VIETNAM/CAMBODIA - 2025(12 & 13 May'25)
Monday 12 May'26 - Hoi An
Today was a day of leisure so after breakfast it was off to one of the many tailors the city offers. Bao Diep, which was recommended by Mr Vu and they can produce quality clothing very quickly. I ended up getting 2 short sleeve shirts made from bamboo fabric for bugger all, in reality. Walked in the door just after they opened at 0800 and was told to come back at 1500 for the 1st fitting.
On the way there, I passed an American sentry bunker left over from the Vietnam war or as they call it, the American war.
After that, a little walk around the Old Town before heading back to the hotel for a massage, a swim and then a lay down. Lunch and a refreshing mocktail helped “feed the worms” at lunch, then another relax, before heading back to the tailors. Shirts fitted perfectly 1st go so then a walk back to the hotel, then more R&R before heading down to the bar at 1700 for happy hour.
It was my intention then to head off into town for a visit to the night markets and dinner. On arriving in the bar, I discovered a number of fellow travellers were of the same mind, so we headed down to the river, where I had a traditional claypot meal of caramelised pork belly, herbs and rice.
The river is filled with brightly coloured lanterned boats, very pretty. After that, a walk through the markets, but as you can see, busy at first but quickly dispersed.
Another fantastic, most enjoyable day. I can not recommend Hoi An highly enough as a place to visit and the river that runs through the town only makes the place more enchanting, especially at nighht with all the lanterns lit!
Tuesday 13 May'26 - Hoi An/Hue
Off we headed to Hue (pronounced Way). This took us back through Da Nang, and then along the coast. You may recall I said that they called the war, the American War, well the water that borders the east coast of the country is the Pacific Ocean according to the Vietnamese, not the South China Sea. The beach photographed was known as China Beach during the war. In the background is Monkey Mountain, named by the GI’s due to the high number of them found there. It has stuck and is now the official name. We had a short photo op of the Golden Dragon Bridge, which has a fireworks/lighting/water fountain show every Saturday night.
We then headed into the Hai Van Pass, better known as the “Ocean Cloudy Mountain” pass but photo ops were very few. Reminded me lot of the Clyde Mountain on descent. Now on the major tourist roads, the signs have both Vietnamese and English on them. As we commenced the climb there was large roadside sign where the English translation was “Cloudy Street” and like the Clyde, there are safety ramps on the descent but apparently, they are “Safety Land”! Coming into Lap An, which is on the edge of the 2nd largest lagoon (#6) in the country. There are 2 roads that go there from Danang. The one we travelled on as well as a toll 6km tunnel… All along the highway there were literally 1000’s of rice paddies. We arrived in Hue and had another spectacular meal. At this point I must say that our meals, which are almost 90% of the package, are fantastic.
We then headed for the Citadel. Up until 1803, Vietnam had been various fiefdom’s and empires (China & Khmer), but the Nyugen Dynasty leader at the time , Gia Long, who was from the Hue area, managed to persuade all the various clans to become one entity. He became the 1st Emperor and of course others followed, as is the norm. Hue was the capital of the Empire, and the Citadel was the Palace… Interestingly, despite the French invading in 1858, there was always an Emperor in place up until 1945, but they were merely a “puppet” of the French. At that point in history, the communists gained traction in the north of the country, started to fight the French so Emperor Bao Diah, fled to France, dying in 1996 in exile. The French ran away, eventually the Yanks came to “save the south” with their allies (us amongst them) and the rest, as they say, is history. As I said earlier, the
Citadel was the centre of the Empire. Over 16,000 people were within the outside walls that cover 10km’s in total and are 21m thick, surrounded by a moat. Within that wall there was a 2nd wall, with a moat, and within that a 3rd wall that housed the emperor’s 4 palaces. Unfortunately, as Hue was only 50 k’s from the demilitarised zone during the American war, the site suffered severe bombing from both sides and a lot of the buildings, including 3 of the palaces, were destroyed whilst 1 was severely damaged but the Vietnamese government is now committed to restoration work as national treasures and the 4th palace was completed in mid 2024. They are starting on the 3rd palace now.
Onto our accommodation, with a beautiful view from the rooftop bar and another exceptional meal, although I challenge you to find the typo in the menu 😊…
