I began my next leg of the journey in Hue, the capital of Vietnam back in the 1800s. Hue has an impressive citadel with an imperial palace and other old buildings. The detail on the roofs grabbed my attention in particular.
From Hue I rented a motorbike from a place that will combine the rental with delivery of your belongings to Hoi An for $15. So I took advantage in order to take the motorbike along the coastal road over the beautiful Hai Van Pass without lugging a heavy backpack. (This mountain pass with views of the sea is well known on the show Top Gear, which they don't fail to mention even though I had not heard of the show at the time. But fear not, Gearheads, I have since watched a few episodes and I can see why people enjoy it.)
On my way out of Hue, I passed a couple bunkers that were used with Vietnam's war of independence against the French. (That was 15 years before their civil war/war against the US.)
The coastal ride over the Hai Van Pass was beautiful, and before long I could see the skyline of Da Nang with the mountain on the end of its peninsula:
Roadside shrine My motorbike with a view north up the coast The coastal road
Pretty beach with a view of Da Nang in the distance
I spent a night in Da Nang and really enjoyed the city. So much so that I could see myself living there. Not because there was much to do for tourists, but rather that it had an upbeat vibe from the beaches to the riverfront promenade thronged with locals out and about.
At the beach in Da Nang
The Dragon Bridge and nearby promenade in Da Nang
Da Nang straddles a river between a peninsula facing the ocean, and the mainline. At the end of the peninsula is a large hill where the Linh Ung Pagoda and massive Buddha statue can be found.
Nearby at another hilltop shrine, I had a really fun encounter that sadly I have no photos of. I saw a group of Vietnamese schoolchildren, and as is so often, they shouted "Hello!" at me, hoping to use a few words of English that they know. As I don't speak Vietnamese, we went back and forth with me saying "Hello" in a high voice, low voice, several times in a row really fast, etc. and they repeated after me. We all had a good laugh even though we spoke different languages. Sometimes it's the positive power of humanity that wins the day!
After a day in Da Nang, I continued south to Hoi An. Hoi An is a beautiful old town that's been preserved for over 100 years and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. By night or during the day, it is beautiful. But, sadly, it's not exactly real. The buildings are real, but the entire town has become one large tourist attraction. Nearly every store is selling trinkets, suits, massages, or something else tailored to tourists. I've never been to Venice (Italy) but I imagine that it is similar there. Still, it was a convenient place to base myself for a couple days as I explored the town and rented a bicycle to explore the nearby countryside.
Colorful Hoi An at dusk/night
A couple pose for a picture in front of a covered bridge in Hoi An
The food in Hoi An was good, too. There were two amazing banh mi take-out joints and my hostels also hosted Vietnamese cooking nights. My first hostel taught us how to roll spring rolls with rice paper. My second hostel taught us how to make banh xeo (egg crepes). I'm not sure I'd qualify for Top Chef Vietnam, but it was fun!
Making delicious Banh Mi Trying spring rolls Attempting banh xeo
During the day, there were several sights in the town that you could get into and look at by purchasing a ticket. A lot of traditional architecture here.
I also rode around the countryside and nearby beach towns. I found waterways and narrow passages that took me by farms. It was very relaxing and a nice way to see how people in this part of Vietnam lived. (And the market has at least 50 different types of rice cookers to choose from!)
I then returned to Da Nang and for $32, I flew just over an hour to the city of Can Tho in the far south of Vietnam. I came here to see the Cai Rang Floating Market, which takes place most mornings on the Mekong River just outside of town. With a roommate at my hostel from France who purchased a motorbike (for $200, to ride the length of Vietnam), we set around 5am for the nearby town to find someone who would take us by boat to the market.
The cool thing about the floating market is that most boats advertise what they are selling by putting a sample of the fruit/vegetable on a stick. There was alot of activity and we stuck around for about 30-40 minutes before heading back.
Once back, we had a late breakfast next to a market selling live poultry. I kept staring at the birds and wondered if they noticed their brother to their left and knew if the same would happen to them. They were very calm (or too stricken with fear to do anything).
From Can Tho I made my way by bus to my final destination in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). A bustling place filled with Vietnam War history, I visited the Presidential Palace (capital of capitalist South Vietnam) whose capture ended the Vietnam War in favor of the communist North. I also visited the War Remnants museum, dedicated to the Vietnam War and explaining the atrocities committed. (You can guess that they did not paint the US in a positive light.) This museum also had several captured US military equipment on display.
Presidential Palace War Remnants Museum
Just outside the city were the Cu Chi Tunnels. During the Vietnam War, the Cu Chi Tunnels were used by Communist soldiers to move around without detection by the American and South Vietnamese forces. They were tiny, and the Communists used their small size relative to the Americans to their advantage.
Hiding places and booby traps along side the Cu Chi tunnels
Back in Saigon, there were Communist flags EVERYWHERE in the city, from practically every flagpole. There was also a fair bit of propaganda, too. Given that Saigon was the capitalist capital, it was almost as if the Communists felt the need to leave their mark everywhere as a reminder to who's now in charge.
Communist flags/slogans in Can Tho (left) and Saigon (center & right). The one in front of a McDonald's was especially ironic. Like China and Laos, Vietnam has clearly embraced capitalism, they just don't want anyone to challenge the Communist Party's grip on power.
Saigon was pulsing with life. If nowhere else, all you needed to do was look to the street (or the sidewalk, where motorbikes ventured too)! It was a fun activity to play "Frogger" by crossing 8 lanes of traffic without getting hit. It was surprisingly easy; the secret is that nobody is going fast enough to seriously hurt you, and if you give a little, and they give a little, then everyone gets by without anyone getting hurt. Here's what I mean:
On the sidewalk? Why not?