Trains, Planes and Automobiles in Vietnam



Overnight train to Nha Trang

Well, from day one of our trip we promised the kids an overnight train ride. Having skillfully avoided the rickety old train system in Myanmar, we had to deliver in Vietnam. So our departure from Saigon took the form of an overnight train trip to Nha Trang. Fun! Not the most comfortable night of our lives but definitely journal worthy, and a cheap and easy way to travel the length of Vietnam (if you have the time). Delays are inevitable - we arrived 4 hours later than scheduled. Sleep is almost impossible, but it was one of the 'must do' activities on our list and it's all part of the adventure!

Nha Trang Beach

On the South Central Coast, Nha Trang is the beach capital of Vietnam. Also home to Vietnam's version of Disneyland (Vinpearl Land). This was our beach break from our city travels. We were all very happy to jump in the water, which was nice and warm. The kids have decided that they love swimming in the ocean and are pretty good at getting dumped by the big waves... Lily thinks that it would be better if the waves weren't salt water because it tastes disgusting...

Isaac surfing at Bai Dai

We also had a great day surfing at Bai Dai (Long Beach) surf beach which is about 25 km south of Nha Trang. The military still controls access to much of this area, so we hired a guide to take us there. Apparently there are still abandoned tanks (from the American War) half buried along the beach - this was the site of a vast American base. After the war, the Russians took over the area and established their largest naval base outside of the USSR. The Russians only vacated the base in 2002 which explains why most of the signage in Nha Trang is in Vietnamese and Russian, and the majority of tourists seem to be Russian!

Hoi An Town Centre

After a couple of days it was time to move on to Hoi An - a highlight of our trip so far! We were happy to leave Nha Trang - the beach was great but there are nicer places to visit in Vietnam! So back on the train again to Danang, then a short cab ride down the coast to Hoi An. This small but bustling town has had a very colourful history dating back 2,200 years. At one point it was one of Southeast Asia's major international ports. It was also the first place in Vietnam to be exposed to Christianity. The town was almost completely detroyed in a war during the 1700's, but was rebuilt and much of the exisiting housing dates from the 16th/17th century. Luckily it was left untouched during the American War. Narrow cobbled streets and ancient architecture aside, you still have to watch out for the ever present motorbikes and very persistent hawkers...



Aaron's personal fashion consultant Mr. Lai!

 We decided to throw ourselves into the spirit of the town and get some clothes made! This is the town's claim to fame and it certainly exceeded our expectations. There is nothing quite like designing your own shoes and clothes, and having them fit perfectly!! It would be worth a trip every couple of years just to get a new wardrobe. So very reasonable and beautifully made... We left town with a new bag bursting at the seams with our purchases. And Aaron left town with a new friend - Mr. Lai who assured Aaron that "I help you make nice clothes, I have good eye, I'm gay"!!

Hoi An is also well known for its food and it did not disappoint. The specialties of Cao Dai and White Rose were both delightful and worthy of the reams of articles directing people to try them. While you can find out how to make the Cao Dai online, the recipe for the White Rose dumplings is a closely guarded secret so if you are lucky enough to try them that means you have been lucky enough to get to Hoi An.

Other than clothes and eating there are some great things to do around Hoi An. Cua Dai Beach was a highlight. The beach runs all the way up to Danang and the famous 'China Beach'. Nice sand, nice waves and nice palm trees for shade! The majority of Vietnamese people do not know how to swim, and the kids were fascinated by the people wading into the water fully clothed, many of them with life jackets.

Finally, Aaron and I decided that if you can't beat them you may as well join them, so we rented motor scooters for a day to drive up to the Marble Mountains - awesome. It is a really great way to fit in with the locals...We even got right into the horn honking. It's not aggressive at all, just a quick honk of the horn to let someone know that you're there.

Overnight train travel!

Ella: Since the start of the trip we've been hounding our parents to go on a train ride and we got our wish in Vietnam. Catching a train in Vietnam is amazing. I think everyone should try a train ride in Vietnam. You can see amazing sites out of the window. We saw water buffalo and rice fields that look as though they go on for ever. We had our own sleeper car with 2 bunk beds. There is no ladder to get up, just a small foot step attached to the wall. Lily and I got to go on the top bunks. The beds are not very comfortable, but we all managed to get some sleep anyway. There was a tv in our room but all it showed was stuff about the train, in Vietnamese - it was very boring... In Hoi An I got to design my own dress and pick the material. I chose pink and gold silk. It's beautiful. We also rented motorbikes which was very fun. Lily and I were on the same motorbike as my dad. My mom was a bit slower than us. We rode to Marble Mountain and climbed an enormous staircase to the top.

Cave used as field hospital

If you're wondering why it's called Marble Mountain - well its because it's made almost entirely out of Marble...It was really hard work climbing, but worth it because we saw the most amazing caves at the top of the mountain.



One of the caves was used as a field hospital by the Viet Cong during the American War. I have no idea how they got people up there as it was at the top of the mountain. There was one cave that we entered that had bullet holes all over the walls. If I closed my eyes I imagined that I could hear the shots. It would be so scary if you were in there while they were shooting. Marble Mountain was a highlight of our trip. I'll talk to you from Hanoi! Bye...

Lily: In Nha Trang there were some very big waves. We got to go boogie boarding and the waves would flip me over on to my back. It was very fun. The salt water taste is a bit gross though. On the beach we got to eat fresh prawns for lunch. The only problem was that they were still alive when they came to our table and we had to cook them. The train ride to Nha Trang was awesome. We had our own sleeper car and Ella and I got to go on the top bunks. I 've never been on a train like this before. It had beds and a dining car. I really liked travelling like that. The other thing that I liked in Nha Trang was the bakery. The pancakes there were very good.



Hoi An Dresses



When we left Nha Trang we went by train again to Hoi An. It was a little older but still good. Hoi An was great. We got clothes and shoes made, we had a pedicure, we got to ride scooters, went to the beach and we went to Marble Mountain. Marble Mountain had a lot of caves and they all had secret passegeways and huge Buddas. The clothes were beautiful and they made a dress just for me.

Small taxi. Boards loaded. People next!

Isaac: In Nha Trang all we did was hang out at the beach - it was amazing because there were big waves and we got to do a lot of bodysurfing. We also went surfing for a day. 6 of us had to cram into a small taxi with all of the surfboards and boogie boards. We all had to sit on top of each other. It wouldn't be allowed in Canada! I only got up twice on the surfboard, and crashed the rest of the time, but it was really fun trying.

Isaac catching a wave!

Hoi An was a very cool city with lots of things to explore. But the downside was that every shop that we passed wanted us to go inside and check out their stuff. Everyone in the town seemed to be either Tailors or Shoemakers. I got to design my own shoes and jacket and it was all ready the next day. We found a great restaurant in town called Miss Ly. It was delicious....While we were in Hoi An we got to go on motorcycles to the Marble Mountains. The mountains all have temples and best of all caves. The caves were used as temples and as secret hiding places during the war. Our hotel was very nice and it had a huge swimming pool. We spent a lot of time in there. I would recommend Hoi An because it has nice food, nice activites and you can get a lot of things made to fit you for a really good price!

Off to Hanoi. This time by plane!