Nha Trang, Hoi An and Hue
After a few days in Ho Chi Minh city I took the night train to Nha Trang, I was ready to expect the worst but it was actually great. Anything is an upgrade from Scotrail. There isn't anything too special for Nha Trang, it is a great place to go to the beach and is super cheap. At a back alley restaurant I was able to get Saigon beers for about 50 cents.
Then I took the night train over to Da Nang and then the bus over to Hoi An, I'd say that Hoi An is bucket list level in terms of places to visit. This place is like the Venice of Vietnam and is a much needed break from all the horrific traffic. It is very hard to get a picture taken in Hoi An because there are so many cool buildings in the area to take a picture of.
Hoi An it might feels like a vibrant experience and you can put a candle in the river to make a wish, what Hoi An prides itself in its Tailor shops and I was taken to Yaly Tailor's which feels like the best of the best. As tempting as it was to buy a tailored suit, I just settled with a tailored shirt which just cost roughly $25, however my friend bought an all white suit which cost about $280 and I have to say he made a good and bold choice.
Then I took the night train over to Da Nang and then the bus over to Hoi An, I'd say that Hoi An is bucket list level in terms of places to visit. This place is like the Venice of Vietnam and is a much needed break from all the horrific traffic. It is very hard to get a picture taken in Hoi An because there are so many cool buildings in the area to take a picture of.
You Really could take 1000 pictures here |
What makes Vietnam great though is the huge variety on food depending on where you go, in Ho Chi Minh City you will be able to buy really good pho and a beer for about 3 quid. In Hoi An you can have a dish that is exclusive to just Hoi An. It is called Cao Lau which is udon noodles with pork.
I was able to go cycling in the Vietnamese countryside, which in contrast to the traffic of Ho Chi Minh city felt very peaceful.
Sometimes you have to stop and look |
Feels like Venice |
After that I went to take the trip to Ba Na hills, this is the theme park in which it has the iconic newly built Golden Bridge, the French Village and Spiritual Village. Furthermore to get there, you must take the longest cable car in the world which lasts half an hour. I have to say it is an unusual theme park. The Golden Bridge isn't amazing but it is still worth seeing. The other parts are still being built such as the French village but it still is an interesting place to visit. At the French Village there were buildings to make it look like it was the south of France however there were performers of Salsa dancing.
That wasn't all there was a whole section of the park dedicated to spirituality this meant that there were very elaborately built temples to the point that they are probably real temples with incense, chanting and golden statues.
It was ok I guess |
After that I took the bus to the city of Hue, Hue is a good place to stop by for a day or two as it doesn't have much but the historical side and scenery are worth a look. It is historically the place where the Vietnam war was most prevalent as it was where the border between north and south was.
I was able to go on a motorbike tour around Hue with my group, it was a very fun and interesting experience. Hue is definitely a different edge of Vietnam with more peace and quiet. It had historical buildings such as the hugely impressive citadel and buddhist temple which featured the relic of the car the buddhist monk used to drive to Ho Chi Minh and protest in self immolation.
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