Da Lat

Da Lat was a great place to visit. It's fresh air, mountain views, lakes and waterfalls make it so different to the other parts of Vietnam. It was a great place to explore. I spent two days here and had a wonderful time. Although my stay was short, I am certain to be going back soon. There is so much to see and do that staying here for only two days didn't do the place any justice.

Da Lat Tours

I booked myself a full day tour of Dalat and met some really nice people on the tour who shared my experiences of this wonderful place.

Halong Bay on Paradise Cruises

I've finally manage to download my little clip of the amazing cruise I had on Paradise Cruise in Halong Bay, a wonderful and simply stunning area of Vietnam.

Food

A large part of the fun and experiences of going to Vietnam is the food. To experience Vietnam without eating its food is like experiencing Disney Land without Mikey Mouse. Vietnamese food is light and delicious and can cater for all tastes and requirements so there is no real excuse to eat KFC when in Vietnam. To see tourists (many unfortunately very big and overweight), sitting in a KFC restaurant in Saigon, when there are plentiful of Vietnamese restaurants around them is a big disgrace to tourists in general. Why, oh why do they bother travelling half way around the world just to eat a greasy chicken burger from an American fast food restaurant when they have a selection of exotic food that is available everywhere and very cheap! I do somethings wonder what they are thinking?

This is a photo of my Friend, Paul eating a Sea Food Hot Pot in Can Tho, Vietnam with a few of my friends for company.

This is a big fat lobster that costed me the earth (in terms of Vietnam money). Delicious but very little meat.

Paul and I had 'Elephant Ears' (that's what the vietnamese called it), wrapped in a roll. Yummy!

Saigon Reunification Palace

Previously known as the Independence Palace, which fell to the Northern Viet Minh Troops in April 30, 1975, lies at the heart of Saigon. I went and saw this beautiful five storey time warp of a building and couldn't help thinking about how the South Vietnamese with the help of the mighty America could fall to the simple North Vietnamese Communists?  Such power and grandeur but falling to the north in such a spectacular fashion. You can feel the war raging on as you walk through the wonderful Palace, you can see and imagine; the Captains, the Generals, the President of the era having their meetings and discussions and then the feeling of defeat and worry as they knew the end was coming as the North Vietnamese's tanks crashed through the gates of the Palace. Oh, how I would have loved to have been there and observed the chaos that would be encapsulated the end yet beginning of a new (for better or worth) era in Vietnam's turbulent history. 

Saigon December

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon), was my last stop in December. After quite a relaxing time in Nha Trang, I was back to the hustle bustle of a city, that clearly knows nothing about population control or contraception. There were people everywhere and anywhere, the roads were chaotic at best, even whole families were chauffeured along on one of those small mopeds, god forbid if they came across a small pot hole. I fortunately got to my hotel in one piece and thankfully no-one else was injured in the transition. The hotel I stayed at was the 5* Majestic in District 1 of Saigon. A truly majestic colonial building full of character and charm.

Nha Trang Sightseeing

After a wonderful night sleep, I decided to see some of the attractions of the area before relaxing on the beach front and watching the world pass by. I jumped into a taxi, pointed to a location of interest on a map (provided by the hotel) and was promptly whisked away. All locations that I wanted to see were covered by the morning leaving me with the afternoon to spend lounging around, sunbathing and generally relaxating, including a one hour full body massage in the hotel.

Nha Trang

I decided to pop down to Nha Trang, a small seaside town south of Hue, just before HCMC, for a couple of days after a hectic few days in Hanoi to relax, sunbath, scuba dive and general TLC. My flight was slightly delayed and we arrived late in Nha Trang, so I couldn't immediately appreciate the sea views and sandy beaches of the town. But my hotel, the Novotel Hotel, a 4*star international hotel greeted me with such local Vietnamese charm that I was instantly at ease and saw the night out with a fine 5 course meal and a few drinks with the vietnamese locals.

Night in Ha Long Bay

We spent the night on the Boat and it was such a peaceful and tranquil experience. I also manage to go for a midnight swim in the Bay, close to the boat before I went to bed. The water was unbelievably warm and very still. It was such a wonderful experience and made the stay even better than it already was!

Ha Long Bay

My one night two day cruise in Ha Long Bay in December, a UNESCO listed World Heritage, as I am constantly reminded by all the tour operators and staff, was a joyful and relaxing experience on the Paradise Cruises.(http://www.paradisecruises.org/) a superb 4/5* ship/hotel - where no expenses were spared in making such a wonderful ship.

The scenery took my breath away, despite the cloudly weather, the air was warm and fresh, the noise of the boat, humming along the bay... I relaxed and enjoyed a cocktail or two with some fellow guests.

Hanoi Sightseeing

After a good night sleep at the Sofitel Hotel and a welcoming breakfast, I steadily got myself together for a full day of sightseeing. I planned to see all that the city had to offer and hired myself a chauffer and a guide during my stay in Hanoi...

Hanoi

Hanoi was my first stop in Vietnam in December. The journey to Hanoi was long. My secretary reserved my flights with Asiana Airlines, which was OK, but the stop-over in Seoul was a bit too long for my liking, so the whole journey took a bit longer than necessary but I manage to get to Hanoi in one piece, albeit just past midnight when I reached Noi Bai International Airport..

After arriving late in Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport, I immediately took a private taxi to my hotel, the Sofitel Hotel, a 5* hotel in Hanoi. The journey seemed to have taken forever, but we got there in the end and I quickly unpacked and went straight to bed.

Can Tho

Can Tho is one of those tourist locations in the south of Vietnam that is always promoted by every tour group, operator, company in Vietnam. So you can never avoid it when you are there...  we did what all tourist would have done and booked ourselves on a two day, one night tour of the area, departing from HCMC. It was an interesting trip, spending most of the time on a boat or the bus, but we did manage to cover a lot of Vietnam during our trip.