Our 15 Day Tour of Vietnam and Cambodia!
Shelly and I had talked for several years about visiting Vietnam. So in 2018, we started planning our trip. Since we didn't know a lot about the sites and history of Vietnam, we decided to do a tour rather than doing the trip on our own. We booked our tour through Luxury Travel, a Vietnam travel company. Vu Long (Louis) was our Sales Executive and he did a fabulous job planning and executing our trip. We had private guides and drivers at each location. The guides had local knowledge and enhanced our experience with details about each site. We visited Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in Vietnam, and Siem Reap in Cambodia.
Getting There
We used our frequent flier miles to fly free this trip. Because of this, we had to deal with two stops (London and Bangkok) on the way to Vietnam, and three stops (Phnom Penh, Bangkok, and London) on our way home. We departed from Dulles International near Washington DC at 10:00pm on Wednesday, February 27th. Neither Shelly nor I slept a wink. Too excited, I guess. We watched two movies, A Star is Born with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, and Bohemian Rhapsody with Rami Malek. The movies made the flight pass quickly, but we were both tired by the time we arrived at Heathrow.
We then learned our flight to Bangkok was delayed and would be two hours longer as we could not fly over Pakistani airspace due to a conflict between Pakistan and India. This 13 ½ hour flight was excruciating. We tried to sleep but no luck. We did get very good service from the Thai Airways flight attendants though. Due to the flight delay and rerouting, we missed our flight to Hanoi. We spent three hours in line at Suvarnabhumi Airport to rebook our flight to Hanoi. I use the word “line” loosely as there were in fact 4 lines to counter ticket attendants, but masses of people who cut in the lines near the counters. Very disorganized and frustrating. But we were able to a flight out in the afternoon and relaxed at the lounge for a couple hours.
A short one-hour flight and we were in Hanoi.
Hanoi - Our First Stop
We were picked up at the airport and shuttled to our hotel, the La Siesta Hotel Trendy & Spa located in the Old Quarter. The boutique hotel is at the center of a district packed with charming colonial architecture, Buddhist temples and pagodas. The Old Quarter, located near Hoan Kiem Lake in Hoan Kiem District, is Hanoi’s major commercial district. Here's a picture of the hotel lobby.
The first thing we noticed in Hanoi was the traffic. Scooters, scooters, everywhere! But unlike India, this seemed to be an organized chaos. We had to be careful crossing the streets, pick a point and time to cross, then walk deliberately without running or hesitating. The scooters time it and drive around you. Here's some pictures of the crazy traffic.
On our first tour day in Hanoi, we headed to see Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. On the way, the traffic stopped completely. We waited for 5 to 10 minutes, then our tour guide suggested we get out and walk to it. As we walked, we realized the streets were closed off for Kim Jong Un’s motorcade. Kim was in Hanoi for a meeting with President Trump the day before and stayed to see the sights. We saw the motorcade a second time on our way to the mausoleum.
We queued up at the Mausoleum and met a bunch of school kids who were enjoying saying “hello” to us. We responded with friendly “xin chào’s”. The Mausoleum was unimpressive, nothing much to see but the large, square building, and Minh’s body, which is on display only in the mornings.
We then went to the Temple of Literature, the first university of Vietnam. Built in 1070, the Temple is dedicated to Confucius, sages and scholars. It was a cool site with attractive grounds and multiple courtyards that served the teachers and students.
Our next stop was the Fine Arts Museum, showcasing Vietnam's fine arts from a range of historical periods.
Our last tour of the day was the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, which focuses on the 54 officially recognized ethnic groups in Vietnam. This was a nice museum that taught us about how the various groups derived, where they lived, how they dressed, etc. We learned that you can tell the groups apart by how they dress.
We closed out the day with dinner overlooking Lake Hoan Kiem. All lunches and a couple dinners were included with the tour. Each had a set menu of 6 to 7 courses that typically included a soup, spring rolls, salad, a chicken or pork dish, fried rice, and dessert. The food was very good, but there was too much of it. We’d fill up at lunch and really wouldn’t need dinner. But we enjoyed our dinner and walked back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep.
Cruise on Halong Bay
The second day we drove about 2 ½ hours to Halong Bay for a two day, one night cruise. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes. We took a cruise line named Pelican Cruise and stayed in Royal Suite that included a big balcony. The room was large and comfortable, and the cruise was very smooth. There were about 25 rooms on the ship, with maybe 50 to 60 people joining us.
Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is awe inspiring. Everywhere we looked we saw the limestone formations jutting up from the bay. The downside is the bay is populated with dozens and dozens of cruise boats, so it was hard getting clear shots of the karsts. But it was still impressive.
We had a nice lunch buffet, and met a couple from Germany, Ray and Caroline. The boat cruised, and stopped at a beach and pearl farm but we did not disembark. We were tired from the travel and stayed on the boat and relaxed. Shelly took a nap and I sat on the balcony and enjoyed the sights.
We had a marginal dinner and retired to the balcony for some late-night relaxation. While we sat and enjoyed the crisp air, we heard someone calling “hello” and “excuse me” to us. The sound was coming from the water on the starboard side of the boat. It was a woman in a small boat filled with souvenirs, wine, and beer. She offered us her goods and would hoist them to us using a pole with a net. We declined, but found it amusing.
We got up at 6:00am the next morning to participate in Tai Chi. We made it through about 10 minutes before we got too confused with the movements and stopped.
We had a nice breakfast and headed to Sung Sot Cave, a large cave in one of the limestone karsts. We disembarked and walked through the impressive cave. We returned to the boat, had lunch, settled our bill, and disembarked around noon. We drove back to Hanoi
We checked back into the La Siesta Hotel Trendy & Spa and received a free upgrade to a Balcony Suite. We decided to try the Hanoi street food, so we ate at a small street stand. It had 4 small, plastic tables, each with two small plastic stools. We sat on the stool, and my knees reached my ears. We ordered two bowls of chicken pho, a beer and a coke for $7 USD. After dinner, we walked to the lake and Shelly bought a t-shirt with a picture of Trump and Kim, and text that read, “Peace 2019”. What a joke. We then had a great foot massage and retired for the evening.
The following morning, we had a super 90-minute couples’ massage, settled our bill, and got ready for a flight to Hue.
La Siesta Hotel Trendy & Spa was a very nice and comfortable hotel. The rooms were large and clean, and the staff were great; very professional, friendly, and helpful.
On to Hue - Historical Capital of Vietnam
We arrived in Hue and stayed at Eldora Hotel located 5 minutes from the city center. We got a nice, large room with a huge bathroom. But we weren’t in the room much. We set out to see a beautiful pagoda, two temples, and took a cruise on the Perfume River.
We saw King Minh Mang's Tomb is situated along the Perfume River. It was badly damaged during the 1968 Tet Offensive, and has been rebuilt. King Tu Duc's Tomb is another beautiful temple dedicated to Emperor Tu Duc, who enjoyed the longest reign of any monarch of the Nguyen dynasty, ruling from 1848-83.
The Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) or Pagoda of the Celestial Lady, is a historic temple in the city of Hue in Vietnam. Its iconic seven-story pagoda is regarded as the unofficial symbol of the city.
We then took a boat for a cruise along the Perfume River. We disembarked and had lunch.
After lunch, we toured the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City. Hue was the capital of Vietnam during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Citadel is a fortress along the Perfume River design to protect the Forbidden Purple City, which was occupied by the royal family. Both were the sites of intense fighting and bombing during the 1968 Tet Offensive, and much has been restored.
After the tours, we went to have drinks at two bars, the Army Pub and the DMZ Bar. At the DMZ Bar, we met and talked to Vietnam veterans from Wisconsin who were there on an all-expenses paid trip. Most had never been back to Vietnam, and they were quite moved by the people’s respect for them, and the sites. They were great guys; we thanked them for their service, and returned to our hotel.
Next Stop - Hoi An, the City of Lanterns
We arrived in Hoi An, the City of Lanterns. We stayed at Hoi An Silk Marina Resort & Spa which was about a 10 minute walk to the city center. We really enjoyed our stay here as we had plenty of time to relax by the pool and An Bang Beach. We also met two wonderful people, Peter and Desiree, who were visiting from Australia. We became fast friends and enjoyed each other’s company.
Our first night we walked to the Hoi An Night Market. We browsed the goods and had a drink along the river.
Our first full day we toured the Chinese Assembly Halls, the Japanese Covered Bridge, Phuc Kien Pagoda and Tan Ky House in the city center. We then spent the afternoon relaxing at the pool.
For our second evening, we booked a cooking class at Red Bridge Restaurant and Cooking School. We learned how to prepare authentic Vietnamese dishes including spring roll, salad, and shrimp and beef dishes. We then enjoyed the dishes we prepared.
After dinner, we walked the streets, browsed the shops, bought some silk garments, and enjoyed the beautiful evening highlighted by lanterns that lit the riverfront.
The next day we both enjoyed a 4-hour spa treatment ($75 USD per person, amazing!), which included a steam, facial, body wrap, and stone massage.
After the spa, we joined Peter and Desiree, who had invited us to join them at the Soul Beach Restaurant and Bar in An Bang Beach. We spent the afternoon enjoying their company, along with a couple from Japan who was also staying at our hotel. We had four chairs and a daybed on a deck that overlooked the South China Sea. It was beautiful and relaxing, which was exactly what we needed after touring for 8 days.
Peter and Desiree invited us to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants in Hoi An as well. We left the beach and met up at 6:30PM to walk to dinner. Again, we very much enjoyed each other’s company, and had a wonderful dinner.
The next morning we were off to Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, as it is still called by the locals.
On to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for some Adventures
We arrived in Saigon and stayed at Liberty Central Saigon Centre. We visited the Reunification Palace which was the Presidential Palace of South Vietnam during the war. We also saw Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Post Office, and the War Remnants Museum.
By day 13 of our tour of Vietnam, we have had plenty of good Vietnamese food. Upon arrival in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Shelly and I decided to search out some American food near our hotel. Fortunately, we found TnT BBQ. This American BBQ restaurant is co-owned by an American from Oklahoma. We enjoyed the homemade cornbread and a couple of drinks while listening to music hits from the 70's and 80's. I had a delicious beef brisket sandwich, coleslaw, and potato salad. We met the co-owner, Logan, and talked about his adventures as an English teacher and restaurant owner. It was very relaxing and a nice respite from our touring. We went back the next night for another round of brisket. The service and food were excellent. Check TnT BBQ out, it's great.
Our second day we toured the Cu Chi Tunnels, about 90 minutes from Saigon. They are 250km of tunnel complexes dug by the Viet Cong during the war. The tunnel complex had kitchens, hospitals, assembly rooms, and other necessities you would find in a small village. The tunnels were very small and narrow. Our tour guide side I was a “big happy Buddha and would get stuck in the tunnels.” But Shelly would be OK even though she had “wide hips and a big ass.” There was no governor on our tour guide! They had a shooting range at the tunnels, and I took the time to fire off 20 or so shots from an M-16. Missed the target each time!
We then drove to the beautiful Cao Dai Temples in Tay Ninh. Cao Dai Holy See Temple is the cathedral of the Cao Daoism religion and home of the Divine Eye, the official symbol of this unique religion. Cao Dai followers worship Jesus Christ, Confucius, Taoism, and Buddha.
Our last day in Vietnam, we drove to Ben Tre and walked along the waterfront, which was lined with French era shops and houses. At one of the shops, Shelly tried some cobra snake wine. The snake head was in the bottle.
We saw plenty of coconuts being unloaded from boats for dispatch around the country. We then took a Mekong Delta boat cruise.
That wrapped up our tour of Vietnam. Thanks Vietnam for a wonderful trip!
Here's a couple videos of Ken firing an M-16 at the Cu Chi Tunnels.
Off to Cambodia to see the Famous Angkor Temples
We arrived in Siem Reap and stayed at Sakmut Boutique Hotel located about 4 miles from the temples. It was a nice hotel with a salt-water pool. The staff were fabulous, so professional, courteous, and service-oriented.
Our first tour was boarding a boat on Tonle Sap Lake and cruising past floating villages, complete with schools, restaurants, and hospitals.
We then visited the school known as Les Artisans d'Angkor. This school trains young rural people in silk, stone and metal crafts. The artwork was beautiful and the silk products were high-end.
We finished our tours and relaxed in the salt-water pool at our hotel, and enjoyed drinks and conversation with other tourists on the roof-top bar.
On our final day of touring, we took an elephant ride from the South Gate of Angkor Thom into the jungle to see famous Bayon Temple. We climbed amongst ruins and up and down stairs. It was quite the exertion in the 97-degree heat.
We then went to Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which runs along the outer gallery walls and narrates stories from Hindu mythology. It was truly amazing.
We returned to our hotel to enjoy the pool, and dined at a dinner-theater and were treated to a charming Apsara dance show.
Our last morning Shelly enjoyed a massage at the spa, and then headed to the airport for our 1:00PM flight to Phnom Penh. Thank you Cambodia for a wonderful visit!
Our Flight Home
Our flight home was mostly uneventful. We had a short flight from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, then to Bangkok. Our flight left Bangkok late so we missed our connecting flight from London to Washington DC. So we spent 8 hours in the lounge at Heathrow waiting for the next flight. But we made it home safe and sound. What a great trip. We saw fabulous sites, met new friends, and had wonderful experiences. Thanks to the people of Vietnam and Cambodia!