How I changed my view of Vietnam
You know how it is…you're in the pub and you meet someone you haven't seen for a while…share some smiles…a drink and then another…reminiscences about old times spent on the hippy trail , lost in the days before marriage and receding hair. I complain to my friend that I'm bored of holidays and can't think of a place to go that I haven't already been, and nowhere seems to have any appeal anymore…another round of drinks fills the table…
…anyway he tells me he and his wife have recently been to Vietnam, and I am both puzzled and strangely intrigued, as it's a destination I had never given thought to. Scenes from ‘Apocalypse Now' float before my eyes and, as he talks, I begin to feel strangely ignorant, realising that aside from this epic surreal fantasy and other films, I know nothing whatever about this country of which my impressions were largely negative. He tells me how amazingly beautiful it was and waxes lyrical about the wonderful time they had and I find his enthusiasm actually quite infectious. They had travelled with a private tour company, he continues, and will send me an email about it.
Through long practice, I never expect anything to come of these highly lubricated conversations, so it surprised me when, the following day, he emailed a copy of his correspondence. The company's name was Haivenu Tours, a Vietnam based firm operating throughout much of Asia, and I read the exchange of letters with increasing interest. The communications seemed so personable, professional and informative yet friendly and amiably lacking in the usual corporate hype I so resent in travel firms. I showed the email to my wife and before long we were soon caught up in the spell ourselves, researching their website, and duly placed an enquiry for a holiday.
We were amazed at how we could pour over every detail of our holiday with our tour designer before we even committed, and it is a testament to this marvellous travel company that they put such effort into the fine tuning of our travel plans even though we could have walked away at any stage. We found their unassuming and very helpful attitude utterly refreshing, and unhesitatingly rewarded them with a booking. I really can't praise them enough.
From the moment we passed through immigration in Hanoi's Noi Bai airport, everything we had planned fell into effortless fruition. We were smilingly ushered to our private car and taken to the magnificent Sofitel Metropole Hotel and were enthralled by the captivating oriental Parisian charm of the country's capital, and immediately knew we were in for something special. After exploring the city's surprising delights, and seeing a new and eye-opening perspective of the Nation's identity and history, we were driven to the coast to visit Ha Long Bay.
Now, I enjoy shapely landscapes and I had always thought Gui Lin in China a most unique and mind-blowing landscape (and one which taught me that the seemingly fanciful creations of Chinese artists were actually rooted in reality), but nothing had prepared me for the natural wonder of Vietnam's Ha Long bay, all the more remarkable for its dramatic ocean setting. We sailed around the bay for three days aboard a sumptuously decorated private junk, during which we visited tiny beaches, swam and kayaked around sea-level caves beneath towering and impossibly beautiful formations.
By this time we were travelling in a whirling kaleidoscope of new impressions and completely in love with Vietnam, and its charming people, already wishing we had planned a longer trip. Later, on the central coast, we were captivated by the carved wooden buildings and colourful lanterns of quaint Hoi An, and on the way, visited the fabled China beach from ‘Apocalypse' to pay homage to my, by now, utterly revised view of this fascinating country.
Modern Saigon, and its traces of American influence, brought the last vestiges of my outworn view of Vietnam into perspective, and also made me realise the impressive economic strides the country has made in bringing itself into the modern age. Nevertheless, our visit to the nearby Mekong Delta, and its delightful floating markets and orchards revealed an ancient waterborne culture that spoke of the timeless journey of a people through the long river of history. Such contrasts are characteristic of Vietnam.
Our holiday has completely changed my erroneous assumptions of the Vietnam I once thought I knew, to the extent that we are already in discussion with Haivenu Tours to return and see all the many places we missed. I would urge anyone whose impressions of Vietnam are formed by the plethora of war movies to discover the surprising reality of this beautiful country.
Richard Hayes
About the Author
For Vietnam holidays and tours, contact Haivenu
Vietnam Travel Tours and Holidays-Haivenu Tours
Hotel Hoi An Trails Resort, Hoi An, Vietnam, Vietnam
hoi an trails hotel
hoi an trails hotel
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