Vietnam 2016
Vietnam
- A long journey from the South to the North!
The next morning, I took the bus to Mũi Né, a costal fishing town in the Bình Thuận Province of Vietnam. Unfortunately, I had only one and a half day there, so I could only see the famous Red Sand Dunes, but not the White Sand Dunes , and the Harbour with many colourful fishing boats. I was quite surprised, that there were almost more Russian tourists than Vietnamese people, so it seemed like a famous holiday residence for Russian people. In the evening, I tried my first Phở soup and really delicious dragon fruits with a lemon-ginger tea and a dragnfruit smoothie.
The next destination was Nha Trang, the capital of Khánh Hòa Province. On the first evening, I went to the night market. There were also a lot of Russian tourists, so that the Vietnamese people learned the Russian, but not the Engish language. When I walked through the night market, a group from the Philippines asked me to help them with translating, because they thought, I'm also a Russian guy. But I couldn't help them at all. When it started to rain heavily, I went home to the hostel.
The next day, I went to the Long Sơn Pagoda, a Buddhist temple, erected on another hill in 1886. After a large cyclone in 1900, the temple was destroyed and had to be moved from the hill to its current location. There are two big Buddha statues - the "Giant Sleeping Buddha" and the "Big White Buddha". On the way to the pagoda, I also saw the Christ the King Cathedral, built in Gothic Revival style in 1928. When I walked along the wondeful beaches, it started to be stormy and rainy. I tried to hide under a palm for almost two hours. But since the rain didn't stop, I went back to the hostel. Unfortunately, I couldn't see Po Nagar, a Hindu temple tower, founded before 781, but when I was back at the hostel, I got to know a Bolivian guy, who lives in Stockholm. From Nha Trang, we travelled together up to Hanoi.
My favourite place in Vietnam was Hội An. It's not a big city, but the city has a special atmosphere and was amazing with all those lanterns - especially at night. Moreover, the food there was really good and I could live in a homestay, so I could eat delicious banana pancakes and drink healthy ginger tea with the whole family in the morning..
Since 199, Hội An is noted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its Old Town. With the City Ticket, I could see the Quan Công Miếu Temple, the trading house Nhà Tấn Ký, and the Chùa Cầu, the famous Japanese Covered Bridge. The bridge was first constructed between 1593 (Year of the monkey) and 1595 (Year of the dog) by the Japanese community to link them with the Chinese quarters. The entrances to the bridge are guarded by weathered statues: a pair of monkeys on onse side and a pair of dogs on the other side.
In the Old Town, it was really amazing to see the lanterns, which seemed to be everywhere. But the view at night was extremely breathtakingly. Another special thing is the food. There are not only the banana donuts, there is also a dish called Cao Lầu with noodles (made in Hội An), pork and local vegetables.
From Hội An, I made a bicycle tour to the beach and to the little fishing village Cửa Đại. It was quite interesting to see the colorfoul old fishing boats and the old buildings in the small village. I also saw children playing football and people who danced and played music.
Another day, I made a 40 km bicycle tour to the Marble Mountains, close to Đà Nẵng. The Marble Mountains is a cluster of five marble and limestone hills, named after the five elements: Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth). All of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels - like the Huyen Khong and Tang Chon grotto - and there are several Buddhist and Hindu sanctuaries within the mountains. There is also the Tam Thai Pagoda, which was built in 1825.
Hué, the seat of Nguyen Dynasty emperors, was the national capital from 1802-1945. The major attraction is the vast, 19th-century Citadel, surrounded by a moat and stone walls. The Citadel encompasses the Imperial City of Hué, the Forbidden Purple City and a replica of the Royal Theatre.
Hué is well known for its historic monuments, which have became a place in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The Imperial City occupies a large wallet area on the north side of the Perfume River. The first place, I saw inside, was the Flag Tower of the citadel. One of the highlights was the Throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.There were a lot of dragon statues and there was also a bush in a tortoise shape. In the Royal Theatre, there was a gallery with special masks and traditional clothes for different occasions. It was also quite relaxing to enjoy the Vườn Ngự Uyển Garden and the Truong Du Pavillon. Another interesting places were the Hiển Nhơn Gate and the Thế Tổ Miếu Temple. After the interesting adventure in the Imperial City of Hué, I had a delicious dinner with the Bolivian friend. We ate Bún bò Hué, a typical noodle dish, and quail eggs.
After taking the night bus, I arrived around 5 am in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. So the first thing, I did in Hanoi, was a walking tour around the Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as "Sword Lake", where the Turtle Tower is located. It was funny to see the Vietnamese people, doing sport around the lake. There were dancing groups of old women, a kind of outdoor gym and people, who played badminton. After having Bún chả as lunch at a streetfood stand, I could bring my backpack to the hostel and start the tour around Hanoi.
At first, I went to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the final resting place of Revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, located in the center of Ba Dinh Square, where Minh read the Declaration of Independancy on 2 September 1945. Then, I went to the One Pillar Pagoda, a Buddhist temple, built by Emperor Lý Thái Tông, who ruled from 1028 to 1054. On the evening, I met a girl from Hong Kong, who I got to know on the streetfood market in Hoi An, for eating the traditional Phở soup.
The next day, I made a museum tour through Hanoi, starting with the Temple of Literature, which hosts the Imperial Academy, Vietnam's first national university. The temple was built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Lý Thái Tông. Then, I visited the Vietnamese Women's Museum, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum and the Hỏa Lò Prison, which was a prison, used by the French colonists for political prisoners an later by North Vietnam for U.S. prisoners during the Vietnam War.
Another highlight was the tour to the West Lake of Hanoi. There is also the Trấn Quốc Pagoda, the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi, which was constructed in the sixth century during the reign of Emperor Lý Nam Đế. I also could see the a traditional Vietnamese street theatre, which was really interesting and funny.
From Hanoi, I made a motorcycle tour to Vĩnh Yên with a French guy, I got to know in the hostel. Vĩnh Yên is the city capital of Vĩnh Phúc Province in the Red River Delta region of northern Vietnam.
After visiting Singapore, I flew to Ho-Chi-Minh-City, also known by its
former name as Saigon, which is the largest city in Vietnam by
population. Under the name Saigon, it was the capital of the French
colony and the republic of South Vietnam between 1955 - 1975. Due to the
French influence, there were a lot of buildings with French
architecture style like the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon and the Central Post Office. The cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880 and has two bell towers, reaching a height of 58 meters.
In front of the Central Post Office, a group of young Vietnamese students asked me to practice English with them. It was a kind of interview, where they asked me some questions about my country, why I decided to travel to Vietnam or what I like the most in Vietnam. As thank-you gift, one of the students bought me one of the really nice 3D cards. On my first evening in Saigon, I went to the Bến Thành Market with two guys of my hostel and we had a nice dinner there.
The next day, I went to the War Remnants Museum, which contains exhibits relating to the Vietnam War and the first Indochina War involving the French colonialists, for learning more about the history of the country. On the one side, it was interesting to learn more about the history of Vietnam, but it was quite shocking to see all those terrible war pictures and weapons. Then, I went to the Saigon City Hall, which was built between 1902 - 1908 in a French colonial style, and the famous Jade Emperor Pagoda, a Taoist pagoda, which was built by the Chinese community in 1909 and is also known as "Luck Sea Temple" and as the "Tortoise Pagoda".
On my last day in Saigon, I went around the city with a German girl, I got to know in the hostel. At first, we went to the Independance Palace, also known as Reunification Palace, which was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was the site of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on the 30th April 1975. We also went around a streetfood market with many international food. Finally, after visiting the Saigon Opera House, built in 1897, we went to eat dinner and to a skybar. The view from the skybar over the city was really breathtaking at night.
In front of the Central Post Office, a group of young Vietnamese students asked me to practice English with them. It was a kind of interview, where they asked me some questions about my country, why I decided to travel to Vietnam or what I like the most in Vietnam. As thank-you gift, one of the students bought me one of the really nice 3D cards. On my first evening in Saigon, I went to the Bến Thành Market with two guys of my hostel and we had a nice dinner there.
The next day, I went to the War Remnants Museum, which contains exhibits relating to the Vietnam War and the first Indochina War involving the French colonialists, for learning more about the history of the country. On the one side, it was interesting to learn more about the history of Vietnam, but it was quite shocking to see all those terrible war pictures and weapons. Then, I went to the Saigon City Hall, which was built between 1902 - 1908 in a French colonial style, and the famous Jade Emperor Pagoda, a Taoist pagoda, which was built by the Chinese community in 1909 and is also known as "Luck Sea Temple" and as the "Tortoise Pagoda".
On my last day in Saigon, I went around the city with a German girl, I got to know in the hostel. At first, we went to the Independance Palace, also known as Reunification Palace, which was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was the site of the end of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon on the 30th April 1975. We also went around a streetfood market with many international food. Finally, after visiting the Saigon Opera House, built in 1897, we went to eat dinner and to a skybar. The view from the skybar over the city was really breathtaking at night.
The next morning, I took the bus to Mũi Né, a costal fishing town in the Bình Thuận Province of Vietnam. Unfortunately, I had only one and a half day there, so I could only see the famous Red Sand Dunes, but not the White Sand Dunes , and the Harbour with many colourful fishing boats. I was quite surprised, that there were almost more Russian tourists than Vietnamese people, so it seemed like a famous holiday residence for Russian people. In the evening, I tried my first Phở soup and really delicious dragon fruits with a lemon-ginger tea and a dragnfruit smoothie.
The next destination was Nha Trang, the capital of Khánh Hòa Province. On the first evening, I went to the night market. There were also a lot of Russian tourists, so that the Vietnamese people learned the Russian, but not the Engish language. When I walked through the night market, a group from the Philippines asked me to help them with translating, because they thought, I'm also a Russian guy. But I couldn't help them at all. When it started to rain heavily, I went home to the hostel.
The next day, I went to the Long Sơn Pagoda, a Buddhist temple, erected on another hill in 1886. After a large cyclone in 1900, the temple was destroyed and had to be moved from the hill to its current location. There are two big Buddha statues - the "Giant Sleeping Buddha" and the "Big White Buddha". On the way to the pagoda, I also saw the Christ the King Cathedral, built in Gothic Revival style in 1928. When I walked along the wondeful beaches, it started to be stormy and rainy. I tried to hide under a palm for almost two hours. But since the rain didn't stop, I went back to the hostel. Unfortunately, I couldn't see Po Nagar, a Hindu temple tower, founded before 781, but when I was back at the hostel, I got to know a Bolivian guy, who lives in Stockholm. From Nha Trang, we travelled together up to Hanoi.
My favourite place in Vietnam was Hội An. It's not a big city, but the city has a special atmosphere and was amazing with all those lanterns - especially at night. Moreover, the food there was really good and I could live in a homestay, so I could eat delicious banana pancakes and drink healthy ginger tea with the whole family in the morning..
Since 199, Hội An is noted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its Old Town. With the City Ticket, I could see the Quan Công Miếu Temple, the trading house Nhà Tấn Ký, and the Chùa Cầu, the famous Japanese Covered Bridge. The bridge was first constructed between 1593 (Year of the monkey) and 1595 (Year of the dog) by the Japanese community to link them with the Chinese quarters. The entrances to the bridge are guarded by weathered statues: a pair of monkeys on onse side and a pair of dogs on the other side.
In the Old Town, it was really amazing to see the lanterns, which seemed to be everywhere. But the view at night was extremely breathtakingly. Another special thing is the food. There are not only the banana donuts, there is also a dish called Cao Lầu with noodles (made in Hội An), pork and local vegetables.
From Hội An, I made a bicycle tour to the beach and to the little fishing village Cửa Đại. It was quite interesting to see the colorfoul old fishing boats and the old buildings in the small village. I also saw children playing football and people who danced and played music.
Another day, I made a 40 km bicycle tour to the Marble Mountains, close to Đà Nẵng. The Marble Mountains is a cluster of five marble and limestone hills, named after the five elements: Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth). All of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels - like the Huyen Khong and Tang Chon grotto - and there are several Buddhist and Hindu sanctuaries within the mountains. There is also the Tam Thai Pagoda, which was built in 1825.
Hué, the seat of Nguyen Dynasty emperors, was the national capital from 1802-1945. The major attraction is the vast, 19th-century Citadel, surrounded by a moat and stone walls. The Citadel encompasses the Imperial City of Hué, the Forbidden Purple City and a replica of the Royal Theatre.
Hué is well known for its historic monuments, which have became a place in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The Imperial City occupies a large wallet area on the north side of the Perfume River. The first place, I saw inside, was the Flag Tower of the citadel. One of the highlights was the Throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.There were a lot of dragon statues and there was also a bush in a tortoise shape. In the Royal Theatre, there was a gallery with special masks and traditional clothes for different occasions. It was also quite relaxing to enjoy the Vườn Ngự Uyển Garden and the Truong Du Pavillon. Another interesting places were the Hiển Nhơn Gate and the Thế Tổ Miếu Temple. After the interesting adventure in the Imperial City of Hué, I had a delicious dinner with the Bolivian friend. We ate Bún bò Hué, a typical noodle dish, and quail eggs.
After taking the night bus, I arrived around 5 am in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. So the first thing, I did in Hanoi, was a walking tour around the Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as "Sword Lake", where the Turtle Tower is located. It was funny to see the Vietnamese people, doing sport around the lake. There were dancing groups of old women, a kind of outdoor gym and people, who played badminton. After having Bún chả as lunch at a streetfood stand, I could bring my backpack to the hostel and start the tour around Hanoi.
At first, I went to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the final resting place of Revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, located in the center of Ba Dinh Square, where Minh read the Declaration of Independancy on 2 September 1945. Then, I went to the One Pillar Pagoda, a Buddhist temple, built by Emperor Lý Thái Tông, who ruled from 1028 to 1054. On the evening, I met a girl from Hong Kong, who I got to know on the streetfood market in Hoi An, for eating the traditional Phở soup.
The next day, I made a museum tour through Hanoi, starting with the Temple of Literature, which hosts the Imperial Academy, Vietnam's first national university. The temple was built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Lý Thái Tông. Then, I visited the Vietnamese Women's Museum, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum and the Hỏa Lò Prison, which was a prison, used by the French colonists for political prisoners an later by North Vietnam for U.S. prisoners during the Vietnam War.
Another highlight was the tour to the West Lake of Hanoi. There is also the Trấn Quốc Pagoda, the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi, which was constructed in the sixth century during the reign of Emperor Lý Nam Đế. I also could see the a traditional Vietnamese street theatre, which was really interesting and funny.
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