Category: Travel

Our main reason for visiting Sihanoukville was to get to Koh Rong Somloem, where we had booked a beach bungalow for Christmas. Our journey from Phnom Penh started terribly, as we had misunderstood that 07:30 on our bus ticket actually meant 06:30. On this occasion, it really was important to read the small print. Anyway, only a few hours behind schedule, we arrived in Sihanoukville. Once there, we settled into holiday mode. We swam in the pool, ran in the evening sun, spent a day at the beach and acquired a penchant for mango (Fionnuala) and banana (Graham) shakes. Our accommodation was only five minutes from Serendipity Beach, which was an excellent location.

On the day we left Sihanoukville for Koh Rong Samloem, we collected our laundry, checked that our Cambodian SIM cards worked and made sure we had enough cash for a week without card payments or ATMs. We boarded the afternoon Speed Ferry Cambodia, and an hour later we reached our destination. Our accommodation on the island was at EcoSea Bungalows. The bungalow itself was basic, but the view of the sea and the nearby island of Koh Koun was stunning.

Our time on Koh Rong Samloem was spent swimming in the sea, sleeping on the beach , lying in the hammocks on our veranda and reading the pile of books we had gathered for our Christmas getaway. The restaurant at EcoSea was good, and we ate there several times. When we wanted a change, we walked fifteen minutes along the beach to M’Pay Bay, a village including a mix of Cambodian and Western bars and restaurants. Our favourite restaurant was called Queen Touch, which seemed to be run by a 14 year old Cambodian boy who spoke excellent English, entertained customers and even took part in local fire shows. On Christmas Eve, EcoSea held a Christmas barbecue. The food was really good, and the ‘free flow’ sangria wasn’t bad either.

After seven nights on Koh Rong Samloem, it was time to leave. On the morning of our departure, the waves were the biggest we had seen them and the ferry was running late. We waited on the wooden pier for the ferry to arrive, wondering how we we going to get onboard if it rocked like the nearby dive boats. The ferry crew threw ropes around the large post at the end of the pier, but the post gave way and the ferry drifted away. By this point, several people had alighted the ferry without their luggage, one rucksack had been removed from the boat without its owner, and Alin, EcoSea’s manager, was standing in the doorway of the ferry looking back at the pier he had stood on a minute earlier. We just stood and watched.

The remaining ferry passengers, luggage and Alin were dropped off in M’Pay Bay, from where they could walk back to EcoSea. We had to wait around for the afternoon ferry back to Sihanoukville, but there are worse places to be stranded. Back in Sihanoukville, we had a day and a half to reacquaint ourselves with WiFi, roads and hot showers before we set off for New Year in Siem Reap.

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I was worried as we arrived in Phnom Penh, as Duc our tour guide on the Mekong had told us not to bother staying even one night. But I figured that we should have an open mind and see what the place has to offer.
I think Duc was right. You don’t need to stay a night. The things worth seeing, you can see in half a day and then hop on a bus out of there. I felt uneasy walking about, which I haven’t felt anywhere else in Asia. There is a high possibility of having something nicked and the seedy bars with old men eyeing up younger girls left me with a nauseated feeling. We have rarely written negatively about a city on this blog, but I feel this one is warranted.

Luckily, our hotel was beautiful, with friendly staff who helped us out when we had a problem with our bus when we left. The problem being that I didn’t read the pick up time properly 😀 We visited the Wat Phnom on the first day, a Buddhist temple which is the tallest religious structure in Phnom Penh.

We were both keen to learn more about the history of Cambodia and our tuk tuk driver from the hotel took us on a half day trip to the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre (the Killing Fields) and Tuol Sleng Museum (S-21 prison). The tours of both include a very comprehensive audio guide which have a very good description of the Khmer Rouge regime led by Pol Pot from 1975-1979. He killed, tortured and starved those he considered a threat, including teachers, academics, doctors, scientists and anyone with a connection to the previous government. It is estimated that up to 3 million people died, through either mass killings or starvation. The mass graves at this particular Killing Fields include women and children and in rainy season, more and more bones and clothes appear through the ground. There are over 20,000 mass graves throughout Cambodia.

 

The S-21 museum was even more shocking than the Killing Fields, which I didn’t believe possible. It had been a school prior to the regime and was transformed into a prison where they viciously tortured those they believed to be a threat to the regime. Walking through the rooms with the photographs of victims is a horrifying reminder that this didn’t happen all that long ago.

 

Pol Pot denied responsibility for the mass genocide up until his death and it was only in 2001 that a trial began to hold Khmer Rouge leaders responsible for their acts, a slow process that has only led to life sentences for 3 Khmer Rouge leaders. I know it’s not the cheeriest of blog posts, apologies!

Christmas was nearly upon us, so we found a cinema showing ‘Its A Wonderful Life’ to bring on the Christmas cheer. We were heading to Sihanoukville and Koh Rong Samloem for Christmas, so we said goodbye to Phnom Penh, perhaps with a sigh of relief!
-F xx

We didn’t want to fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, so looked into the possibility of travelling along the Mekong by boat. We found a three day tour of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, which ended with a four hour boat journey from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh.

We boarded the tour bus early in the morning, and started our journey down the national highway, while our guide, Duc, explained the plan for the rest of the day. After one stop to use the “happy room”, which seems to be the preferred term for toilet in Vietnam, we stopped suddenly by the Mekong and were led to a boat. The boat trip took us to An Khanh, where we sampled fresh fruits and honey tea. As we ate and drank, a traditional Vietnamese folk band played. They were great, and even finished with a rendition of Auld Lang Syne. Our next stop was for lunch, in an orchard garden on Tortoise Islet. The food was good and the lunch break gave us a chance to get to know some of the other people on the tour.

Our third stop of the day was at a family-run coconut business. They made loads of products from coconut, and we had the opportunity to see how they made ‘coconut candy’. It looked so good that we bought a (large) packet. It was amazing to hear how every single part of a coconut is used in some way; nothing is wasted. A few hours on the bus followed, and we spent the night in Can Tho. There wasn’t a great deal to see there, but the colourful riverside lights and oversized statue of Ho Chi Minh were worth a visit.

After a 6am breakfast, the second day of the tour began in torrential rain. We waded down the flooded streets to the riverside and boarded a boat that took us along the tributaries of the Lower Mekong. Our destination was Cai Rang floating market, where around one hundred boats sold fresh fruit & vegetables to local traders and hot tea & coffee to spectating tourists. After the market, the boat journeyed to a small dock, where we drank extremely strong Vietnamese coffee and watched vermicelli being made. Next up we all rented bikes and cycled to a bamboo ‘monkey’ bridge, which we took turns in crossing. Fortunately, nobody fell in! The rain had stopped by this point, and cycling on the muddy paths was fun.

Once back at Can Tho, we got on the bus for the 120km journey to Chau Doc. At this point, we said goodbye to some of our tour group, as they were on a two day tour ending in Ho Chi Minh City. Nearing Chau Doc, we stopped at an impressive Pagoda, outside of which were three large Buddha statues. As we departed, rain began to fall again. We saw a lot of rain in Vietnam, and none was heavier than this. Upon arrival at the entrance to Tra Su Cajuput forrest, we voted on whether the planned visit to the wild bird sanctuary would go ahead. I’m so pleased it did, as it was the highlight of the whole tour. A motorboat took us through a river of water lilies, before we swapped to a hand-rowed boat which navigated small canals amongst the mangrove forest. Along the way we were lucky enough to see several storks. As the motorboat took us back to the bus, the rain stopped and the sun reappeared. Typical!

That evening, Duc took everyone on the tour to a local restaurant. Wanting an authentic experience, we let Duc order. Like all Vietnamese food we’ve tried, it was excellent. With another early morning ahead of us, after dinner, we went straight to bed.

We sleepwalked our way to a small boat at Chau Doc to start day three. The boat took us to a fish farm, where Duc showed us how the fish are fed. He also explained that families build homes on the river if they can’t afford land in the cities, and also that a fish farm only lasts several years, after which the family running it has to move. The boat then continued to a Cham minority village, where we quickly browsed scarves and other souvenirs made there. Some people spent longer looking around the village as their tour ended back in Ho Chi Minh City, but we had to leave to catch a boat to Phnom Penh. We climbed from one boat to the other in the middle of the Mekong, and were on our way to Cambodia.

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We took an overnight train from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City, which is actually called Saigon by locals and travellers alike! We booked our train a few days ahead, but as it was a weekend, all of the 4 berth compartments were booked. Instead we booked two beds in the 6 berth ‘hard sleepers’. The soft sleepers didn’t seem that soft in the first place, so we figured it wouldn’t be too much worse than that. The journey didn’t start too well, as I was shoved onto the train by the conductor, we headed to our compartment. Trying not to disturb the two ladies asleep in the bottom bunks, we attempted to get into the middle bunks we booked. Harder than it looks if you’re over 3 feet tall! Once we had our sheets, we somehow slid into the bunks. You can’t sit up and if you try, you head butt the bunk above you in the middle of the night 🙂 It was a bumpy, uncomfortable, noisy 17 hour journey but with some stunning scenery and a lively trolley lady who really wanted to sell me a morning coffee/rocket fuel! I couldn’t say no 🙂

Our Saigon hotel was right in the middle of back packer heaven. The street is lined with bars, restaurants, travel agents and massage parlours. Rather than asking me if I wanted a massage to ease my weary muscles, they only seemed to be interested in asking Graham…hmmmm! This was the first sight of the slightly seedy south east Asia I had heard about.

The highlight of Saigon was definitely the War Remnants Museum. It has had several names since opening first in 1975 under the name ‘Exhibition House for US and Puppet Regime Crime’. It’s a disturbing and graphic three floors that describe historical ‘truths’ and show the impact that both the B52 bombings and Agent Orange had on the Vietnamese people. According to the exhibition labelled ‘War Crimes’, approximately 3 .1 million Vietnamese died, 2 million of those were civilians. Over 300,000 are still considered missing. We left feeling drained, sad and angry, but also happy for a country that is now full of smiling, happy and resilient people recovering from their brutal past.

Amongst the madness of the traffic and street stalls, we found the Jade Palace, which was a welcome shelter from the torrential rain. It was quiet and peaceful and the air was thick with incense. We jumped from the old world of the palace to the new cosmopolitan world of the Vincom Plaza shopping centre, with Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Marks and Spencer’s! In preparation for the beaches to come, Graham doubled his shorts collection from one to two!

Saigon/ Ho Chi Minh/ HCMC, whatever you want to call it, it’s crazy. Next stop is the Mekong Delta for 3 days, provided the whole thing hasn’t flooded!
-F xx

After a sunny Friday morning in Hoi An, we were driven to Danang. It’s a short journey, so it wasn’t long until we arrived at our hotel. Taking advantage of the good weather, we started walking to the beach. Having not eaten since breakfast, we stopped at the first restaurant that looked like it was serving food. Choosing what to eat was easy as they only served one dish, which was cold noodles and veg with what I think was pork.

On our way to the beach we crossed over the Dragon Bridge. The bridge is used by motorists and pedestrians, and crosses the River Han. Along the middle of the bridge is a yellow dragon, with a large head at one end and a tail at the other. Later, when we walked back across the Dragon Bridge, the lights on the body of the Dragon were switched on, followed soon after by the multi-coloured lights of the other bridges and buildings around the city. The beach itself is really nice and stretches for miles. We walked along the sand for about an hour, before sitting down to look out to sea.

On Saturday morning, we went on a cycling trip run by a company called Path Bikers. We cycled around villages in the area, visiting a herb farm that was 400 years old, observing boat builders who were building a tourist boat, and stopping to take photos of water buffalo, cows, water palms and coconut trees. After a really enjoyable ride, we asked the guide’s recommendation for lunch in Danang. He didn’t just offer a suggestion, but took us to a restaurant and ordered for us. We had pork skewers (nem lui) and rice pancakes (banh xeo), served with peanut (and pig liver – thanks for the info, Fionnuala!) sauce. The food was amazing, and we would never have found the restaurant by ourselves.

After lunch, we walked out of the centre of town and headed north to cross the Thuan Phuoc Bridge. It is the longest suspension bridge in Vietnam (Wikipedia) and provided us with excellent views of Danang and the river. After a walk around the modern Vincom shopping mall, and dinner at a Thai restaurant, we made our way to the train station for our overnight train to Ho Chi Minh City.

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The weather in Vietnam hasn’t been to kind to us lately. Although it’s coming into the dry season, we’ve had some really heavy rain. Our accommodation in Hoi An was on Cam Lam island, a quieter area away from the old town, but the heavy rain had flooded some of the roads. As our minibus wouldn’t drive onto Cam Lam island we plodded through the puddles to our accommodation. I’ve never seen my feet dirtier! Homestays are popular in the area and we stayed with the lovely Ni at Coconut Garden. We had a beautiful room with a balcony looking out over the coconut trees and water palms and Ni had two bikes for us to use so that we could get into the old town without getting our feet wet! 

The old town is a beautiful area next to the river with coffee shops, restaurants and more tailors than you could ever need! Hoi An is known for its fantastic food, great tailoring and beautiful silk products. The market has some food stalls, with each one having a particular specialty. We tried Cau Lau (noodles and pork) and Banh xeo (rice pancakes) and they were so good, we headed back the next day to the same stall for more! The laid back pace of the old town and multiple stops for Vietnamese coffee were just what we needed after a few busy months of travelling! We had a ticket that allows you access to some heritage sights in the town and it included a traditional folk show which was great, apart from the multiple go pros on sticks that obscured our view. I wonder how many people will actually ever watch back the footage they record!

We certainly got great use out of the bikes we had and cycled to An Bang beach to check out the coast. It’s a very popular area in the summer time with a beach that stretches up the coast to Danang. It was a windy, cloudy day and the sea didn’t look that inviting! Just as we set of from the beach to cycle to the nearby coconut groves, the heavens opened. We were completely drenched within a matter of minutes and headed back to our lovely accommodation for a warm drink to make us feel better 🙂 That evening, as the weather dried up, we headed to a bar by the river and had a cocktail, looking out at the candle lanterns floating on the river and hanging lanterns in the streets. A quick stop to a doughnut stall before we cycled home was a must! 

On our last day in Hoi An, the sun came out and Ni was keen for us to see the old town in the sunshine. We hopped on our bikes and had a lovely morning passing through the bustling streets with the fair weather vendors. We couldn’t leave Hoi An without some coffee, so we picked up some lovely ‘Weasel No.1’ coffee from An Phu roastery and a neat little filter too. 

With the sun shining, we were sad to leave Hoi An and Ni’s relaxing homestay, but we were off to Danang to see what was on offer there!

-F xx

There are a few ways to get from Hué to Hoi An, including coach, private car and minibus. We decided to take the minibus as it stops at various places of interest along the way. We were collected from our hotel at 08:30, and were happy to be on the bus, rather than out in the pouring rain. After about an hour, the rain had stopped, and our first stop was at a place with great views of a lagoon. After a few photographs, we were on our way again.

The Hải Vân Pass “traverses a spur of the larger Annamite Range that juts into the South China Sea” (Wikipedia). On our way up, we stopped to take photographs of Lang Co Beach, which several people have told us is the most beautiful beach in Vietnam. On the way to the top of the pass, the guide told us stories of the ghosts of people who have died in accidents while travelling on the pass, and that local people are reluctant to drive there at night due to them. I have no idea whether or not that’s true.

The views from the top of Hải Vân Pass were excellent, and we were lucky that it wasn’t foggy, as it apparently often is. In addition to the scenery, a Vietnamese couple were having wedding photos taken, and they were just about finished when the rain started again. There was also a group of cyclists making their way up to the top, which is definitely something we would like to do in the future.

The next stop was the Marble Mountains near Danang. The guide pointed everyone on the bus towards the stairs and lift used to reach the top of Thuy Son (Water Mountain), which is the highest of the five mountains. As his pointing skills weren’t great, most of us ended up in a place called Am Phu or Hell Cave. The cave has two flights of stairs; one ascending to heaven an the other descending to hell. Not knowing what was in store when we ventured inside, it was quite a creepy place to find ourselves!

Having exited Hell Cave, we took the steps up to the top of Thuy Son. There are several pagodas and statues on the way up, and spectacular views from the top. We made our way back to the minibus and were driven to Hoi An.

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The scenery during the first hour of our journey included crazy evening traffic, close-ups of the interiors of shops and houses, plus a dog riding on the back of a motorbike. Taking the train already felt like a much better idea than travelling by bus or plane! Saturday night’s 20:10 from Hanoi to Hué felt much like being on a Russian train, except Vietnamese music played, the staff smiled and the carriages weren’t heated to an insufferable temperature.

After a very bumpy journey, which included an excellent beef noodle breakfast and less sleep than I had hoped for, our pre-booked driver met us at Hué train station and drove us to our hotel, where jasmine tea and fresh fruit awaited. After checking in and showering, we set off for a walk in the rain. We walked to the Perfume River, and crossed the bridge to Dong Ba Market. Outside, the market consisted mainly of food stalls, which I assume, based on the enormous quantities, supply local restaurants with meat and vegetables. Inside, there was a mix of spices, coffee, clothing and footwear. After a wander around the parks by the river and a look at the outside of the Imperial Citadel, we ate near the hotel, then headed back to Skype our families.

Monday started with breakfast in the hotel, before we joined the Hué City Tour (www.huecitytour.com). Had the weather not been so awful, we probably would have walked and cycled to several of the sites on the itinerary. Had we done that, we would have missed out on a very good tour.

The tour started with trips to the tomb of Emperor Minh Mang’s tomb and Emperor Khai Dinh’s tomb. Both sites were fascinating , and the tour guide provided excellent explanations of the life of each emperor. Next up was a trip to a Kung Fu show, which was impressive, yet a little disturbing. A trip to a village where the local people made conical hats and incense sticks didn’t add much to the tour, but at least I now know how an incense stick is made. Our final stop before lunch was at Emperor Tu Duc’s tomb. Of all of the sites we visited, I found this one the most impressive. Emperor Tu Duc spent quite some time living at the site before his death, meaning that the site had to be large enough to house his family, servants and concubines.

After lunch at the Hué City Tours building, we were taken to the Imperial Citadel. From the outside, it looks extremely impressive. Sadly, many of the buildings inside were destroyed during the French and American Wars. The buildings that remain are wonderful, and work is ongoing to rebuild the Citadel, but it’s hard to believe that the magnificence of this walled fortress will ever be restored. After the Citadel, we visited Thien Mu Pagoda, the oldest pagoda in Hué. It’s a very nice structure, but after seeing so much in one day, I don’t think anyone on the tour was paying it their full attention. A short boat ride along the Perfume River, back into town, was a pleasant end to an excellent day.

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So I’ll have to come clean. I didn’t know where Ha Long Bay was until I watched the Top Gear Vietnam special, but when I did, I really wanted to visit! So we booked a three day trip to Ha Long with Fantasea Tours through our hostel in Hanoi. We fancied a bit of kayaking so we booked 2 nights on a junk boat that allowed us a few hours of kayaking and some swimming. The bay is known for the thousands of limestone islands emerging from the sea, and became a World Heritage site in 1994. Local legend says that a family of dragons were sent by the gods to help protect against invaders and they stayed in the bay because they liked it so much. 



The bay is full of big junk boats ready to take tourists through the emerald waters and our boat luckily headed slightly further north, away from all the others. We stopped at Hang Dau Go, a huge three chambered cave with fantastic stalactites and colourful lighting that gets you seeing all sorts of things in the rock formations as you go. I definitely saw a lion, an elephant and a dragon that almost looked like they had been carved into the rock. We headed back to the boat for lunch, which seemed to be never ending, more plates of food just kept appearing! Fuelled, we hopped in some pretty old, battered, kayaks who’s paddles had definitely seen better days! As we kayaked, I was surprised to see a pretty rowdy family of small monkeys on the cliff face just jumping from rock to vine to foliage. It was amazing to see how fearlessly they moved, but I would like to know if they can swim or if they just stay on the one rock all the time. Dinner was another huge feast and after a little star gazing on the top deck, it was time to sleep. 

The next morning after, yes you guessed it, a massive breakfast, we visited Titop island which has a climb to the top for some spectacular views of the bay. We then hopped on a different boat to the rest of the group, as they were staying on Cat Ba island that night. We joined some other folks from different tours who had opted for some kayaking and swimming too. The boat sailed slowly further north in Ha Long and as we lay in the sun, we meandered through the tall rocks, each as amazing as the last. It was a really nice group, with a German couple, an American couple and a father and son from Ireland who were wearing green Irish t-shirts and no sun cream! Our guide headed off in the lead kayak once we anchored the boat and kayaked to a cave and a secluded beach where we left the kayaks and had a swim around. Then after a couple of hours kayaking, we headed back to the boat for lunch and a sunbathe. 

Our next stop was a pearl farm where we learned about the cultured pearls that are grown there. I always find it so fascinating to see how the oysters are carefully treated and cared for to create this beautiful product. We had a demo which included checking an oyster that had been implanted 18 months before and as the guide cut open the oyster, a little grey pearl popped out. It was what they consider ‘imperfect’ as it wasn’t completely round and would most likely be ground down into powder to be used in cosmetics. But, the girl from New York on the tour (who’s middle name is Pearl) wanted to buy it. The ladies working in the shop couldn’t understand that she wanted a pearl that wasn’t good enough to be made into jewellery, but she finally convinced them to sell it to her. She was so chuffed and we left the baffled shop assistants shaking their heads at the ‘crazy tourists’! 

We loved our trip to Ha Long and we’re so lucky to have beautiful sunshine, as it is the end of rainy season in Vietnam and there had been a big storm the week before, with all the tours cancelled! A few hours on the bus brought us back to Hanoi and we headed out for a walk around the lake before going to the station for our overnight train to Hué. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the manic lanes of cars and mopeds had been replaced by a pedestrianised area where a group called Love Hanoi had set up games for kids and adults. There were skipping ropes and chalk and a tug of war that Graham totally won 😆. It was nice to see people just relaxing and spending time with family. Maybe we should start having kids games in Ireland and the UK a bit more! 

Then it was off to the train station for our overnight ‘soft’ sleeper journey to Hué! 

-F xx

Unlike many of our journeys, Monday’s flight from Hong Kong didn’t require us to get up in the middle of the night. The bus left from just outside our hotel, and our flight was at lunchtime. After only two hours on the plane, we arrived in Hanoi, and were met at the airport by our pre-booked taxi. The taxi ride gave us a glimpse of what to expect in Hanoi, as hundreds of mopeds and motorbikes weaved across lanes, sounding their horns while making their way through the traffic.

After checking in at our old quarter hotel, we ate at a restaurant just a few minutes away. We knew that Vietnam is cheap for Western tourists, but the meal we ate for such a small price was beyond our expectations. Having consumed more vegetables than we had in the previous two months, we walked to Hoan Kiem Lake and admired the Thap Rua or turtle tower in its centre. Because we were passing, we took the opportunity to attend the Lotus Water Puppet Show at the Viet Culture Space. The puppets were excellent, but the live Vietnamese folk music was my favourite part of the performance. We drank coffee at a cafe overlooking the lake before wandering back into the old quarter’s maze of streets. Having avoided collision with thousands of mopeds, which seem to become crazier at night, we discovered a street where every shop was selling Christmas decorations. If ever you need several thousand Santa costumes, this is the place to come!

After breakfast at the hotel on Tuesday morning, we walked to the Vietnamese National History Museum, which includes exhibits describing Vietnam’s history from prehistoric times up to the revolution of August 1945. As the museum closes for lunch between 12 and 2pm, we ate at a nearby restaurant and enjoyed a glass of bia hoi – a Vietnamese beer, brewed daily and served at roadside bars and restaurants. Once the museum had reopened, we visited its second building, which focuses on the Vietnamese revolution and history up to the present day. The museum didn’t provide much explanation about its exhibits, but has prompted us to learn more about Vietnamese history. We stopped at a cafe on our way back to the hostel and sampled some Vietnamese coffee; the combination of strong coffee and the sweetness of the condensed milk was most welcome after several hours of museum browsing.

On Tuesday evening, we wanted to photograph Long Bien Bridge, which connects the districts of Hoan Kiem and Long Bien. The bridge is famous due to being heavily bombed during the American War, and is a symbol of Hanoi. Sadly, we couldn’t get a great view of the bridge from where we walked, but we could see the lights of the trains and many mopeds crossing it. After the bridge, we walked to Bookworm, a book shop selling new and used English language books. We ate dinner on a busy street, where pedestrians and mopeds shuffle slowly between menu-waving waiters and restaurant tables. Once back at the hotel, we watched Last Days in Vietnam, a film providing a very American view of the final days of the American War.

Our final day in Hanoi was dedicated to visiting the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex. Unfortunately, the mausoleum itself is currently closed for maintenance. I’ve read previously that this means Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed body has been sent to Russia to undergo annual preservation treatment. From the outside, the mausoleum has a very Soviet look about it. Having looked through the gates of the bright yellow Presidential Palace, we walked through the nearby botanical gardens on our way to the Ho Chi Minh Museum. The exhibition on the first floor provided great insight into the life of ‘Uncle Ho’, but the second floor was more like a bizarre art gallery.

After dinner, we visited ‘Christmas Street’ once again, before returning to the hotel to pack for Thursday’s trip to Halong Bay. The next morning, on the bus out of a Hanoi, we had a great view of Long Bien Bridge as we travelled across the parallel Chuong Duong Bridge.

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