RAVIs: January 2017

My Journey Map

Few Things

Haggling is part of the experience in Vietnam. If you keep it lighthearted and fun you'll find it less frustrating. Remember to cut the price to less than half of the originally offering price. It also helps to walk away a couple of times before settling on a price. This will help you see exactly what you should be paying for an item.

There are plenty of western style restaurants throughout Vietnam, are often more expensive than their local counterparts. Stick to the local restaurants that serve up Vietnamese food and you'll save yourself a lot of money and have more interesting and delicious meals.

Pho

Vietnam’s national dish a the country’s great staple is pho (pronounced “fur”), a noodle soup eaten at any time of day but primarily at breakfast. The basic bowl of pho consists of a light beef or chicken broth flavoured with ginger and coriander, to which are added broad, flat rice noodles, spring onions and slivers of chicken, pork or beef.

Nom hua chuoi

Vegetarians rejoice. Nom hua chuoi, or banana-flower salad, is a great meat-free option. Lime and chili are the key flavors and add a refreshing punch to the shredded veg.

Banh Xeo:

Banh Xeo are little rice flour pancakes that can be veganised by getting the usual shrimp or pork filling replaced with something plant based – at the very least a handful of fresh beansprouts and if you are really lucky (or cooking them yourself) filled with exotic mushrooms.

Throw in the herbs you want, some fresh lettuce and cucumber and top with a soy, chilli and garlic sauce or thick soya bean sauce, maybe even wrap it up in another rice flour pancake –

Vietnam Trip 30 Dec 2016 TO 08Jan 2017

DELHI Time is Minus 1hr 30 Min

Exchange rate

$=22660

1 Rs=333.56

1000 Dong= Rs 3.00

10,000 VD= Rs 30.00

Vietnam is a good country to visit in Dec-Jan. It is better to do South to North trip as Northern part has more to offer.

Friendly people but communication is major problem, as English is spoken by very few.

Currency. Exchange currency on a good Exchanger near Hotel, you will get better rate than Bank. Count your money before leaving as you will get huge amount. In market use local currency, as it will be cheaper that giving any other currency. Locals may avoid adding Three 000, thus any item costing 50,000 Vietnamese Dong may be told as 50.

Food is mainly Beef , Pork and Sea Food. There are variety of vegitables and Fruits. You can get TOFU items inlieu of meat.

In Hanoi stay in Old Quarter area Hotel to enjoy the Hanoi. Go and see the

It is better to buy bigger water bottle eg 5 Ltr in local market than to keep buying smaller bottle at the Hotel

For HaLong Bay carry a 5 tr water Bottle with you

local people enjoying on Lake , when traffic is closed in the evening arnd 6pm onwards on Fri Day, Sat Day and Sun Day.

My trip plan and comments you can read on.

30 Dec Fri day

Dep at 23.45 from IGI by China Southern Flt CZ360 Duration 4.40

Day 1 ; 31 Dec Sat Day

Arrival 06.55 Halt Guangzhou

Dep at 09.05 by China Southern Flt CZ 3069 Duration 2.20

Arrival Ho Chin Ming City at 11.00 Hours

Visa on arrival. You need a invitation letter from tour agency, some may charge you 9$ for it. The Visa cost on arrival is 25$. Carry change and 2 Passport size pics. Also download Visa form and fill them before hand. In arrival lounge , go to VISA on LANDING counter, give your application, One Pic and pass port. Then wait till your name is called. It may take 30 min to 1 hour depending on crowd. Once your name is called, you check your pass port, pay 25$ for each Visa. Check all details and go to immigration line.

We stayed in Ruby River Hotel Delux Room

59 Nguyễn Thái Bình, 1, Nguyễn Thái Bình, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Phone: +84 8 3914 3636.

It is a good Hotel. You can walk to near by market

Tropical Fruits in Market

We were picked up at 19.30 for Dinner on Saigon River with traditional performances and unique music program combination between Western & Eastern style. It was a cruise boat and we had a seating Dinner.

We were dropped to our Hotel at 22.00

Day 2 ; 1 Jan Sun Day

We did a half day City Tour of Ho chi Minh City.

The Reunification Palace, is a biggish building. Will take you little over an hour.

The Palace

Then went to see Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office. Old post office is now full of antique shops. The post office is NOT functional.

Old Post Office

Girls in National Dress

War Remnants Museum, you may not visit. It is basically showing effect of US bio agent on people.

There is nothing more to see in the city.

Took a flt at 15.15 Dep Flt Vietjet VJ 640 Arr at Da Nang 16.30

Drive to Hoi An, 40km about 40 mins . Stayed in

Hotel Sun Boat Hotel – Superior Room

54 Huyền Trân Công Chúa, Cẩm Châu,Hội An, +84 510 3922 555.

Small and clean hotel on bank of River.

Day 3 ; 2 Jan Mon Day

Hoi An City Tour . We did this small old city tour which has about 6 building/places to see . The old city is world heritage and is One Sq Km. You at best need about 3 hours to see.

Water Boat Resturant

Chinese Temple

Street

Drove back to Da Nange and took train SE4 Train soft seat at 14.00 arr Dong Hoi at 19.37.

Soft Seat is like Chair Car. The journey is very nice along the Sea and through the Hills.

View from Train Window

Stayed in Hotel Muong Thanh Luxury Nhat Le – Deluxe Room

121 Truong Phap Street, Hai Thanh Ward, Dong Hoi,

It is a 5 Star hotel on the sea coast.

Day 4 – 3 Jan Tues Day,

08.30 to 17.30 Visit PARADISE CAVES and PHONG NHA CAVES ( Water Caves)

Journey to Paradise Caves

Paradise caves . Took about 1.5 Hour of drive to caves by mini bus. Then from Entrance gate to cave path took a buggey ride in Golf Cart. Walked up a slope for half a km. Then you descend into cave and see 1Km of Cave. You can go for 13 Km but for a separate Trip.

Entry To Cave

Then we drove back to local Resturant for Lunch. After Lunch took a boat to see second cave. This water cave we went about 4.5 km inside the cave after 20 mins of initial journey in boat.

Entrance thru Cave

At the end you walk about half km and again come back by boat. Returned to Hotel and went to Train Station for night train to Hanoi at 19.52 by night train by SE 4 Soft Sleeper. This is closed cabin with 4 Berths. The train journey is not comfortable as the train shakes a lot and you may not get good sleep.

Day 5 – 4 Jan Wed Day,

Arrive Hanoi at 05.10

La Suite Hotel and Spa

Went to Hotel, Nice Hotelin Old Quarters for Fresh up & breakfast.

There after a mini bus came for Transfer to Halong Bay , The journey is only 180km but due to traffic takes 4.5 t 5 Hours with a 20 mins break enroute at Hai Duong for refreshment about 30 minutes 

We arrived arnd 12.30 at Tuan Chau island – Get a Take welcome drink and do boarding Glory Legend Cruise .

Board boat Glory Legend Cruise – Deluxe Room

On boarding go for Lunch with Vietnamese and International dishes while cruising through the bay, passing the most beautiful and quiet areas. After lunch had some rest .

There after arnd 3Pm went to  Visit the beautiful Titop Island for swimming or going to Top of Hill .

Returned by 5Pm and at 6 Pm you can Attend the Cooking class on sundeck – traditional Vietnamese food.

Enjoy Dinner at 7.30pm

Day 6 ; 5 Jan Thurs day

06.00 – 06.30: Take part in Tai Chi class on the sundeck (duration about 30 minutes)

07.00 Breakfast are served in the dining room with morning view of bay’s landscape.

11.00 to 12.30 Go for Kaying and swim on a small beach

See The Beach Also

Come back on Boat for Lunch

17.00 to 18.00 Go by day Boat to visiting Vung Vieng Village . It is just a cluster of boats that you see while you are taken in smaller boat
Back to Glory Legend Cruise. Free time on boat for relaxing. And Dinner

Day 7 ; 6 Jan Fri Day

06.00 – 08.30: Take part in Tai Chi class on the sundeck (duration about 30 minutes)

08.00 – 11.30: Transfer by tender to Sung Sot Cave. You reamin on boat to see the small bay across the cave. There were few monkeys on trees which lot of travellers enjoyed watching.

Have a lunch while cruising back to the Tuan Chau Wharf.

Then drive back arnd 12.00 and reach Hanoi by 17.00 .

La Suite Hotel & Spa – Executive Room

52 Mã Mây, Hàng Buồm, Hoan Kiem, Vietnam Ph 84 4 3926 2641

Day 8 ; 7 Jan Sat Day,

Hanoi City full day group tour,

Tran Quoc Pagoda , the oldest pagoda constructed in the sixth century.

Lake Hanoi at Tran Quoc Pagoda

Ho Chi Minh Complex, where you see the body of Ho Chi Minh. His wooden house on stilts surrounded by gardens and a small lake, built between 1900 and 1906 . 

Goose stepping by Guards

Body of Ho Chi Minh kept in This

One Pillar Pagoda

One Pillar pagoda – a wooden pagoda on a single stone pillar

Old Palace

Temple of Literature

There after visit Temple of Literature (Van Mieu), which originally built as a Confucius Temple, then became Vietnam’s first university dating back to 1070.