Hanoi- Capital of North Vietnam

Hanoi is a city with its own spirit. Like New York City, it doesn't need tourism to survive and the people make that known. For tourists looking for warm, fuzzy feelings about a foreign city, Hanoi does not provide. 

On the other hand, it feels a little more genuine when you have to earn a smile. On many occasions we ordered food from a stern face but after we were blown away by their cooking even the toughest old lady couldn't help but crack a smile.

Rice crepe dumpling making station - favorite meal in Hanoi!

Finished rice crepe dumplings with minced pork, mushrooms, topped with fresh cilantro and fried crispy garlic!

Homemade Chinese style sausage and "cinnamon pork"

Hanoi street food is incredible, including a different take on the classic pho (beef noodle soup)and many dishes we hadn't seen before.

From here, we headed north on a train.

Hue, Vietnam - The American War

9/12/14-

We arrived in Hue and did the usual price haggling game with the swarming taxi and moto drivers, although our improved understanding of Vietnamese negotiation has made this process much easier. Rule one is: you must be willing to walk away.

 We found a great hotel (The Than Thien Friendly Hotel) for a good price and decided to venture out in the heat to see the old palace from the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). 

The palace is located in a citadel with a mote (mosquito farm) around it and several perimeter walls before you reach the Forbidden Purple City (great name!) where only the king, his concubines, servants, and eunuchs were allowed.

 We decided that King Nguyen must not have cared much for shade because there were no trees and it was HOT! Lauren almost died of heat stroke. We became very sweaty and chose to walk back to our lovely air conditioned room and we didn't regret it.

We met a older moto driver named Duk (sounds like dyook) who fought for the South Vietnamese Army in the early 1970s and was quite open to talking about his life.

We decided to take him up on his offer to show us the countryside, his home, and some sights off the beaten track.

Before the American war he was a teacher. When the fighting started, all South Vietnamese teachers, engineers, academics, etc were enlisted in the military. He said he went willingly however, because of his anti-communist sentiments.

Duk showed us this massive graveyard that seemed to stretch forever on both sides of the road. He told us around 6,000 Vietnamese were massacred here during the war by the north but now the government claims it was carried out by the Americans. 

He fought for several years for the south, alongside Americans who he spoke fondly of. When the north finally took over the country and the Americans left, he and all of his comrades were taken to prison to serve sentences equal to the number of years they served in the military. 

For him, it was three years of prison and work camp. The Americans later accepted refugees but only if they had been in prison for 5 years or more so he was denied refugee status. 

An American bunker grown over with vines in a small village outside Hue.

He said he would like to leave Vietnam but he had been previously denied a passport by the Vietnamese government who continues to restrict him because of his past fighting for the south. He said they will only allow him to go to Laos, but it would be much more difficult for him there economically so he remains in Hue.

He said there's a saying in Vietnam that goes something like "they shoot at you if you try to leave but when you come back rich they welcome you with open arms."

Antique Hoi An, Vietnam

9/11/14- 

We arrived in Hoi An early in the morning and were quite happy to be in such a beautiful, well-maintained city. Hoi An is, by far, the cleanest, most pleasant town either of us have seen in SE Asia, and a UNESCO World Heritage sight, although we immediately noticed some "big brother" elements to it. 

One of the first things we noticed was loudspeakers installed on the powerline poles in the city center. From sometime in the early morning to late at night the speakers played soothing piano music or occasionally soothing Vietnamese music akin to something you might hear playing in nordstrom's, but every hour or so a woman's voice came on, explaining in English and then French that you are not to ride motorbikes down alleys or on sidewalks and Hoi An is a smoke-free city and a few other things that were too fuzzy to make out. 

The other thing we noticed was the excessive cuteness that was present on even the small street-vendor signs. It reminded me of a themed town like Leavenworth or Winthrop except this was like Vietnam doing a Disney version of itself. These were nice reminders of the communist thread that runs through this country, despite what free-market capitalism impressions you might get from Saigon. 

To its credit, Hoi An is home to some truly beautiful preserved architecture from the 16th and 17th centuries, which families still live in and open their homes to tourists. We visited one whose owner's family had owned the house for over 300 years. The interior was gorgeous black-stained teak with elaborate carvings in every pillar and beam and was in remarkably good condition.

We rented bikes and rode out to the beach, where we found brilliant turquoise water and rows of shady palm trees and only one or two souvenir vendors, who we didn't even find very irritating. 

Got in a nice swim and a decent sunburn and rode back to town. On the way we figured out where The Flintstones are currently residing- we found their bench press and dumbbells.

Crazy House, Dalat Vietnam

Dalat, Vietnam!

We LOVE Dalat. 

It's kind of like if France and Vietnam had a baby and it was a town. 

At one point, about 20% of Dalat residents were French and the town retains a very European feel with many old colonial buildings.

We arrived late in the afternoon on September 5th and snagged this beautiful room at Phong Luu Guesthouse on Phan Boi Chau street for $15. It was the first time we had the foresight to book a room before arriving in a new city with no idea where to go. I think we are learning! 

Nighttime view from our lovely balcony...

Because we are so high in the mountains it's significantly cooler here and far less humid than Saigon. We had to shop for sweaters, scarves, and long pants. 

For lunch we found this amazing soup restaurant down the road from our hotel where we had a wonderful pho with a very flavorful, dark, anise and celery-filled broth and a delicious bowl of Bun Bo Hue, or "Hue-style soup" which is Lauren's new favorite. 

Then we rented a moto and poked around the Cremaillere Railway Station, a beautiful old art deco building in use from 1924 to 1964 when it was closed due to VietCong attacks. 

It's no longer connected to the main Vietnamese railway lines anymore but they do a 30 minute trip to a neighboring town twice per day in a very old train. We will try it tomorrow morning!

We got stuck in a rainstorm today so we pulled the moto over at a little restaurant and indulged in some remnants of French colonialism- bread, cheese, and wine! 

Also, Chris still doesn't know where the camera lens is on an iPhone.

There are beautiful gardens everywhere, VERY clean streets, people take care of their pets... 

it's heavenly.

We stopped into "Way to the Moon" Coffee House at 57 Phan Boi Chau Street and were pleasantly surprised by it's quirky, artsy ambience. 

The coffee house is a real treasure in a region where it seems like artistic self-expression is rarely witnessed in public. 

"...visitors feel as if they are in another world, a system of mystic caves with small winding paths, lianas, secular trees, rocks, and gates, all are made with concrete and cement but are harmoniously designed to create the single impression of a natural cave in the jungle." -- Xuan Quang, Saigon Times

The owner and architect, Lu Truc Phuong was wandering around while we were having coffee and introduced himself to us. 

SO COOL!!