After we checked into our hotel (really nice, but no heat!), we went in search of food. I already don’t like this city. It’s cold, damp, cloudy, and just depressing to look at. Fortunately, it has a lot of good restaurants. I suspect if the weather were more pleasant I’d like it but it’s hard to say.

After eating we walked across the long bridge over the Perfume River to the main part of the city. For several blocks, vendors were selling trees of yellow flowers and trees with mini-oranges.

We walked a few more blocks, around some walls, through some mud, and found what we were looking for. We found what looks like an old citadel, inside which is the old Imperial Palace. The palace was sparse, with rebuilding in progress, but it’s easy to envision how grand it was and will be again. (The video explaining the restoration process explained that the palace had been bombed heavily during the war, and only now are they able to restore it thanks to outside help).

It started to rain so we went back to our hotel to rest, use the internet, and get ready for dinner. There was an Italian restaurant up the street that had more pasta choices with cheese and cream sauce than I’ve seen in years. And they had an amazing dessert menu. I will return!

Hue

In Hue we visited the Hue Imperial Palace, which was home to emperor’s from about 1800-1945. It’s like a city inside of a city…it has a huge wall around the entire area, which I seem to remember being about 1 mile x 1 mile in size. Then there is a another wall inside that one…to protect the emperor and his family.

I asked everyone in the group if we could just go eat a normal lunch instead of the 5-6 course spread we had been eating. Everyone was in agreement so we had our driver, who was born in Hue and visits all the time, take us to a local bun bo hue (a noodle/meat dish that I like a lot). We hit up a little cafe on a back street and the bun bo hue was the best thing I had eaten so far…:)

We got on the road and started our 3 hour drive to the next town. Along the way we took a detour to see a large Catholic shrine. The story is that about 200 years ago the Catholic religion was being banned in Vietnam and everyone went to the jungle to hide. They were sick, short of food, etc. and the Virgin Mary appeared to them and told them how to make medicine, etc. They refer to her as the “Lady of La Vang”. It was pouring down rain and pretty chilly when we were there but even so, there were around 100 people praying outside. The original church was destroyed during the war in 1972, only the front was left…so they just kind of added on to it, no money to rebuild.

Got to the hotel after dark, plus it rained all day. Went out to eat and crashed early. No internet at the hotel, tomorrow we visit some river/caves and then catch a flight to Ha Noi.

Ha Noi

Got up early, had breakfast at the hotel, the usual buffet spread. We took an hour or so drive out to the country to Ke Bang National Park. It’s a fishing village on a river and our guide, Ly, says the caves are similar to the caves at Ha Long Bay.

We got our own boat, see pics, to take up the river. There were a ton of boats there and a lot of tourists. It was about a 30 minute ride to the caves and the weather was nice. A little cloudy but it was only about 80 degrees, which was a nice change from the heat. We have to catch a flight around lunchtime, so we only toured two of the larger caves. There was a professional photographer with us on the boat and he took some good pictures of everyone but they are prints, so I can’t upload them w/o scanning them first.

The caves were cool, like what you see at Carlsbad Caverns, etc. The NVA used these caves to hide in during the war from the U.S. There were spots that had been cut out and you could see where they had meetings, etc.

After the tour we went back to town and had lunch, another multi dish affair but the restaurant was a small, mom/pop type place so it was a little more fun than the fancier places we had been eating in lately.

Got back in the van and headed to town to catch our flight. We got to the airport and it was one of the smallest I’ve ever seen…about a block wide at the most. It was actually closed when we arrived at 12:30. We had to ask the guard to open the gates for us and then it was about 15 more minutes before anyone arrived to “OPEN” the airport…:-)

Caught our flight to Ha Noi easily. The airport just had two flights coming in…one from Saigon and one from Ha Noi, then returning to those cities. The plane was a dual prop that sat about 40-50 people max. We rode a little shuttle bus out to the plane to board. When we arrived in Ha Noi, took about an hour, we took another shuttle bus to the airport. The Ha Noi airport is nice, good size and tons of visitors. Met our guide Dung and our driver, Tuan. They took us to the hotel, Hanoi Hotel, to check in. It’s a big hotel and looks like anything back home, here’s a link:

It’s kind of funny…we leave this big, newer airport and right outside the airport I see manufacturing plants for Panasonic, etc. and then right beside them are people working in rice fields and there are people driving cattle across the highway…all this right in the middle of a city of millions.

On a side note, the average property in Saigon goes for about $16k per square meter and the property in Ha Noi goes for about $20k per square meter. A square meter is about 10.7 square feet, so property in Saigon is almost $1500 per square foot and almost $1900/sq foot!!! The average shop you see in the pics about the city is worth a million dollars!!! Yes, lots of people know this and they are waiting to sell until they retire…:-)

While the hotel was new and nice, it had turned off cold that day, about 60 degrees and the mini-split in the room wouldn’t run in heat pump mode, so we had no heat. Our room was a suite, it had a living room with half bath and a bedroom with a full bath. When we went downstairs to meet our guide for supper, we spoke to the front desk and they sent up a oil filled type of heater, which at least kept the bedroom warm. They also didn’t have any internet except the pay kind. With Ha Noi being a large city, everything was more expensive so we passed on paying for the internet, hoping for a free wi-fi spot somewhere but we never went anywhere that had one.

Supper was at a very modern looking restaurant…it had a Japanese feel with the low seating/table arrangements but it was mostly open air. They had heaters going so the temp wasn’t bad and the restaurant was very cool looking. It was the kind of place you would see in any big city back home from Dallas to LA. The food was good but the food in the North area of Vietnam is different than the south…just like back home. Went back to the hotel and I noticed a pizza sign, so we ordered a small pepperoni pizza. It cost about $6 and was good but the pepperoni was definitely not the type of pepperoni you get back home…good but different.

Ha Long Bay

Got up early to go to Ha Long and see the sights. It’s about a 3 hour drive out to Ha Long. We stopped about halfway there at a little cafe and took a bathroom break and got a Vietnamese iced coffee and a snack.

We arrived in Ha Long early, around lunchtime. We ate at a little restaurant on the edge of Ha Long and being next to the ocean, it was primarily seafood of course. Everything was great…when its cooked hours after being caught it just tastes better…:-)

Checked in our hotel, took a couple hour break and then went on a driving tour of the city and to a restaurant to eat. It was on the far side of the bay, there’s a big bridge that goes across now but a few years ago everyone had to take a ferry across. It was a huge, beachfront restaurant. Tons of good seafood. The restaurants in Vietnam, everywhere you go, if they offer seafood all have big saltwater fish tanks with everything alive. You can pick the clams, the lobster or the fish you want and they will cook it. I know back home we have a few places that kind of do this…but over here, it’s just the norm…everyone expects it.

Got up early the next day, breakfast at the hotel…lots of Japanese tourists here…then off to catch our boat to tour the bay. We had our own boat, just us, the guide and a photographer. We toured a couple of caves then took a 2 hour ride through the bay. It was overcast that day but didn’t rain. The weather was warmer in Ha Long than Ha Noi, about 80-85 degrees.

The caves were similar to the ones in Ke Bang but these have been used by fisherman caught out in bad weather for hundreds of years. They also have a lot of ceremonies and parties out in the larger caves…like during the new year, etc.

The tour around the islands was very cool. Saw a couple of the floating fishing villages which have schools, etc. on them and the people only go to land to pick up supplies. It’s definitely one of the prettiest places I’ve ever seen and if you get a chance, it’s a must see spot.

After the tour through the bay, we headed back to shore and went to visit a local pearl manufacturing company. They show how the oysters are prepped and grown and have a big showroom selling lots of pearl jewelery. After that we went to a nice local spot and had a hot pot with fresh seafood. Everything was really good and you get a waiter assigned to your table to do the cooking. That was a first because everywhere I’ve had hot pots it’s always been a do it yourself thing.

Got up early and headed back to Ha Noi to catch our flight. We ate at a restaurant at the hotel while the guide got our bags checked and picked up our tickets. For a airport restaurant, the food was pretty good.

Our flight arrived on time and was smooth going back to Saigon. It was nice to get back to where the weather is warm!!!

The Germany foreign ministry has commissioned experts from the German Conservation, Restoration and Education Project (GCREP) to renovate six murals dating from the Nguyen Dynasty in the lobby of An Dinh Palace.

The artwork is magnificent, but heavily damaged. Before attempting to restore the murals, team leader Andreas Teufel sent samples back to Germany for chemical analysis.

The team is using traditional mortar made from molasses, lime and sand to restore the works. Teufel said the restored parts of the palace will be indistinguishable from the original work.

“Previous restorers tried to preserve the original works but they didn’t know how to do it properly and didn’t have access to modern technology,” she said.

“That was why relics at the site have largely been left unrestored. The work they did was far from perfect and bore little resemblance to the original. People in the past used different painting techniques. The Vietnamese restorers used modern pigments and techniques,” she said. “I discovered that the original painting technique was similar to that used in Italy.”

The German restorers have used traditional pigments, which are applied to the wet mortar. The colour will be fixed when the mortar dries. Bacteria will grow on the walls during the drying process, which helps to make the artwork more durable.

The restoration work is in keeping with UNESCO’s 1964 Charter.

According to Phan Thanh Hai, Vice Director of the Centre for Restoration of Hue Relics, the techniques used to restore the palace will be applied to other sites.
(Source: VNA)

Traditional art troupes from around the country will perform various cultural and community programmes at the Vietnamese Cuisine in Hue Style.

The emphasis at the festival will be on open-air culinary and theatre activities, including dance and drama shows, and art exhibitions.

The opening ceremony will be held at the Ngo Mon Square and Dai Noi citadel, while the culinary and cultural shows will go on from morning to late night along the Huong River.

Dozens of culinary experts will be invited to whip up traditional dishes from Hue, Ha Noi, and the southern region.

Hue’s royal foods will be highlighted by top local chefs at Dai Noi.

Farming associations, handicraft villages, and agricultural businesses from all over the country will display ornamental fishes, bonsai trees, and flowers at Ngo Mon.

There will also be exclusive performances of nha nhac music using the two-chord fiddle, three-chord zither, and bamboo flute.

The genre was recognised as a world intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2004.

The organiser, the Hue People’s Committee, hopes the Hue Handicraft Festival 2011 – to be celebrated from April 30 to May 3 – will establish the city as a cultural and culinary hub.

It said hotels and guesthouses in Hue are ready to welcome visitors and have promised to keep tariffs unchanged during the event.

(Source: VNS)

Vietravel said visitors booking domestic and outbound tours during Tet increased 40% over last year. Notably, its office on 190 Pasteur, in HCMC welcomed a record 2,300 people on the second day of Tet.

The nation’s leading Saigontourist offered 130 tours for 10,000 visitors, including overseas Vietnamese returning home to enjoy the Tet holiday. It also received over 9,000 foreigners on cruises. The number of Saigontourist visitors increased nearly 20% over last year’s period.

Meanwhile, the number of tourists to Hue over the holiday increased sharply, reaching about 50,000, some 20,000 more than last year.

From the first to third day of Tet, Hanoi welcomed over 1,000 visitors through its Noi Bai International Airport, most of them from European countries and overseas Vietnamese.

Other well-known cites such as Danang, Nha Trang, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Quang Ninh are expected to attract a large number of domestic tourists for the many traditional festivals held in the spring.

(Source: VOV)

On a tour bus in Hue right now for a DMZ tour. Margot and I arrived in Hue last night after a 3 hr bus ride. It was nice to see some of the country side. It’s very wet, misty, rainy – like there has been a permanent gray soft focus lense cast over everything (it’s really been mostly like that since we’ve arrived in Da Nang). Everyone still motorbiking around – just in various colored ponchos. Lots of rice paddy fields,too – some coming right up to heir very tiny, moldy-soaked house or more like shack/hut with clothes always hung out on lines to “dry”. I think perhaps I’ave adjusted to the increased moisture/always feeling wet or rather never feeling dry. How dirty everything seemed at first is seeming less dirty to me now. Da Nang street observations: old women walking around, selling lottery tickets, the garbage removal is always a woman shovelling garbage kicked/pushed to the side of the street into wheel barrow bins.

During the day, all kinds of handy fixers have their wares, tools and scraps of various metal, plastic, rubber, etc dumped out on a square of pavement as they work away fixing just about anything: shoes, bicycles and motorbikes, watches, sewing machines and other gadgets. Almost nothing is new here and nothing is thrown out. I’m not as desperately missing the comforts of being dry, warm and clean. But, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect differently (70 degress, sunny, less rain/fog). The smells on the streets are dominated by incense that just about every store front burns on sticks out front thru out the day and exhaust from the motorbikes and cars. Sometimes you get wafts of whatever little corner stand is cooking up. In comparison to the US, the home set-ups outside the city I’ve seen look “poor”; children playing among piles of rubble, mud floors and even in the rain they still only wear sandals/flip-flops, roofs falling in or cold tarps covering gaping holes, puddles EVERYWHERE.

They seem to save every little scrap – yet, piles of garbage also make it seem that perhaps there isn’t much garbage removal in the country side. Yet, I’ve seen more smiles than I have in a long time. I have not experienced even a fraction of the aggression I witness or experience every day in america regardless if it is on the streets of new york city or on a suburban street driving in the midwest. The kindness, gratiousness and affection is truly amazing.

The couple next to me on the bus are in their mid 20′s, from ireland and have been travelling since 2009 and aren’t planning on going home until the end of 2011. And that’s not so rare amongst the backpackers/travellers. To REALLY experience cultures, I feel like it takes longer travel, otherwise, it really is just a holiday or visit, which is ok too.

They use ponchos on sticks as scare crows in their rice fields.

I am happy and proud of the work we are doing here. I’ve been repeatedly revisiting/reconsidering whether what we are doing is doing any good/helping the local hospital/people. And I think especially with the timing of the American surgeons and the need/our efforts to establish post-op protocols – it’s definitely validating our efforts here. And I certainly feel good about being here/travelling under the context of volunteering than jst straight up travelling for my own benefit/pleasure.

So, strange, even when given the opportunity to just float/fart around – I don’t, I mean a little of that dosed as a vacation is good; but otherwise it seems like time wasted. There’s plenty of work and improvement that needs to be done in this world and I don’t feel comfortable or alright with just sitting at the sidelines concerned with and only taking care of my own(s’) needs. So, perhaps there is a growing humanitarian within me afterall.

So, despite my discomforts or stresses of culture shock, it is outweighed by the feeling of making some positive impact somewhere that may not otherwise get it. And that’s not to say I don’t make a positive impact at home, I just think it’s important to keep a bigger perspective on the world’s needs and perhaps it helps karmically to heal whatever injuries of the past – on both sides. The highlight of Vietnam is definitely the kindness and graciousness of its people.

Jan. 23, 2011
Margot and I just got back from a full-on sightseeing weekend in Hue, Vietnam – 3 hours by bus north of Da Nang.

We took the bus up friday afternoon. Stayed at the Hue Backpackers Hostel. Took a 12 hour DMZ tour on Saturday. Scoped out the Citadel and imperial city this morning. Took the bus back this afternoon. And met up with some friends: Kat, Alex and Kim who flew here from the states to do some travel. We met up with them at Hoa’s place in China beach (also dragged along a Dutch girl and Chinese girl that were looking for a place to kill a few hours before their flight onward to Saigon) for some catch up and dinner.

But, before I get to that, business at the clinic last week. Our presentation schedule was lighter last week because many of the clinicians and hospital staff had exams on thursday to qualify for tenure. Margot taught a presentation monday. I worked on creating an ACL protocol and started presenting that to them Friday morning.

Many patients are starting to head home for the Tet holiday. Although, this is no surprise. The timing of their leaving is because many of them still have a ways to go with their rehab. You can really sense a revving up of the spirits of the people for this huge holiday.

For the patients who underwent total knee replacement surgeries, last week was their 2nd week and Margot began coordinating a group therex for them seems to have been great for banding together these patients in their rehab. For the patients who had ACL reconstructions, last week was their 2nd & 3rd week post-op and I was working hard at educating the therapists and patients on the precautions and restrictions as well as their protocol.

And then it was off for another fun-filled weekend of exploration. Will fill in details later . . . enjoy the pics!

The province at a tourism promotion forum in HCMC on January 19 recommended some venues such as Lang Co, Bach Ma and Thuan An for investors to develop luxury projects to serve high-end guests.

“We are building urban areas outside Hue City, and want investors to develop tourism projects there,” said Nguyen Quoc Thanh, Deputy Director of the Thua Thien –Hue Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Thanh said that investors were already investing in some resort projects along the beaches from Thuan An to Lang Co, including huge projects like the Laguna with nearly US$1 billion in capital.

In Hue City, the tourism sector is encouraging current hotel operators to build more entertainment facilities and calling on other investors to develop new entertainment projects to diversify services for travelers. Other projects like the development of trade villages will also benefit from incentives given by the provincial government.

So far, the province has signed an agreement with Akitek Tenggara of Singapore to map out an overall scheme for the province’s tourism development. The company has completed a list of development sites in the province and would help Thua Thien-Hue to seek investors for some of such projects.

Besides, the company will work with the provincial tourism sector and other entrepreneurs in the coming time to build a tourism trademark for Hue City. The departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thua Thien-Hue and HCMC inked a tourism cooperation agreement to boost tourism of the two sides.

The central province is staging more culture and tourism events this year to prepare for main events of the National Tourism Year 2012 due to take place in the locality in that year. The tourism year will likely coincide with Hue Festival 2012.

List of some projects and development sites awaiting investors.
1/ Agro-tourism urban settlements: building 2,000 traditional houses for well-to-do people from Hanoi and HCMC to enjoy rural life and other facilities.

2/ Eco-tourism urban settlements: building resorts for local middle-class people who want to immerse themselves in traditional Hue culture, and other facilities.

3/ Eco Village at Lap An: developing 12 small boutique hotels mixed with the existing village. On the hillside behind the village would be 500 villas of three-star standards.

4/ Vinh Thanh Floating Hotel: A 50-room floating hotel and other facilities.

5/ Thuan An Floating Hotel: A three-star floating hotel of 50 rooms and other facilities.

6/ Venice on the Rice Fields at Cau Hai Lagoon: a project covering 16.5ha with a hotel in the center along with adjacent developments of 2,000 residential units and other facilities.

7/ Bach Ma Hill Station Resort: restoring existing villas on the hill, building a five-star resort of 200 rooms at the apex of the Helicopter Hill and a five-star hotel of 500 rooms with traditional Hue style on the lower slopes along with 500 traditional Hue villas to be built on stilts.

8/ Luong Quan Rain and Artists Village: It will consist of 150 four-star villas, 50 artist studios, 20 Hue food outlets and other facilities.

9/ Conference Center and Media Arts Center: three large sports and conference areas with 10 meeting halls, two hotels, and a media arts schools among others.

(Source: SGT)

The conference also announced the National Tourism Year 2012 which will be hosted by the province.

It is part of activities to continue promoting images of land, people and tourism products as well as advertise the province’s plan to organise a National Tourism Year 2012.

Last year, the province received more than 1.6 million visitors, a year-on-year increase of 13%.

On the sidelines of the conference, the provincial tourism association introduced tourism destinations and organised exhibitions and meetings among businesses.

On the occasion, Thua Thien Hue Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a memorandum of understanding on promoting tourism cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The Vice Director of Thua Thien Hue Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyen Quoc Thanh, said it was a good chance for the province to promote tourism. It will improve the quality of services and infrastructure to attract more visitors.
(Source: VOV)

Travelling by bicycle over 500 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City through Hue was the perfect way to experience this remarkable country first-hand and to interact with people in their everyday lives, if only for a moment.

One of the memories that will forever remain with me is that of the older Vietnamese people, tipping their hats to us as our group cycled past, and the kids — Vietnam’s next generation — who would come running out of their houses yelling “hello” and high-fiving us.

A conference on tourism promotion for the central Province of Thua Thien-Hue has been held in Hanoi to introduce tourism services and cultural programmes to the Province this year.

Festival goers will be immersed in the conspicuous cultural ambience through Vietnam’s divine culinary and bonsai arts. Cuisines from distinct geographical regions across the country will be featured: the culinary specialities of the south, the delicate cuisine of Hue with its royal meals, vegetarian food and popular dishes to be served in the city’s splendid gardens, and the authentic tastes from the north.

Visitors will also have chance to meet prominent culinary researchers and experts, talented bonsai artists, antiques collectors and other artists in the country in the variety of fascinating artistic programmes and community activities.
For the national year of tourism in 2012, hosted by Thua Thien-Hue Province, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will launch many tourism programmes.

For example, the department will organise tours to discover the treasures of Hue and help tourists understand the legacy of the Nguyen dynasty by experiencing the culture and visiting pagodas.

Let’s Experience Hue will introduce tourists to Hue festivals, crafts villages and royal life. Tours take visitors on various routes through the provinces and allow them to discover the heritage of the city. For those who want to relax, there will be walking tours that take visitors to forests, to rest by Lang Co Beach and to discover ancient houses.

“Thua Thien-Hue is an attractive destination for tourists as tourism is the key industry of the province,” said Phan Tien Dung, director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.“In 2010, Hue received 1.5 million visitors, 700,000 of which were foreigners.”

At the conference, a co-operation memorandum was signed between Hanoi’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Department and its counterparts from Thua Thien-Hue Province and HCM City. A similar conference for the same purpose will take place in HCM City on January 19.

(Source: VNA)

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