Vietnam Adventure

Carol McDaneld
Apr 14
4 min read

Each ethnic group has a specific style of traditional clothing that identifies them.

Vietnam is a strikingly beautiful country with a complicated and tragic history. Despite this, the majority of Vietnamese people we met were kind, generous, and happy to meet us. We started our exploration with a 3-day trek through the north where terraced rice paddies climb the sides of steep rolling mountains.

The views were incredible, as was the fact that most Vietnamese wore winter coats while we were hiking in t-shirts and looking for shade. Summer and winter definitely mean different things to different people! We spent our evenings in homestays sharing wonderful home-cooked meals and meeting some very neat people.

We took a motorcycle-based food tour in Hanoi, where we all made our best attempt to eat snails.

We had egg coffee on Train Street in Hanoi, where you can sit wedged between the buildings and the track with (what feels like) less than 12" clearance between you and the passing train!

Next, we met the Spees family for a fantastic cruise through Lan Ha Bay. We spent 3 days cruising through jungle-covered limestone formations that rose directly from the water creating a maze of peaceful channels.

The entire landscape looked like a Disney film come to life, especially as there was a gentle drizzle and mist flowing over everything. We swam, kayaked through sea caves to discover hidden bays, ate until we were stuffed, and fished for squid every night.

Tim and Hiro finding travelling unknown waters on the other side of a sea cave.

We cycled to the remote village of Viet Hai, which has no car access.

The kids loved feeding the fish at the floating fish farm. These are an important part of Vietnam's economy.

Next, we took the night bus:

...to Phong Nha for an amazing caving trip. Imagine 2 days of adventure where we forded streams, ate lunch in the cave featured in the King Kong: Skull Island, slogged up muddy mountains, and swam through cave after cave.

We were lucky that it hadn't rained in 2 days and was "not muddy." This meant the mud was only a few inches deep and we only got muddy up to our knees.

We camped by a small river waterfall in the jungle where we were fed excessive quantities of delicious local food and entertained by our guide’s magic tricks. We were so sad to see it end, that we are now on a waitlist to return for the even-more-adventurous Son Doong cave in 2027!

On the last night, we ate dinner in a local family's home, where everyone has a second home that floats.

Every year when the valley floods, people move from their main home (on the right) to their floating home (the blue one) for 6-8 weeks until the water goes down.

Inside the floating home. Our guide is explaining the blue box, which is a premade coffin. In the tradition of the Ma Coong when you turn 65 you build your own coffin and then throw a party that hundreds of people show up at to celebrate with you.

As we travelled to Hoi An, we stopped to see the Vinh Moc tunnels where an entire village moved underground during the Vietnam war to escape heavy US bombing (a total of 7 tons of bombs per resident). This was an important stronghold for the Communist Viet Minh fighters as well as a place for villagers to hide during bombing raids.

We ended our trip in Hoi An, known for its skilled tailors. After a week of shopping and fittings, most of us were exhausted. There was mixed success, with some really great outfits and some truly terrible ones. But it’s an experience we won’t forget!

Fashion sense: some people have it and some...have other strengths.

We also took some breaks to visit some very interesting Buddhist holy sites, the beach, the night market, and for a tour of families who have been cooking Hoi An delicacies for generations.

Dragons guarding the Buddhist temple

Statues and temples are carved right into the limestone caves at Marble Mountain.

Alanna enjoys the (we hope) mis-translations at the night market.

As sad as we were to end the trip, we packed up as much gear as we could do without and foisted it upon the Spees to cart back to Grand Junction. With heavy hearts but lighter luggage, we said goodbye. Next stop - Spain!