Our Cities of Vietnam

During our 2.5 weeks in Vietnam we stayed primarily in 4 cities: Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, Hoi An, Hanoi and Sapa. The great thing is that each of these cities has its own vibe...they are all so different.

HCMC/Saigon
My first two reactions to Saigon: this city is big and it is SWARMING with motorbikes. Crossing the street takes about 5 minutes and a leap of faith each time. There are 6 million residents and 3 million motorbikes...you do the math. It's crazy to go to a place where cars are the minority by far! Like most major cities, Saigon has great shopping. There are dress shops everywhere, a day/indoor market, a night/outdoor market, street vendors, art supplies stores, etc. The food is also great and there is a wide variety. It seems weird to order pizza in Vietnam, but sometimes a girl needs something other than Asian food in 4 months!

Something that we all appreciated from Saigon, was that it was the first time we saw a sanitation system. People throw things in garbage cans, and others are hired to pick up trash off of the street. How refreshing to not see garbage piled every few feet! There are also green spaces--parks, fountains, trees--around the city.

If you want history, Saigon's got it! During our few days there we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels and the War Remembrance Museum. There is a lot to learn about the "American War" from the other side's point of view. You can actually crouch through tunnels that the Viet Cong lived in...widened for tourists of course. At the museum you hear stories and see pictures of many of the things that went wrong with the Vietnam War. It was a very emotional place.

Saigon was a great city to spend a few days in. Bustling, busy, filled with people, things to do, and SO MANY MOTORBIKES!!!

SAIGON IN PICTURES:

Hoi An

Unlike Saigon, Hoi An is definitely a tourist town--but I was more than okay with that. It is a smaller town, in central Vietnam, on the eastern sea coast. The buildings are all very "picture-esque" French colonial with the yellow paint slowly chipping off and plants slowly climbing up the sides. It is a World Heritage site and there are strict rules one has to go through if they want to make any building alterations. Almost all of the shops can be fit into a few catagories: eatery, tailor-made clothing store, souvenir shop or art gallery. Along with those shops there is a large outdoor market with food and souvenir stalls.

Hoi An is a completely walkable town. Brit and I wandered around for hours upon hours never needing (or wanting) a different mode of transportation. The town is situated on a river, which is great to walk along.

If you have some cash burning in your pocket and a love of clothes, Hoi An is known for its great fabrics and custom tailoring. I got a silk dress in Saigon, but Brittany got hers in Hoi An and had it custom made for her for only $25! Rumor has it, if you show the tailors a dress from a magazine they can reproduce it for you. As we all know, I love dresses, so Brit and I have decided when we have money some day we're going back to Hoi An and getting a whole new wardrobe!

Our trip to Hoi An was a very nice breath of fresh air situated between two huge cities. I would go back in a heartbeat.

HOI AN IN PICTURES:

Hanoi

Switch around some letters and we have the nation's capital, Hanoi. It's a big and busy city, but not nearly as crazy as Saigon. The Old Quarter is the "backpacker's area" of the city and is right off of a large, beautiful lake. Rivers, lakes and parks can really help make a good city great. The street system here makes no sense. All of the short streets tangle together, end abruptly and switch names every couple of blocks. I guess that's what creates a fun adventure! Although not as much as Saigon, motorbikes still run rampant in Hanoi and the "honk" is the most common sound.

One big difference up here is the weather. It is by no means cold, but much cooler in Hanoi. In HCMC and Hoi An (along with everywhere else in 'Bodes and Thailand) it is intensely hot...I can typically be seen sweating down the streets. In Hanoi, there is a cool breeze and even some rain. It is a very welcome change!

Hanoi is interesting and has its own sights to see, but not a place I would recommend spending a long time in. It is the hub for other destinations like Sapa and Halong Bay, so it's a nice place to stay before and after you move around.

HANOI IN PICTURES:

Sapa

Sapa is unlike anything else we've seen so far on this trip. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The town itself is tucked away in the mountains at an elevation of 1600 meters. When we were there a chilly mist was set over the whole town making it look like it was straight out of a movie. The high-60 degree weather was an abrupt change for us.

We spent 3 days trekking through the mountains and hill tribe villages. We visited the Cat Cat, Lao Chai and Sin Chai villages and spent the night in the Ta Van village. The treks take you through rice patty and farmland-covered mountains and valleys. The curves of land and the system of farming make it look like a nature-made topographical map. Pigs, water buffalo, chickens, ducks, goats and (of course) stray dogs dot the landscape.

Throughout the town and the villages, hundreds of hill tribe women wander around and try to sell you handmade crafts. While trekking they will even hike the 15 km with you just in hopes that you will "buy something from me" at the end of it all. The women range in age from infants strapped on backs to 90-year olds...they start selling things the minute they learn the words "buy something."

Sapa is a magical place with fresh air, a cool breeze and a view like no other.

SAPA IN PICTURES:

So those are the four places in 'Nam that we stayed. We stopped shortly in a few other places, but settled in Saigon, Hoi An, Hanoi and Sapa. While settling there we got to know a little about each place and feel the different charms, stlyes and chunks of history that they each had to offer.