the blonde voyage | theblondvoyage

We almost missed Mui Ne as our open bus ticket was meant to miss it out in favour of Dalat. As a pleasant surprise the ticket actually stopped in the town as a stop over on the way to Ho Chi Minh City so we got a fleeting glimpse of the gorgeous beach.

More of a family resort than a backpacker hotspot, the endless stretch of white beach still entices all ages for its surf and sun. Hundreds of kites dance above the sea as Mui Ne is the kite-surfing capital of South East Asia due to its abnormal amount of wind for such a hot climate.

Unfortunately because we couldn’t spend a full day we missed the iconic white and red sand dunes which are popular to drive through in jeeps or quad bikes. Still. just another reason to add to our ever expanding list; ‘Why to return to Vietnam’.

With the limited amount of backpacker accommodation full we checked into the more resort-style hotel and they still allowed us to pay dorm – price for a private room which was a bonus.

We walked (well poor Lottie hobbled) along the one road town that runs parallel to the beach front and noticed that almost every restaurant served something we’ve never seen before – alligator on a spit. I psyched myself up for trying the obscure local speciality as we walked into a restaurant, which turned out (by accident I swear) to be the only restaurant not serving BBQ’d alligator… Maybe next time. Or not.

Hanoi was exactly how we expected Bangkok to be; stressful, noisy, and living in constant fear of being mowed down by a moped. “But it’s steeped in such rich history! Such atmospheric Parisian influences!” cries the Lonely Planet guidebook. Perhaps, but when all the museums are closed on the Monday you’re there and you get trapped in the labyrinth of the Old Quarter trying to escape to more picturesque parts, it’s hard to grasp the full allure. Especially feeling vulnerable after a 30 hour bus journey from Laos – it’s pretty overwhelming!

However every traveller’s most sacred religious transcript Lonely Planet does not lie about the energy. Our hostel Hanoi Rocks is situated in the heart of the Old Quarter, an ancient walled citadel of tiny streets stretched to their limit by mopeds, markets and cafe’s spilling onto the roads. Motorbikes and street food take up the pavement, pushing pedestrians into the chaotic roads and hence the constant fear of collision.

Our hostel offered a walking tour of the centre, taking us to the oldest coffee shop in Hanoi which is camouflaged well behind a tacky bag shop making it impossible to find alone. We were served ‘air coffee’ (or ‘egg coffee’, we couldn’t really understand) which is espresso with thick, sweet meringue mouse on top, a Vietnamese speciality apparently which was sickly but delicious.

The coffee shop faces the Hoàn Kiém Lake which is a surprising sprawling calm spot thrown into the pandemonium of central Hanoi.

Old women take part in synchronised Thai Chi in the evening, and we made friends with this Vietnamese couple who were shocked to see four blondes in such close proximity at a waterfront cafe…

Our favourite spots were unimaginatively the hostel (all you can eat buffet breakfast, Hard Rock theme, tacky bar and FREE BEER for £3 a night!!!), and an unassuming sandwich stall which sold the best meal we’ve had in Vietnam. For 70p you get a traditional Vietnamese baguette (probably some French in there too), with pate and three kinds of pork. AND free bananas and green tea. It’s number three on trip advisor for a reason.

All the other street food we had in Hanoi was pretty hit and miss, so we were gutted we only found this place on our last night.

Away from food… Hỏa Lò Prison was the only museum open on a Monday, and it turned out to be a great eye opening, if harrowing, introduction to the turmoil Vietnam has faced in the last century.

Ironically named the ‘Hanoi Hilton” by the French

Used by French Colonialists to imprison Vietnamese nationalists in harsh conditions, the contempt for the French is clearly seen in the information on the wall plaques. We were told propaganda runs strife against the French and Americans in Vietnam (well you would hate them if they destroyed your country), so we tried to take everything with a pinch of salt. It was understandably a much different picture to what we learnt about in A-Level history.