[RD] Backpacking Việt Nam (2019)

[warpus]

Very cool! About how long did it last?

I didn't arrive right at the beginning, so I'm not really sure how much I missed. I do think that I got to see most of the ceremony involving the priestess though. From what I remember I was there for about 20-30 minutes before it was all over.

 

[warpus]

Participating in the Ceremony

Near the end of the ceremony a sort of vase was brought in with long straws. It seemed like a somewhat important part of the ceremony, judging by how the vase was handled and all the attention that was shown to it by the priestess and her two helpers. Eventually she knelt down and proceeded to slowly take small sips from it.



After the priestess was finished she pointed to several members of the audience and it soon became clear she was asking them to join in and take some sips from the vase. Several people hesitated but about 3 or 4 went for it. She then pointed to me, so of course I came up and took a couple sips of the liquid in the vase as well. I couldn't quite figure out what I was drinking at the time, as I was distracted by the moment and the unexpected invitation to participate (I was standing a bit off to the side).. but I asked around later and the substance in the vase was most likely a variety of rice wine.

I swear I felt a bit "funny" on that motorcycle ride back to the homestay, but that could have been all in my head. Luckily I was a passenger and did not have to deal with the rules of the road and could instead sit back and enjoy the beautiful views of the surrounding rice fields, karst cliffs, and the rest of the countryside.

 

[Birdjaguar]

That is what you get for being a standout westerner!

 

[warpus]

Ninh Bình Vegetable Market

Back in Ninh Bình I took a short walk around nearby streets before checking out of my homestay. Just around the corner I ran into a vegetable market.

 

[warpus]

Chookie's Hideaway

I had a train to catch in the evening and after packing up my bags had made my way closer to the train station. Nearby I found the cozy Chookie's Hideaway - somewhere where I could kick back, drink some beverages, eat dinner, read a book, write some postcards, do some research, and book my stay at the next destination.



The menu definitely targets western tourists arriving to and from the train station, which is about a 7 minute walk away. As such, you do pay a bit of an overhead when you eat here, but the prices are more than reasonable by western standards. I also found the ambiance perfect, given the circumstances. Appropriately relaxing music was playing throughout the establishment, there were many comfy seats and spacious tables to choose from, there was a lot of greenery all around, and in the back you could see a line of outdoor pizza ovens, as well as a well stocked bar. This was exactly the sort of place I wanted to spend a couple hours at waiting for a train.



This was actually pretty good pizza. In fact everything I had here was pretty good, including the craft beer, cheesecake, salad, and coffee.

 

[warpus]

Sleeper Train to Huế

It was time to leave northern Vietnam behind. An overnight train would take me to Huế, about 600 km (370 mi) to the south - an 11 ½ hour journey that set me back about $35 USD.



I was sharing my sleeper cabin with 3 strangers who were already sleeping when I boarded the train (just after 10pm). They presumably boarded the train in Hanoi and had made themselves comfortable.. I did not want to wake them, so I quietly unpacked, changed, and attempted to figure out where my bedsheets were in the dark.

I couldn't find my bedsheets! My headlamp allowed me to look around without disturbing the sleeping passengers too much.. but I couldn't find the bedsheets! I left the cabin and walked around the train looking for somebody who could help me.. but.. there was nobody.. anywhere.. I returned to the cabin, in the process double-checking that I had the right one.. and began to look again.

I swear I did not cause that much commotion, but the woman who was sleeping on the other lower bunk turned to me and started speaking English. I asked her where I can get some bedsheets. She told me to look under my pillow.

After thanking her and apologizing as quietly as I could (and wondering how I could have missed that the first 5 times I looked) I finally made my bed and lied down feeling utterly humbled.. yet excited! It's funny how you can go from feeling like everything is falling apart to feeling that everything is just right in the span of a couple seconds.

I drifted off to sleep thinking about all the interesting things I would find in central Vietnam.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Train rides are great!

 

[warpus]

First Impressions of Huế
Monday, March 11, 2019

My train arrived at about 10am. The homestay I had booked was about a half an hour walk way from the train station, but I decided to walk all the way there down a street named after Lê Lợi, a Vietnamese rebel leader from the 15th century. Lê Lợi lead the Vietnamese to overthrow the Ming Chinese in 1418 and became the first emperor of the restored kingdom of Đại Việt. He was known for for his effective use of guerrila tactics and is one of Vietnam's most famous historical figures and heroes.

At the time I knew little of the person the street was named after, but just looking at a map you could tell it was one of the most important arteries in the city. It runs parallel to the Perfume River and takes you right by a couple parks. Since my room was not going to be ready yet anyway, it seemed to me that a half an hour walk down this street would be a good casual introduction to the city.



I passed many interesting things along the way, including a memorial honouring those who fought in World War 1



as well as a statue honouring Vietnamese women (or girls)

 

[Birdjaguar]

I did not know that the Vietnamese served in France during the war. Most were just laborers, but not all.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Vietnam_during_World_War_I

 

[warpus]

I did not know that the Vietnamese served in France during the war. Most were just laborers, but not all.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Vietnam_during_World_War_I

I did not know about any of this either. About 92,000 Vietnamese men were in the service of France during the first world war. 49,000 of them were labourers, 9,000 were medical staff, and the rest were a part of various combat and transit battalions. 12,000 of those 92,000 did not make it back home. Online sources say that these casualties contributed significantly to Vietnam's national identity at the time.

Many of the troops who returned home ended up joining nationalist movements focused on overthrowing the French. These soldiers brought back ideas about national autonomy and revolutionary struggle from their interactions with Europeans and European literature. Vietnam was also heavily taxed during the war in order to support French war efforts, which further lead to thoughts of independence.

During this time there were some minor revolts in Vietnam, but they were all easily quashed by the French. There was no real unified independence movement quite yet. It's interesting to note that a young Hồ Chí Minh had arrived in the United States at about this time, where he stayed for several years absorbing the English language and American culture. He ended up leading the independence movement against the French several decades later. When he declared Vietnamese independence in 1945 he quoted the preamble of the American Declaration of Independence as part of his speech.

 

[warpus]

Huế

Located in central Vietnam, Huế was once the capital of the south Vietnamese Đàng Trong kingdom (1738-1775) and later the Nguyễn dynasty (1802-1945). The oldest ruins in the city date back to the Champa kingdom of Lam Ap (4th century AD), which had its capital just outside current city limits.

The city is located on the banks of the Perfume River, just about 10 km from the East Sea. The river is named as such because in the fall flowers from upriver orchards fall into the water and supposedly give the river a unique perfume-like smell.

The route from the train station to my homestay took me right by the river and all the interesting things along the way. It was quite a pleasant walk towards the more central part of town.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Again, I'm surprised that there are no people around.

 

[warpus]

Yeah, it was a nice and almost serene walk for the first 20 minutes or so! The vast majority of people I saw at the train station were getting into taxis and hotel shuttle type vans. Some were walking to nearby hotels. I think I was pretty much the only person who decided to walk to the main commercial part of town where my homestay was located. It was 10 in the morning on a monday, so I suppose most locals were busy working and there was no reason for anyone else to be there yet. The main tourist attraction is across the river, so any tourists who were already out and about were far more likely to be in another part of town at this time of day.

A map of the city will probably help provide some extra context. I should add that it looked like it had just rained as well!



The train station is on the southern bank of the river; I've added a light red marker right beside it to help you spot it. I was walking towards the slightly darker red dot.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Pizza ?
Iam surprise its actually a regular pizza rather then the Vietnam version which are available. I guess its for expats that are after a taste of western foods

 

[Birdjaguar]

My only recollection of Hue was from the Vietnam War. 1968 TET offensive.

 

[warpus]

Pizza ?
Iam surprise its actually a regular pizza rather then the Vietnam version which are available. I guess its for expats that are after a taste of western foods

Yeah, this place was the only establishment anywhere near the train station that offered western style food, from what I could tell. In my opinion the main draw here wasn't the food though, but rather the ambiance. You walk in and are surrounded by greenery, lots of seats, there's firepits, pool tables, and just a cozy overall vibe. The pizza ovens they have out in the open allow them to make pretty good tasting western style pizzas. Apparently their burgers are also supposed to be good, but I did not have one. It's definitely a marketing move to target western travellers coming from or to the train station. I would have personally preferred if they had more Vietnamese food options on their menu, but I couldn't complain about how good everything tasted.

 

[warpus]

Lunch in Huế

My homestay ended up being very nice, with all the promised on-site conveniences as advertised, clean, and in good condition. I had my own quiet air conditioned room, with a nice big bed, a private bathroom, free wifi, and satellite TV. The building looked more like a hotel than a homestay, with a proper lobby and rooms on multiple floors. No elevator, but for $16 CAD a night you can't really complain, especially since I was on the 2nd or 3rd floor.

My hosts spoke no English at all, but were ready to translate everything I said using their phones. They were quite attentive and helped me with some questions I had about the city. Out of all the different places I stayed at in Vietnam, this was one of my favourites.

I was able to check in early, got settled, and went out to look for for a place to eat. I decided on a nearby restaurant that promised to specialize in local cuisine.

The first dish that arrived was the local take on Bún thịt nướng, a grilled pork vermicelli bowl with vegetables and peanut sauce.



Next I tried a Bánh Khoai crispy pancake, also known as a Huế pancake. It's a rice flour pancake stuffed with pork, shrimp, egg, carrot, green onion, and been sprout.



Last but not least was an order of delicate and delicious Nem Rán spring rolls.



Let's not forget the passion fruit that came with my order. Passion fruit is actually a fairly recent arrival in Vietnam, but these days it is commonly grown in the central highland provinces, just south of Huế.



A more than satisfactory lunch that really hit the spot, topped off with a delicious coffee and a local brand of beer.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Takes photo of a passion fruit :O
How very German of you to document everything lol

I guess these arent very exciting given how many times I have had them already, but they probably a food adventure for you as you try new stuff.
Would never order spring rolls if given the choice of other food items available.

 

[warpus]

Takes photo of a passion fruit :O

I admit at the time I wasn't yet sure what it is We have them here too, but I've never had one.

From my experience eating a tropical fruit close to where its grown can also be a very different experience from buying the same fruit in a far away place like Canada. I experienced this first-hand when I devoured mountains of avocados in Peru and excitedly bought some as soon as I returned home... but they tasted nothing alike and it was a big disappointment. Avocados are expensive here, so I have pretty much not bought one since.

I liked the passion fruit, but probably not enough to buy one here.. but I do wonder how they'd compare.

 

[FriendlyFire]

I think the ones we normally are HASS, its has the smallest seed and most fruit
The other varieties have larger seeds so probably less desirable to grow