have to reckon with fully book hostels or hotels and higher rates but somehow we got lucky. We all got rooms at Vinh Hung 3 Hotel, located in a very quite side street of Nhi Trung and just only a short stroll away from the lively Old Quarter. We were more than pleased with this accommodation. Our Standard Rooms were clean, nice decorated and spacious (16 sqm!) and  we also got a group discount: 20 USD a night instead of 32 USD. Vinh Hung has friendly, obliging and English speaking staff. In retrospect it was the best room we had in Vietnam. I would recommend this hotel if you will stay in Hoi An.

By the way, one of their staff told me that the original Vinh Hung (1) Hotel in the Old Quarter is were Michael Caine stayed during the filming of "The Quite American" in Hoi An. Vinh Hung 1, a beautiful old Chinese traders house is located in 143 Tran Phu St., not far from the Japanese Bridge.

Our room at Vinh Hung 3 Hotel

Capital of tailor and lantern shops

We left the grayness of Hanoi's winter and finally reached the tropical zone of Vietnam and after the strenuous hike on the Marble Mountain of Da Nang during the noonday heat, I desperately needed a hot and relaxing shower. We fixed 7 pm to have dinner together at Bach Tang, the famous riverside street at the Old Quarter where most of the restaurants and cafes are located.

While walking down the Nhi Trung Street on our way to the riverside, we were amazed by numerous  tailor, shoe and silk lantern shops. Of course we read that Hoi An is a shopping mecca for tailor made clothes and souvenirs but this exceeded all expectations! I never saw so many tailor shops packed with gorgeous fabrics and bales of exquisite silk. I must confess that I have a foible for tailor and fabric shops. I practically grew up in one. My grandma, paternal side, is a retired dressmaker who owned a tailor shop in Cebu. No girls, I didn't freak out! It's unbelievable and even though Kevin was surprised that I only bought silk scarfs and a pair of custom made leather sandals on our last day.

Well, the truth is that it bothered me that we both were jam-packed with thick winter clothes which we haven't used by a decree of fate, Hanoi's winter turned into a spring like weather. Besides that I knew that there will be some time for shopping at our final destinations: Saigon and Bangkok.

Bach Dang Street

Another view of the riverside

Road to Da Nang and Hoi An

Troglodyte Sanctuary - The Marbele Mountains of Da Nang

Highlights:

Hai Van Pass
Lang Co Beach
The Marble Mountains of Da Nang



Together with Kevin's fellow from North Laos Micha, his wife Karin, their friend Gerdrun, Juan and Eric (a Canadian we met in Hué) we rent a private van for our next common destination, the charming town of Hoi An. We managed to get a 15 seater van for 78 USD (for 6 pax) including a sightseeing tour with stops at Lang Co Beach, Hai Van Pass and the Marble Mountains of Da Nang. The distance between Hué and Hoi An is 102 km ( (63 miles) and takes approximately 4-5 hours by car.

Lang Co Beach

Lang Co Beach has a magnificent natural landscapes surrounded by mountains and the boundless blue South China Sea. Best time to visit Lang Co Beach is between April and June.

Lang Co Beach

Hai Van Pass

The path from Hué to Da Nang and Hoi An led us through one of the most scenic hillside roads in Vietnam: the Hai Van Pass! Hai Van means in English "Sea or Ocean Clouds" and thus the pass is known for its misty vapors rising from the sea, reducing visibility (see the picture below).
With 500m above the sea level, Ha Van is the highest pass in Vietnam and approximately a 2 mile long mountain pass on National Road 1A.

North Vietnam - view from the crest of Hai Van Pass

South Vietnam - view from the crest of Hai Van Pass

Hai Van Pass forms an obvious boundary between North and South Vietnam. At the crest of the Pass, you will find Pillboxes (pictures below) - frontier fortifications built by French and then used by South Vietnamese and Americans.

Pillboxes at the crest

Pillbox

Marble Mountains of Da Nang

The Marble Mountains (Nui Ngu Hanh Son, in English for "Five Elements Mountains") were definitely the best stop on this road trip. Five peaks consist of limestone in different hues and located south of Da Nang stretched from the coast inland or westward for about three miles. They are named after the five elements of nature: Kim Son (metal), Moc Son (wood), Hoa Son (fire), Tho Son (earth), and Thuy Son (water). The largest and highest one we visited was Thuy Son (Element: Water), is "honey combed" with caves in which there are Cham, Buddhist and Confucian relics, pagodas, and temples.

Visiting the caves and shrines of the Marble Mountains involve a steep climb up mostly rough steps that can be slippery in wet weather. But however, it is worth to climb all these stairs!

Entrance to the temples and pagodas...after the first steps

HUÉ

The old imperial capital of Vietnam

Gate to the Enlightening Pavilion - Minh Lau

Places we visited:

The emperor tombs of Khai Dinh and Minh Mang
The Forbidden Purple City - the citadel of Hué

Hué, 07. February 2011

After our Ha long Bay cruise Kevin, Juan and I took the overnight bus from Hanoi to Hué.  Overnight bus are the best alternate transportation to travel Vietnam. For example: Hanoi to Hué within 12 hours or Nha Trang to Saigon within 10 hours for around 20-35 USD per person. You can book the tickets in every travel agency like Sinh Cafe.

Travelling with an overnight bus is an experience that you shouldn't miss on yourVietnam trip. Why? Read the article: How to Ride an Overnight Bus by Jessica Hoadley which describes perfectly our experience. :)

Our first ride with an overnight bus:

Hanoi to Hué

12 hours

Inside the bus

Juan and Kevin in their bunks

Around 5 a.m.: one hour before arriving in Hué I woke up with this view from my bunk.

A Taste of Travel: Pho24

 

A Vietnamese friend of mine back in high school introduced me Pho when I visited her at home for the first time. She said "Pho is for us (Vietnamese), love and life! It's home far away from Vietnam".  Since then I was in love with Pho because this soup is a perfect harmony of ingredients and because the combination of star anise, clove and cinnamon is pure heaven!

Ha Long Bay

Bay of the Decending Dragons

Ha Long Bay, 05. - 06 .February 2011

As we planed we booked a Ha Long Bay Cruise for 2 days and one night after Hanoi. I wanted to see this place since I was 15 years old and watched the French movie "Indochine" with Cathrine Deneuve and Vincent Perez. One of the movie scenes was shot in Ha Long Bay, a spectacular seascape in the Golf of Tonkin which was hardly known by tourists before. 15 years later I finally found my way to Ha Long Bay...

Our tour bus came at 8 a. m. to picked us up at our hotel. It took around an hour to fetch the other passengers in the Old Quarter before we left for Ha Long Bay. Our tour guide was a young Vietnamese who wanted to be called by her English name "Jenny". She explained that most of the foreigners couldn't pronounce or just forget her real name instantly because it's "too complicated for westerns", so that's why she chose an English name for us. Don't ask me what's her Vietnamese name was because I instantly forgot it after she told us. Vietnamese language is though to learn!

Ha Long Bay is located in the northeastern part of Vietnam, 165 km from Hanoi and takes about 3 hours by bus to get to Ha Long City - the portal to Ha Long Bay. But please don't expect that Ha Long City will be a foretaste of the bay because it's definitely not. All I can say is that it's all about Ha Long Bay not Ha Long City!

Location of Ha Long Bay in Google Maps

Well, to describe the area of Ha Long Bay, just imagine the Calamian (Coron) and Bacuit (El Nido) Archipelagos of the Philippines in one place! Yes, it's huge and breathtaking!

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which was twice been recognized  for its exceptional majestic scenery, outstanding geological and geomorphic values. The World Heritage numerated 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. BUT without the beautiful tropical white beaches as we know from our beloving Coron and El Nido. AND the fact that this place is meanwhile a destination for mass tourism. I've read about this before but never expected that it would be that crowded. After we arrived at the harbour we needed to scratch along thousands of other tourists to get to a little motorboat which took us to our tour junk. See the crowded harbour of Ha Long Bay here.

But after leaving the chaotic harbour and arrived at our junk we promptly got rewarded with this view:

The gateway to Ha Long Bay

Hanoi (Day 2)

Old Quarter, Hanoi

It was almost 7 a. m. of the second day of Tet (February 4, 2011) and we strolled around the empty streets of the Old Quarter. I love this...walking around in foreign places in the small hours when most of the people are still sleeping. It's tranquil and another hazy morning which gives this place an aura of mystery. No doubt, visiting Hanoi during Tet was the best decision we made by accident.

Hanoi (Day 1)

...and Tết Festival 2011. Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit!

I arrived in Hanoi on February 3, 2011 in the early morning. It was the day of Tết Nguyên Dán commonly known as "Tết" the Vietnamese Lunar New Year and means the "Feast of the First Morning". Like the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, Tết is Vietnam's most important holiday and festival. Tết traditions and rituals are related to the Chinese "Spring Festival" (more info: Rituals in Tet).

Chúc Mung Nam Moi - Happy New Year from Hanoi!

 During my AirAsia flight from BKK to HAN I met Jerry from New Zealand who is working as an English teacher in Hanoi. He said that I am lucky to visit Hanoi during Tết because it’s the only time of the year where Hanoi will be an abandoned city. Most of the residents will leave Hanoi to visit their families in the province and those who will stay will celebrate within the family circle. My first thought after hearing this information was "Vietnam's bubbly capital an abandoned city?". When I saw a documentary about Hanoi few months ago and after reading some travel blogs, my image of Hanoi wasn't less than a city with small streets stuffed with thousands of people and motorbikes. People  wore breathing protection because of the unbearable air and it's been also said that crossing Hanoi's street resembles a suicide. 

Streets in Hanoi before Tet (*Picture from Bawis*)