Hué and Hoi An, Vietnam

To get from Hanoi to Hué we had booked an overnight sleeper bus. We were very torn between a bus or a train. Most people we talked to were getting buses but everyone online suggested the train. In the end it came down to the price. A single train ticket from Hanoi to Hué cost $50 but it also cost $50 for a hop on hop off bus all the way from Hanoi to Ho Cho Minh City in the south. We arrived at the bus station as another storm hit. In the taxi there the boot managed to fly open and in the 20 second run from the taxi to the bus stop my shoes managed to fall off and we both managed to get drenched. The bus arrived late but in the meantime we spoke to a really nice local girl studying English at university who was able to help us with all our questions about the bus. When it eventually arrived we put our bags in the loading bay and Steve jumped in with them to bike chain them to a pole underneath. He got a few weird looks but I’ve heard enough horror stories about missing bags to risk anything. As we tried to get on we kept getting pushed back while the bus driver only let on the Vietnamese. We had a feeling this might happen! Then as we managed to push ourselves on the conductor started telling us we would need to wait for the next bus. I think me and Steve managed to shout at them loud enough and quick enough about our bags already being in the bus that they gave up and let us on. The bus itself is very strange, it is like bunk beds but individual seats. The do not recline fully flat so that your feet are under the person in front of you – it’s difficult to explain. Everyone says the top bunks are a bit safer so we grabbed them and got comfy. The bus was really new and actually pretty nice so it wasn’t so bad but would be a lot more comfortable if you were only 5ft and not the lanky person I am. We travelled all of 10 meters before our first stop where the driver thought he’d get out and have his dinner. Then we travelled maybe 100 meters before stopping again for an hour. By the time we actually left properly we had been sitting on the bus for 2 hours. It turns out the storm had meant lots of trees had fallen in the roads and the traffic was also a nightmare because of this so I suppose they have some excuse! (But not the driver who just wanted a snack).

Although a bit cramped, I actually managed to sleep not too bad. We arrived at Hué bus station about 10.30 the next morning and was met by a man from our hotel. He put us in a taxi while driving his motorbike along side and after 5 minutes we arrived. The people there were so so nice. Before we even stepped out the taxi they had all our bags, were making us sit down in reception, had given us cold towels to cool down with and made us order some breakfast (all of which was included in the £5 a night price). They let us check in early and took our bags up to the top floor (no lift) where we got to our room. We sat down and the electricity decided not to work. So they ended up moving us to the room next door that had 2 double beds in! Luxury! That day we rested and walked around the city, stopping off for a mango smoothie and looking into shops. In the evening we went to the night market along the river which was very small but I did manage to buy a hat which my mum has been nagging me about since I arrived in New Zealand! (NOT the ridiculous one in the photo!)

The next day we hired a motorbike ready for a busy day of site seeing. We first headed to the Citadel not too far from town which holds the imperial city. You can see a lot of the Chinese influence here in the buildings. A lot is still under restoration after natural disasters and the war, but you can still see some of the ruins of where the royal family once lived. Our motorbike then refused to start up which began an issue for the whole day. Luckily the Vietnamese people were always willing to help even if we couldn’t speak the same language and we managed to always reach the next place. After the imperial city we headed to Khai Dinh tomb and got very very lost (another recurring theme throughout the day). Once we found it, it was probably the most impressive one we visited that day – there were many steps up to the tomb but the whole building inside and out was so intricate. We also visited Ming Manh tomb and Tu Duc tomb. On the way to the second one we ended up in some rural village and as we turned a corner we saw a man with two small elephants. We were so excited we didn’t even care we were lost and we caught up with him. Only to turn another corner and realise that apparently from a distance the backside of elephants and buffalo look very similar! Such an anticlimax it was pretty funny. He managed to point us in the right direction we needed to be though. The day was boiling as always and eventually we were so sweaty and absolutely starving so we headed back to town. 

We ordered some dinner from a restaurant but the food was so bad we ended up sending it back – the waitress was not happy and we left with daggers in our backs I’m sure. So now even more hungry having not eaten since breakfast we finally found somewhere, ordered the biggest meal we could see and stuffed our faces. We drove back to our hotel and finally got a shower before having a rest and driving out for some ice cream. 

So we really enjoyed Hué, we didn’t spend long here – I think we saw all we needed to in that one busy day. Early the next morning we caught another sleeper bus (but only for 4 hours during the day this time) to Hoi An. Everybody we spoke to had been raving about Hoi An saying it was the nicest place in Vietnam so we were really excited. We arrived around midday and were met at the bus station by 2 people from our hotel on motorbikes. They proceeded to put our huge backpacks by their feet so they could barely see over the top while we hopped on the back. A quick 5 minute scoot to the place we were staying – not actually a hotel but a home stay (pretty much like a B&B) and we had arrived. We spent our first day in Hoi An not doing a whole lot but wandering about the old town. I can see why people like it, it’s full of lanterns and old buildings and side streets. Hoi An is famous for its tailoring, there are 300 tailors in the one small town but the lady who ran our hotel explained to us that only 50% of them actually have tailors. While on the bus to Hoi An, a Vietnamese guy with really good English got chatting to Steve. He owned a tailors in Hoi An and gave us his card. So after a mooch about the town we headed there. Steve looked up some materials and they gave me a load of Next catalogues to get ideas from. Although the ladies in the shop were really nice (redoing my mess of a hair and fascinated by Steve’s arm hair!) it was still pretty pricy. We then went and grabbed some dinner and watched as everything went dark and the lanterns all got turned on. During the day in Hoi An there is barely anyone about – the difference at night is crazy! It is packed full of people and the whole town seems to come to life. 

Once we were home I started to sketch a few ideas for my own dress. Then the next day we shopped around a bit more at some of the tailors. We headed to one called BiBo that had good reviews on trip advisor and was considerably cheaper. We spent the morning looking at fabrics and designs. Steve picked out a really nice blue colour for his suit with a grey silk lining, white shirt and burgundy tie – all tailor made to fit him. I spent some time with the sisters who ran the shop explaining my design and working out was possible and what was not. It was so fun! I wanted to go for something a bit cheaper and casual so was aiming for a cotton material but I fell in love with this turquoise lace for the top and they didn’t have the same colour in the cotton for the bottom. They did have it in silk however so for only a few dollars extra I thought it was worth it. They took a million and one measurements and we left them to it. I also gave them my dad and brother’s measurements for tailor made shirts, so they had a lot to do! But they said all of them would be ready by 11am the next day – crazy. We had hired bikes out from our hotel (the standard push kind this time!) and cycled to the beach. By the time we arrived I looked like I had taken a shower I was so sweaty it was disgusting. We picked a sun lounger on the beach and didn’t move for the rest of the afternoon. Around late afternoon we went back to the hotel to get showered and clean before going back into the old town for some dinner. Along the river in Hoi An there are lots of women selling little paper lanterns with tiny candles in that you can buy and drift on the river. It was really cute and the whole scene looked like that one out of Tangled. We bought one each and were given a massive pole with a little basket on the end to put our lantern in and reach over the side of the bridge to let it go. It was all very cute and we watched them drift off, but that all stopped when mine crashed into a hedge not even 5 metres down and got stuck.

The next morning we went back to see our clothes and there they were all ready! I needed a few adjustments to the length of mine and Steve also needed a few alterations. Steve also ordered another shirt and this was all ready 5 hours later. In the meantime we headed back to the beach again and repeated the day before of lying there not doing a whole lot. We did go for a swim though, it was so shallow and at one point I was just sitting there when Ste goes “oh my god get up!” I turn around and there’s like a huge jellyfish next to me! All spotty and probably the size of a cushion. I ran out that water pretty quick. That evening we went for some food which was really tasty, I had a coconut curry thing and was really pleased with my choice. Turns out my stomach definitely did not agree later on. 

We ended up picking everything up the next day – I was really pleased how everything turned out. A silk dress based on my own design made to fit me for something like £30. I’ve paid that for a plain top in topshop before! Steve’s suit looked great too. The weather was pretty meh for the next few days so we didn’t do a whole lot! We spent the time just planning other parts of our trip and going in and out of the old town. We had some amazing chocolate and coconut cakes at one cafe and spent the days drinking enough mango smoothies and chocolate milkshakes to last a lifetime.

After another day in Hoi An we caught another overnight bus to Nha Trang. This journey was horrendous, nothing like the other one we had even though it was shorter. First of all we were assigned seat numbers on this bus so me and Steve of course were sent to the very back of the bus where there weren’t individual seats but 5 in a row…so sharing with strangers this close with no space and all your bags wasn’t fun! We asked to move and the driver just point blank said no and turned away. The back of the bus is also a lot more bumpy and with the engine right below you pretty noisy too. However, I could have handled all of this but the condition of the road the whole way down was terrible. There were potholes literally the size of craters and I’m pretty sure the majority of the road was rubble. At one point my whole body actually flew off my seat! It was like being on a roller coaster. So safe to say I think I got about an hour’s sleep. We arrived in Nha Trang at 6am which meant our room obviously wasn’t ready. After getting some breakfast and sitting like a zombie in the hotel reception for 2 and a half hours they upgraded us and put us in a free room where I ran into the shower and dived into bed where I still am currently! 

Only a week or so left of Vietnam now!

Speak soon and Happy Father’s Day Dad!

Abby x