Laos – Vientiane, Savannakhet
Vietnam – Dong Ha, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang
Vientiane, the capital of Laos may well be the lowest key capital city in the world. It feels like a small town even when you are in the heart of the downtown area. My visit happened to coincide with the Laos New Year celebration, also known as the water festival. The whole city – as well as the rest of Laos – shuts down for three days and everyone, young and old get into a big water battle. No one is exempt, I found myself soaking wet for the better part of three days – hit by water balloons, mobbed by roving groups of children armed with super soaker squirt guns, buckets of water thrown from passing cars – it was impossible to escape. The only means of retaliation is to join in the fun and get a good squirt gun.
After the big water war, I moved on to Savannakhet a town right on the Mekong River, which acts as the border with Thailand. Savannakhet is a hub for trade between Thailand and Vietnam as route 9 runs straight through the middle of Laos and into Vietnam. Not lots to write home about regarding Savannakhet, it was mostly a stop over on my journey to Vietnam. I did get a great preview of Vietnamese cuisine at one of the local shops – a very tasty dish called Baw Ban. Made up of rice noodles mixed with chopped, fried spring rolls, barbecued strips of beef, bean sprouts and lettuce, covered in a sweet tangy sauce. Yum, Yum. You must time your arrival at the shop just right because the lady only makes so much everyday and when she sells out, she closes the shop. Typically she opens around 11AM and closes at Noon. Yes! It is that good. I can’t believe it’s already been almost a month since I entered Laos, my visa is running out and I’m bound for Vietnam.
I entered Vietnam by land at the Laos city of Lao Bo. The border crossing was very relaxed – just a couple of stamps on both sides and you are on your way. They were doing screening for SARS – just a simple questionnaire you fill out checking for any symptoms. Hanoi has been the only place in Vietnam with local transmission (and even that is under control now) but I decided to skip the north and only visit southern Vietnam, bypassing Hanoi just to be safe and not worry my Mother too much. Vietnam is more developed then Laos by far, close to Thailand, but not so over-run with tourists – possibly due to the SARS media scare. The drive from the border to Dong Ha was through a very beautiful river valley – with lush vegetation, banana and palm trees growing everywhere – very scenic. Overall the country is very lush and beautiful, much more so then Thailand and Laos – I guess all the best chemists in America’s war department can’t put mother earth down for long. The people are friendly, quick to strike up conversations, but also very aggressive about trying to sell you just about anything they may think you want; I was warned of this by fellow travelers, so no surprises.
Dong Ha is the first reasonable sized town you come to after crossing into Vietnam. Just an overnight stay here, but a good spot from which to explore some of the war sites in central Vietnam – mostly focused around the former Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the dividing line between north and south Vietnam during the war. I checked out a local day tour of a few former military bases and sites of battles. It’s more a history lesson then anything else, not much to see anymore since most visible traces of the war have been wiped clean, the highlight was the Vinh Moc tunnels just north of the DMZ. The 2km long tunnels have 18 different entrances and three levels (some opening up to the ocean). Farmers built the tunnels for protection after bombs from American B52’s raised their village. Inside they are really cramped, not more then five and a half feet high and a foot and a half wide, with little cubbyholes no bigger then a folding table carved out of the walls where whole families lived. I didn’t spend more then a fifteen minutes in these tunnels before the walls felt like they were closing in, hard to believe the villagers lived in them for six long years – Eighteen babies were born in the tunnels during this time.
From Dong Ha I headed to Hue, a really nice city that used to serve as the capitol of Vietnam for several centuries, prior to the communist era. The inner city sits cradled by a bend in the Perfume River and surrounded by a moat and stone fortifications. It has the feel of a capital city, kind of hard to put your finger on exactly what it is, but still there non-the-less. Tree lined avenues, bridges over the river that are lit at night, museums, and monuments give this city a really nice feel. I visited the Vietnam War museum and the citadel ruins – home to Emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). Overall a nice stop for a few days; I found it was nice to get back to civilization after my Laos adventure – plenty of traveler-oriented services in Hue along with AC and satellite TV in my hotel – what a luxury!
After a few days in Hue, I beat a path to Hoi An – which by many accounts is the nicest place to visit along the central and southern coasts of Vietnam. The town is spread across a small grid of narrow streets, crammed with excellent restaurants, small bars, art galleries, book stores and more then anything else, tailor shops where they will make any kind of clothes you want, cheep and with a custom fit. The town presents lots of opportunities to spend some money and just linger around for a few days. I really enjoyed the art galleries and met one particular artist, Hoang Trong Tien, who I spent many hours getting to know, talking about art and life in general. I bought a couple of his paintings and they are riding around in a plastic tube in my backpack. Been spending most of my time hanging out with two Canadian guys and three gals from Ireland – you meet such good people out here traveling around, and you’re only alone when you want to be.
Nha Trang, next stop heading south, also my current location, is Vietnam’s quintessential seaside party town. The beaches are really nice here – broad stretches of sand, framed on either side by mountains and a blue sea. For a buck you can rent a wooden lounge on the beach under a grass roof umbrella (excellent for sleeping). Drinks and food will show up when you call for it and you have a great view of the islands off the coast where you can find Vietnam’s best diving. I have been out two days so far and really enjoyed the diving. Not as many fish here as Thailand, but the coral reefs are spectacular – over 300 different kinds of hard and soft coral – really, really nice.
Hard to believe it is May already, starting my fifth month on the road. Things are going well and I am happy, but thoughts of returning home come into my mind more and more these days. Another month or two may bring this adventure to a close, but if I have my way, there will be many others yet to come. Hope this update finds you all well.
Until we meet again!
Matt