Nha Trang was a beach town, and much like beach towns that I've been to along the east coast, it was touristy with beach-y shops and vacationers year round. Interestingly, most of the vacationers were from Russia which I hypothesize has something to do with a friendly political relationship after the American (Vietnam) war in which communism won out. Though I admittedly haven't done my homework on the subject, so it's just a guess. We were lucky enough to stay in a simple little hotel just a block from the beach with a balcony that had a great view of the sunrise on the days when the sun came out. Unfortunately for our stay in a beach town, it was mostly cloudy and a bit rainy for a few days. We were glad, however, after the exhausting experiences of Ho Chi Minh city, to sit and read and watch the rain on the ocean from our balcony for a bit.
We did get out and enjoy three places of interest, two of which revolve around food. First though, I'll tell you about the embroidery gallery. Vietnam is known for it's artisan embroidery, which is so increadibly detailed that often they look like very realistic paintings until you really get up close. The gallery was lovely, and had a courtyard in the middle where women dressed in traditional clothes would work on embroidery all day long for viewers to watch. Each finished product then went up in the gallery, and the pieces were occasionally sold off, much like an art gallery in the states. The most impressive works, in my opinion, were those that were done on a sheer silk. Silk is another craft of Vietnam, but more on that later. There was even a section of the gallery dedicated to famous figures who had visited, and were invited to tie knots in a rainbow of embroidery threads hanging from a sort of loom. The result was this sort of strange knotted, colorful weave looking piece that hung from a section of the gallery where photos were not allowed (so sorry, no pictures).
Then for the food! Our particular interest in food on this leg of the trip had something to do with it coenciding with my birthday. As much as I enjoy vietnamese food in all of it's brothy, salty deliciousness, I was thrilled to find two western restaurants in Nha Trang to celebrate. The first was a barbeque art collective run by a couple of expats out of California. They served ribs, pulled pork, sausages, mac n' cheese, coleslaw and all the fixins on the patio, while indoors they ran a studio where any local artist could come to work and sell their work. There was everything from leather goods to paintings and pottery. The whole atmosphere felt very west coast USA and the food was very southern USA and that all suited me very well. Later that day we visited a local brewery (not a common sight in Vietnam) and enjoyed a few beers, some wine, and Jamie even surprised me with chocolate cake. I went to bed blissfully happy, over-full, and 24 that night. Hooray!
On our last day in Nha Trang, we were scheduled to board a sleeper train to Hue at 7pm, but had to check out of the hotel at noon. The hotel was kind enough to hold our bags for us, so we spent the afternoon lounging on the beach with a rented umbrella and chairs, reading and talking and occasionally running down to the water to remind ourselves just how cold the South China Sea really is. It was the first completely sunny day since our arrival in the beach town, and it was a perfect day for waiting on a train.
The sleeper train is part of a rather extensive rail route through SE Asia, connecting Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. It's certainly not a high speed rail line, but is probably one of the most beautiful ways to see the country. We had used the same means of transportation between Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang, and would again to get from Hue to the airport. During the two longest trips between cities, 9 hours between HCM and NT and 13 hours between NT and Hue, we purchased tickets in "soft beds" in sleeper cars of the train. Each compartment had four beds (two bunks) and each time we shared our compartment with a Vietnamese family and their young children. Watching the children's fascination with the train was pretty cute, but waiting for them to calm down so we could all sleep was less so. Each morning we woke up on a train, we could step outside our compartment and just watch the countryside roll by. Often enough this was a picturesque view of the ocean from the mountainside we were rounding, or a glimpse at rural Vietnamese life as we rolled through tiny little towns along the way. Just before bed, and first thing in the morning, carts would roll through the cabin selling corn on the cob and candies. I was surprised by how eagerly both of the families we traveled with snatched up the freshly boiled corn, like grabbing a corn-dog at the carnival. Apparently that's normal. Our last train trip was between Hue and the airport and for this trip we actually bought "soft seat" tickets, since the trip was during the day and only 3 hours. It was nice to sit upright, and the car we were in came equipped with outlets so that as long as you had a data plan you could listen to music indefinitely. Now just a note on "soft bed" and "soft seat". This simply means that these had a bit more cushion than their "hard" counterparts. A "hard seat" was a bench, and a "hard bed" was little more than a bunk without a mattress. We, obviously, opted for the "soft" rides.
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| Wearing masks to keep from getting sicker or infecting anyone |
Now on to Hue, our favorite of the Vietnamese cities we visited. Hue was the old seat of power back when Emperors ruled Vietnam (which was surprisingly recently). In this city we stayed at a home-stay, with a lovely Vietnamese family, whose son spoke English and helped them manage the air bnb. We got the upper floor to ourselves, complete with a balcony and washroom (sadly, still no hot water). The city of Hue is lovely not just for it's situation along the Perfume river, but also for it's preservation as a historic town. The buildings were a mix of french colonial and traditional Vietnamese, and the whole area was dotted with UNESCO protected "historic sites." A large portion of the city is sectioned off with an ancient wall and moat protecting the Citadel, the old palace grounds where the Emperor and his family lived as late as the American (Vietnam) war. The surrounding city is called the "old city" and there is barely more to the town than that, except for residential areas that sprawls up into the hills.
We spent an entire day of our stay in Hue exploring the expansive grounds of the Citadel. The space was beautiful and incredibly sad at the same time. Restoration is ongoing, but the entire grounds were bombed heavily during the war, destroying some of the most significant cultural artifacts and architecture of Vietnam. While we were invited to walk around anywhere on the grounds, certain buildings were off limits while they were restored, or simply because they are not structurally sound. The are enormous gaping holes in the walls where the fighting was particularly destructive, and large framed photographs of the original splendor, as well as the destruction immediately following the war. Only one of the original traditional gardens remain. I could go on and on about how beautiful the place was, but the pictures will do a better job I think.
Finally, our last excursion before we left Hue was a trip to the local temple, which happened to be the center of the Buddhist Association for the province. It was a beautiful, active temple, a bit different from those we have in Korea. First of all, it seemed very involved in the community, as there were numerous school children from the surrounding neighborhood playing and studying there. The temple grounds (except the dormitories, of course) were open to the public all day and there were meetings happening in a pagoda between a couple of monks and a few people dressed in plain clothes. We sat in a bonsai garden for a while, reading about Buddhism in Vietnam and the history of this particular temple. We learned that one of the largest trees on the property was said to have been grown from a sprig of the tree under which the original Buddha became enlightened. The temple had also sustained damage during the war, as well as throughout it's history when Vietnam went through a phase of trying to cast out Buddhism. They are now thriving, and have their own flag, as well as many statues and towers.
I believe that about wraps up our winter trip this year. We arrived back in Korea safe, sound, and exhausted mid-day on Friday and took the high speed rail home from Seoul. Our apartment was frigidly cold, and our lungs had to re-adjust to the winter weather. But we are glad to be back. Simply hearing Korean was such a warm welcome, that it seems we've really settled in and made ourselves a home here. I'm happy to be working and studying again, and Jamie's kids were thrilled to see him on his first day back yesterday. It's hard having to wake up before the sun again, but it's always nice to wake up in your own bed.
So more news on Korea next week. Happy Valentines Day, everyone!
-K
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