Written by Monica Schael-Isenor

The Dragon’s Pearl, Bai Tu Long Bay

In a bid to broaden her travel horizons as part of a family of five, Monica Schael-Isenor discovers that despite its turbulent past, Vietnam retains a lingering beauty and a memorable, adventuresome allure.

Riding on the back of a motorbike on the chaotic streets of Hanoi, cycling past scenic vistas of the Perfume River, and paddling a woven bamboo fishing basket in the tranquil waters of Cam Thanh – these are far from everyday experiences. With the help of Smiling Albino – an adventure company that prides itself in seeing different parts of the world differently – our family embarks on an 11-day customized adventure that takes us from Hanoi and Halong Bay to Hue and Hoi An.

After arriving at the chic Church Boutique Hotel in the Old Quarter of the capital Hanoi, we set out on foot to find lunch. Following our guide’s recommendation, we walk a few short blocks to Little Saigon Café. Here we are introduced to the art of wrapping our own spring rolls, which means placing fresh pork and bright greens on delicate rice paper, then carefully rolling it all together and dipping it in a sweet, slightly spicy sauce. The kids (including our five-year-old who prefers white food above all) are hooked.

Hanoi’s Old Quarter

With our bellies full, we decide to explore a few of the Old Quarter’s 36 Streets. Located near Hoan Kiem Lake, these ancient streets are named after their original businesses dating back more than 600 years. The street names generally begin with the word hang, while the second word describes the type of product available.

With sidewalks overtaken by parked motorbikes of all descriptions, local vendors selling their wares in front of narrow shops, and impromptu patios of low-to-the-ground plastic tables and stools overflowing everywhere, it is challenging to weave our way around with three young boys in tow. According to official statistics, there are apparently 37 million registered motorbikes in Vietnam, and sometimes it feels like they are all in Hanoi! Despite the chaos of bustling sidewalks and crazy traffic, this historical commercial area swarms with charm thanks to its colonial architecture and fascinating scenes of everyday life. I find it amazing that such a large, modern urban centre has managed to maintain so many of the characteristics of an oversized village.

We spend three days visiting the 1,000-year-old capital and its mustsee sites including the Museum of Ethnology, Hoan Kiem Lake, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the Temple of Literature, Ba Dinh Square, One-Pillar Pagoda, and the Presidential Palace. Our boys are especially thrilled when we take them to see a traditional miniature water puppet show inside artisan Phan Thanh Liem’s private home.

The Bay of Islands

Traditional fishing boat, Bai Tu Long Bay

The next morning, we leave the hustle of Hanoi and travel for about three hours by van to Ha Long Bay. The 165-km trip brings us to a UNESCO World Heritage site scattered with roughly 1,600 islands and islets. This spectacular seascape reveals jagged limestone humps and pillars, isolated caves, and sandy coves against the green backdrop of the Gulf of Tonkin. Because of their precipitous nature, most islands are uninhabited.

We join a group of 14 other tourists aboard the Dragon’s Pearl, part of Indochina Junk’s fleet of traditional Chinese junks, and set sail for Bai Tu Long Bay. For the next three days, we will be calling this 11-bedroom boat home. Made from handcrafted teak and oak wood, this miniature floating hotel has a nice communal area and wide upper sun decks perfect for relaxing while cruising around the bay. Bai Tu Long Bay – said to be less crowded and more pristine than Ha Long Bay – is peaceful as we sail past the occasional colourful fi shing boat, small hidden caves, tiny religious shrines and amazing karst islands.

Our kids are delighted; highlights of our time on the bay include kayaking through dark caves and stunning inlets, swimming near lovely sandy beaches, squid fishing from the junk after dark, dining in the well-hidden Thien Canh Son cave and visiting Cong Dam floating fishing village. The staff aboard the Dragon’s Pearl is friendly, the food is delicious and – more importantly for us – the other tourists aboard are patient with our children. They are the only kids aboard, and luckily they are well behaved throughout our marine adventure! Much to the chagrin of our boys, our cruise comes to an end as we disembark the junk and journey back to Noi Ban International Airport in Hanoi for our short flight to Hue.

The Imperial City

Inside the Citadel, Hue

In Hue, Vietnam’s imperial city and former capital, we stay at the Pilgrimage Village. This beautiful boutique resort offers quiet spacious rooms – a welcomed change from our tiny cabins aboard the Dragon’s Pearl. Established as the capital of unified Vietnam in 1802, Hue is another UNESCO World Heritage site. Home to the Nguyen dynasty until 1945, Hue is a sleepy town clustered along the banks of the Perfume River. After a sound sleep and hearty breakfast buffet, we climb onto our bicycles the next morning. After pedalling about 3.5 kilometres in 39 degree Celsius heat, we are happy to stop and enjoy stunning views of the Perfume River while the boys explore a nearby hilltop bunker tucked away in a pine forest. The rest of the day is spent exploring the royal tomb of Tu Duc, enjoying savoury local-style dumplings for lunch, visiting the Citadel and Imperial City, and relaxing on a rickshaw ride to the French Quarter.

Hue’s Imperial City Gate

Considered by many to be the most elegant tomb in Vietnam, the tomb of Tu Duc was designed by the king himself and built between 1864 and 1867. Tu Duc lived a life of imperial and carnal excess. (He had 104 wives and countless concubines, but somehow no offspring.) Flanked by beautiful lotus ponds, fragrant frangipani, and water apple and jackfruit trees, it’s easy to imagine why Tu Duc preferred the quiet grounds of his final resting place compared to his own palace.

Established in 1805, the Citadel is a huge fortress that includes the Civic, Imperial and Forbidden Purple Cities. Although much of the Citadel’s architecture was lost due to significant damage during the Indochina Wars, you can still get a sense of its original grandeur despite ongoing restoration work. Just beyond the imposing Ngo Mon Gate, you cross a bridge between lotus- and koi-filled ponds and flags displaying the five Taoist elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth) before reaching the splendid and best preserved Thai Hoa Palace. Behind this is an open courtyard that overlooks a stretch of land, once home to the brick-walled Forbidden Purple City.

Hoi and Journey’s End

Thu Bon River, Hoi An

With three tired boys, we finish off our day with a rickshaw ride to the old French Quarter before a refreshing swim and Vietnamese fusion dinner at our resort. The next morning, we pack our bags and make our way across Vietnam’s geographical and psychological boundary between the north and south. We journey through quaint villages, endless green rice paddies, catfish and basa fish farms, and over three mountain passes. Several times, we drive past long stretches of rice grains spread out on the side of the highway. We’re told that the hot asphalt, warmed by the sun, helps the rice to dry out faster. At the spectacular Hai Van Pass, we stop to snap a few photos of Danang’s spectacular coastline dotted with traditional wooden fi shing boats.

We wrap up our journey in the ancient capital of Hoi An, a charming town with a rich heritage that still maintains it unique character and history. Our introduction to Hoi An begins with a simple lunch of chicken rice, one of the prides of the local cuisine. With only three items on the menu and five tables at Co’m Gà Sân Dinh restaurant, we are actually eating in the front room of a family’s house.

We check in at the Almanity Hoi An, a new hotel set around a tranquil, tropical oasis-like swimming pool built on two levels.

Our kids can’t resist the lure of the pool so we enjoy a swim before making the short walk into the Old Quarter, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. As we were told, there isn’t a bad photograph to be taken along these colourful streets of wooden Chinese shop houses with various forms of transportation darting about. Hoi An is a melting pot of architecture with its Buddhist temples, colourful French colonial buildings, ornate Vietnamese tube houses, and the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge. We eat dinner at Mango Rooms, an eclectic and relaxing twostoried restaurant along the river. On our walk back to the hotel, we realize that we already love Hoi An with its riverside setting and centuries-old architectural marvels.

The next morning, we head into the countryside by bicycle and visit an organic Vietnamese farm called Tra Que Water Wheel. After a few much-needed cold drinks, we don conical hats and brown- coloured button shirts and head into the field. Here, our boys have a hands-on lesson on how to rake, sow, water, and fertilize the soil with seaweed from a nearby lake. Next, we learn how to make rice paper before our open-air cooking class where we prepare spring rolls and local pancakes. After the lesson, we enjoy what we cooked plus a few other items like papaya salad, grilled fish, steamed rice and fresh fruit. Next, we climb back onto our bikes to go meet our driver and van. He drives us to the nearby Cam Thanh village where we embark in round coracle boats.

A little old lady wearing a conical hat and a warm smile expertly paddles us around the water coconut forest in her oversized bamboo basket. Difficult to steer and exhausting to balance, it’s hard to believe that Vietnamese fishing communities depend on this precarious watercraft to make a living. Our bamboo basket boat ride comes to an end, and we decide to hit Hoi An’s Central Market before heading back to our hotel. The market is lively and crowded in the afternoon, and we are mesmerized by the endless supplies of fresh produce, seafood and meat. Many vendors are simply sitting on the sidewalk with their goods displayed in wide shallow bamboo baskets on the ground. It feels like life has changed little here in the last century.

Our last day before leaving Vietnam, we decide to check out An Bang beach. Lined with rows of lounge chairs and umbrellas, the white sandy beach is beautiful and clean. After three hours frolicking in the water and sand, we head back to the hotel for a swim. On our last evening in Hoi An, we stroll through the car-free Old Quarter and cross the Thu Bon River on the An Hoi Bridge until we reach Fusion Café. It’s difficult for me to stay seated; everywhere I look, there is a new photo op along the river. Vietnam has been absolutely wonderful, and I look forward to planning a return trip to explore even more of this country’s beauty.

Getting There
Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and Vietnam Airlines fly to Vietnam from Malaysia.

Getting Around
Smiling Albino www.smilingalbino.com

Where to Stay

Church Boutique Hotels
No. 58 Hang Gai Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
www.churchotel.com.vn
Located in the trendiest part of the Old Quarter, this property is one of six in the Church Boutique Hotel chain.

Indochina Junk – Halong Bay Luxury Cruises
Dragon’s Pearl Junk www.indochina-junk.com

Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa
130 Minh Mang Road, Hue www.pilgrimagevillage.com

Almanity Hoi An
326 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoi An Includes a daily 90-minute spa treatment
www.almanityhoian.com

Travel Tips
A visa is required for entry into Vietnam. www.vietnameseembassy.org

Read This: Exploring Vietnam

Source: The Expat magazine July 2015