Good Morning Vietnam - Discovering The Wonders Of the Far East, One River At A Time

I might look like I'm back in the office, but in my head I'm still reclining, mango daiquiri in hand, somewhere along the Vietnamese coastline.

Having only recently assumed my role at Yahoo Lifestyle, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't take any unnecessary time away from the office this year.

Rather virtuously (smugly), I've been turning down travel features and offers from friends to skip out on work for festival fun in the sun.

And then one little email from Hayes and Jarvis put paid to all my better intentions.

Vietnam has long been top of my bucket list.

While the gap year pirates slowly consume the regularly visited parts of Thailand and more and more socks and sandals make it to the mountainous home of Machu Picchu, Vietnam has managed to stay relatively untarnished by the brush of mass tourism.

So, after an agonising 20 seconds of umming and ahhing, I found myself with a return flight booking to Ho Chi Minh City.

Whoopsie!

A Tale of Two Cities

Hanoi might be the capital of a post-war, reunified Vietnam, but for the country's South, Ho Chi Minh City - formerly Siagon - is still their bustling metropolis.

As frenetic as it gets, HCMC is a whirlwind of touts, tourists and too-many-people-on-two-wheels.

If your morbid fascination exceeds mine, there is a minefield (sorry 😩) of war history to be explored.

A brief boat trip will take you up the Siagon River to Củ Chi - a rabbit warren of tunnels which the Viet Cong used to outsmart their anti-communist rivals (including the Americans) during combat.

If you don't fancy peering on bended-knee through eerie crawl spaces, you could just pop over to the War Remnants museum and focus your gaze on some horrifying images of the children who suffered at the hands of Agent Orange.

A harrowing, but arguably necessary sight.

From One River To Another

Cities there are plenty, but one thing Vietnam does really, really well is a river trip.

Not satisfied with the Siagon river, we drove South West to Ben Tre, a sleepy little province in the Mekong Delta, where Mango Cruises (a Hayes and Jarvis favourite) took us on a voyage of discovery.

From coconut farms, to brick making kilns, we hopped on and off our little luxury boat, visiting villages and villagers alike, stopping only for the occasional piece of dragon fruit.

A stark contrast to city life, this was by far my favourite day of the whole trip.

Coming in a close second though, was where the Thu Bồn River meets the sea at the coastal town of Hoi An.

Hoi An itself is a bit of a tourist trap. The Japanese bridge, an enduring symbol of Japan's influence in the region, is attractive but not staggering and the shops are largely full of pretty, but overrated (and overpriced) souvenirs.

Its redeeming feature is the liberal use of lanterns.

Beautiful, hand painted and EVERYWHERE, Hoi An's lanterns adorn every bridge and walkway near the river and light up the town at night.

Lap of Luxury

If you'd left me to my own devices, I'd probably have ended up sleeping in a hammock somewhere, plagued by mosquito bites, but confident that I'd not been too extravagant.

This is not everybody's idea of a holiday though and there is certainly something to be said for bubble baths, fluffy white pillows and complimentary kimonos!

The Vietnamese economy is at the same time one of the best and the saddest things about the country, from a visitor's perspective.

As I said, the country has managed to retain a certain authenticity that its neighbours risk losing, but the tourism industry is steadily growing.

On the one hand, to watch a people become increasingly reliant on the custom of holiday makers that are largely ignorant of recent history is a bit uncomfortable.

On the other though, as tourism is perceived to be so integral to the country's development, their service industry is astonishingly good and a little money goes a very long way.

As such, we ate at and stayed in a variety of fantastic hotels throughout our trip - The Caravelle in Ho Chi Minh City, A La Carte in Danang, The Best Western Indochine Palace in Hue - all of which showed us impeccable hospitality.

Of particular note, though, was the Fusion Maia, located on the coast between Danang and Hoi An.

If you're planning a honeymoon any time soon, this is the place.

Villas with their own pools, complimentary spa treatments (yes really), the option of beach BBQs surrounded by glowing tiki torches, the list goes on...

Means of Transport

Most of the time, we cruised around in an air-conditioned minivan, but for the brave, there are a few other ways to get around in Vietnam.

If you're desperate to know what it feels like to have your heart leap into your throat every two seconds, spend a while watching the sea of scooters avoid collisions in HCMC.

Ten points if you can spot a driver using one hand to steer and the other to clutch a wriggling baby - trust me, you'll have fifty points in the space of ten minutes.

More fun and perhaps less coronary-inducing, are the tri-motorcycles, which we used to get around in the more rural areas.

Bumpy, but hilarious!

Nailing the Nightlife

It wouldn't have been very responsible of me to go all the way to Vietnam and not report back on a few bars now would it?

In HCMC, if you're a backpacker, or you like your 90s throwback Euro-disco, head over to Apocalypse Now, but the city is known for its rooftop drinking, where you can feast your eyes on the sea of flashing moped lights from above.

Our hotel, The Caravelle, had a fun outdoor option on the 9th floor, called Saigon Saigon.

On the coast, in Hoi An, there are a number of cute little bars along the river front - we were recommended Mango Mango, by Fusion Maia's general manager, but ended up stumbling into whatever was closest and knocking back a bowl of margherita.

Which might have something to do with why I can't remember the bar's name.

Take note though, while bars in Ho Chi Minh City don't get lively until after 11pm, by contrast, the whole of Hoi An is pretty much in bed by 10pm.

Last but not least - further North, in Hue, there's only one place to be after 9pm and that's an incredibly cheesy, but incredibly AWESOME bar-club called Brown Eyes.

Drinks are cheap, music is appalling, conversation is equally bad, dance moves are mandatory and everyone parties until they no longer know who they are or how to get home.

Perfect.

The Instagram

Extremely chuffed after a 91-year-old woman taught me some Vietnamese pottery skills.

The Vibe

Clammy, but wonderful.

A final word for the people of Vietnam - in my nine days there I encountered some of the most sweet, earnest, mirthful, accommodating and patient characters that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.

For more information on travel packages in Vietnam, head to the Hayes and Jarvis wesbite.

Ever been to Vietnam? What was your favourite experience? Let us know in the comments!

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