Xin chào Vietnam: Aug 8 - 18, 2013

Ian and I just got back from an amazing ten day trip through northern Vietnam. I had such a great time exploring its capital city Hanoi, trekking through the mountains, villages, and rice fields in Sapa, and relaxing on a boat cruise through Halong Bay. I don't really know how to go about summarizing our trip in one blog post (considering I took over 700 pictures), but here goes.

While day-dreaming about vacation destinations with friends a few months ago, we figured out that Vietnam was on the top of all our lists. I don't quite remember how it all started, but the six of us (Emily, Ryan, Isabelle, Adam, Ian and I) have traveled all over Korea together, and figured it was time for one last international trip to finish off our year abroad. So one thing led to another and in no time we were off to Vietnam. I am so happy we decided to do this, because the trip was so much fun!!

Thursday August 8th, 2013 (Incheon to Hanoi)
By Thursday, Ian and I were both done camps and were counting down the hours til our flight that night. I was so excited when I met Ian after school with our backpacks all ready to go. We flew from ICN to Hanoi with Isabelle and Adam. Hanoi was our home base for the trip. That night, we walked around the area near our hostel in the old quarter of Hanoi for a little while to take in the city; however, we found that most things were closed by the time we went. We later found out that Hanoi used to have a curfew, and so stores are just used to closing up early.

At the airport ready for our last big international trip.

At the hostel in Hanoi, as you went up the stairs it got pretty narrow.

Friday August 9th, 2013 (Hanoi)
At this point, Emily and Ryan were still in Ho Chi Minh in the morning but met up with us later that night. Isabelle, Adam, Ian and I started off our day by walking around, trying not to get run over by the millions of motorcycles zooming around, and relaxing on an outdoor patio of a cafe. This is where we tried our first cup of Vietnamese coffee, which was really good. I loved how everything we wanted to do was within walking distance.

We wandered around the streets before making our way to Hoa Lo prison. This prison was built in 1896 and was first used by French colonists for political prisoners, and then later Vietnam used it for prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. We both found it very interesting walking through the prison museum.

After the museum, we headed to Hoan Kiem Lake which is located in the center of the old quarter. Walking around this area, you could see the french influence everywhere. We walked around the lake and made some great purchases before visiting Ngoc Son Temple, which is in the middle of the lake. It was nice just walking around and exploring the city. I'd also like to say that by the afternoon we had mastered the art of crossing a street with all the speeding motorcycles.

That night, our full group headed to the train station to board a 9 hour night train north to Sapa. This was a crammed and bumpy ride, with little sleep, but we survived!

St.Joseph's Cathedral was near our hostel in the old quarter of Hanoi.

Walking around, we saw lots of women selling food and various goods this way.

Our first Vietnamese coffee.

Entrance to the Hao Lo Prison

Inside the prison

Locking Ian up inside one of the cells. 

Republican presidential nominee John McCain's flight suit. He was a POW at the prison.

Ian looking out on Hoan Kiem Lake.

Hoan Kiem Lake

Isabelle and I with our new purchases. The lady selling the hats told us "it can be a hat, it can be a bowl, it can be a fan" so how could we resist.

Ian on the bridge leading to Ngoc Son Temple.

Ngoc Son Temple

Where's waldo?

Ian's cat obsession 

After walking around for a while, we stopped for avocado and mango shakes on a cafe overlooking the street. 

In Hanoi, there are streets that sell only one item. For instance, if you want a new pair of shoes, you go to this shoe street where every store is a shoe store.  

A taste of all the motorcycles in Hanoi. We learnt that cars are very expensive in Vietnam, costing about three times what they do in Canada. That's why most people opt for motorcycles.

When Isabelle and Adam went to meet Isabelle's cousin at the hostel, Ian and I explored a little more. We also stumbled upon a great coffee shop overlooking the lake and one of the main streets. It was funny watching people cross this street, how paranoid and nervous the tourists looked and how calm the Vietnamese people appeared.

Crossing the street was a nightmare for us.

The roads are dominated by motorcycles.

The whole group about to board the night train to Sapa.

Our 4 person sleeper. Ryan, Ian, me, Emily. 

Saturday August 10th- Monday August 12th, 2013 (Sapa)
This leg of our trip was both Ian's and my favourite part. Our group did a 3 day trek through Sapa, an area near the Chinese border. There are 5 ethnic tribes that live in Sapa, and each tribe has unique and different traditional outfits. We were told that each tribe also has their own language and that they can't understand each others. Our guide, Zao (from Sapa Sisters, the group we planned our trip with) is part of the H'mong tribe and she led us through the paths and villages. The scenery and people we met were beautiful. On day one, we opted to do the harder trek, which was nice although very muddy. We didn't come prepared for this type of mud. Within minutes we were doing the 'Sapa slide' up and down those mountains. Thankfully, we had a huge entourage of ladies from Zao's tribe helping us along the trail. We all thought this was great as these ladies were very familiar with the trails and had no difficulty hiking. The lady helping me looked as if she might be 100 years old, yet she was a pro walking in the thick mud! The only issue with our entourage was that at the end of the trail we were told "she help you, you help her" while being ambushed with little purses to buy. The boys had it easy, as most of the things for sale were purses. I ended up buying two purses from the ladies that helped Ian and I.  Although I didn't like how pushy they were on selling things, I did want to thank them for helping us through the slippery mud. On day two and three, we opted for the easier trail that led us through the villages and to some great swimming spots.

One of the best experiences was doing two homestays. This means that for two nights we stayed in local people's homes. They made us delicious traditional Vietnamese meals, and we got to meet their families. Throughout the trek, I especially liked talking to Zao, our guide as she was very informative about their lifestyle. At one point on the second day, we actually stopped by her home. Seeing how everyone lives in Sapa really put things into perspective. The trek through Sapa was an incredible experience, and by far my favourite part of the trip.

Starting off our three day trek. The views were incredible!

Ian followed by one of the ladies from our entourage walking through the rice fields. 

Isabelle, Emily, and I

Ian with one of the Sapa ladies. 

One of the ladies helping us carried her cute little baby on her back.

Me with the two ladies that were helping Ian and I through the mud. 

Only part of our entourage. The woman in the blue shirt second form the left is Zao, our guide. 

The group! (Ryan, Emily, me, Ian, Naomi, Isabelle, Adam)

Part of the trek on the first day consisted of us going through bamboo forests and walking through a few streams. 

Dinner at our first homestay was delicious! I think this was the best meal we had in Vietnam.

Our group, with an Italian couple that was also staying at the homestay doing shots of "happy water:" that the mother of the house gave us. We weren't quite sure what it was, but it was strong!

Pancake breakfast, with Sapa honey, and green bananas that were ripe. 

Group shot before leaving the first homestay. The mother with her two kids are on the right and Zao, our guide in the back beside me. 

Packing up and getting ready for day two!

On day two, we walked through villages and saw more people's homes.

The mud was unavoidable.

We saw water buffalo everywhere!

 This little boy was playing the corn that was left outside to dry.

This is in Zao's home. Ian of course is playing with her cat.

Throughout our trek, we passed through different villages and met people from the different tribes. This is a mother with her daughter and they are part of the Red Dzao tribe.

Walking around we saw homes of various sizes and structure. Most homes had electricity, and we saw the wires held up by bamboo along the streets.

Zao explained that some houses have built this contraption. Since Sapa is so mountainous, the people have taken advantage of all the running water. They use the running water to generate electricity. This machine can provide enough electricity for one household and it's free! 

More water buffalo.

We joined with the Italian couple on the right for the second half of day 2 and all of day 3.

Another delicious meal at our second homestay.

Ian in the homestay bed. A mattress on the floor with a blanket and mosquito net. 

Day 3, we all decided to go for a short walk and go swimming in the river.

A typical lunch during the three day trek - noodles, cabbage, tomatoes, and egg or chicken.

Saying goodbye to Zao and her baby boy. Throughout our trek, her family would meet us at various points.

Walking around Sapa town before getting on a train back to Hanoi.

Sapa town

Tuesday August 13th, 2013 (Hanoi)
After taking the night train back to Hanoi we checked into another hostel and were ready for another day of exploring Hanoi. We started with the War Museum, and after stepping a few feet inside the gate I knew Ian being the history buff was in heaven. I wish there was information in English, but overall I liked looking at all the remnants from the war and it was great having Ian explain things more clearly.

After the museum, we still had a few more touristy things to check off our list. We saw the famous one pillar pagoda and then Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. The first issue that day was bearing the heat - I felt like I was melting in the 45 C heat. The second issue was that when we returned to our hostel we were informed that all cruises to Halong Bay were canceled for the following day because of a typhoon warning. This was our plan for the next day, so we were all pretty bummed about this. We cheered up that night when our team participated in the trivia night at our hostel and came in third! Later on we went on a pub crawl that the hostel had organized. It was funny how so many bars offered 'typhoon party' drink specials.

After arriving in Hanoi at 6am, we checked into our hostel and went for breakfast. We found a great cafe/bakery called Joma that we may have returned to several more times that week.

Ian at the War Museum in Hanoi.

Ian up on the flag tower in the museum.

View from the tower at the other war remnants. 

Downed B-52 is the center-piece of the museum.

The girls - me, Emily, Naomi, Isabelle

Downed B-52

Just as we were leaving the museum, a school group came on a field trip.

The famous one pillar pagoda

Ho Chi Minh mausoleum

The heat was getting to us.

Walking around only to end up in front of the Ukrainian embassy.

Being grateful for motorcycles that stop at crosswalks. 

Wednesday August 14th, 2013 (Hoa Lu and Tam Coc)
Since the Halong Bay cruise was canceled for the time being, we decided to go on a day tour to Hoa Lu and Tam Coc. Hoa Lu is the ancient capital of Vietnam. We saw a temple and learnt a bit more about the history. We then headed to Tam Coc which translates to "three caves." In groups of two we hopped on a small boat and went down the Ngô Đồng river passing rice fields, mountains, and of course through three caves. The caves were actually pretty long, and there was roughly only 2 meters of space to pass above water. A local woman paddled our boat using her feet, while she held an umbrella. After the hour and a half boat ride, we rented bikes to further explore the area.

Adam and Ian were the sun smart boys! I am proud to say Ian and I didn't get burned in Vietnam!

Gate to Hoa Lu

Isabelle, Emily, and I

Hoa Lu - the ancient capital.

The start of our boat ride in Tam Coc.

The rowers used their feet to paddle the boat.

This was a fun relaxing way to see the area.

One of the caves we went through.

Ian and his umbrella. I know our mamas will be happy about this picture.

Going through the caves.

After the boat ride, we rented bikes to further explore Tam Coc.

We passed people's homes and many rice fields.

Water buffalo road block.

I loved the food in Vietnam, We usually ordered spring rolls as an appetizer.

Thursday August 15th - Saturday August 17th, 2013 (Halong Bay)
On Wednesday night, we found out that our tour of Halong Bay was back on, meaning we simply cut one day off the end of our cruise. So we bused 3.5 hours form Hanoi to Halong Bay on Thursday morning. About halfway through the drive, our guide told us that the tour may be still canceled due to bad weather. The rest of the way there we all had our fingers crossed, and in the end it worked - our trip was on again!

The first day, we got on the boat and started cruising around. We visited the Amazing and Surprising Cave and a beach and that night we slept on the boat. The next morning, Isabelle and Adam left for Hanoi as they were leaving Vietnam earlier. Emily, Ryan, Ian and I stayed on the boat. Part way through cruising around, we got to jump off the top of the boat and swim around. Around noon, we arrived on our beautiful private beach. The rest of the day was spent swimming, reading, kayaking, and relaxing. This was another one of my favourite parts of our trip. After trekking, and being tourists in Hanoi, it was so nice to just relax on a beach. We slept in little beach huts on the beach, and the next morning we cruised back to the main pier and bused back to Hanoi. Saturday night, we bought out souvenirs and checked out the night market. The market had some great finds, but I will admit it was a little sketchy. We were warned about pick-pocketers, and I was holding on tightly to my purse. Even while Emily was buying something the saleswoman told her she should hold her purse with both hands and up higher, so we quickly adapted to this fashion trend of clutching our purses to our chests.

On our cruise boat in Halong Bay.

Isabelle, Emily and I outside the "Amazing and Surprising" cave.

The girls inside the caves.

The boys outside the caves.

While cruising around, we saw tones of local people selling things off their boats. 

Boat cruise lifestyle is easy to get used to.

The group before saying bye to Isabelle and Adam. (Ian, me, Emily, Ryan, Isabelle, Adam)

While cruising to our island, it started to down pour. Luckily it cleared up just in time for us to go swimming and then enjoy a beautiful day on the beach. 

While boating around, we passed many floating villages.

Ian jumping off the boat.

Me jumping off the boat. Emily and I stood at the top for a good 5 minutes before we went for it. 

Pulling up to our private beach.

It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day!

Emily and I

Kayaking around Halong Bay.

We watched a gorgeous sunset.

On Saturday morning, we cruised back to the main pier.

Sunday August 18th, 2013 (Hanoi to Incheon)
After a rather overwhelmingly, unorganized airport check in, where we almost missed our flight, we flew from Hanoi back to Incheon. Overall, this trip was amazing and I am happy we had the chance to do such a diversity of activities in our short time there! From Sapa to Halong Bay, I loved meeting and chatting with so many local Vietnamese people and seeing how they live. Vietnam is a beautiful country.

As I write this, I simply can't believe how quickly this past year has flown by. Ian and I will be back in Canada so soon it feels unreal. I guess this means we have to start packing, at least our place is so small it probably won't take too long ;)