Asia Part 4: Hanoi, Vietnam

A typical series of events

We arrived in customs to meet Eddie, who was supposed to already be through security. He needed Vietnamese Dong (the currency) to purchase a Visa for entry, but didn’t come to the country with any. No problem, so he thought. Apparently, years ago when he opened a bank account, he was given the opportunity to enter a 6 digit pin, which no one else had heard of. This was problematic as he forgot his pin and thus couldn’t get through security, so he waited for 4 hours until we arrived and spotted him the cash. To be fair, Michelle was the only one fully prepared as she had printed her visa ahead of time. We were all listed on hers, so thankfully they let us through. In addition to the cash, they took our picture as proof. The funny thing is the security guard only took a picture on his mobile camera, so we were not sure how that connected to the system, if it even did. Maybe he just wanted photos of all the different tourists.

We eventually got a taxi and arrived at our Air B n B at 3:45 AM. Low and behold, we were locked out as there was a communal entry that was shut by other inhabitants. We walked a few blocks and found a hotel wherein the concierge allowed us to waited in the lobby till 5:30 am, at which point we were able to enter our stay, finally falling asleep at 6.

Hopping Around Hanoi

I naturally woke up at 8 and of course started off with a run, but this time had a destination to go meet Rose, the amazing travel agent. She set me up with a full plan for the week in great detail, including all the transportation. I have no idea how all the different businesses and tour companies were connected — seems more complex then our domestic shipping routes and networks.

After that I returned to the stay and together we toured around Hanoi. We started off with a morning Bon Mi — the quintessential Vietnamese street sandwich. We continued on to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum — which of course for us, was closed, but pretty cool to walk around the perimeter. You can only get so close because there are a ton of very serious looking guards protecting the great coffin.

We then went to temple of literature where Confucius studied and spent some time exploring all the different statues, areas of study, etc.

After this we tried to find the imperial citadel, but ended somehow at WWII museum — it’s crazy the amount and conditions of American war vehicles they had on display, some as if they were fresh off the line.

We eventually got to the citadel which was kind of a let down, so we called it a day for touring and went to find food. On the way we stumbled upon train street where I got hustled into buying doughnuts, a common tourist mistake. It was pretty good and I think the little old lady liked me, or she just wanted to make the sale, a common tourist mistake.

We had a recommendation for a beef and noodle salad place, which was 80% of what they sold. The menu had that, another entree, and 2 appetizers. The first one was so popular the guy on the was making them in advance before people came in the restaurant and it was delicious!

After that we went back to Rose’s to pay our tour fees, obviously I was not unhappy with this. We contemplated relaxing and resting during the evening back at the AirBnB, but quickly found ourselves in a pre-game, and before I knew it I was back in my prime college days. I had a killer outfit, well equipped with dancing shoes, the music was bumping, and the fake glasses were on. Shelly, the real Shelly that is, got all done up and looked really cute, have to give her a shout out.

The boys also had a little fun with our authentic rice hats.

We went towards train street, I think, where the roads were closed and there hundreds of thousands of people at restaurants and bars watching the big national soccer game. Even though I’m an avid soccer fan, I had no idea a single player on the pitch, but we still got super engaged and celebrated with the locals.

One by one Michelle and Eddie called it a night, until there were 2, the dream team, T and B. We kept drinking and eating, bar hopping and getting tapas, just ordering whatever looked good in the pictures. We plopped down at a table with a few travelers that B pointed out. He tried to scoot up to a Dutch woman who he fell in love with, instantly of course… I was just there for moral support.

Eventually, the love and lust faded, along with our energy. Midnight was approaching and we had an early morning ahead of us; we had to get up and packed by 730 and on our way back to Rose’s to get picked up for our tour. So we decided to head back and grabbed some scooter drivers to take us home. I love being on a scooter, and it was so riveting and the wind felt so good, I woke up and came back to. I was talking to my driver Kim the whole ride and by the time we got to our stay, he said “I’ll take care of your friend don’t worry.”

My boy Kim and I went bar hopping to all of his local favorites for the next few hours. We watched more soccer and he introduced me to locals. I was sitting at a bar and tried to make small talk with the girl next to me. She giggled and started rapidly typing on her phone. I was slightly offended, until she slid her phone to me and showed me google translate. This went back and forth a few times, until Kim returned from his phone call and I said “this one’s on you chief.” They hit it off and he got her number; job well done on my part I’d say.

While Kim was getting his flirt on I was just relaxing and watching another big game on tv. I couldn’t figure out why there was domestic soccer on the tele at 2 am, but I didn’t complain. Right behind me a fight broke out between two giants, but the lover that I am jumped in the middle and broke it up before it really got heated. One of the fighters was in a group that mostly consisted of teachers from the UK, who all were a bunch of bright and funny lads. They invited me to have a drink with them now that the commotion calmed down, and it was there I spent most of the night. We hopped back on the bike and Kim eventually dropped me at my place around 4 am, and as we were nearing the stay on the ride back all I could think was: “please be open.” The gate was locked, and in the moment of grief, until I remembered we hid a key, and low and behold there it was. I got in the room, just in time to run my laundry before morning and continue for the day.

Going on now 2 nights with a collective 5 hours of sleep, I was pretty exhausted, so I decided to skip the run that morning; I think I learned my lesson (again) about not staying out all hours of the night ahead of an early morning obligation. It is a shame that most of the time those are the only opportunities to do so, so you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes.

I packed and was late but made it on time for my bus to Ha Long Bay. I really trusted the girls I met on the van ride from Palawan in the last article, and after 4 hours of getting to know each other, I figured they wouldn’t steer me wrong, so I let them make me a personal itinerary for my time in Vietnam that is what Rose finalized. I was ready for some alone time, so this was a personal trip I would embark on the next few days.

More of UNESCO

I woke up and went Rose’s around 740 am and got picked up by Toan the tour guide to take me to Ha Long Bay. The entire day was spent on the boat and caught some really good sites, coupled with perfect weather. I bought a rice farmer hat literally on the way to the boat, which blew away into the bay before I got my first real photo with it.

I went down into the boat where shortly after take off we had a nice family style lunch. This was my first time away from the group, so fortunately I was with some of the only other English speakers on the trip. We had fresh fish, seafood spring rolls which were amazing, and a few other things.

We went kayaking at one point which was fun but difficult. The kayaks were pretty large and were meant for 2 people, so I got a pretty good workout out of it.

After that we went to Dong Thien Cung. It was truly breathtaking. As soon as you enter you’re welcomed by glistening rocks and an enormous cavern. There were so many unique natural sculptures and shapes in the rock that resembled real world concepts. This for me was the highlight of Ha Long Bay and I recommend this part for sure.

My Motorcycle Diaries and My first Real Backpacker Experience

Eventually we began our return trip back to the dock, where we would take the bus back to Hanoi and eventually end up at Rose Travel Agency. I grabbed myself a quick Bon Mi and waited for 1.5 hours before I was picked up by a van to go to Ha Giang, pronounced Ha Zahng.

I got on the van, which I was told would be a sleeper bus, so I was confused and just went with it. I fell asleep and woke up when we stopped 40 minutes later in a parking lot next to the real sleeper bus. From the pictures and the descriptions I was very excited, and when I got on the bus I was honestly not surprised by what I saw. There were 3 lanes of beds spanning 2 levels and a few against the back wall where I was quickly ushered to by the rude bus attendant. I grabbed a blanket and assumed my small cove next to a bunch of Israelis, one of whom lived in the same area as my uncle, small world! I got to catch up on some sleep which was much needed. To be honest, this was among the cleanest public places I had been in. You have to remove your shoes before entering and clean off your feet.

Fast forward, we eventually arrived in Ha Giang. I showed the organizer where I was going and he said no problem. I checked on a map and we went from 3 to 2 to 1 mile away where I was let off. I tried to explain to the guy it couldn’t be right and on the map it was so far away, but he was persistent, so I got off and prayed for the best. I walked up to a dark closed entrance, after calling a few times along the way, and sighed. I gave the door a push and it was left open thankfully, so I walked on in. There was no one at the desk, and rightfully so, because it was now 430 am, and the 3 successful night of me being up this late, so I just crashed on the couch in the lobby. I woke up to the receptionist at 730 inquiring who I was, and rightfully so. I explained to her and she said no problem, in the end granting me a free place to have stayed and at the point I was just grateful.

A few minutes later I was greeted by tour guide. Naturally, I thought it’d be Tin, who is the man I’d been in contact with for the last few days, provided to me by the girls from the van. This man was named Dinh, so close enough i thought, but it was actually pronounced Zing. I was start to catch on to the whole Z thing given this and Ha Giang. We both had but a small backpack and I was so proud at myself for being able to pack so little. We took some pictures, got everything locked up in the saddle, and mounted our trusted steed for the next few days.

We started off slow so we could chat along the way and went some distance before stopping at his favorite coconut juice spot, and rightfully so. He promised me from the start he would take me to all his best and favorite staples in each location, and there I had my first coconut on my trip, which did not disappoint.

Some 30 kilometers out of the city the amazing views began to reveal themselves and I already knew I made the right decision. It’s hard to put into words all that I saw. There were limestone mountain ranges covered in luscious green foliage for miles into the seeable distance. There were so many species of plants and trees making each and every viewpoint unique. One of the most amazing things I witnessed was the rice and corn terraces. I’ll start with the rice because it’s much easier to understand and fathom.

Rice needs to grow on a flat land, as do most plants. The problem is the land given or owned by the people who grow the rice; most typically many of the rice farms that we passed throughout our entire journey were carved out of mountains. This is how rice terraces came to be. From afar, they look like green steps built for a giant.

Next is the corn. I went to school in Indiana where there is more corn than people, and thought I escaped that until this trip. I probably passed enough corn in my trip to feed all of New Jersey. But corn growing is very different in Ha Giang. Given that the region is so mountainous and it’s challenging to find or own flatlands, the corn is literally grown up into the mountains, or down mountains on the side of road. I couldn’t fathom how the people could get up or down there, let alone grow harvest. This truly was amazing. Every so often there was a motorbike on the side of the road of people doing their thing, seemingly miles from civilization. There were many very young children, no more than a few years old also working, which was extremely eye-opening.

Food Stops along the way

• we got FRESH and cold coconut water, which was super refreshing (previously mentioned)
• we stopped at Dinh’s sister’s restaurant for A TON OF FOOD, it was honestly amazing
• We got Pho for breakfast, and man does Dinh slurp soup super fast
• We went back to Dinh’s sister’s for more great food

Our first night was coming to a near and we were approaching Dong Van where we stay at a hostel. We had 20 kilometers remaining until it got cloudy, and it first started to drizzle, then it started to downpour…

We now had 17 km to go, and it was basically hailing; there were constant thuds crashing down on my helmet and I honestly thought I was going to get a cut in my arm. The other frightening factor was that we were still on the mountain… going downhill… around the bends… with minimal visibility due to mist; so yeah, it was super sketchy but Dinh as always said, “Don’t worry I got you bro!”

And he did — we got Dong Van city center and had to go through the flooded streets painted orange from the mountain rock, we were like a boat on land.

Home Stayin’

We arrived at our homestay, which didn’t have power, and we were starving. It came back on shortly after, so we were good to stay. Originally, it was just me and Dinh, then a few natives from Ho Chi Minh City, then a backpacker couple. We started having some beers and chatting as the homestayers started preparing our meal, enough for the 7 or so of us. It wasn’t long before a backpacker gang of 10 showed up, and the party just got that much bigger.

Happy Water

We ate dinner, but couldn’t begin without a few shots of “Happy Water,” which was what Dinh called homemade corn wine put into water bottles. It doesn’t taste great, but it’s certainly was not terrible. He’d been talking about it all day and was so excited. I definitely wasn’t as enthusiastic about drinking after such a long day, but I couldn’t say no, and glad I didn’t.

There were some 20 backpackers and 15 locals or people working at the homestay and we drank all night. Then we did Karoke, then drank, then danced during karoke, then drank, then did more combinations of the above. It was a fantastic evening and I met a ton of cool of people:

• there was Mario the German
• Andreas from there Netherlands
• Patricia from Spain
• And of course Dinh the Eagle!

We eventually went to bed to prepare for the next morning.

Day 2 of the trip started off foggy, and we missed quite a few views. Despite this, Dinh wanted to make it up to me, and took me on a small sidewalk on the edge of a mountain, barely big enough for 2 people to walk side by side. He still managed to maintain a good pace and I was scared the entire time, but as always, a quick “don’t worry, I got you bro” from the eagle calmed my nerves.

The fog cleared and we got some amazing views. If you remember back to the first article, I had been carrying around the bandana that B gave me, finally decided to sport it, looking like a real biker.

This was my favorite part of the trip so far and I recommend it to anyone who can make it to Vietnam to explore this region. All the people were so nice and the views as I mentioned were unforgettable. Here is a website I quickly made for Dinh’s if you’re interested in reaching out to him: https://vangmidinhqbhg.wixsite.com/hagiangtourswithdinh

Dinh and I said good bye back where I started with him, and I thought he was going to cry. I didn’t fully understand everything he said, but I know it was genuine from the bottom of his heart. He insisted on buying me a beer so of course I joined him. Once finished, we went our separate ways and I started my wait for a few hours for the shuttle to return to Hanoi. A bunch of Israelis came to the hostel also looking to get on the shuttle. We hung out and chatted for a while and some of them also lived near my cousin so that was pretty cool once again.

Eventually the shuttle arrived, and I was ushered all the way to the back of bus once again, Deja Vu, with my new friend Marc de España. Marc was an interesting dude, an English teacher living in Vietnam hanging around for his new found love. He said I looked like one of his best friends, so he took a selfie of us and sent it to him.

It was 430 am, and the passenger lights inside the the bus shined bright, waking everyone up. We got off the bus to be bombarded by taxis. We were instructed, the same way we arrived, that a shuttle would be there for to take us to city center… but it didn’t, and we were a few kilometers away, and it was 430 am.

We fought with the bus organizer who was ignoring us and just smoking his giant tobacco bong and Marc got up in his face and was pissed off. He called the company and got a message saying “the shuttle was there when you arrived at 3 am, but you slept till 430, so you missed the shuttle.” This was simply not possible, because we were all still on the bus and not a single person had left, so the likelihood of 80 people asleep for 1.5 hours upon brights and people moving around is negligible. We gave up fighting and took motor bikes back, where I arrived back at Rose’s travel agency at around 530 am. I was let in by someone sleeping in the office, who was there to collect my pay, but I said “I know Rose and I need to sleep, I’ll do it in the morning.” He showed me to room where for the first time I had a large queen bed… and was alone! It was the perfect time for a naked starfish and a good night’s rest.

I awoke a few hours later and went for a jog around the famous Hoag Kiem Lake Park. I took a few detours to catch some Pokémon, and obviously it was worth it — all those regional exclusives, am I right??? A few hours later E and I met up for lunch and coconuts and shared stories of the last few days’ happenings. We then reconvened with the group and made our way to the airport to go to the backpacker capital of the world: Thailand!

What I learned

• How to make the most of unexpected unfortunate events
• How to connect with locals
• How to make a lasting friendship on a long journey
• How to motorbike through a river

What I liked

• The people were so nice and always wanted to have fun
• The food
• All the Unesco sites
• The views in Ha Giang

What I would do next time

• Ride my own motorbike
• Vist Ho Chi Minh
• Visit the worlds largest underground cave / ecosystem