Vietnam

Without doubt, from our two week Vietnam adventure, Hoa Tuc Restaurant was our favourite, we loved it so much we dined there three times! You’ll find the restaurant through an archway off Hai Ba Trung. Walk down the short alley, into a car park with a few restaurants, each having their own courtyard and Hoa Tuc is at the far end. When you step inside it’s rather conservative; it looks like a piece of France in the middle of Saigon but don’t be deceived the dishes are some of the best examples of local cuisine that you’ll get in Vietnam. Try the ‘Bo La Lot’, beef wrapped in ‘Betel Leaf’, served with bunches of fresh basil and mint, lettuce and cucumber, all rolled up in rice paper with sweet and sour dipping sauce – fantastic! Or perhaps BBQ Snapper Fillet with a Beetroot and Ginger Salsa – delicious. The snapper was silky and the ‘salsa’ not overpowering, makes you wonder how they did that?

The third visit happened to be our last night in Vietnam and we all agreed it was without doubt the best meal of our holiday: Fresh rice paper Prawn Spring Rolls, flavours so fresh they were bursting to escape from the rice paper package More prawns, this time each one quickly deep fried on their own nest of noodles (Prawn Cakes), served with an abundance of mint, basil and lettuce with of course sweet and sour dipping sauce We just couldn’t resist the garlic prawns in a clay pot, it was a prawn feast. Oh and don’t forget the Clams in a Clay Pot, with Basil, Lemongrass and Chilli. But the “pièce de résistance”, simple to make, wastheir speciality French desert ’Passionfruit Cream’ And if the food at Hoa Tuc isn’t enough to make you love the place, then the Cooking School upstairs will win you over.

The War Remnants Museum is truly a MUST, provided you can handle the very graphic photos. This in-your-face depiction of the War itself and the severe post-war aftermath for the Vietnamese from chemical warfare and specifically ‘Agent Orange’, is probably the only way of presenting such horrors. Seeing the story depicted from their perspective is truly shocking – particularly the panic among soldiers in the last years of the war as they implemented a village-by-village offensive. One quote “if they are dead then they must have been Viet Cong”. All sense of purpose seemed to have been lost. A huge thunderstorm is dumping down outside while inside dozens of us are walking from room to room in eerie silence as we observe the horrors of the Vietnam War. We advise Rory (9 years) to walk out of any rooms if he feels uncomfortable. He does a quick about turn from the ‘Agent Orange Room’, asking “how do you cope with this?” After viewing a few more rooms, Jill turns and says “it’s truly giving me a headache”. Outside, Liam (18 years) rhetorically asks “how can people treat each other like that?” We are supposedly civilised, yet in Vietnam and more recently in Afghanistan and Iraq human beings continue to treat each other in this way – it truly astounds me! The War Remnants Museum is graphic and shocking, and yet a must!

You’ll know you are approaching Nha Hang Ngon Restaurant when the smoky BBQ aromas fill your nostrils and set your taste buds alight. Depending on the time of day the queue to this very popular restaurant will soon come into view. Whether you are going for lunch or dinner, try to get there early to avoid too long a wait and ask for a table in the courtyard of this grand French Colonial building, under the canopy of beautiful Frangipani trees. Chefs are preparing specialty dishes under awnings that edge the bustling courtyard. I was on my own for my first visit here, before Jill, Liam and Rory arrived. My waiter gestures that I will get very fat if I try to eat the Seafood Hot Pot by myself (bet I could have made a good go of it). Anyway with his guidance I had crisp and flavoursome Seafood Spring Rolls, followed by a Pork, Chilli and Noodle Salad that was bursting with fresh flavours. Back for a second visit, this time for lunch with Jill, Liam and Rory in tow. The place is packed, we can be seated inside immediately but I suggest it’s worth the wait to sit in the courtyard under the Frangipanis. After only 10-15 minutes we are seated and enjoy a wonderful meal and even with the place mobbed the service was brilliant. Salad of bbq pork, with peanuts, coriander, chillies and crispy fried shallots sprinkled on top. The flavours combined beautifully. Vietnamese Pancake with pork and chicken and an abundance of fresh herbs. These wonderful pancakes are the Vietnamese take on the French crêpe and what an advancement they are. BBQ chicken skewers, bite size morsels of chicken that melted in your mouth

The Saigon Culinary Art Center Cooking Course is an interesting 15 minute cab ride from the city centre. Only three of us are on the course. Two bubbly, young, English girls from Somerset on holidays after Uni. Our host explained what the Chef was doing, as he didn’t speak English, and then she talked us through our hands-on preparation of the first two courses. Seafood Spring Rolls (Chả giò hải sản); and Dumplings with Green Bean & Spring Onion Sauce. From the time of our arrival the Chef had been preparing Chicken Noodle Soup, each step in the process was explained and we then devoured this delicate and fresh broth. I’ve made this at home since and I think it was just as delicious. A very enjoyable Course.

It’s a Sunday morning and I’ve stumbled on the sight of numerous brides with their grooms outside Notre Dame Cathedral lining up for photo opportunities. Within a fifty metre strip there must have been seven brides, some had prime spots and were mid-photo shoot, while others waited patiently for their turn. All of this in the midst of a throng of on-lookers all seemingly as amused as me at this scene. Inside Notre Dame the Sunday Mass Service was just concluding. The church was packed with worshippers and many tourists like me at the back. Ceiling fans were in over-drive throughout the church but it was still a sweat-box. The service concluded with what I’m sure was a lovely Vietnamese hymn but not quite like hearing it in Latin. Back outside and the brides and grooms have all vanished – truly bizarre! Directly across the road is the Central Post Office, a grand Colonial structure. As you step inside the vast vaulted ceiling provides temporary relief from the baking heat outside. Normally your try to avoid going to the post office but here it’s a delightful interior which invites you to simply sit, chill and admire. Back on the street in search of ice-cream and we’ve spotted a 7-Eleven. A bonus it’s air-conditioned. We settle in on stools to enjoy our ice-creams prompting Jill to wryly comment “I never could have imagined being happy to sit in a 7-Eleven!”

Ben Thanh Market is mid-morning and the place is packed. The fresh produce section is really interesting – pigs ears, all kinds of offal, butchers chopping up carcasses, a seafood section with live crabs exquisitely displayed tightly packed on trays, all kinds of clams, live prawns in tubs, live fish in buckets and women crouched on little stools cleaning fish. Then the fruit and vegetables. Not surprisingly, great bundles of mint, basil, coriander-mint,Vietnamese cabbage and exotic fruits such as dragon fruit, mangosteen and durian. By the way the coffee throughout Vietnam is pretty good, with a full range of coffee beans in the market – must be a hang-over from the French, less likely from the Americans! 90% of the market is taken up with stall after stall selling shirts, shoes, jewellery, bags etc etc. – arghhh, my worst nightmare!!

Our second visit to Ben Thanh Market is late afternoon not long before closing time and we are heading into that 90% section. Let me take a deep breath because Liam is fired up for frenzied bargaining – look out Ben Thanh, Liam is on his way! Huge thunder clouds are rolling in and literally as we step inside the skies opened up, a torrential downpour with bolts of lightning and claps of thunder thrown in. The roof of this huge market is corrugated iron and the noise is deafening and we are standing beside each other yelling just to be heard. But Liam wasn’t to be distracted and as soon as the noise was low enough to negotiate, he was off and running in a wave of fever pitch shopping. A beautiful sight to behold! Stall owners are now starting to pack up, so Liam picks up his pace dashing from shop to shop, haggling here and bargaining there. It’s difficult to keep up particularly as shop owners are pulling me by the arm “you want to buy a shirt/shorts/watch/blah/blah/blah” - arghhh, get me out of here!

Liam is done and me too, but as we step out into the refreshing night air I’ve given into their frantic consumerism and lead them to Luu Van Lang St., heading away from the market on the eastern side where it’s lined with loads more shops of all kinds. I slowly stroll down the middle of the street knowing that Liam, Jill and Rory are behind me ducking and weaving in and out of shop after shop. A U-turn at the end of the street to give them a chance to explore the shops on the other side of the street.

As I return to the market end of the street about thirty or so minutes have elapsed and an amazing sight is unfolding before my eyes. The busy traffic on Phan Boi Chau Street, running parallel to the market on the eastern side, has disappeared and the entire street has been turned into half a dozen outdoor restaurants. Marquees have been erected, hundreds of chairs and tables line the outside of the market, and wafts of smoke from the charcoal BBQs fill the air. Jill seizes the moment for more shopping times as she pushes me in the direction of the nearest BBQ “oh, look at that, you’ll love that!” A woman is settling the glowing coals on a huge BBQ and onto the grill go snails, prawns, and whole fish. Hai Lua Restaurant – it’s just incredible.

Beef Noodle Stew, a favoured dish in Saigon, is the signature dish at Pho Quynh Cafe, about ten minutes walk beyond the Ben Thanh Market along Pham Ngu Lao Street. It’s well worth the walk in the baking heat to taste this brothy stew laden with melt in the mouth chunks of beef with a side plate heaving with fresh herbs, mint, basil, and ‘long coriander’ plus freshly cut limes. It was fantastic, worth every cent of the $1.80 price!!

Reunification Palace is where the Communist tanks crashed through the gates on 30 April 1975, resulting in Saigon surrendering to the North. Built in 1966 with classic 1960s stylised interior design, it’s like walking into a time-warp with the Palace just as it was in those last torrid days of the War. The ‘Men’s Bar/Lounge’ area on an upper floor looks straight out of a Bond movie, I can almost see Sean Connery leaning against the bar “Dry Martini, shaken not stirred”, either that or Tom Ford getting some style tips.There are grand conference rooms on the ground floor. Formal Reception Rooms where the ‘US-installed President’ greeted dignitaries and the President’s residence, complete with helicopter pad on the roof. Below ground are the bomb-proof War Rooms where the ‘US-Saigon’ war strategies were developed and further below a secure bomb shelter. If you know the Vietnam War history then skip this paragraph, for a potted synopsis, read on. Interestingly the Vietnam War, as we know it (unsurprisingly they call it the American War), really started back in 1858 when the French and the Spanish colony of the Philippines stormed Danang. Jump forward to after WWII when Ho Chi Minh’s communist Viet Minh Forces, who resisted the Japanese, now sought an independent Vietnam. In 1954 the Geneva Accords provided a temporary division of Vietnam and the French departed but the US didn’t sign up to the Geneva Accords. In 1960 the Hanoi Government shifted from ‘political struggle’ to ‘armed struggle’ and the National Liberation Front formed in Saigon to defeat this movement. Then in 1964 the North sent troops into the South and in 1965 the USA, together with South Korea, Australia, Thailand and NZ, joined forces with the National Liberation Front of Saigon to defeat the North. In 1968 the Viet Cong struck a blow with their ‘Tet Offensive’ turning the War clearly in favour of the North. Interestingly President Johnson didn’t stand for a second term election and with mass rallies around the world as well as in the US pressure was building for the withdrawal of troops leading to the 1973 Paris Agreements providing for a ceasefire and total US withdrawal. Finally on 30 April 1975 as the North’s tanks crashed through the gates of this palace it was finally over. However it was far from over for many, with a flood of refugees escaping over the next fifteen years with a crack-down imposed by the new Communist Government, particularly those who were sympathisers with the US and political prisoners. And it is still not over for the generations still suffering ongoing birth deformities from ‘Agent Orange’, on both sides of this battle. It’s a great experience being here and learning about what was really going on in the Vietnam War, particularly for me as I grew up in the 1960s and each morning as I was getting ready for school the radio news was constantly filled with reports about the war and Viet Cong guerrillas – as a nine year old I often pondered “what chance have we got when they have trained gorillas?” In primary school I recall the Nuns teaching us to knit and darn so we could mend our socks when we went off to fight in Vietnam – those Nuns really do have a lot to answer for!

Yep I’ve spotted a ‘German Bar’ in Saigon, the Garten Stadt and I’m heading in there. “Why go into a German Bar, of all places, when travelling in Vietnam?” Well let me tell you why, first because it’s air-conditioned and second because they have got huge glasses of icy-cold beer in there. As I gulp my way through a refreshing lager lightening fills the skies and it’s chucking it down out there, “oh well, give me another one of those ice cold beers please” Back outside as the rain relents all the scooter riders re-appear wearing poncho raincoats and the cyclo-riders have pulled off the road under awnings taking the opportunity for a sleep.

Smoky, mouth-watering aromas from the kitchens and table-top cooking lining Nguyen Trung Truc Street fill the air just south of the Reunification Palace gardens and the restaurants here are mobbed with locals. But not tonight for me because I’m heading to Quan An Ngon restaurant. Quan An Ngon is set on an expansive veranda of an old Colonial building and I’m watching plate after plate piled high with fresh herbs arrive at nearby tables. Vietnamese Pancake with Shrimps, Pork and of course, fresh herbs. The shrimps were whole ‘school prawns’, still in their shells adding a wonderful crunch. Whole BBQ Fish in chilli and salt with coriander piled on the side. The fish is moist on the inside and wonderfully crunchy and spicy on the outside

On the way back to our hotel we’ve taken a slight detour to a nearby flash hotel, the Sheraton, where we could get ice-cream and a night-cap in the lobby bar. We settled in and the boys ordered their ice-cream and while attempting to simply order two glasses of red wine for us I got engaged in a convoluted conversation that felt as if it was going to last forever … “what red wine do you have by the glass?”, our waitress replied “we have three glasses on special” and then proceeded to describe each one … “I’ll have the Shiraz please” … “no, you need to have all three, that’s the special”. It seems the only way to get wine by the glass tonight is to order three! So, “oh, OK that sounds good, Jill how about we share the wines?” Phew, I’ve ordered the ‘special’, reckon we’re done and take a deep breath of relief. The waitress then turns to Jill asking “and for you madam?”

Temple Club Restaurant, 29 Tôn Thất Thiệp, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Ho Chi Minh City The Temple Club is a very classy and stylised restaurant. It’s fully booked so a table in the bar will have to do me. This place is very cool, I think the Bar would be a great place for a pre-dinner drink and then to go and eat elsewhere, unfortunately. My Calamari entree was crumbed, deep fried and like rubber bands. I hardly ate any, the waiter enquired and I told him they had been overcooked and tough – he was quite non-plussed. For main course it was Fish in Tamarind wrapped in Banana Leaves – it was served unwrapped. Disappointingly it wasn’t brilliant, particularly as this was by far the most expensive (relatively speaking) restaurant from the entire holiday.

Bikes, bikes and more bikes as we walk via Hoan Kiem Lake to the Old Quarter. Bikes laden with babies or toddlers or young children or any combination thereof. Some with boxes piled high behind the rider, others with enormous packages blocking the rider’s visibility precariously balanced across the handlebars and all weaving in and out of the flow of traffic. Its 42°C today and it’s like walking in a sauna. Rory’s cheeks are flushed and he is visibly staggering. All discomfort is quickly forgotten as we need to cross a major road; adrenaline pumps through our bodies as we walk steadily across the wide intersection where the bikes are like ballerinas on wheels, gracefully flowing behind and in front of us. Jill, Liam and Rory stand stupefied, but thanks to my Manila experience I follow the drill and step confidently to weave through the traffic. We are surrounded by hundreds of bikes and engulfed in a cacophony of polite beeping. We are centre stage of a majestic ballet. Then just a few short moments later we successfully step onto the far footpath. The boys whoop with excitement, while Jill breathes a deep sigh of relief and turning to Liam and Rory states “thank god Dad was here otherwise I think we would have turned back and spent the day in the Hotel!”The eastern edge of Hoan Kiem Lake street sellers smile and say “hello”, letting us pass by without trying to sell us anything. Amazing! People sitting in the park by the lake smile and say “hello’ as we walk along! I’m pleasantly surprised how friendly people are, whereas in Saigon if someone appeared and greeted you “hello” you knew there was a sting coming, that they were trying to sell you something. Having heard so many stories of how Vietnam had changed so much in the last ten to fifteen years it was a real eye opener to walk the streets of the Old Quarter. A step back in time, apart from all the modern advertising. A woman wearing her conical hat is squatting around a wooden stump chopping chicken with a cleaver, street vendors carrying twin baskets suspended from shoulder poles, while others ride bicycles loaded up with herbs. Liam stops at a DVD shop to get the box set of ‘Friends’ for his girlfriend, Tess. Meanwhile a shoe-shine guy has spotted Liam and his shoes are getting the once, twice, thrice work over. The up-sell from cleaning moved to re-heeling to completely re-stitching the soles by hand. As we wait we are ‘sitting ducks’ for all sorts of street hawkers, Jill was ripe for the picking in their eyes. First a guy attempting to sell her a Vietnam army style cap, then a woman with the winning combination of persistence and a sob story gets Jill to cave in and buy a Vietnam army style cap. Step forward the first guy who is still hovering, looks at Jill rather perplexed “Remember me? Why not me?” Now a lady with a pole carrying baskets of fruit has placed her load on Liam’s shoulder and her conical hat on his head, a great photo opportunity, hilarious. Oh, but now we are honour bound to “please buy my fruit”. Get me out of here!!

Liam loves a bargain and is very keen to explore the night street market in the Old Quarter. With Rory in hot pursuit, they are in their element. Liam’s shopping is very targeted: name brand boxers; sunglasses; and Ba Ba Ba (333) beer singlets. After about an hour I’ve well and truly had enough of this so we start looking for Lonely Planet’s recommendations for restaurants around here, but they don’t look great. Meanwhile Jill has spotted a street corner ‘restaurant’ crowded with locals, so we squat ourselves down on tiny little stools around a just as tiny table. It’s still unbelievably hot, the noise on this street corner is incredible and with chicken bones at our feet this is one hell of an experience. Pity the food didn’t come up to scratch. We were attracted by the smoky smells of the BBQ but they are sold out of the BBQ prawns so we go for what turned out to be heavily crumbed and deep fried prawns with loads of scattered garlic cloves. The roast chicken was cooked pretty much the same way! Liam turns green around the gills and doesn’t eat anything.

11^th Century Vietnamese architecture attracted us to visit the Temple of Literature, crowded with locals and the occasional tourist. The Temple was the first University and it is evidently a place of ritual as we spot the locals lighting incense sticks and praying to the various statues within the building – the one of Confucius seems the most popular. Behind Confucius are timber boards that people are queuing up to write on, with their finger! A father is guiding his son through the Temple, stopping at each statue and leaving a ‘scroll’ of some sort, before praying together. We couldn’t make out whether they were generally praying for knowledge and wisdom, or whether exam results are due and they are praying for good results?

The four hour car journey was fascinating with manic traffic as we work our way to the outskirts of Hanoi. Highly organised chaos really. Then into the country-side, first bananas then rice paddies, field after field cultivating rice. Farmers in their conical hats and covered from head to foot to protect them from the sun are steadily going about their labour. I wonder if they ever get to have a day off – probably not! Interestingly within the occasional rice paddy are graves, small shrines, I assume to the generations past who have tilled these fields for others to prosper. Along the way we played ‘spot the weirdest thing on a bike’ game. Without a doubt the winner was a bike with a trailer and in the trailer was ……….. an elephant! Bet you would never have guessed that. The main cattle are Braham, just like Northern Australia and the occasional Buffalo helping farmers plough the rice paddy. We drive through ‘speciality areas’ just like in Hanoi where sections of streets are dedicated to specialist products, the same occurs as we drive along the road – first comes the bread vendors, then the pineapple sections, then bamboo, then we come across a stretch of a few kilometres where maize is spread out to dry out the front of houses edging the road and also in front of street-side shops. We’ve heard a lot of unflattering reports about the port in Ha Long City and as we pass by we would have to agree. We are very pleased with our decision to get a cruise that started from Hon Gai, just fifteen minutes further on over the bridge. map A Serene little port greeted us and we were led to a table overlooking the bay with the name of our Junk, ‘Prince II’, on a table identifying that we were at the right spot to start this overnight adventure.

You may know of Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, however it’s apparently crowded with tourists so we booked with Indochina Junk sailing into Bai Tu Long Bay, to the north-east of Halong Bay. Just as beautiful and far fewer tourists, in fact the only Junks we spotted were those of Indochina. The scenery is spectacular! The sun sparkles on the smooth, blue waters of the bay with hundreds of incredible stone islands scattered all round.

Cruising along we can hear what sounds like rhythmic drumming in the distance, getting closer and closer. A fishing boat passes by with the two fishermen inside ‘drumming’. Huang, our Guide, informs us that they have laid out their nets and are now circling around ‘drumming’ to chase fish toward their net.

We selected a small four bedroom Junk, Prince II, and our fellow passengers are three delightful young Spanish tourists. The Captain and Crew introduce themselves through a funny, highly formal custom of applauding after each person is named. The Captain and our Guide say a few words of welcome, all interpreted by Huang – lots of giggling from the Crew makes you wonder what they were really saying. Lunch on deck in the glorious open-air with the spectacular Bay all around is a feast – Hot and Sour Seafood Soup (delicious), Chicken Salad with Seasonal Herbs (also delicious), Hot Rock King Prawns marinated in Asian Spices (by far the best prawns we have had so far),Grilled Clams with Butter Sauce (also delicious), Pan fried Spring Clams (fresh, tasty and tender little morsels), Steamed Sea Bass, marinated in Soy and Chill (Yum!!).

As evening fast approaches we have moored in a quiet, protected lagoon. Only three other Junks join us for the night, what a sight as the sun sets and lights from the Junks reflect on the glass smooth waters. A nine course Dinner under the stars with the moon reflecting on the still waters of the bay. Mixed salad, julienned carrots and daikon, with peanuts, fresh mint, basil and coriander (what’s the word? Delicious!), Sea Snail Spring Rolls (another good example of our favourite), Grilled Mackerel on Hot Iron (delicious) Roasted Chicken thighs, marinated in Honey and Oregano (very good, a little over cooked),, Fried Squid with Garlic (not good, Tapioca Sauce?!), Steamed Mussels (unfortunately not only tough but pretty tasteless), Grilled Prawns Flambé in ‘Maotai Liquor’ (fantastic, even better than the Prawns at lunch), Grilled Pork Loin with Garlic Butter, served with Chokos – our fellow Spanish passengers asked us about chokos, “tasteless unless they were served with lashings of butter and sea salt or maybe used for chutney” was our description, they quickly agreed! And the obligatory tropical fruit plate.

After dinner Rory and Liam tried their hand at squid fishing. Huang joined in and I was also given a hand-line but none of us have any luck – how often do you get the chance to do squid fishing, off a Junk moored in a tranquil lagoon, lit by the moonlight? We slept with our curtains open and not surprisingly wake pretty early to the glorious scene right outside our large bedroom windows. A serene morning with not a breath of wind as the rising sun send sparkles across the still blue waters of the bay.

Up on deck for our breakfast and a steaming bowl of noodles and chicken in a mild broth is placed in front of each of us, which looks fabulous and was delicious – once you had overcome the idea of noodle soup for breakfast! Oh, but hang on, a quick glance up at Liam and he is going green around the gills faced with this broth for breakfast. Without saying a word both Liam and Rory’s expressions are saying “enough is enough, no thanks” Their broth is quickly replaced with fried eggs and toast for all – Liam is still struggling, so Rory ate his!

Before we sail back to port we have the opportunity for a quick swim jumping off the top deck, when you make the leap the flight down to the water is much further than you think – Rory is happy jumping off the lower deck – great fun. For lunch we select from the Menu, Jill went for the Prawns and Scallops with Broccoli and I chose Prawns and Chicken with Cashew Nuts. Serving these combinations on one plate may not be what you would normally select for a single serving but if thinking ‘mini-smorgasbord on a plate’ then this worked well. By the way all of our meals have been cooked on a couple of gas stoves at the stern of the Junk in about two square metres of space.

Our Junk is anchored off an island with a lovely sandy beach soon after lunch on day one. We step onto a small timber motor-boat and then onto the beach for a short but steep and extremely hot walk up to the entrance of a limestone cave. A family of fishermen lived in this cave until only three years ago when Indochina Junk together with the Government negotiated for them to relocate from the cave to houses built for them within the nearby Floating Fishing Village. One year ago the cave was opened to tourists. It may not be the most beautiful limestone cave one might enter, however its very recent history of habitation is fascinating. Once back on the beach, Huang urges us to go kayaking, “not before a quick swim” we cried in unison. The water is bath temperature and incredibly salty. “OK Huang, we’re ready now, so let’s head off for this little paddle”. Huang together with Jill set off at a cracking pace and quickly disappear around an island. Rory and I struggle along at the rear of the field, it’s so hot and I’m getting hotter and hotter as we round the first island then suddenly realise this is not going to be a little, relaxing paddle! The towering cliffs provide welcome shade and relief, but no time to pause as they have disappeared around yet another island in the distance. Despite the heat and furious paddling, being out on the water among these islands is unbelievably special – the scenery is awesome. Back on the beach and as I collapse into the water, while Liam and Rory are enjoying jumping off a pontoon. I’ve spotted a chair under a large umbrella up on the beach, which will do me just fine. During breakfast on day two we cruised into another sheltered cove and anchored off a floating Fishing Village (‘Vang Vieng’). Two traditional boats, rowed by local women in their conical hats, pulled alongside for us to jump in for a tour around the Village and nearby Islands. After the obligatory stop at some ‘floating shops’ we are being rowed out toward a beautiful arch across this protected inlet. Very quickly the wind picks up, lots of shouting starts from boat-to-boat and to the ‘floating shops’. Within a couple of minutes the skies opened. About twenty minutes later the storm has passed and we are in a larger motor boat on our way back to our Junk and the trip out to the Arch has been abandoned!

Hoi An, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, is reached after what was an adventurous forty five minute taxi drive from Danang airport. First our taxi driver exited the airport going the wrong way on a three lane one-way street, then attempted to steer us into visiting a Marble Statue shop, but a polite “thank you, but no thanks” saw us on our way. The theatre started up as he kept stopping and asking people for directions to Hoi An, only the most popular tourist destination in the area. Then as the directions became more obvious with large sign posts, he started asking people for directions to the Life Heritage Resort – the largest hotel and only resort within the town of Hoi An. Call us astute but we smelled a rat reluctantly as he appeared incredibly genuine! After profusely apologising, he is on the phone and moments later stops and a very friendly woman appears at the window explaining he is a friend of hers who isn’t a local however she is from Hoi An and can guide us to our hotel. We are in hot pursuit of this very pleasant lady on her bike, but alarm bells are definitely ringing and we are wondering what the sting might be. But our driver very convincingly reassures us all will be ok and there is no extra charge (not immediately evident anyway). In just a few minutes we our outside the entrance to our hotel and the smiling biker guide is at the window, suddenly launching into sales spiel about coming to visit her clothes shop, which just happened to be opposite to our hotel. We politely decline the invitation but she is now getting quite persistent that we come to her shop NOW! We escaped into the confines of our hotel to check-in. Soon after we venture out of the gates and no sooner had walked twenty metres and the smiling biker guide, known to us as ‘magpie’ from that moment on, swooped “come see my shop, now”. We walked on saying “later” as politely as we could but over the next days we realise she takes “later” literally and continues to swoop each time she spots us. On the final occasion she drops off, muttering something under her breath in Vietnamese, easy to figure out what she is likely to have said.

After wandering up and down streets and through narrow laneways we finally found the Secret Garden Restaurant, whose name is certainly apt. A beautiful garden setting opens up before us with the restaurant built on an open veranda, surrounded by this tranquil garden. The boys ordered ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’ , for heavens sake, while Jill and I started with Fresh Spring Rolls (absolutely delicious) followed by Minced Beef and Aubergine with rice. The Aubergine was amazing. We loved it so much for lunch we came back for a second visit one evening. No Spaghetti Bolognese for the boys this time, we feasted on Dumplings, Steamed Spring Rolls, Beef Curry and Whole Fish in Banana Leaves Fragrant, fresh, flavoursome, fantastic! How many more ‘Fs’ can I use to describe this place … one more … fab! A highly recommended place By the way the Secret Garden Restaurant also conducts Cooking Classes in an open-air kitchen right in the middle of the garden – if only I had more time.

The facade of the Brother’s Cafe is yet another beautiful French Colonial building which you walk through to the beautiful garden and we are lucky enough to be seated at a table overlooking the river – what a spot! As we are waiting for our meal fishermen in a tiny canoe lay out their nets right in front of us and a few minutes later they are back banging their boat as they circle their net to hopefully get a catch. We are all tucking into Grilled chicken (very nice), Vietnamese Pancake (brilliant) and Aubergine Stew (absolutely delicious). Aubergine in Vietnam is a very pleasant surprise – I’ve since found out the Vietnamese style of cooking appears to involve quite a lot of oil and a bit of deep frying before stewing. Oh well! They say aubergine is really good for you! The garden of Brother’s Cafe is a fantastic location with great food; I also think it would be an ideal place to just drop in for a late afternoon aperitif.

Under a canopy of well worn and loosely strung together tarpaulin covers a market crowded with stall after stall of fresh produce: herbs; fruits; vegetables; fish; snails; chicken getting chopped up by women squatting; live chickens and ducks in cages; and glimmering silver fish. We are continually ducking under the low canopy of tarpaulins and plastic sheets, there for protection from the scorching sun, and to some extent the occasional down-pour at this time of year. The place is abuzz. On one corner there are half a dozen women in their conical hats, squatting and bundling bunches of fresh herbs. Down a narrow path on the edge of the river two women, of course in conical hats, are taking live chickens from one cage to another. Beyond the fresh produce Jill has spotted a stall selling lacquered bamboo bowls. We don’t want the sets they have on display, we want six bowls the same size! So the owner dashes off to stalls elsewhere and returns with more sets of bowls to choose the size we want. After the obligatory haggling, which in Jill and my case is generally awkward and unsuccessful, Jill asks “do you accept Visa?” “Of course, follow me….”. With that Jill and the shopkeeper are off weaving through the market, while I try to keep up, loaded down with our bowls. I’m losing touch with them, getting slowed down even more as store keepers grab my arm asking “you come see my shop?” I’ve lost them! While waiting on a street corner just outside the market where I last spied them, I can hear in the distance ducks quacking and the sound is fast approaching. A woman wearing a conical hat peddles past and strapped down on the back of her bike are half a dozen quacking ducks, they sound fully aware of their fate. Finally Jill reappears “yes they accept Visa card, you put it in an ATM about a kilometre away, get cash out and hand it over!” The system works!

Morning Glory Restaurant has been recommended in numerous tourist books/websites, with its own cookbook and a cooking school, our expectations are high. Perhaps I was a bit on the hungry side, however the service was very surly and unfortunately I was disappointed with my choice which is the speciality dish of Hoi An, ‘Cao Lau’ – noodles, slices of BBQ pork, bean sprouts, herbs, stock and croutons. It was well short of my expectations. On the other hand, Jill’s Prawn Curry was, without doubt, the best choice – I was very envious to say the least!

Let me tell you about a young girl we called ‘Shirley Temple’. The first time we came across young Shirley was at the pool at the Sofitel in Hanoi. Shirley was swimming in the pool with her Dad when her mother donned a bathrobe to return to their room. Young Shirley bellowed “that’s my bathrobe, you can’t wear my bathrobe!” The mother quickly disappeared in the bathrobe leaving Dad to try and coax Shirley from the pool to return to their room without the said robe. Returning from dinner later that evening we walked through the Sofitel lobby and who should emerge from the restaurant but young Shirley and you guessed it adorned in that bathrobe! Imagine the surprise when, toward the end of our meal at the Mango Rooms Restaurant in Hoi An, we hear a young girl bellow from the adjacent table “that’s disgusting, I’m not eating that”. Hard to believe but ‘Shirley Hanoi Bathrobe Temple’ has reappeared at the very next table. The very next night we are walking along the river and we spot a Westerner walking towards us, struggling to carry in his arms a girl, a child way too big to be carried. The closer they get the louder the girl’s whinging becomes “It’s too hot…… I’m not walking……. I’m too tired…… I hate this place………” – yep, its ‘Shirley Temple’ sticking it once again to her poor long suffering father. Despite this tale I would thoroughly recommend Vietnam as a holiday destination for children!

My Son is a dramatic site housing the remains of a series of impressive tower-temples. Here was the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence, serving as a religious and intellectual centre during these times – Champa Kings were crowned and buried here. The drive, almost an hour, is fascinating as we pass through small villages where people are living right by the roadside, stall after stall selling local produce from that area – banana stalls, followed by broom stalls, then flower stalls, and then melon stall and so on. The range of produce and items for sale was amazing and as you travel along you go through clusters with stalls all selling the same item, just like in the streets of Hanoi. On the road bikes towing trailers loaded with pigs in cages or bikes laden with fresh herbs and greens and others loaded up with planks of timber, stacked sideways by the way! ‘My Son’ is within a forested area about a kilometre or so walk from the car park and wow it’s HOT! Despite one section being heavily bombed by the US in the Vietnam War many wonderful towers remain and it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Luckily the French photographed it extensively during their occupation. As we wander around the buildings and grounds, apart from being struck by the heat,, it’s a very serene place, one can just imagine robed monks or priests walking the gardens or nestling in a shady corner to meditate – I just can’t ever imagine loud voices here.

On the street front this is a very non-descript cafe, however looks deceive as the food is wonderful, try the Mackerel Stew in a Claypot or the Beef in Vine Leaves, both were brilliant.

At first we are a bit taken aback by Hoi An, every street is shop, after shop, after shop and we arrive on a Sunday so the place is not only alive with tourists but locals seem to have travelled from far and wide to shop here today. Quickly we got used to the crowds and, in fact, the buzzing activity added to the experience – bikes on barges, cyclos peddling tourists, packed bars and restaurants and amid all of this the tranquillity of tiny paper lanterns, each with a lit candle, floating in a flotilla below the Japanese Bridge. On Monday it’s like a completely different town, so much easier to stroll the streets. All of the crowds have disappeared and the extraordinary streetscape architecture unfolds before our eyes. Viewing the range of architectural styles in the ‘houses’, now shop fronts, cafes, restaurants, bars or galleries, is like walking through the history of the centuries of occupation of this wonderful country – some are classic, grand French Colonial buildings and the unique narrow ‘Tube Houses’, one room in the front and then an internal courtyard, followed by a number of rooms beyond the courtyard, some with balconies overlooking the internal courtyard. One evening we crossed the river for a pre-dinner drink, where competition among the many bars and restaurants is keen so we are being beckoned in from across the street. We quickly made our choice and headed upstairs onto an open veranda, where a beautiful view back across the river shows the sun setting and the lanterns of Hoi An glow in the evening light. Oh, and we just happen to be here during ‘Happy Hour’ for half price drinks. Rory selects a Mocktail, Liam and Jill go for “real” Cocktails and I’m tempted by the local draught beer at 4,000 Duong (that’s about 25 cents) unfortunately it tastes like it! In fact it was over-priced, one mouthful for me and the pot plant got the rest. A bottle of ‘Ba Ba Ba’ is ordered and we are now all happy with our drinks and even happier to soak up this beautiful scene.

Throughout the streets of Hoi An are beautiful lanterns, swinging gently in the breeze and lighting up trees and balconies in the evening. Of course where there are lanterns then there must be lantern shops, lots of lantern shops! After visiting one or two or was it five, we (Jill) has spotted a lovely lantern in a tree not far from the Japanese Bridge, oh and its right outside a lantern shop. Moments later we are heading off loaded up with six Vietnamese silk lanterns – will we live to regret this decision!? We are almost back at our hotel with our bundle of lanterns when Jill calls out “look at these ones, they are a beautiful shape, a little smaller, they will look much nicer”. We are now inside yet another lantern shop handing over our well negotiated Duong with a ‘promise’ of these lanterns being made overnight and delivered to our hotel in the morning before we depart – didn’t ever see those lanterns you know, nor the colour of that money again! Jill is still convinced they simply got the address wrong … Hoi An is a beautiful place to wander and very safe, if fact we have no hesitation letting Liam and Rory head off on their own adventures – certainly wouldn’t consider letting them do so in Hanoi or Saigon.

We thought that you can’t come to Hoi An and not see the beach, so we decided to take a taxi to the beach and play it by ear in terms of restaurant selection. We arrived just as darkness starts to fall and the taxi driver has taken us straight to a restaurant he recommends. But Jill wants to check out the beach and possible alternative places to eat, so Jill and Rory head off down the beach as Liam and I check out the wafts of seafood coming from the charcoal grill BBQ immediately behind us. The beach stretches for miles with restaurant after restaurant coming right down to the edge of the sand. Its starting to rain so the decision is made for us and we settle into a pretty basic, outdoor ‘Restaurant’, full of locals. When the skies opened and the rain thundered down, we shuffled our table a little further in to avoid being soaked but the roof is leaking like a sieve. Everyone is laughing and chatting, as thunder and lightning strike all around – what a scene. The ‘chef’ (owner/cook) is struggling in the rain with his BBQ and smoke fills the place. Liam notices the smoke has taken on an unpleasant odour, then noticed just behind him the mangle of power boards and plugs for the standing fans have started to smoke and spark. Calmly the waiters unplug them in the soaking rain and plug them in to slightly drier sockets. Place is now overflowing with people and rain water and as the excitement dies down we focus on the menu. The BBQ right beside us is heaving with prawns and lobsters scooped live from nearby buckets, so we can’t go past BBQed seafood tonight. Our Prawns and Mackerel are both well and truly over-cooked unfortunately, so thankfully we hadn’t ordered the lobster. The Spinach with Garlic was fabulous. Not a place to revisit, but a night dining among the locals with very little English spoken and the atmosphere of the thunderstorm right by the beach made it a night we’ll not forget.

One of the best decisions we made on this trip was to book into the Life Heritage Resort, the only ‘resort’ in the town itself. Plenty of resorts are beachside, but step out the gates of this one and you are right in wonderful Hoi An. The gardens are beautiful and the pool is fantastic, a tranquil haven to return to after each adventure out into town. And the ‘Heritage Bar’ just inside the gates is a great place for after dinner ice cream or a night cap, while playing board games. Life Heritage Resort is the ideal location and the set up is perfect for us.