South of the DMZ
I’ve passed down the coast of Vietnam from Hanoi, exploring Hue and Hoi An, and now have cut inland to Dalat. This central area of Nam is different from the north in more ways than you might think, from the local personalities, to its culture and landscapes.
60km south of Hue is the Ben Hai river which was the demarcation point between North and South in the Vietnam war. Obviously this area infamous in war history and so I took a guided tour to the old Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). In my eyes this tour was a bomb, the worst example of the herded tourism that seems to be prefered by the Vietnamese tourism industry. I hate been told where to go, when, and for how long, and sitting for the most part in the bus. A little light in the day was, ironically, in the darkness of the Vinh Moc tunnels where hundreds of Vietnamese villagers retreated to and suvived through during the war.
Hue has an interesting feel itself. Divided by the Perfume river, the north west bank is dominated by a huge moated Citidel dating from the early 19th century. One of the best trips I’ve done so far was a guided motorbike tour of the city’s periphery. The joy was as much in the journey. We zipped through back roads and farmland to Thanh Toan bridge, a japanese covered footbridge that impressed on me the feeling that time doesn’t exist here, or that the bridge always has, or something. We continued on to the majestic Tomb complex of Tu Duc from the Nguyen Dynasty in the 19th Century and then to the Tang Quang Pagoda. A novice monk here climbed a tree in the garden and bought us down some starfruit.
I’ve been travelling with and around some cool people of late, so a shout out must go to Vereana, Anna, Chris, Eric, Ivan, Rich and Debbie and everyone else I’ve missed and hung with. Hoi An is a smaller town that is only just waking up to tourism and is as beautiful as it is accessible – in the main town it’s a short walk to just about anywhere. Its pretty cheap too, depending. I splashed out and for US$4 each I shared a double room in a mini hotel with HOT water, satalite TV, and, wait for it – a pool.
My second day here was a favourite. We woke up at 4:30am to be picked up and driven to the Cham ruins at My Son for a sunrise tour. I’d hoped to experience (and photograph) the ruins with a sunset backdrop but this opportunity was missed with our guide’s dallying. Still the air was crisp here and we were the only small group there at the time. The ruins date back to about 7th Century and were in remarkably good condition when rediscovered by the French early last century. Sadly however bombs break things. In the period of the Vietnam war America heavily bombed these sites leaving them now largely to the imagination to reconstruct from what’s left. (I was fortunate in my later travels down the country to find a better preserved Cham building that dated from around 13th C).
That same day a small crew of us hired some bicycles (with brakes that kind of worked) and peddled out of town to the beach. It was my first taste of salt and sand for a few months and we really made the most of it, playing Ta kraw on the beach and shenanagans in the water.
The markets in Hoi An are bustling and traditional boasting some goodies I didn’t recognise. I bought a Vietnamese style hat. I might start a revolution. I got some clothes tailored with India in mind. A few pairs of linen pants, some shorts, a shirt and a couple of bandanas all for US$40. I feel a rucksack rethink coming on.
Of course the nightlife here is good too. The bars close a bit early, but then there’s Karaoke rooms to hire out from someones house, and after that take a motorbike taxi out to the Full Moon bar which I suspect is an illegal bar operation. Again, shenanagans.
My latest bus ride was my second longest to date. I get a bit antsy after 19 hours on the bus. Rather than stopping at the more resort town of Nga Trang I continued on and moved inland to the highlands of Dalat. There isnt much English spoken up here but it’s a beautiful cool retreat. Dalat has its very own Eiffel tower, flashing lights like a do-it-yourself Vegas, and ABBA blasting from the cinema building in the evenings. It also has a nice lake. Four of us took a motorbike tour around town today with Easyriders, a group of english speaking guides of some fame (they’re mentioned in the LP). They don’t have an office or Easyrider T-shirts, but Dalat is their base and if you want to ride with them you let them find you. Coffee plantations, pagoda’s, crop fields waterfalls and tonnes of local knowledge made it a great day without timetables.
Debbie, David (Swiss) and I were impressed enough to organise these guys to take us on a four day tour through the ‘real south’ of Vietnam. We’re leaving tomorrow morning early and will be moving through the jungles of Cat Tien National park and down to the Mekong Delta. In other news, I’ve just changed my plane ticket so I’m not leaving for Mumbai now till 7th December.
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