Good Morning, Vietnam!

It is our third day in Vietnam, and so far we love this country!


We flew into Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, where we spent only one night. It was the first place we've been so far where there were lots of other Americans (previously we've only run into Aussies and Europeans). Our hotel was in a neighborhood that was pretty much a backpacker heaven, filled with souvenir stalls, Internet cafes, and bars and clubs. The city was very lively and really clean. We walked to a night market and got pho at Pho 2000. The restaurant had a photo of Bill Clinton eating there a few years ago.


We then headed to Hoi An, via Danang. Hoi An is situated on a river, and is one of the few cities in the country to have completely survived the Vietnam War (or, the American War, as it is called here). The colonial downtown area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- it seems like UNESCO just gives these titles away! The architecture is very charming, and the streets in the center are closed to cars, which is very nice, although I've nearly been run down by motorbikes on several occasions.


The big thing to do here is to have custom clothing or shoes made. The streets are lined with cloth shops (tailors) with lots of samples of their work on display. I'm a little disappointed I didn't come prepared with pictures of things I would have liked to have made. The shops are all completely up to date on the trends. Everyone is displaying trendy wool coats with funnel collars, and I've seen at least one boyfriend blazer (labelled as such), and, unfortunately, a ROMPER with a mini floral pattern.


This morning we visited My Son (yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site), which are the ruins of Hindu temples built by the Champa people between the 10th and 12th centuries. A few of the temples were sufficiently intact to walk into, but most of the site has been reduced to rubble. Sadly, several temples that had survived the centuries were destroyed during the Vietnam War by American bombs, as the Viet Cong were using the site as a headquarters in this area.

Tonight we sampled some very tasty food that is endemic to this region of Vietnam, including the White Rose (a shrimp dumpling), Lo Cai (a noodle dish), and make-your-own spring rolls filled with fresh veggies and herbs and rice pancake.

Tomorrow morning we head to Hanoi. We'll spend the day exploring the city, and then we take the night train to Sapa where we will hike around the rice terraces and the local villages.