Vietnam

06/04/2026

Time to get some laundry done. I took all my dirty clothes to a Gait La Sach in DaNang at 10am and at 3pm for VND30000 ($AUS1.64) they were clean, dry, folded, fresh, and smelt lovely. Just fantastic, and makes you think how can Australia compete with that and how can this Vietnamese shop make money from that?

The train for Hanoi departed at 6.00pm, so as soon as I picked up the laundry we headed back to our hotel to pick up our bags. Checkout/checkin is always at 10am and 2pm, and I'm yet to have any issue with the hotel letting us leave our bags there. Although some leave them in the foyer, which makes you wonder if they will still be there when you return.

Arriving at the station we waited about 30 minutes before being boarded onto the train. There was a shop in the corner of the waiting room, so we also stocked up on some snacks. But there really wasn't any need because lots of snacks were waiting for us in our cubical. The beds were soft, what a relief. We put our bags away in the areas provided and the conductor asked if we wanted a beer as it was free? He also told us all the stuff on the table was free too.

The train left on time, and hadn't gone very far before night fell meaning we really couldn't see anything through the Hai Van Pass. Several Hawkers came through the train, but no dinner was served. The continued motion of the train, combined with the screeching of wheels every turn made the journey feel tiring. At around 9.30pm we got ready for bed, and I was asleep by 10pm. However, it wouldn't be all happy sleeping. The movement of the train jerking violently from side to side, along with the train coming to a sudden stop to allow the oncoming trains to pass or the train to stop at a station, all made for a very disruptive sleep.

When I woke at 7am, I was exhausted, and Goo was the same. I don't think either of us slept very much. The train continuously jerking side to side was playing havoc with her stomach and she didn't feel very good. Thinking I better hit the toilet before she did, I went to the end of the carriage only to discover the train had run out of water. The toilets wouldn't flush and the only water avaliable was from the hot water. WTF this is supposed to be the best service avaliable!

One of the best travel tips I have done was to bring a Spork and Cup. Goo had also followed my lead and bought a cup, so we could have tea/coffee in the room. This proved to be great item on the train.

At 11.30am the train pulled into Hanoi station. We got of the train and the stairs leading to the walkway above was quite steep. With no elevator anywhere, I stopped, let go of my bag, turned around to Goo and said "Give me your suitcase". I heard her yell something, and when I turned around my bag was gone. Just gone! No where to be seen.

I don't really know what had happened. A taxi driver on the platform had seen what happened, and had watch my bag take off from behind me and roll straight off the platform. He motioned to me that it went over the side, but when I looked I couldn't see it. He came over and pointed at himself. Meanwhile, I looked around for someone official to help, but no one seemed aware of what had just occured. The taxi man lowered himself of the platform and I was surprised how high it was. He disappeared underneath it and emerged with my suitcase. He passed it up and by some miracle managed to lift himself back up onto the platform. He was a champion.

The handle was bent, and I was quite flustered and still had to get Gooeys bags up the stairs. We got to the top and I wanted to take a photo of the platform so I stopped and pulled out the phone. While I did this, the taxi guy kept walking, and disappeared in the crowd. I felt quite guilty about that. He was so kind in helping the least I could have done was use his services, but at the same time I also wanted to be left alone to examine the damage. 

Inside the station, the handle was bent and when I went to straighten it, of course.. like of course it snapped off. This resulted in an overwhelming feeling of rage, so I stood up and headed for the escalator. Fuck, I'm not buying another $200 suitcase! Goo trundled behind, probably too scared to say anything. I ordered a grab car, and we headed to the hotel. However, when we arrived it was realised I had left the yoga mat at the station. I'm more upset about losing the strap I had around it than the mat, but hopefully it has now found a good home.

When we jumped out of the cab, a man kept yelling and pointing at us. There was a sign saying homestay, but I didn't think this was our homestay. The names weren't right. He insisted we follow, so we followed him down a lane and into another tiny laneway. Once we reached his place he said "Booking". I pulled out the phone and showed him my booking which read Da Tree Homestay. He threw his hands in the air, saying "da da da". He then took off and waved for me to follow. We followed him out of the laneway and into another laneway where we found our homestay.

It's a unique type of place on the 3rd floor, with the bathroom outside via the balcony. It's unusual and very cool. 

07/04/2026

For our first day in Hanoi we headed to Ho Hoang Kiem Lake to start walking the streets of old town and explore some of the history of Hanoi. The streets were busy with never ending traffic that just kept coming regardless. The streets themselves were packed with shop after shop selling anything from tourist stuff to postage materials and stationary. We ventured into the the Dong Xuan Market which was 3 floors of vendors selling various goods.

I braced myself for heckling galore but was pleasantly surprised vendors here weren't aggressive at all. The only person aggressive was the lady at the toilet. There were two signs saying $VND2000, which I assumed one was for women and the other was for men. I gave her $2000 and went inside. 10 minutes later I emerged, and as I walked out the lady yelled "Hey you! You poo!?" "Yes I pooed" I replied. Putting her hand out, "2 more" she said.

Turns out, the sign said No 1 are $2000 and No2 are an additional $2000. This actually made me feel better because many places charge $VND5000, which I had been complaining was a tourist rip off.

Leaving the markets we followed a map from DK Vietnam Travel Guide through the streets of Hanoi. For lunch we found Ali BanhMi for lunch (8/10) and continued exploring. Finishing the street walk, and totally exhausted the plan was to head to the "Hanoi Hilton" but we still had a walk through the French Quarter. Goo was exhausted and offered to shout me a rickshaw ride to the Hilton. We showed the drivers where we wanted to go, and for two rickshaws they wanted 2.4Million. This was soon negotiated down to 1Million. ($AUD53).

As they peddled us both passed some fantastic french architecture, we came to a road block. A guy on the back of a grab stopped infront of me "Hello" he said. "Hi", "Where you from?" he asked. "Australia", "Me too", "Where abouts?" he asked "Melbourne" I replied. "I'm Sydney". We leant over and shook hands and then both disappeared into the mass of humanity again.

We passed the Supreme Court and Hanoi Opera house. Both are magnificent buildings that speak Paris. Seeing the French Quarter by rickshaw was a very expensive but enjoyable experiance. We stopped at the Hanoi Hilton, paid our $VND50,000 ($AUD2.50) and went inside.

Once inside we were asked to sit down and if we wanted an audio set for an additional VND$100000 ($AUD5). We both accepted this option, and I really don't think you would have got half the value if you didn't.

The Hanoi Hilton was named so by the American POWs who spent time here during the Vietnam war. It was also the prison built and used by the French to imprison political activists form 1886. It has a dark history of death, harsh conditions, and punishment.

I was surprised to learn about John Sydney McCain who not only ran for president against Barack Obama. I never liked him as I believed he was a war monger, but interestingly he served as a POW at the Maison Centrale, captured in 1967. He was there for 5.5 years and according to his testimony suffered unthinkable torture. He is featured in the Hanoi Hilton exhibits, but his story does not match the narrative that the prison tells.

This was my first encounter of blatant propoganda. The prison made out that the state rescued POWs from the public who wanted to kill them in retaliation for killing there families. They claimed they held them in the prison and treated them very well. Provided proper meals, daily showers, hygienic toilets, and allowed activities like tennis. They had many photos showing this, including a letter written by Ho Chi Min which I found interesting.

The American soldiers say that the prison was named the Hanoi Hotel as black humour and that the Vietnamese treated them very badly. The Vietnamese say the prison was named the Hanoi Hotel because of the luxury conditions they afforded POWs. It's hard to know what the truth is, but what is glaringly obvious is that the Vietnamese version doesn't make sense. There is no good reason they would be nice to the Americans at all for killing there people, and history shows no other country has been "nice" to there POWs. However, it is notable that approximately only 10 POWs died in the prison. (7/10)

08/04/2026

"30 Days" is a cafe that sits on the edge of American B-52 crash site. The plane was shot down in 1972 and it turned the surrounding houses into a pond. The area is officially known as "Ho B-52". Its an amazing site, and imagining such a thing plumbing into such a built up area is frightening. It's said the Govt has left it here to remind the people history doesn't only live in history books, but their own streets.

The cafe is only a quick walk from our homestay and has become a morning hang out. To get to it, the streets are narrow, and motorbikes never ending, but it's worth it. Ho B-52 was a good place to launch the next few days of understanding Vietnam better.

09/04/2026

To understand Vietnam better we headed to the new military Museum. The facility is massive and with a brutalist architecture is quite imposing. On arriving the most noticable thing was how it seemed like an indoctrination centre. Thousands of school kids and many groups of young men in uniform were all receiving guided tours.

Most males must serve 2 years in the military between the age of 18 - 27, and I wondered we were witnessing recruits going through the process. The kids, especially the young under about 10 were very cute. They would all hold the back of each others shit and follow each other in a line. They had no problem waving and yelling "Hello" when they saw a foreign face.

This concept of the locals being so friendly to foreigners is something I have been struggling with, but the Ho Chi Minh Museum made a point that Vietnam was an economically struggling nation, and it's mainly through tourism and foreign investment has allowed the nation to increase it economic prosperity to be currently ranked 32 globally.

The Museum is broken into periods and takes you on a journey from 700BC - Present. The displays are interesting, but my main interest was in the Nguyen Dynasty and the Vietnam war. This is the period Uncle Ho came to prominence, and established Vietnam's independence. I also didn't realise that during this period between 1941 - 1945 the Japanese occupied Vietnam but the French would return after the war and drive them completely out.

The War Museum really highlighted the resilience and ingenuity of the Vietnamese people. Of particular interest was an invention called the "Ho Stove". Americans were spotting the Viet Cong from cooking smoke, so they invented a smokeless stove which was clever. I also found it interesting they laid 4828km of 8 - 4 inch fuel line from the North along the Ho Chi Minh Trail to keep the vehicles going. During the whole Vietnam War, the Americans never succeeded in shuting the trail down.

After the War Museum we went to the Ho Chi Minh Museum. This place is obviously dedicated to Uncle Ho, his life, and the defeat of both the French and American armies. It immortalises Uncle Ho into a God like status, but given the past of this country, the amount of endless violence and war it has endured, I have no problem with that. Goo felt it was propoganda, but I didn't see any lies in what was being said. Even if it is exaggerated, so what. Victors of war in the west have written the narrative for centuries, so I don't think Vietnam is doing any different.

They deserve to be proud, and the fact that anyone you speak too is so proud of their country is amazing!! It's more than I can say for my country. In Australia we take people like Captain Cook and turn them into criminals. We argue over Australia Day, and pander to bullshit narratives when the white man tried to integrate Aboriginals into modern society. In Australia you are taught being proud of your history is disgusting. When I look at how the Vietnamese showcase their history, how they are all so proud of how they got to where they are today, how they make sure all people know their history, it truely makes Australia look like a clown show.

The last thing worth mentioning is that at both the War Museum and the Ho Chi Minh Museum there were several displays reflecting the future Military and Political Alliance with Russia. Maybe this is why Tinder has been full of Russian Women! But it's interesting to note that the Government has been very upfront in telling the people that they are full steam ahead with Russia on political, economical, and military fronts. Again a far cry from Australia who one minute are all China, the next all USA, then all Europe, and then all no where. Well, that's what they tell the people anyway.

War Museum and Ho Chi Minh Museum 8/10

10/04/2026

11-12/04/2026

HaLong Bay is renowned for being a UNESCO site with multitude of limestone islands rising from the sea. A must see tourist destination that is all fucked up, and I think highlights the downside of Vietnam's amazing growth.

The journey started by catching a bus from Hanoi Circus to HaLong Bay Suncity, where we were staying at the Exquisite Hotel (7/10). The pickup area was in front of the circus and is a common pickup point for buses. But unfortunatley there was no shelter and in the morning heat I stood there melting. I had bought an electric fan that you hold to your face, but flat out it was struggling to cope. Earlier the bus had txt that it would arrive at 10am instead of the scheduled 10.30am, but standing there and looking at my watch with swear forming on my eyebrows, it was only 9.30am. Desperate to get out of the heat and with no coffee shop in site there was Hotel du Pac Hanoi on the opposite side of the road I headed straight for it.

The relief as I walked into the foyer was very satisfying and they had a lovely coffee shop opposite reception with a big lounge area. I ordered a coffee and croissant for some stupid amount of money and sat down with Goo where we both started to cool down. Rates in this hotel run at around $AU250 per night and considering most places I have stayed at in Vietnam are less than $AU20 a night I couldn't help but wonder why?

Why are people paying western prices like this, when with a little bit of effort they can receive so much better value for their dollar. I also had this feeling about the Hue Citadel tour we did. Not that it was overly expensive, but with a bit of effort you could have achieved so much more value, and have had a much better experiance by making a bit of effort and doing research. I guess that's why the world is unique, there is something for everyone at all different levels, andas I looked around, I felt happy this wasn't mine.

But doing research and getting it right isn't as easy as it sounds either. The Internet is becoming a cesspit of fake reviews, paid youtubers, and companies spruiking their own products. HaLong Bay is such a place.

We left the air conditioned comfort of the hotel and returned to the heat of standing outside the Hanoi Circus, where our bus arrived at 10.30am. So much for being early.

Travelling out of Hanoi I was struck by Vinhomes Ocean View. This is a mega city being built from scratch and consisting of 100,000 homes. It looked just like the game SIM City. I had no concept that such developments existed until I saw it, and the scale was massive. I have since learnt they are also building an even bigger mega city outside DaNang on the other side of the Hia Van Pass. We had seen the clearing of land for this on the train trip through the pass, but at the time didn't realise what we were looking at.

Seeing this development became even more relevant because when we arrived at Sunworld HaLong Bay we walked into a French ghost town. Rows and rows of empty buildings with the odd shop or hotel here and there. It was truly bizarre. The odd car on the street, but the town was deserted and it was spooky. It felt like we were on a Hollywood movie set, or even in the movie The Trueman Show.

It became even more spooky when we tried to find our hotel. According to Google Maps it was 10 minutes walk, but when we got to the hotel it was an empty building with a smashed window. WTF, I had already paid for this place! Google Maps showed another hotel on the other side of the building block, so we headed there, only to walk inside and see "Exquisite Hotel" on the reception wall.

That night we ate at Papa's BBQ Restaurant. It was the only restaurant close to the Hotel and sat on the corner all by itself. They cooked us up a grilled BBQ and it was excellent 9/10. Later we would sit on the roof of the hotel and look over 324ha of dark empty buildings while listening to a massive music show in the distance. Grok told us the Government was having a party to try and encourage Chinese investors to fill the vacant buildings.

HaLong Bay also includes Sun World, a huge water park, which in hindsight would be worth spending a day at. But the entire development is an example of a mega city gone wrong. It was developed and invested into by speculators who thought wealthy foreigners would flock to HaLong Bay in a "build it and they will come" mentality.. but they simply never did.

It left me wondering how many more of these mega failure projects exist in Vietnam?