Dispatch from Donna: Contradictory Vietnam

This is travel writer Donna Hull's seventh installment of "Dispatch from Donna," a weekly update during her 52-day voyage aboard Regent's Seven Seas Mariner.

As Mariner sails south along Asia’s coast, Alan and I have glimpsed orderly Japan and booming China. On our seventh week of sailing, we meet contradictory Vietnam. But it takes stamina against the heat and humidity, as well as long bus rides, to explore a country that tourism hasn’t changed much... yet.

When Mariner docks at Hong Gai, the port for Hanoi, an 11-hour excursion to Vietnam’s capital city requires a three-hour bus ride each way. But the reward is the opportunity to gaze out the bus window at farmers in coolie hats bending down to tend their rice by hand, observe small shop owners sitting on their haunches in the villages and cities that we pass, or cringe at the motorbikes and buses that overtake us on the seemingly laneless road. All the while, our guide discusses his version of life, history, and politics in Vietnam.

Negotiating heavy traffic on poor roads, the bus reaches Hanoi where streets are crowded with motorbikes, while the sidewalks are lined with people selling, sitting, socializing, and smoking. Masses of electrical lines drape from pole to pole. No high rises compete with buildings that still reflect the influence of Vietnam’s French colonial days.


Our tour includes visits to Hanoi’s cultural highlights: Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts, and the one pillar pagoda. Open-mindedness is necessary as we listen to a guide who is obviously proud of his communist country. Later, we walk through the Temple of Literature where graduates’ names were etched in stone rather than on a diploma. A stop in the Old Quarter provides not nearly enough time to explore the busy market area.

It’s a dark ride on the way back to the Mariner. The bus bumps along roads that need improving. In the villages, residents gather on street corners or sit in cafes. The houses we pass are dark except for the glow of TVs.

The next day, Regent treats all passengers to an outing in Descending Dragon Bay (Halong Bay). The pleasant junk ride around the limestone pillars and islets of the bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, feels like a reward for surviving yesterday’s Hanoi excursion. Although the mist and clouds give the experience a surreal feel, they hamper photographers looking for that quintessential shot of the rocks highlighted against a bright blue sky.

At our next port of call, Chan May, passengers experience Vietnam’s ancient history with visits to Hue, Da Nang, and Hoi An. Those interested in rest and relaxation choose China Beach.

At Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Mariner docks overnight, giving us two days to explore. Although it’s not that far from the port to the heart of Saigon, traffic determines how long it takes to get there. Why? You guessed it, millions of motorbikes, around four million to be exact, one for every two Saigon residents.

On our first day in Ho Chi Minh City, Alan and I choose the “Highlights of Saigon” excursion. We learn that the entire area is called Ho Chi Minh City while the city center is still referred to as Saigon. The approximately five-hour journey takes us to the Reunification Palace where we visit a war history museum located in the basement. At the History Museum, we walk through rudimentary displays before viewing a water puppet show. But the highlight of the trip is the pedicab ride to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. Traffic whizzes around us. When we turn left at a traffic light, I close my eyes at the line of oncoming motorbikes.

After stopping at a lacquer ware factory (in Asia no tour is complete without an attempt to sell you something), our guide leads us on a walk through Cho Lon Market. This time we’re here to observe rather than purchase. The Chinese marketplace is filled with stalls selling anything and everything. Shop owners sit on the floor or rest under merchandise attempting to escape from the oppressive heat.

The next morning, we take the Mekong Delta tour thinking it will be a respite from busy Ho Chi Minh City. After driving through a surprisingly upscale section of South Saigon, where a Porsche dealership competes with the BMW one next door, we reach the city’s outskirts.

Are those tombstones in the rice fields? “Yes,” says our guide, “the families want to be near their ancestors.”

From here, the road is a never-ending procession of cafes, coffee shops with hammocks, and street vendors selling bread and duck. Since it’s a Saturday, the road is crowded with city dwellers traveling on overloaded motorbikes to visit their relatives in the Mekong Delta.

At My Tho, we board a sampan for a cruise on the Mekong River. A visit to Unicorn Island introduces us to coconut candy, snake wine, and pythons. After a walk through a fruit orchard, we rest under a shaded pavilion to sample fruit while local musicians entertain us. Next, the sampan transports us to another area on the river where we board longboats for a ride through narrow canals. Mangroves shelter us from sunlight and the rain of a passing thunderstorm. Then it’s a walk through the jungle to a local resort restaurant where we’re served elephant fish and other Vietnamese delicacies.


Returning to the Mariner, Alan and I sit on our balcony as the ship sails from Ho Chi Minh City, weaving through the Mekong Delta in the afternoon sun. As day turns to night, we reflect on what we’ve seen and wonder about our next port, Thailand.

—Donna Hull for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photos courtesy of Donna and Alan Hull.

Follow Donna on Twitter, visit her blog, and return here next week for the next "Dispatch from Donna" as she travels for 52 days aboard Regent's Seven Seas Mariner from Vancouver to Singapore.