Vietnam

Vietnam      February 21, 22, 24, 26    March 6 and 7

We learned that Vietnam is home to some of the world’s largest caves.  It officially became a country in 1945 with 2,140 miles of coastline and many beautiful beaches. The Vietnamese Dong is the local money. One US dollar is equal to 22,000 dong. That means a lot of paper in the pocket….even though you don’t have a lot of money there. The country was united in 1975 after civil war broke out between the north and south.  

Ho Chi Minh City    formerly Saigon       February 21, 2017

Our ship docked in Phu My….the gateway to Ho Chi Min City. The sun shone at  a hot 91 degrees during the day.


Did we pump the water that day? Did I mention water in this part of the world is polluted….It must be boiled if it is used off the ship. Larry and I have not trusted the water, even in bottles…. Who wants to take a chance on being sick when traveling? So the liquid of choice when our water off the ship is gone…. beer. Not my favorite thing in the world, but when it is hot, it is better than nothing.

After an hour and half bus ride we arrived in Saigon….renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the leader of North Vietnam who lead the war against South Vietnamese and the United States.

Oh the sights we saw along the way....

Can you imagine pulling this with a motorbike?

                      Motorbikes were loaded with all kinds of things

We passed fields of rice  and little grass huts along the sides of water inlets….

no electricity, running water or modern conveniences with modern high rises in the background.

What a contrast! Once we arrived in the city a million motorbikes and scooters ruled the roads.

Air pollution is awful in this part of the world. Masks are prevalent with many folks wearing them. Larry and I can taste the  air at times....it is not pleasant. Regulations must be few and far between.

We were told by the guide and the cruise director that when you cross a street as a pedestrian, green means go, yellow means go and red means go….unbelievable, but these street rules all worked when crossing the busy roads. Although my heart raced to my throat every time we used that system when crossing the street we were safely dodged by the motorbikes that yielded to us. We were told that if a pedestrian stopped or hesitated midway across, they would most likely cause an accident or get hit. Somehow we managed to get across many streets with no harm. THAT IN IT SELF WAS AMAZING!

Saigon was extremely modern….skyscrappers….modern cars….modern shopping malls…finely dressed citizens….police force was very prevalent  throughout our walk about town in their olive green uniforms….we spoke to one with a machine gun. We were unable to get a photo of one….they did not allow it.

We went to…

Bitexco Tower…tallest skyscraper in Saigon….with its unusual heli pad off the side of the building

Opera Theater….a stunning piece of Architecture

                                    A statue of Ho Chi Minh stood in the square before the Opera House

Notre Dame Cathedral (1880)

                                                                        Inside Notre Dame

Central Post Office….1886 French Colonial  architecture of Gustoff Eiffle …same architect as the Eiffle Tower

Reunification Palace….home of the American Military….North Vietnamese tanks rolled into it's compound grounds to end the war in 1975.

We walked past the Rex Hotel….where news correspondents stayed during the war

Ben Thanh Market….much, much cleaner than the Cambodian market…lots and lots of stuff….jade, silk items, fresh produce,  

The flowers in the market were gorgeous

Other sites of Ho Chi Minh....

                                   This lady gave us a new fruit to try...they were a sweet treat!

             The city had beautiful parks with benches and flowers....a nice resting spot in the heat.

 Nha Trang, Vietnam February 22, 2017

The French invested to make this a resort town. Now it is known as the Beach Capital with 5 miles of sandy beach. We did not go to the beach because we arrived at the hottest part of the day, we elected to walk to the gondolas after 5:00pm when the temps were nicer.  

These gondolas took you across the water to an amusement park called Vinpearl.

                            Tour boats  would also take you across the harbor to Vinpearl.

By the time we walked back to the ship it was almost dark.

We loved NhaTrang dock because you could walk about the town without using public transportation. 

Nha Trang March 6, 2017

We boarded a new ship in Hong Kong called Holland America Amsterdam. After staying on it for two days in Hong Kong, she set sail for a two day journey back to Ho Chi Ming City and Nha Trang.

Our ship arrived early in the morning and we were out to capture the sailing into the port.

The last time we came in midday and it was so hot that we waited to go out in the evening.

 We spotted lots of  work boats .

We looked down on the shop keepers who were setting up their little portable stores for the cruisers to shop in.

The beach in Nha Trang was fabulous. If we ever come back we will wear a bathing suit and spend the day in the South China Sea.

We went into the shopping mall to get a few trinkets to take back home. The mall is set up different in Asia. Shop owners have their little square where they sell their merchandise...although it is open with no walls. The top floor was a food court...great for getting some pictures of the smoggy city.

Unfortunately, smog is very, very bad in South East Asia. One of the speakers on board the ship told us the smog began with the motorbike industry. Everyone owns a motorbike...in fact all we saw was motorbikes, cabs, and buses....very few personal cars.

There is still opportunity to ride in a bicycle rickshaw.

T'his gentleman and his daughter were eating their lunch on the curb by the beach.

      After a nice walk along the beach we found our bus to ride back to the port.

The sail away was really nice. Our stay in Nah Trang was very short. The anchor was pulled at 1:30 pm and the ride out to the China Sea was very breezy. Larry and I went to the top of the ship to enjoy the views and the cool winds.

Visiting Nah Trang was one of our favorite Vietnam Ports.
  

 Da Nang, Vietnam   February 24, 2017

We opted to take a bus to the quaint town of Hoi An where some of Vietnam’s best preserved buildings, dating back 1000 years, are still standing. Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage sitethat dates back to the 15^th century.

The citizens of Hoi An feel blessed that their city was not bombed during the Vietnam War. It is a fine example of a south east Asian trading port of long ago. This was formerly a spice trading capital.

Today the city is a bustling tourist area….sort of the Chinese version of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Bamboo Bicycle

                                                                    

We enjoyed touring the inside of a traditional merchant’s home. While there we watched silk embroidery being fashioned.

We crossed the old Japanese built covered bridge. Porceline dishes decorated the roof of the bridge. 

We walked along the river and visited with some local eight graders who attend school in the afternoons only. They enjoyed practicing their English on us.

Vietnam is known for its silk. Colorful silk lanterns decorated all the streets. I could only imagine how beautiful it was at night lit up.

On the way to Hoi An we passed the Marble Mountains….five sharp peaks of mountains that have  Buddist shrines inside. We were able to view marble creations that were made from the marble that was mined from the mountains.

                                                                Marble Wonders

                                                                   Peacock of Jade

In Da Nang, the fifth largest city in Vietnam, we stopped at My Khe Beach, also named China Beach  by the American soldiers who were seeking a little R and R during the Vietnam War.

What a fantastic beach….20 miles long of white sandy beaches. Lots of modern high rise hotels, restaurants, and condos line the street.

A beautiful drive along the beach has been preserved for all to enjoy. A rain storm moved in while we were here so our visit was cut short.

We also stopped to observe the round fishing boats that are part of the area’s heritage. Fishermen had just returned and emptied their nets from the day’s catch.

 Halong Bay, Vietnam   February 26, 2017

Larry and I boarded a converted fishing boat called a junk and rode among the 1,969 islands in the bay. What beauty!

                                                                                   Junk Boat

                                                             My man on the junk boat

Halong Bay is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its unforgettable landscape. We visited the Dong Thien Cung Cave on one of the islands and found it to have a huge colorful room of stalagmite and stalactite formations.

                                                      The cave was only discovered in 1996.

                                                             

 Just outside of the cave

The cruise on Halong Bay was incredibly picturesque.

                                              How lucky we were to have the sun shining today.

                                        One rock formation known as the kissing chicken

                                               

The hibiscus are fantastic in Vietnam.

Vietnam is in a rebuilding mode...We have been told that it is one of the fastest growing countries in the world. It has been a little over 40 years since the war ended and the Vietnamese are working hard to catch up with the rest of the world..