ベトナム Vietnam in Golden Week

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Last Thursday morning I returned from a week in Vietnam. Vietnam is a fascinating country and I had a very interesting experience. First I stopped in Hong Kong overnight. This was my third time in Hong Kong and this time I decided to do something a bit different. Having recently become a member of couchsurf.com (refer to my previous post) I decided to stay with a local. Liz (my host) met me at the MTR station and showed me around which was great because not only did I get to see parts of Hong Kong I have not seen before, but she also had two other Japanese couchsurfers with her who I was able to speak Japanese with. After a very late night and a stay in a Hong Kong tower block (a few complications which I wont bore you with) I went for a 6am dim sum breakfast. This was real Hong Kong that I had not experienced before and it made the stop so worthwhile. Liz told me I would have plenty of time to catch my flight which departed at 11am, but what she didn’t bank on was the hectic early morning traffic. Despite arriving at the airport 35 mins before the flight I missed the deadline for check-in and had to wait for the next plane. Thankfully though Cathay Pacific were great and put me on standby for the afternoon flight and luckily didn’t charge me. From Hong Kong we stopped in Taiwan and then on to Hanoi, northern Vietnam.

The first thing that struck me about Vietnam was the crazy busy streets, the noise of traffic and the thick grey polluted air. I have never in my life seen so many motorbikes in one place. Apparently there are two million motorbikes in the city for a population of five million people. It seems everyone, young and old owns or rides a bike and it is not uncommon to see families of five or more on one bike. Kids dangling from their parents or resting a book on the handle bars, and practically everything you can imagine being transported by bike - fridges, animals, scrap metal, lost war veterans (see pic!). The driving is incredible - bumper to bumper, if someone is in your way you nudge them out of the way or beep your horn until they move. How there are not more accidents I don’t know, although it seemed to work and everyone seemed to know who had the right of way. However, I did witness a horrific accident in Sapa (a small rural village further north) where a truck hit a bike and the riders had no helmets – the result was not pretty. The city seemed so safe in comparison.

The main reason I chose Vietnam was because I wanted to climb Mount Fansipan, the highest mountain there at 3400m. I had read a bit about it and it was recommended by my friends who made the trip last year. Despite that, I don’t think I could have been prepared for what I was about to embark upon. My friends did the climb in three days, but I didn’t have time, so I joined a two day climb from the northern village of Sapa (10 hours by overnight train from Hanoi). Because of its rural location, Fansipan is only accessible by climbing several smaller mountains before you can reach the base. The climb is through the thick jungle and I soon discovered is not for the feint hearted. We saw snakes including one in our camp early morning which freaked out our guide who thankfully managed to poke it away with a stick. We asked about anti-venom, but it seems they don’t have any. If you are bitten, it is a quick decent back to base where you will be taken to the nearest hospital (at least 2 hours away from the remote northern village) .... that's if you made it that far!

Anyway the climb itself turned out to be pretty tough as the weather closed in and the heavens opened for virtually the whole two days. The first day was a grueling 7 hour treck to base camp which involved a free abseil down what had become a waterfall with the weather. The camp was basic and lacked amenities. We slept on bamboo poles which was like Chinese torture, so consequently I didn’t sleep all night. Being in the jungle, you are also kept awake by the constant drone of toads, insects and other things that you don’t really want to think about. For the toilet, you went where you could, but had to make sure you didn’t step in anything on the way. The litter and food waste dumped at the camp was disgusting.

The second day we climbed for 7 hours through waterfalls and up rocks. I climbed mount Fuji (3776m) three years ago when I first came to Japan, which although pretty hard-going, seemed like a walk in the park in comparison! Despite the difficulty, we made it to the top with our excellent guide and porter who looked after us all the way, cooking the most amazing Vietnamese dinner - an assortment of local dishes with rice and soups all made with fresh ingredients. Would I climb Fansipan again? Well, unlike Mount Fuji, probably not!! I will tick Fansipan off my list and confine it to my memory. When I eventually made it back from the hike (another 10 hour overnight train journey to Hanoi) I checked into a beautiful hotel where I slept and ate until it was time to leave!

All in all Vietnam was definitely one of the more interesting countries I have visited. With stunning scenery, by far the best coffee in the world, subtle and fresh flavours, Mount Fansipan (which despite the grueling climb, was well worth the effort), market stalls selling everything you can imagine including freshly cooked dogs, (apologies to anyone who may be offended by the picture in the slideshow) live toads and snakes, the most motorbikes I have ever seen in one place, insane driving, the quirkiest internet café I have ever visited with connection speeds that will have you pulling your hair out and computers that belong in a museum, insanely cheap prices and warm and friendly people (except for those trying to steal your camera and charge you way over the going rate!), I would certainly recommend Vietnam.

Yes, Vietnam is incredibly cheap, but there is extreme poverty too - it makes you appreciate what you have. I'm glad to be back in Japan, where everything seems so orderly, clean and safe, and where you know you will never be ripped off. Would I go back to Vietnam? I would love to. It was definitely an experience I won’t forget. Next time I would like to visit Hallom Bay, Saigon, and the south.

As with every solo travelling trip I make, I also met some great people along the way. Thanks to Liz for showing me the “real” Hong Kong, the two South Africans who made Hanoi more fun (despite their jokes about my cheap hotel!!), the gorgeous Norwegian girl who made the 10 hour train journey from Sapa to Hanoi less boring!, the Canadians who dragged me to the top of Fansipan, the Russian bar owner in Hanoi, the Japanese girls who helped pass the first 10 hour train journey and finally the tribal Vietnamese girls in Sapa who were the most adorable, funny and charming kids who made my birthday a much better day.