Visiting Vietnam Part 1 (Week 16)
As final exams approach, the University of New South Wales offers yet another study week of no classes allowing students to relax and study up for finals. For those of us here for just a single semester, however, this means another opportunity for a long trip! After a frenzy of examining ticket prices and receiving feedback from friends, we landed on Vietnam as our destination. Most of my roommates were all traveled-out and weren’t interested in a long trip just before the end of the semester, but that didn’t stop Shaunak, Charlotte, and I. Before I knew it, I was on a flight to Ho Chi Minh City, and then to Hanoi (after missing the first connection to Hanoi due to a line at customs that could probably wrap around the moon if fully extended). Our first day there was dedicated to settling in and making our way to Ha Giang, the northern province of Vietnam where we would be getting on motorbikes and biking around the mountains and villages for 3 days. Below is everything I recorded about those first few days in Vietnam:
First day in Vietnam!! We kicked off with a good start dropping our bags off at the hotel we had to cancel on the night before after missing our flight. On our search for an ATM, we found that crossing a street has never been so difficult. From bikes appearing behind you out of thin air to a never ending stream of traffic, it takes skill to know when to commit to crossing a street. I felt like the chicken from the game Crossy Road. It took us a few tries to learn that you just have to start walking and the cars/bikes will go around you. Overall, with a population of 100M people and land area the size of New Mexico, Vietnam is very full of hustle and bustle. This being our flex day, we walked around, came across a phenomenal lunch spot with endless dumplings and juices and duck for just $40 usd for the 3 of us, briefly visited the Ngoc Son Temple, went to see the train that passes right through a street of cafes, and went to the Imperial Citadel of Thang. While waiting for the train, I enjoyed a classic Vietnamese Egg Coffee made with condensed milk and an eggy foam on top. To say this was one of the best coffees I’ve ever had would be an understatement. For dinner, I had an incredible shrimp soup and chicken curry. Vietnam isn’t exactly known for its curries like Thailand, but I was still thoroughly satisfied. We then picked up our stuff and went to meet up with our tour group for the next three days doing the Ha Giang loop. I have literally no idea what to expect, but I’m currently on a sleeper bus on the way there so there’s no turning back. Sleeper buses appear to be a common form of transportation here to get around cities at night. Two birds, one stone!
^ Hanoi Train Street where a train passed right in front of us and I enjoyed an egg coffee.
The hard part at this point was that nobody was telling us where we were going or what was going on. We kind of just trusted that it would all work out. I was in and out of sleep until about 2:30am when I was awakened to someone holding a phone inches away from my face with google translate open reading “You have arrived”. Just like that, we were herded off into some building (a hostel), we were shown to beds, and everyone passed out. This all might sound like good fun, but when you have no idea what the plan is, no cell service, and nobody to communicate with, your brain just can’t predict what’s about to happen. Especially at night when you’re disoriented. We were being led into the abyss.
^ Me, Shaunak, and Charlotte at 2:30am after 6 hours on the sleeper bus.
The morning was a bit better. We finally met the owners of Road Kings, the company in charge of the motorbike tour. They got everyone fed with either pho or a banh mi (Vietnamese classics), explained to us on a big map where we would be traveling the next three days, and set us off with our motorbike drivers.
^ A map of the Ha Giang province where we would be traveling for 3 days.
It took just 15 minutes on that bike to absolutely fall in love with Vietnam. The motorbike was a bit scary at first, but the wind blowing in my face and the incredible views made me feel more alive than ever. I can’t even express into words how beautiful this country is. My mouth dropped on that bike more times than I could count. This scenery might genuinely be the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Little green mountain humps digging deep into the horizon. Farms and crops growing all up rocky hills. Little villages following the valleys. I can’t wait for the next two days on the bikes. My butt and legs definitely hurt after some time, but boy was it worth it. We stopped several times at random outlooks (had some incredible coffees today including a silver coffee whatever that is) and then went to a waterfall which was a little overrun with people (from other bike tours) but it was also nice to see. We were then led to our hotel accomodation which was a lot nicer than any of us expected. The meals have also been great and in the form of several family-style dishes ranging from veggies to chicken to soups. We ended the night with some karaoke! Time to get some rest before breakfast at 8am.
^ An average meal on our trip. Two drinks and two coffees were included each day as well.
^ Two of my favorite lookouts.
^ Our first accommodation out on the road.
The next day was full of more incredible views as well as a stop at a river that leads into a cave where you can swim. I had never swam in a cave before, so the experience was definitely one to remember. We ended the day in Dong Van, a city and rural district of the Ha Giang province. We went out into the square of Don Van and it was all lit up and quite beautiful because of a holiday/festival that I think just ended. Lights around shops, signs, and streets seem to be a motif in the cities we’ve visited. We also tried this interesting drink that was made of boiled ginger with rice paper balls, but I couldn’t tell you what it was since getting information has been hard with no translators and limited cell service.
^ Yet another incredible lookout.
On our last day with the bikes, we visited the Vietnam-China border at the very northern tip of Vietnam and then had a looong drive back to Ha Giang. Time flew by on the motorbike with the constantly changing views, but the time took its toll on my lower body. The scheduled stops and stretch breaks were a godsend. Before we knew it, we were on the sleeper bus back to Hanoi.
I can’t put into words how beautiful Ha Giang province is and how awesome the trip was. All I can say is that the words “wow” and “beautiful” were playing on repeat in my head. The sheer vastness of the mountains and valleys decorated with terraces, farms, villages, and more was all something I never want to forget. I will surely be back.
My next post will cover our next day in Hanoi as well as two days in Ho Chi Minh City. Cheers!
University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia
