Two Vietnamese places you may not have heard of -

- and one you certainly should have...!

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Vung Tau

Our guide's name is Mr Chien, but he pronounces it Mr Chin. He attempts to teach us some Vietnamese words during our tour of Vung Tau, a major city around a hundred kilometres south-east of Ho Chi Minh City. Unsurprisingly, the language is like Chinese. After all China ruled the peninsula for around a thousand years and even named it - Viet Nam - meaning 'people of the south'.

 

Mr Chin tells us there are six tones (like Chinese) in Vietnamese, and a word varies according to the upward or downward inflection. It turns out I have been pronouncing pho (that magnificent Vietnamese soup) wrongly. I actually say it right - like 'fir' - but it needs to rise like a question. Pho?

He tells us this, and much more, as we are driven from our cruise ship to the first stop. We have a whole morning on this tour, and already our heads are full of new facts.

The bus stops in a parking bay with views across towards a tiny island (above). But Mr Chin tells us to turn and look across the road.

High on a hill stands one of Vung Tau's most famous sights, a 32-metre-high statue of Christ - 36 metres, if you count the base. The two outstretched arms span 18.3 metres and there is a 133-step staircase inside the statue. Incongruous in a Buddhist country? No, says our guide. Although there was much conflict between the French colonists and the Buddhist people, Catholicism gained many followers, and this statue was begun in 1974 and opened in 1999. 

This imposing figure on Mount Nui Nho is just taller than Christ the Redeemer which overlooks Rio - even though from this angle it may not appear that way. The Rio Christ stands on a higher pedestal, too, and has a wider arm-span, though, but we are still very impressed by this one.

This is Vietnam though, and the inevitable souvenir-sellers arrive on their motor bikes almost as we do. They spread out their wares and begin some personal demonstrations of what they have on offer.

As we leave, they hurriedly pack up, hop on their bikes and follow us to the next stop. It's a competitive business and they work on the premise that eventually they will wear us down enough to buy a wooden motorbike, a glitzy plastic windmill, postcards or T-shirts. Of course a few of us do, because some of the craftsmanship is good, and the sales pitch and prices are very persuasive.

English is spoken by some in Vietnam, and this nearby waterfront bar seems to favour a rather in-your-face marketing angle.

One of the main stops on this tour is the Niet Ban Tinh Xa monastery, the Pagoda of the Lying Buddha, on the side of Mt Nui Nho, overlooking the bay. Dragons are one of the four holy animals in Buddhism, and represent power. In the background is a 21-metre flag pillar in the shape of an ancient lotus stupa. 

It is not clear why this temple guardian has been created using a mosaic of broken crockery, but we guess it is because this is more affordable than firing a huge piece, and more colourful and eyecatching too. Visitors reach this level via 42 brick-paved steps.

The pagoda is modern, only constructed around forty years ago. As we enter, the air cools and in the gloom we see a solitary monk seated in meditation.

The twelve-metre Buddha is imposing, reclining so that people may touch his highly engraved foot. 

The Buddha has been overlaid with marble, and the sole of his foot depicts the twelve stages of reincarnation.

The Vietnamese words niet ban mean 'nirvana' and this Buddha, having achieved nirvana, is reclining, obviously showing that he is enjoying his well-earned rest.

But Mr Chin has more to show us, and we move on. The Royal Residence of the White Villa (Villa Blanche) or Bach Dinh is a reminder of the French colonisation of the area.

The view over the bay is spectacular, and that shade is welcome too on this very hot day.

As this was a government establishment when it was built, there are still cannons here, but it appears today's visitors get more peaceful fun, by clambering on them.

Interestingly, after the Vietnam War (which the locals call the American War) the Bay of Boats in Vung Tau was a common launching place for refugees later tagged as Vietnamese boat people, who were fleeing the communists.

Now it is the port for fishermen to offload their catches before heading back out into the nearby waters.

Mr Chin had left one of the strangest places until last. This Whale Temple (Lang Ong Nam Hai) apparently began when the remains of a whale washed up on the Vung Tau beach over a century ago. The local fishermen had to wait for some time before being able to pull the skeleton ashore, so they decided to display the bones. These became symbolic as a protection for the coast. Since that time, other bones have been added and visitors toss coins into the glass cases, probably to seek their own protection too.

At the gate, in case any more protection is needed, this fine fellow on the wall guards the temple.

 

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Haiphong

Although this could be a scene in any Vietnamese city, this is actually in Haiphong, Vietnam's third-largest, about a hundred kilometres south-east of Hanoi in Vietnam's north. With a population of two million, it has been nicknamed the Flamboyant City because of the many flame trees planted throughout it.

 

We had come here on a rickety and cramped local minibus. It was quite an experience with the horn almost constantly employed to toot at motor bikes and cyclists. It was very sociable, with occasional stops to deliver a parcel, or pick up something for someone down the road, and once, to take on a passenger that had been in a car which had been chasing us for a few kilometres. 

A TV at the front was showing a Vietnamese soapie, but no one seemed much interested in it. Fortunately smoking was not allowed, which was good as when the driver filled up at a service station en route, we all stayed onboard. Someone had taken the trouble to put tan and gold brocade covers on the seats and curtains at the windows. Our 1.5 hour trip was bumpy but doable, costing 60,000 VND (about A$3.50) for the two of us.

You probably wonder why we had come to this rather out-of-the-way provincial city. Why not go to Hanoi, only a couple of hours further away, and more tourist-friendly? Actually, we found Haiphong to be a delightful place with gracious old French colonial houses, gardens and tree-lined streets, and a central lake and boulevarde.

The reason for our visit here was more personal. We were meeting friends, a local Vietnamese couple with whom we had become friendly as part of our work. We went to their home and then they took us out to lunch at a seafood restaurant nearby. In the outer room of the restaurant there were tubs and tanks of live goodies such as these, above.

But as in any other country when friends meet and go out to eat, there should be beer - in this case the VN tipple of choice was this.

We were very impressed with these shrimps - sweet and delicious, and doubtlessly extremely fresh.

Our friends certainly loved them too...

.. as well as these snails which had been finished on a grill or over a flame. 

One picture I did not take: that was of a sort of pancake made with an ingredient whose name I did not catch at the time, and which, when I realised what it was did not want to remember. I later tracked it down online. Ruoi are sand worms, although the ones I could see curled on top of my fritter looked disconcertingly like maggots.

The translation by our friends was that they were worms from the mud' a description which didn't make me decide to try them. Maybe I was wrong to pass up such a gustatory delight!

Much more familiar and sensational to eat, was this front-end of a very large fish, which served our group magnificently.

After lunch, we shared a taxi with Hung, our host, and the family, to overlook the city from the highest point. 

Back into town and there are the flowers every one talks about in connection with Haiphong. It seems that people in Vietnam have an artistic gene that some other cultures lack, as they manage to make even the simplest things look beautiful.

The conical hat worn all over Vietnam is called a non, great for shading the eyes and also anchoring a head scarf which can double as a face mask when a rider is in heavy traffic fumes.

Here too, as everywhere else in Vietnam, there are roadside food sellers, trading in whatever is in season and at its best.

Finally, in the late afternoon after farewelling our friends at Haiphong's transport terminal, we boarded our bus and bumped and rattled our way back to Halong Bay.

Funny, but as we saw these familiar lumpy mountains begin to appear again in the dying light, we felt somehow as if we were coming home.

 

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Halong Bay

Finally, the place most people have heard of, the fabled bay populated by limestone mountains. World Heritage site, Halong Bay, is on the South China Sea, about 150 kilometres by road from the Chinese border to the north-east, and about half that from Haiphong in the other direction.

And while the tourism pictures always show blue skies and sunshine, those of us who have visited several times, know that this is not always the case. Best time of year to go there is spring (March, April) and autumn (September, October) but the karst formations, to give them their proper name, somehow seem to be cloud magnets, and mist and fog is pretty much par for the course at any time.

A relatively new addition to the Halong Bay skyline is the Sun Wheel, a ferris wheel that allows different views for those who have already done a boat tour or two. Well placed on top of Ba Deo mountain, nearly 250m above sea-level, this is one of the world’s tallest sightseeing Ferris wheels. Sun Wheel Ha Long has 64 cabins with 384 passengers and a capacity of 1200 passengers an hour.

Almost as sensational is the Bay Chai bridge the first central-line cable-stayed bridge in Vietnam and especially lovely when illuminated at night. 

Early morning and the garbage collectors are out, just like anywhere in the world, really. Except these use bikes (I think!).

My cure for having to wake up early is a cup of Vietnamese coffee. The beans are grown in the country and the method comes from here too. Basically the coffee is put in the metal container at the top (a phin) which is placed over a glass that often has condensed milk already in the bottom of it. I had asked to have my milk separately as I don't take sugar in my coffee.

Boiling water is poured over the coffee, and it slowly percolates down through the fine holes in the saucer-like base of the metal pot. It takes a couple of minutes, but is well worth the wait. Vietnamese coffee is strong, fragrant and with almost a chocolate aftertaste. Definitely you should try it, and ask for it by name: ca phe phin.

This was our most recent visit, and the weather gods were not in tune with us. Rather than tour on a boat, we wandered the very small settlement  where tenders from cruise ships come in.

These tiny boats are not for hire. Usually they contain families bent on selling fruit and souvenirs to tourists.

Sometimes the cutest youngsters will pop their heads up and beg for money, but this practice is frowned on by many.

However if you do want to take a boat tour of the islands, there are dozens ready to help you experience this strange and magical place for a half day or even a couple of hours. It is also possible to stay overnight in what is a sort of floating B&B.

It is little wonder that this is a World Heritage site, although these limestone karst formations are not unique to this area. You will see them in southern China, Malaysia and a number of other places, but the combination of a bay and their looming shapes is somehow unforgettable - and quite unmissable. There are around 2000 of these islets in the bay.

What also happens is that once you get closer to the islands, the cloudiness is not so apparent and although there is some, it simply adds a soft shroud of mystery the whole scene.

Some of these boats have been plying their trade for decades....

...although while Halong Bay (or Ha Long Bay) is now well known, it did not hit the tourism headlines until the 1990s.

Tourists who take a boat ride will find that it is a fun experience. Not only is there the opportunity to hop off and explore a couple of places, but lunch will include fresh local seafood...

.....the chance to get up close to cliffside fishing communities....

... to wave to other travellers...

....and (oh, yes, of course!) haggle over some souvenirs to take home to friends and family members who have not had the wonderful chance to be here themselves.

In this case we were told these were pearls from the local waters, but not knowing for sure, is part of the game, isn't it?

Whatever you do, take time to simply sit back and enjoy the ride and be grateful to have this experience!

More information about Vietnam........

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Text and images: ©Sally Hammond

Videos: ©Gordon Hammond