Back home

We're back from Vietnam already and had a really great holiday.

We didn't have as good seats coming back, at least not the Hanoi to Singapore leg. Although we had window seats they were right over the wing, so not much of a view. The Singapore to Brisbane leg was right up near the back, so we had a better view. I managed to get some great pics of the sun coming up as we flew over western Queensland.

I was even able to get a little bit of sleep, since we bought a couple of those inflatable cushions that go around your neck. The only thing that spoiled that leg was the inconsiderate (expletive deleteds) that sat in front of us and reclined their seats only about ten minutes into the flight.

Something I wondered about while we waited for our baggage, both here and in Hanoi. Why do people find it necessary to stand right in front of the carousel while they wait for their bags. All they do is get in everyone else's way. If everyone just stood back a metre or two they'd all have a clear view of their bag and wouldn't get hit by my bag when I drag it off the carousel.

Today was actually the first time I've ever had to open my bags for customs or quarantine. This wasn't for a search mind you, it's just that some of the stuff we brought back we weren't too sure about from a quarantine point of view, so we went through the red channel. All they looked at was the stuff we weren't sure about. These were a couple of woven straw bags that had pottery in. The cup that I'd painted in Bat Trang was in about a thousand pieces, so we left that with the AQIS officer. I wasn't too worried about that as it was a freebie, and I had an idea it probably wouldn't survive the trip anyway.

So, what are our feelings about the trip?

I've been all over Europe, I've sailed a yacht from the Gold Coast to Noumea, I've driven a motorhome around New Zealand's south island, and I've visited Beijing and Taipei. Vietnam was by far the most interesting place I've ever been to.

Apart from the people trying to sell you things you didn't want, the Vietnamese people are extremely friendly and very polite. If ever we went anywhere where the was a crowd and our way was blocked by a group, they would always be either French or Korean, not Vietnamese.

Hanoi is quite dirty, partly because there is so much exhaust smoke in the air from all the scooters. It would be impossible to keep a city like that clean, however, it's unusual to see litter in the city. Contrast that to Shepherds Bush in London when I was there years ago and it looked like there'd just been a ticker-tape parade.

A lot of Hanoi has an air about it of being very poor, with decrepit buildings and uneven footpaths. I guess that's the same with a lot of old cities, something we don't really have in Australia, being only a couple of hundred years old.

Vietnam's economy is growing at an enormous rate and it's fast becoming a popular tourist destination. At the moment it doesn't seem to have been spoiled by tourism, it will though and that's a shame. I'm just glad we got to see it now, before everyone else discovers it.

If you're looking for somewhere interesting to go for your next holiday, go to Vietnam, you certainly won't regret it.

If you do go, here's a few tips.

1) Take plenty of US dollars.

There don't seem to be many Yank tourists in Vietnam, probably because of their perception of the war (something that most people you meet there weren't even around for as they're too young). Most of the shops where you'll be buying souvenirs, the hotels and the cruises will have prices in Vietnamese dong and US dollars. You won't get a better price for dollars, but it does make things easier.

2) One week is not enough.

We didn't see everything we wanted to and we based ourselves in Hanoi the whole time, with just the overnight trip to Halong Bay. A lot of people do three week tours that cover the whole country. I can't really give an opinion on that, but friends of ours did that for their honeymoon and they said that was probably about the right length of time. Any longer than that and I think you'd start to get sick of everyone speaking a different language.

3) Think about learning a bit of the language before you go.

In my opinion it's a bit harder than Chinese to learn, but certainly not impossible. Most people you'll meet will be able to speak enough English for you to be able to get by, and some speak French as well. Knowing a bit of Vietnamese will make it just that bit more enjoyable and will make it easier to ask for a beer.

4) Don't book too much before you go.

We only booked the Hoa Binh hotel for two nights before we went and we only booked the Emeraude from home as we really wanted to make sure we could get on it. Once you're there you can decide if you want to stay in the hotel you've booked or go and stay somewhere else. The tours will be much cheaper if you book them there. Our tours were very personal, just the two of us with the guide and the driver.

5) Go there with an open mind.

If you're from the west it will be a lot different to what you used to. Some of the things you'll see there may even offend you, like live pigs hog tied and strapped to the back of a scooter. Looking at our culture from their point of view, I'm sure there are things that would offend them. I didn't see a single bum crack over there, something that is so common place here you hardly notice it anymore.

I'm sure there are other things I could suggest and would be glad to help if anyone has any questions. My Dad asked the other day via a Skype video call from our hotel if we'd go there again. I'd be over there like a shot if I had the chance, there's so much more there I'd like to see. Next time though, we're flying business class.

If you're interested I've uploaded a small selection of pictures to here. All up, I took just over five hundred photos,and I'm really glad I'm shooting digital these days, otherwise it would cost me a fortune in processing costs.

If you're interested in the Emeraude cruise, their website is here.