Vietnam — personalizing the experience

by Steven Emmet, Solana Beach, CA

When we decided to go to Vietnam, I naturally leafed through my old copies of International Travel News and found three travel companies recommended by other readers. I e-mailed all three and explained that we preferred meeting people to visiting museums and scenic places and we wanted to avoid visits to this famous building and that famous site. In addition, as I had spent a year there during what the Vietnamese call the American War, we did not need to see anything to do with any war efforts.

All three e-mailed back basically the same cookie-cutter tour. After asking them to reread my e-mail and plan accordingly, two made minor modifications, but Ms. Duong Thi Hoang Lan of Exotissimo Travel (visit www.exotissimo.com or phone 415/538-8687 for Exotissimo Travel North America in San Francisco) came up with an almost perfect tour. Several e-mails later, we had a very nice itinerary extending from Nov. 14 to Nov. 29, 2005.

Ho Chi Minh City
Our Cathay Pacific flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong was a long 14 hours, as the seats were narrow and did not recline much, but it was a night flight, so we mostly slept. After a quick change of planes in Hong Kong, two hours later we were in Ho Chi Minh City.

Our guide, who had patiently waited as we filled out visa forms and cleared Immigration, took us to the Renaissance Riverside Hotel, a very new hotel on the river in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon, as it is still called by many). Exotissimo had done all of the check-in work for us there, as they did at all of the hotels on our trip, so we were quickly ensconced in a lovely room on a nonsmoking floor, although unfortunately not one facing the river. (If you prebook, ask for a riverside room.)

After a brief walk, passing the lovely opera house on the way, we arrived at the Notre Dame Cathedral, where the statue of Mary is often surrounded by folks praying and kissing the statue. After another few minutes’ stroll, we reached Quan An Ngon (138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia St.), a restaurant with excellent food and low prices. With spirits renewed, we headed for the famous Ben Thanh Market, well known for inexpensive clothing, watches and tchotchkes of all sorts —_not to mention pickpockets. (We did avoid the pickpockets.)

That night we left the hotel and traveled one block, where we found a pho (noodle soup) restaurant sporting a neon sign that promised “No delicious, no pay.” We paid.

The Mekong Delta
The next few days were spent in the Mekong Delta area in the south of Vietnam. The mighty Mekong River begins in Tibet and finally flows to the sea after it leaves Vietnam.

As the streets were old, narrow and filled with walkers, water buffalo, cars, bicycles, motorcycles and trucks, getting around was extremely slow going. In addition, we had to stop from time to time to catch a ferryboat across the river, as they had not built bridges in various places yet.

Tired, we overnighted in the major city of Can Tho at the Victoria Hotel, one of a chain in Vietnam. The rooms were spacious and clean, with nice views and an excellent breakfast. Then it was another long drive to Chau Doc, the gateway to Cambodia, where we stayed at the Victoria Chau Doc, a similarly excellent hotel.

The following morning we went to the river market where boats, small and large, come to buy and sell produce. The sellers hoist a tall stick dangling with representations of the vegetables, fish or meat that they are purveying so shoppers know where to go to buy what they want. It was a lot of fun!

The next day we visited fish farms, where many local folks have houseboats on the river and under each is a huge cage filled with fish. They feed the fish for six months and then sell them for a considerable profit.

After that, we visited a small Cham village, where locals still study Arabic so they can read the Koran in its original form. There were also some lovely handwoven materials for sale there at astonishingly low prices. This area is a “must see.”

It was then time to return to Saigon, this time accompanied by real thunderstorms, which are kind of fun as long as you’re in a nice car and don’t have to drive.

I think that the trip to Can Tho could be missed without much loss, but the Chau Doc river market and the Mekong River itself are worthy attractions.

Back in Saigon, lunch was at the excellent Pho Thai Son, located just blocks from the New World Hotel on Le Lai Street.

Hoi An
Our flight from Saigon to Da Nang was uneventful, though this route had not always been so peaceful. During the war, the area near the northern end of South Vietnam was nicknamed Rocket Alley.

After a quick but exhausting climb to the top of Marble Mountain, we drove on to Hoi An. This is a must-see city, and I would recommend a 3-day stay at least.

All the shops in the center of town are housed in buildings that are 300-plus years old, and they offer custom-made clothing that is cheap, excellent and quickly made. Do your homework beforehand and bring pictures or ads showing what you want made. They’ll measure you, and a day later the suit/dress/outfit of your dreams will be ready, at pennies on the dollar. Yaly Couture (27 Tran Quy Cap St.; ask for Ms. Anh) is quite good.

We stayed at the Riverside Resort, and our room, as always, was excellent. Situated right beside the river, it was quiet and quite rustic. The hotel is a bit far from the city, so we rode on the backs of motorbikes to and from the city ($1 each way).

Hoi An’s famed Japanese Bridge is worth a look — and a snapshot. Lacquerware here is inexpensive and well made.

Hanoi
After an overnight in Hue and a quick flight to Hanoi (with some trepidation by this veteran), we were taken to the Hanoi Hilton. Despite the association of that name with the prison where U.S. POWs were kept during the war, this hotel was fantastic!

Our room, on the nonsmoking Club Floor thanks to Exotissimo’s influence, was modern and offered a fast connection to the Net. What really amazed me was the attitude of all the staff. They treated us as if we were visiting royalty, and all requests were quickly and effectively fulfilled with a smile. Except for a stay at a very posh (and very expensive) hotel in Japan, the Okura, I have never encountered such excellent service. Hat’s off to the Hilton!

Must-see sights, besides the somewhat kitschy water puppets, are Hanoi’s central lake and the big Dong Xuan Market. And do take a ride on a cyclo.

Excellent and, as always, inexpensive restaurants (under $10 for two) include the Little Hanoi Café and the Café Paris. Walking through old Hanoi is a lot of fun and seemed safe to us.

Sapa
The next three days were spent in the north, on Vietnam’s border with China. As we were once again staying at a Victoria Hotel, this one in Sapa, we were entitled to take the Victoria car on the overnight train. One can get either 2-to-a-room or 4-to-a-room accommodations, but they fill up quickly so book early. The rooms are great, but the train runs on old tracks, causing it to sway and filling the night air with screeches of aging metal wheels against the tracks.

The Victoria Hotel was, like its brethren in the south, quite nice. It is run by Monsieur Bernard, who is both friendly and competent. He also promised me that the major drawback for me, no Internet access, would be fixed with WiFi access in the weeks following my visit.

Sapa has wonderful shops with handicrafts sold by engaging — and absolutely fluent in English — Hmong ladies. Do buy from them; it is safe and provides them with a meager but adequate livelihood.

We also went (not intentionally) trekking several times. It was not my cup of tea, but the European tourists we encountered seemed extremely happy.

A store I would recommend is the Indigo Store, with branches in the Victoria Hotel and in the town of Sapa itself; it’s run by a Japanese gentleman, Takeshi Yoshizawa, and has lovely blue-dyed goods.

The real reason to be in Sapa is to go to nearby Bac Ha on Sunday. Many different Hmong tribespeople, each with a different-colored costume, gather there to buy and sell products and meet each other. The photo ops are unlimited, so bring a lot of film or digital memory chips and batteries.

Coming to a close
It was soon time to return home, this time on a business-class flight on Cathay Pacific from Hanoi to Hong Kong and back to Los Angeles.

The tour, with all in-country transportation, guides, drivers, hotels (with excellent rooms) and breakfasts, cost only $3,800, which we happily paid.

If there was any negative point, it was the guides’ English-language abilities — most could not handle more than simple declarative sentences — but some Japanese tourists I spoke with, who used another tour agency, had the same to say about their guides’ language capabilities. I guess it will take time to get a sophisticated touring infrastructure built in Vietnam, but by that time it will also be more expensive, so go now!

Exotissimo did a superb job, and we will definitely use their services again for any travel in Southeast Asia.