TRAVEL JOURNAL: NORTHERN VIETNAM – PART 3
In the third installment of their Southeast Asian journey, Jacqueli and Joubert Tulleken explore northern Vietnam on scooters, buses and boats. Get in!
“We puttered into the bay and both our jaws fell to the floor. No Instagram photo will ever do this place justice. You have to see it for yourself: Hundreds of limestone islands towering over turquoise water. We paddled in kayaks, visited floating fishing villages and had lunch on a private beach.”
After 14 hours on an overnight train, we arrived in the town of Ninh Binh in northern Vietnam early in the morning.
You might have seen photos of the jungle-covered limestone hills – called karsts – that tower over rice fields and rivers in this part of the country. Ninh Binh offers affordable accommodation and a range of activities. It’s about 95 km south of the capital Hanoi and it’s right in the middle of karst country.
From the railway station, we took a taxi for about 10 km to the smaller tourist town of Tam Coc. We planned to spend two days at a guesthouse called Tam Coc Bungalow, with our friends Wessel van Wyk and Shivani Ghai. It was tucked away behind trees next to a river and the veranda had a view of the limestone karsts.
After an afternoon nap and a hot shower, we all felt refreshed and ready to explore. We hired two scooters and rode around town. The main road was lined with restaurants and bars packed with young travellers. We headed to the outskirts of town and rode past rice fields and smallholdings with Google Maps leading the way on the narrow roads. Later we watched as the sun set behind one of the karsts. We returned home for dinner and played pool and drank beer the rest of the night. It was a holiday, after all!
The towers of Tam Coc
We woke early to get to the Hang Múa Viewpoint before sunrise – it’s on top of a karst and there are 500 steps to the top. It took us about half an hour to climb to the summit, where we were rewarded with a panoramic view of the Tam Coc Valley. The sun peeked over the misty horizon, revealing hundreds of karsts rising from the rice fields as far as the eye could see.
From Hang Múa, we rode our scooters to the nearby Trang An Landscape Complex. This area was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014 because it has diverse ecosystems and historical temples. This is also where Kong: Skull Island was filmed, and where those beautiful photos of limestone karsts and river channels are taken.
The best way to explore the landscape is on a boat cruise on the
Sao Khe River. There are three routes that visit different caves and hidden pagodas – a tiered tower that is usually used as a Buddhist or Hindu temple.
We chose the second route, leading to four caves and three pagodas. With non la hats on our heads (traditional Vietnamese headgear), we climbed into the row boat. It was so relaxing and I was in awe of the guide, a woman who looked to be in her 70s, doing all the hard graft. We entered a cave in a mountain – more than a kilometre long – and ducked for stalactites as we sailed into the gloom. The deeper we went, the more humid the air became.
The pagodas were a different experience. The moment you step inside, you feel at peace. Traditional Vietnamese music wafted between the buildings, over the lawns and rivers. A sense of deep spirituality was palpable.
Back in Tam Coc, we scurried around trying to find a hotel or a restaurant where we could watch the Rugby World Cup. It was September 2019 and South Africa was playing New Zealand in their first match of the tournament. Unfortunately the Vietnamese don’t know much about rugby. In the end, we streamed the match on a laptop. Technology to the rescue! On our last day in Tam Coc, we visited the impressive Bai Dinh Pagoda, the biggest pagoda complex in Vietnam. Pilgrims come from all over the world to see the temples and gardens. Inside the 5,4 km² complex, there are more than 500 statues of Buddha, carved from locally sourced limestone. Bai Dinh also has the tallest Buddhist tower (100 m) and the biggest bronze Buddha statue in Southeast Asia – the Shakyamuni Buddha. It weighs 100 tonnes and is more than 10 m tall!
Walking tour in Sapa
Around 9 pm, we took an overnight bus further north. These buses are a popular and affordable mode of travel for tourists – there’s lots of legroom on board and the seats are comfortable to sleep in. There’s even free Wi-Fi!
The trip took about 10 hours. We arrived in Sapa in the morning – a town in the mountains in the north-western corner of the country near the border with China. Five ethnic minority groups live in the area, including the Black Hmong and the Red Dao people. Vietnamese and Chinese influences meet in Sapa, and the town has its own unique character. It almost feels like you’re in another country.
The humidity was long gone, replaced with a chilly mist. There were lots of Chinese building projects underway, and busy hotels. The people looked different to other people we’d seen in Vietnam, with their own language and traditional clothes.
The cooler climate and mountainous landscape make Sapa a popular hiking destination. We travelled here to do a guided two-day hike (19 km) through the Hoang Lien Son Mountains in the Muong Hoa Valley. There isn’t a set route – you can decide how far you want to walk every day. Our tour guide, Ker, identified as a Black Hmong; there are other Hmong groups in southern China, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.
We started our first day at the Sapa market, where we bought tomatoes, carrots and spinach. Then we hit the trail through rice paddies, past towns and across rivers.
Ker told us more about her culture and showed us how the Hmong dye fabrics using the indigo plant. The Black Hmong are known for their beautiful handmade clothes embroidered with unique patterns – they wear these clothes every day and not just on special occasions. The jackets and patterns can take up to a year to complete.
Just before lunch, we climbed a steep hill and walked through a forest to Ker’s house. Her family didn’t have power – they cooked on the fire or on a gas stove. Yet she still prepared a feast for us with the food we’d bought: rice, stir-fried veggies, green beans and a tomato-and-tofu dish.
After lunch, we continued walking on the plateau and took in the surrounding mountain ranges. Small groups of houses were scattered throughout a valley. Later, we slowly made our way down the steep slopes into a gorge. We were staying with Ker’s parents for the night. Her mother, a herbalist, and her father, a shaman, gave us a warm welcome.
We walked about 10 km in total that day and were very grateful for a hot shower and clean clothes. Later, we all sat in the kitchen. Ker and her family prepared dinner and we shared stories about our different cultures. After dinner, the men sat around the fire, drank rice wine and smoked tobacco in a long pipe.
On the second day, we walked down the mountain on paths between the rice paddies. Sometimes we crossed small rivers. It was just the four of us in the group so we could set the pace. The people here live a simple life and we adjusted to their rhythm. It was a relief to be away from the rush and noise of the cities.
We learnt a lot by staying with Ker and her family. The Hmong value good etiquette and hospitality, and we experienced this in full.
Hello, Halong Bay
After the hike, we said goodbye to Wessel and Shivani and travelled to Hanoi on our own. There we made a last-minute decision to visit Halong Bay, probably the most famous tourist spot in Vietnam.
There were tour options for every budget. Joubert and I decided to go all out and booked two nights on the Dragon Legend, a boat that travels to smaller Bai Tu Long Bay.
We puttered into the bay and both our jaws fell to the floor. No Instagram photo will ever do this place justice. You have to see it for yourself: Hundreds of limestone islands towering over turquoise water. We paddled in kayaks, visited floating fishing villages and had lunch on a private beach. We were treated like royalty on board the boat: sundowners, three-course meals, white towels, a bath overlooking the bay…
It was a five-star experience and the cherry on top of a wonderful holiday in Vietnam. What a fantastic destination. Among the crowds of people and crush of scooters, you’ll find tranquillity and mindblowing scenery.
Put Vietnam on your bucket list today!