GOOD MORNING VIET NAM
- 14 hours ago
- 7 min read
We left Singapore after an extended stay of a couple of days. I enjoyed the opportunity to leisurely unpack from my visit back to the states. After our departure we had 4 nice Sea Days for me to get used to the boat again. I love lying on my Lounger on my balcony and watching the horizon. Sleeping on a rocking boat is the very best. And since we are conserving fuel we were moving along at 7 knots. Barely even felt the wave action, if there was any at all.
What are sea days good for? Yes, it was time for our monthly Wine Tribe event. Each month two of our "members" will volunteer to Host the event. This month, Richard & John were hosting but had to make a quick trip back to the States so they asked me to substitute. They ordered the Cheese Board and provided me with 15 Wine Trivia Questions & Answers. We had about 20 attendees so it was a nice crowd. I even had a bottle of wine to award the Game winner.
Our first port was Nha Trang, located in south-central Viet Nam. It is renowned for its beautiful beaches, crystal-clear waters, and relaxed atmosphere. All that was true. As a young girl growing up in the 60's, I only knew Viet Nam from the pictures I saw on TV. Oh my, hoe different it is today. Nicole and I took a ride on a Hop-on-Hop Off bus. Guide was less than informative and the bus was open-air. But first we stopped at hotel with an outdoor restaurant and had a cocktail and a Taste of Viet Nam. The Spring Rolls were different than Chinese Spring Rolls and I really liked them. The cocktail was a Midori, vodka and juices. Yummy. The tour was an hour and we saw some of downtown Nha Trang. I did find the tree shaping fascinating. It was a big 4 lane boulevard right on the beach. And the trees were trimmed in different shapes. Odyssey was anchored out in the bay so we got into the docks via our Tender boats again. The marina had some gorgeous boats.
Yes, I saw jungles and thought of all the solders trying to fight a battle clawing the way through them. But now I saw high rise buildings, lovely restaurants, rickshaws and tuck-tucs, and lots of red flags. In the US we proudly fly our American and State flags a lot. But in Viet Nam, I saw the Red Viet Nam flag with a yellow star in the middle and right beside that flag would be another red flag with the Hammer & Sickle in the center - the flag of the Chinese Communist Party. When several of us were on a tour with a guide, I asked her what was the primary religion in Viet Nam. She hesitated for a moment and then finally said "we have Protestants, Catholics, Buddists, Taouist, Atheists, and No Religion". She then explained that if you EVER want to work for the Viet Nam government, you must have always said that you have No Religion. She said that she and her family were Catholics but it would be very difficult for her to marry someone who was a "No Religion" person. It would be difficult for both of them in the working world.. She also said that she was 36 years old and that was old for a Viet Nam woman.
Two more sea days as we headed north along the coastline to Chan May. This area is again just beautiful with gorgeous mountains and tiny two lane roads winding thru them. It is the Gateway to Da Nang about a two hour drive away. I had no idea what to expect in Da Nang but the history around the area was amazing. Three of us went by air conditioned car with a driver to Da Nang and the Ancient City for two days. The first day we were with the driver alone. We had outlined with the company the things we wanted to see and that we didn't expect to spend much time at some places. So our first stop was at Lap An Lagoon. FYI, it is situated between the Hai Van and Bach Ma mountain ranges. The Lagoon is famous for its Oyster Farms (picture #1) and if it hadn't been 10:30 in the morning we might have enjoyed some. If the tide is just right you can almost walk completely across the lagoon - supposedly looking like you are walking on water.
Zipping right along, we started our long drive through the Hai Van Pass to Ba Na Hills., through Da Nang and on to the Cable Car up to the Golden Bridge. We soon learned that our driver must have been a race car driver early in his career. He was really good and fast. We discovered that one honk on his horn meant "I'm right behind you". Two honks meant "I'm coming around and you better get outta my way". And he wasn't kidding. This code worked on cars/trucks, motorcycles/scooters, and tuck-tucs. The mountains were gorgeous but really twisty. Occasionally there would be a "rest stop" with bathrooms, food, fruit, and other stuff. But we never stopped. We finally got to the outskirts of Da Nang and could see where they were carving new housing areas (I guess) out of the ocean and mountain. It was hazy and not particularly pretty from up on the mountain but we kept on going. By now we were on a mission. No time for lunch.
We were headed to the really Fun part of our day. First we had to buy our WOW tickets which allowed us to avoid the lines and get to have fun faster. The WOW tickets cost us less than $5.00 and I got a Senior ticket so it was even cheaper. We were now on the Cable Car going straight up the side of the mountain. There were actually 3 different Cable Car tracks leading to different parts of SunWorld Ba Na Hills. We were heading to the Golden Bridge.
After we reached the top we are ready for our Journey through Fairy Kingdom. Sound like Disney Land? Yep, you got it. But first the Golden Bridge which is held up by two huge stupid looking cement hands with lots of mold. But believe me, this Bridge is all our Crew talked about wanting to go see. Most have heard about it all their life but never seen it. I always bring wall magnets to my steward, Sami. He said that was all he wanted from VN. He was thrilled.
Now you too have seen it. Are you impressed? I'm sure you are. The write-up about it says:
Supported by hands reaching out from the cliff face, like ancient vestiges of the giant gods who created Ba Na. The magnificent and magical beauty of the Golden Bridge has been honored with the title "World's Leading Iconic Bridge".
From the Bridge we rode another Cable Car over to the Sun Kingdom. Second picture is a hand holding a beer can carved in the wall. #4 picture is Lady Budda - never got close enough to really see the statue. The last picture reminded me of the Crazy Horse carving in South Dakota. How do they do that? It was really pretty.
Walked around and I enjoyed a beer while Nicole and Chris rode the Alpine Express Roller Coaster all around the park. I was happy and so were they.
We left the park and headed to the car and to our hotel in the Ancient City. Our hotel was called a HomeStay. It was small and right in the heart of the nightlife and restaurants. Our hostess gave me the room on the 2nd floor since I was the senior and Nicole and Chris had to walk up another flight to their rooms. We dropped off our bags and headed out to check the area. People everywhere, music playing and tons of food stalls and good restaurants. Since we hadn't had lunch (thank goodness we all ate breakfast before we left the boat) we were looking for a nice outdoor restaurant on the river where we could people watch. Found one with an upstairs balcony and it was terrific. Couldn't tell you what I ate but it was all good. As soon as it started getting dark, the lanterns came out and the river became a hotbed of activity. Just like in Venice, I would guess. We bought 3 floating candles and stood in line to get on our gondola. It was a beautiful night. We lit our candles, made our wishes, and placed them in the river. What a great night.
The next morning we were up early and drove back thru Da Nang to pick up our guide who was going to teach us about the history of Viet Nam and its ancient leaders. We first visited the Tomb of Khai Dinh who was the 12th Emperor of Viet Nam (Reigned from 1916 - 1925). Construction of the tomb began in 1920 and was completed 11 years later. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. There must have been a thousand steps
We then travelled to see the Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang, the 2nd Emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty of Viet Nam ((1791-1841). He fathered over 140 children and ruled for 21 years before dying at age 49. He was a very busy man. It was a very peaceful and serene environment. He promoted Confucianism and traditional values through a strict moral code. It was interesting that on one side of the huge area there were homes for his wives and their children. Directly across from the wives area were the homes for his concubines and their children. All were allowed to live on the site of the Emperor until their death.
One last stop was at the Imperial Citadel. We were hot and tired so we kinda zipped thru it but it was beautiful.
I don't remember our drivers name but I loved his Budda on his dashboard, protecting us all.
We left Chan May and sailed overnight and hurried on to Ha Long to get into our safe dockage before Typhoon Narra hit. Well, the winds have been nothing but from the time we arrived here on August 21, it has rained, and I mean rained hard every single day. The streets are flooded and the charter boat people are cancelling boat rides. We leave here tomorrow, August 26 heading to Hong Kong. I haven't been off the ship in 6 days. and we have 3 sea days ahead of us.
Hong Kong is going to be interesting. We have been notified (by Chinese Government) that for about 12 hours we will be in an area where the ship cannot run radar and we cannot take any pictures. We also will not have access to any personal Starlink connections and neither will the ship for the duration of our stay in Hong Kong waters (3-4 days). Interesting. And so the adventure continues.
So well written & fascinating as always Diane!