Asia - Venture Magazine Issue #2 Pages 20-21
Vietnam Calling
World traveller Ben Fahy compares two roads through Vietnam: the backpacking trip and the organised expedition...
Go past the glazed ornamental dogs in their cabinets. Take the first left after the unpredictable swarms of honking motorbikes manoeuvring between cart-pulling vendors and overloaded lorries. Turn right after the conical-hat-wearing rice farmers, the women in traditional silk gowns, the Ho Chi Minh-sandalled workers and the office drones in cheap tailored suits.
Then head through the barrage of overly aggressive, paradoxically communist capitalists insisting you purchase their regional handicrafts, their socialist star-emblazoned paraphernalia, their spring rolls or cyclo rides... Keep on going, past the beach resorts and the ancient forts, the napalm memories and tour-of-duty dreams, and you might just find a country called Vietnam – one that has rapidly become one of the most popular rides in the travellers’ theme park of southeast Asia.
The methods of transport used by tourists are almost as varied as the experiences Vietnam offers. I was able to see the country in two very different ways, firstly as a budget-fixated backpacker participating in as few actual tourist activities as possible. And secondly by embarking on the more formal, organised, educational and, thankfully, more guided, 15-day Vietnam Discovered tour run by Kumuka.
So how do the two experiences compare?
For the traveller,
- Vietnam is… the dog-eating, motorbike-driving, communist haven of Hanoi – the capital and last resting place of North Vietnam’s hero, “Uncle” Ho Chi Minh, who has been lying perfectly preserved and astonishingly revered since his death in 1969; and it’s the awe-inspiring natural beauty of more than 3000 islands in Halong Bay.
- Vietnam is... the old spiritual capital of Hue, with its stone armies, fortified citadel, picturesque oriental serenity and delicious snakes; and it’s the quaint village of Hoi An, with its Franco-Chinese ambience, lantern-encrusted streets, culinary delights and almost unending supply of cheap tailors waiting to measure you up.
- Vietnam is…the beautiful beach resort
of Nha Trang, where glorious seafood, late-night traveller
debauchery and motorbike-driving prostitutes who just want
to be friends (yeah, right), are more than a match for any
of Thailand’s offerings.
- Vietnam is... Saigon, officially Ho Chi Minh City and unofficially “the city of thieves” – home to seven million people and more motorbikes than anywhere else in the world (4.5 million with just 135,000 helmets), the best karaoke bars fronting brothels, and the finest bargains, scams and aggressive free enterprise ethos in all the land.
And finally,
- Vietnam is... the colourful, farming and food-trading hub of the Mekong delta, with its bizarre fruits and vegetables, filthy canals, floating markets and feisty water buffalo.
If you have a good tour leader and local guides – and Kumuka employs some of the best in the business – then one of the most effective ways to experience Vietnam in the shortest time is with a guided tour. The country is cheap – four-dollars-a-room, one-dollar-a-beer-cheap – so once you’ve shelled out for the tour, your spending money goes a long way. Going solo means less expense overall, but it also means much more frustration and disorganised travelling chaos – or, to coin a phrase, the “Hanoiing Hanoiances” of the typical Vietnamese sojourn.
And herein lies the beauty of Kumuka. Everything you need – at every airport, train station, tourist excursion and hotel (most hotels are 3- or 4-star and include breakfast buffets) – is taken care of. It’s an adventure without threats in a country that’s had its teeth filed, its claws cut and its hair combed for your arrival.
Being shepherded from place to place in the sheltered haven of a minibus is unquestionably more restful than the open buses where backpackers usually end up, with their knees around their necks for a twelve-hour stretch. Combine this comfort with a Vietnamese guide who fends off overzealous hagglers and heaps well-versed 'Nam facts on the group – but also takes you to drink a live cobra’s heart from a shotglass – and the rawness of the Vietnam experience is softened, without being expurgated.
Sly locals don’t have the same opportunities to scam you: mototaxis can’t pretend to take you to the market and then drop you at the brothel; you don’t end up in a fetid, bug-infested bed (how cool! – not). Instead, with cameras around necks, sandals on feet, and guidebooks at the ready, Vietnam is laid out enticingly on a well-trodden, unproblematic platter.
Bypassing the irritations does make guided tours superior – for some. For others, it’s the irritations themselves – dealing with them, overcoming them – that becomes the archetypal Vietnamese travel experience. The quirky Vietnamese culture and all the surprises that “make you many good memory”, are experienced more easily away from the partially shielded reality of a guided tour.
Yet, in the frequent allotments of free time on any tour there are plenty of opportunities to be harassed by scam artists, meet drunk Scandinavians, eat amazing cuisine at local markets, get punished at the dangerous hands of a small Vietnamese masseuse and watch suit-wearing monkeys riding motorbikes around rinks.
Of all the southeast Asian countries, Vietnam’s somewhat aggressive attitude towards tourists makes it perhaps the most challenging, but these eccentricities separate it most distinctively from its neighbours. And it’s the flaws and charm mixed together that will see me return.
Homestay vs Hotel
When it comes to accommodation in Vietnam, hotels are not the only option: Sarah Griffin sampled an alternative in the Mekong delta.
There’s no denying the joys of a hotel pool bar or freshly turned sheets and room service. But there’s also a lot to be said for experiencing Vietnam from a local perspective. I spent a night in a homestay when travelling in the Mekong delta, and the opportunity to meet local people was a unique and memorable experience. Sure, you need to be prepared to make a few sacrifices: hot water is a luxury which has to be boiled up and provided in pots; local roosters give you a wake-up call at 3am; and electricity is temperamental. However, sitting out on the deck with the family, surrounded by the sounds of river life, offered me a real insight into Vietnam which I don’t think I’d have got any other way. And your money is going straight into the local community.
The vast Mekong delta is unlike anywhere else in the country, with sweeping panoramas of rice paddies and orchards laced together by a maze of streams and tributaries. Our hosts were the Huong family, who have built a small bamboo stilt house over the water for guests. Rooms are basic – a bed, mosquito net and fan – but the gardens are spectacular. The tropical luxuriance includes orange trees, guavas, longan, and rambutan trees.
Here, we sat listening to tales of Mekong life while Mr Huong’s daughters prepared a seafood feast for us, accompanied by potent banana wine. A sound night’s sleep followed, and I was woken by the chug of boats heading for the morning markets. After a breakfast of fresh fruit and baguettes, we bid the Huong family farewell, exchanging addresses and embraces – an unforgettable night on a very special trip.
There is nothing more precious than independence and freedom.” The words of the revered former Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh still ring true for the Vietnamese today, and, while they may be hard to put into practice when running a country, they aptly sum up Kumuka’s approach to travel. One of the foremost tour operators in Vietnam, Kumuka has created an exciting range of carefully researched trips exploring every corner of this extraordinary country.
Our maximum group size of 16 offers a good combination of flexibility and the opportunity to meet others. Most tours include some hill-walking, enabling us to visit parts of the country that were almost inaccessible until late into the twentieth century, and giving us access to some of the most fascinating and friendly hill tribe cultures in southeast Asia. Our overnights are divided between traditional homestay arrangements and hotels, and most travellers enjoy the contrast and variety in the two experiences.
All our tours start in the capital, Hanoi, a cultural melting pot already being called the Paris of Asia, where we visit Ho’s mausoleum, the modern art galleries and the thriving old quarter. Further south, the thousands of remarkable limestone islets of Halong Bay World Heritage Site beckon us for an overnight voyage by traditional junk across the stunningly clear water, while at the Vietnamese heritage capital of Hue, which we reach by sleeper train, we visit the imperial shrines and take a trip on the Perfume River.
After the charming old trading port of Hoi An, we hit the beach at Nha Trang for sun, sand and great snorkelling. Most tours end in the wonderfully chaotic southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, where straw-hatted city folk compete for space in the crowded streets with high-flying business types and about a million motorbikes.
At Kumuka, we go out of our way to use Vietnamese guides, believing they offer the most experienced and informative introduction to the country. Our tour leaders and local guides will provide you with a rich and varied experience, packing in the sights and activities and making every day count. At the same time, this is your holiday, and we recognise how important “time out” can be, especially when you’re travelling in such an unusual and stimulating environment. So you can be sure your guide will programme free time into your days, enabling you to go shopping, laze on the beach or just take a break from the group in your own way.
Vietnam is rapidly becoming one of the most popular destinations in our Asian portfolio. It is now included in seven itineraries ranging from 8 to 33 days, some of which incorporate Cambodia and Thailand.
WHY NOT TRY:
Vietnam
Discovered 15 days
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum – Hanoi Old Quarter –
Water puppets – Halong Bay overnight boat stay –
Reunification express – Perfume River boat ride –
Purple City – Marble Mountain – Hoi An –
Cu Chi Tunnels – Saigon city tour
Action
Vietnam 11 days
Hanoi – Trekking and cycling in Mai Chau Mountains
– Hilltribe homestays – Kayaking in Halong Bay
– Cruise on a traditional junk
