I hadn’t realised that Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam. I’d assumed it was Ho Chi Minh City – or Saigon, the name preferred by those who still say Ceylon rather than Sri Lanka. HCMC is way down in the south of the country and something like a 24 hour train ride from here. It’s the big economic powerhouse of this huge, growing and outwardly confident country.
Talking to our Vietnamese guide today it’s clear that while confident on the face of it, they’re very nervous of China and aware of the massive impact already being felt by their country both economically and socially.
He talked about China ‘taking our land’ and bringing factories here to benefit from the cheaper labour. The scales are tipping – or maybe have already tipped – and it’s fascinating and somewhat frightening to see the pace of change around here. We remember when everything cheap was ‘Made in China’; now it’s owned by China and made in Vietnam.
Like everywhere else on our trip, this country is bigger than we’d ever imagined and places are much further apart than we’re used to. The Vietnamese seem to have cornered the market in sleeping coaches as a way of getting aound the country. They’re huge double deckers with flat beds that ply up and down the coast. Everyone else in Vietnam is on a scooter – sometimes whole families on one bike. There are waves of scooters everywhere making it very difficult to cross the road at times.
Hanoi in the north has four distinct seasons whereas HCMC sits in the tropics and swelters alongside Cambodia. We left Phnom Penh in 36 degree heat and arrived to a somewhat chilly 18 degree Hanoi. It’s very much winter for the folk here and they’ve all got their fake North Face jackets on (while I continue to wear shorts and t-shirt).
There is no shortage of padded, down jackets. At home they’d cost more than £250 and here they’re just a few dollars at any of the ‘Made in Vietnam’ shops that are everywhere in the city. We still can’t figure out whether they’re good quality fakes or nicked from the factories producing stuff for the west. Anyone need a new jacket?
We got here after a great couple of days in Phnom Penh – the capital of Cambodia. Phnom Penh is big and noisy but quite easy to get around. We did the whole Khmer Rouge history tour from the Killing Fields to the S21 Prison, which is now the main museum. It was all very sensitively done and while there were hordes of people at each of the main locations, it was possible to lose yourself in your thoughts for a moment to consider the horrors that took place there. We were struck by the fact that the regime had gained power and control due to a set of economic, social and political factors that had come together in the ’70s, many of which had been triggered by the US’ ‘secret war’ on Cambodia. Thinking about it, the same factors could just as easily come together again, either here or anywhere. I just hope Trump visits the Killing Fields early in his tenure … indeed all world leaders should be required to visit the place.
These South East Asian countries do an amazing job of processing vast quantities of tourists. It’s such an important part of their economy. There are so many people here from just about every country in the world.
Cambodia did it well at the Killing Fields, brilliantly at Angkor and Thailand does a good job at the Temples and Palaces in Bangkok. But they’re all eclipsed by the Vietnamese and their ability to pick up, transport and process hundreds of thousands of tourists every single day. And that’s just in Hanoi!
Right now we’re on our way to Halong Bay. It’s a four hour drive and every step of the way is a well choreographed and rehearsed series of moves. The minibuses weave their way in and around the Old Quarter of the city, collecting people at the prescribed time. The buses then either head north east for Halong Bay or south for Tam Coc. The logistics are carefully worked out and no part of the journey is wasted.
Along the way are vast shopping emporiums – with loos – to tempt you to get out your dong (that’s your Vietnamese currency of course) and spend it on stuff you don’t want or need. We were given a lanyard with the bus registration number this morning to give us a fighting chance of re-finding our bus. We managed to get out of the place without buying a belt made from stingray leather, tablets for ‘tight lady private parts’ or a 4 foot high marble Buddha.
And now we join the mass movement of people as we’re transported through countless little villages, past beautiful scenery, towards Halong Bay. It’s going to be busy but we’re hoping for good weather (the forecast is positive) and of course some amazing scenery. We’re going to be on a ‘sleeping boat’ for two nights and we’re looking forward to the ‘programme’ which includes kayaking, swimming, squid fishing and compulsory karaoke.
Yesterday we saw some stunning scenery south of Hanoi. We actually managed to get away from the masses on bikes for an hour or so and had a very chilled boat ride up a river. Fantastic.
And now we’re in the middle of beautiful Halong Bay on a boat for two nights. It’s actually the first cruise we’ve ever been on and hopefully isn’t a sign of us getting older. There are almost 2000 limestone islands dotted around this incredible bay and hundreds of boats slowly making their way around it. Once on your boat it’s very relaxing and chilled. You can forget everyone else and enjoy where you are, along with the 30 or so fellow passengers from all corners of the world.
The tourist processing got us to Halong and to the right boat (goodness knows how) and we’re now enjoying the peace and serenity of this incredible place.
Enjoy the pics. It really is beautiful.
We’ve now had two great days in Halong Bay – along with thousands of others; great for people watching! There’s a clear timetable and all the boats do the same thing at the same time. For instance the visit to the ‘Surprise Cave’ this morning was organised chaos because everyone turned up at the same time. An hour later and there was no-one. We couldn’t understand why they did it this way. Maybe that was the surprise?
You really have to question whether the Vietnamese have got the balance right in Halong Bay. It’s great that the tourists are coming and spending their cash here, but in these numbers? It’s surely not sustainable. You can see by the water quality in the bay (we didn’t swim in it) that the number of visitors has exceeded its ability to cope either physically or naturally. Cheaper flights, easy access to booking trips via the internet and the growth in Russian and Chinese tourists have all led to a massive increase in numbers. I know we’re adding to the problem, but somehow this explosion in numbers has to be controlled. When it gets like this you end up feeling processed rather than a visitor to a beautiful place.
The Vietnamese may be able to deal with huge numbers of people but ultimately they do that at the expense of their own country.
Next stop, Hong Kong.
too old for dreads 