Vietnam 5D 4N family trip - Part 3 finale Hoi An.

This is the finale part of my family trip in Central part of Vietnam (23/8 - 27/8), click here to view part 1 (Da Nang) and part 2 (Hue). This is last part of my family trip, we stayed a night in Hoi An (26/8 - 27/8).

Hello everybody, today blog post is about the ancient port city of Hoi An in Vietnam...

Japanese covered bridge

Hoi An is an old port city situated in Quang Nam Province of Vietnam (South-Central part), south of Da Nang province. Besides, it is located roughly an hour driving distance from hustling and bustling city of Da Nang as well. Therefore, many tourists flocked to Hoi An due to it is ancient city as well as UNESCO world heritage site and proximity from Da Nang international airport.

Hot weather of Hoi An.

As we all know, "Hoi An" name was derived from Chinese meaning of "Gathering" for "Hoi" and "Peace and Tranquil" for "An". Hence, it's known as peaceful place for gathering for the traders and merchants back then. In the ancient period, many merchants from the far east (China and Japan) as well as from Malacca, India, Europe and Arab Peninsula sailed to Hoi An for trading as it is the naturally made harbour and located in halfway of the journey to the east from the west (much like what was in Malacca port of Malacca Sultanate). However, the harbour for trading was no longer welcoming for merchants since Nguyen Dynasty reigned as the emperor of Nguyen Dynasty closed its country from Foreign influence in the late 18th century and early 19th century. The only port for foreign merchants to do trading was relocated to nearby Da Nang during that time or even to the Malay Peninsula for trading. Therefore, Hoi An's economy activities were in stagnant and its strategic port status was fading way. In this day, Hoi An is only regarded as an UNESCO world heritage site.

Where to visit in Hoi An:

1. Hoi An Old Town

Nightview of Hoi An

Slik made cloth in process

Wood craving

Slik making in process

Hoi An old town was the place where the merchants from east and west met and mingled together to do business. Due to many Chinese merchants visited this place in the past few centuries, therefore many building and shop lots there were constructed with a strong feature of Chinese style especially from Guangzhou, Fujian, Foo Chow and Hainan. These old shop lots were now used for tourism business purpose. For instances, there one would be able to see lots of shop lots for tailors, souvenirs shops, art galleries, restaurants and cafes. Furthermore, there are also some attraction in the old town such as Chinese Assembly Halls, Guan Yin Temple and Japanese covered bridge. However, there are required for tourists to have an entrance ticket to visit Hoi An old town. The entrance fee is about 120000VND which is mandatory for the tourists to enter there and that ticket valid for accessing 5 out of 22 heritage sites there (Rusty Compass, 2017).

Chinese assembly hall

Japanese covered bridge

Japanese covered bridge had proven there was presence of Japanese community living in Hoi An in the ancient times. The bridge was built in zen style and was used to connecting Japanese community quarters with Chinese community quarters across the small stream as a gesture for peaceful living (Trip Savvy, 2019).

2. Basket Boat Ride
Basket boat ride service is available at halfway from Da Nang to Hoi An. We went for Basket Boat Ride when we are departing from Da Nang city halfway to Hoi An on 26th August evening...

Looks like in Malaysia's fishing village...

The basket boat tour was in 45 minutes or an hour tour on the estuary of river. The tickets for basket boat tour had included in the travel package, therefore I didn't know about the exact price of that tour. Each of the boats were able to accommodate maximum 3 person. Each boat will have a well experienced boat paddler which they were really good in balancing the round basket boat while paddling it with strength. That tour brought us to traverse across the nipah palm forest of the estuary as well as stopping at 2 spots on the river to watch some performances. After these performances, they would asked tips from each of the boats. Therefore, be prepared with enough spare money there after watching their performance on the river. The paddler was also pro in spinning the boat in speed, which was making me to be so dizzy after the spinning. How could they done to spin the basket boat? Well, tour guide of my family trip told me that the paddlers used all their leg strength to spin the boat while balancing the boat. It was fascinating...

Me on the boat

Alright, that all about my family's trip in Centre Vietnam for 5 days and 4 nights. I hope you all are enjoy reading my blog post. See you guys in the next blog post, bye...

Vietnam 5D 4N family trip - Part 2 Hue.

This is the part 2 series of Central Vietnam family trip of mine, previous part, Da Nang click here and last part, part 3 Hoi An click here.

Hello everybody! In the second day of our trip (24/8), we had travelled from Ba Na hills in Da Nang to the imperial city of Hue. We stayed in Hue for 2 nights, which was also the longest period of us to stay in a city of Vietnam.

1. Hue Citadel
For you all information, Hue is known as imperial city as it was used to be the site of Nguyen Dynasty's Citadel and acted as capital city of Vietnam from 1802 till 1945. It is located on the north of the Perfume River bank. The citadel of Hue is appeared to be like smaller version of Citadel of Beijing in China. It has encompassed with a variety of building in the citadel such as Emperor's worshipping place, Emperor dormitory, Queen and Concubines dormitories and Palace in the main part of forbidden city. Unfortunately, it was severely damaged during the Tet Offensive which was part of Vietnam War series. Some parts of the citadel are still in progress of repairing, some were opened to the public to visit. The good thing is that this citadel was gazetted as one of the UNESCO world heritages in Vietnam.

Here's the interior part of Citadel.

Entrance to the forbidden city palace

Emperor's worshipping place

Theatre of Emperor in the Citadel

2. Chua Thien Mu (Thien Mu Pagoda)
Thien Mu in Vietnamese is known as "Celestial Lady". It was built when "Celestial Lady" whom she dressed in red asked the local lord to build a pagoda in order to control the subterranean forces and dominate the region. It was said to be built between 1553 and 1613. Then, in Nguyen Dynasty, it was renovated under either by Emperor Minh Mang or Emperor Thieu Tri. Now, it was part of the gazetted UNESCO World Herritage Sites in Vietnam and deemed as  one of the most venerated sites in the city of Hue. 

3. Emperor Khai Dinh Tomb
The tomb of the second last emperor of Vietnam is much grander as compared to Emperor Minh Mang's Tomb in Hue outskirts (Note: this blog post will not talk much about Emperor Minh Mang's tomb as I didn't take any photo of that place). Emperor Khai Dinh, the second last emperor of Nguyen Dynasty is unpopular among the Vietnamese residents in the end of 19th century due to his strong affiliation with French colonist. During his reign, the French had been conquered all the parts of Vietnam already. He was given with the luxurious amount of money too, while the French administer the whole country.

After his death, he was succeeded with Bao Dai, the last Vietnamese emperor. His tomb was designated with French and Sino-Vietnamese architecture. Some part of the interior walls were made of fracture pieces of porcelains. It was a breathtaking view of the tomb architecture for its mix of East and West style. Here are the photos...

All of these sites above were located at North of the Perfume River and outskirts of Hue City. At the south of Hue City, there is the largest city in Hue province.
-You can have Bun Bo Hue there... Bun Bo Hue is the prominent dish of Hue. It is the pork or beef noodle with its scrumptious meat broth. 

-You can have Vietnamese bread there also, Banh Mi. Banh Mi is Vietnamese version of Baguette. Only it is just sandwiched with the locals ingredients such as onions, coriander, cucumber along with meat (chicken, beef or pork).

Banh mi stall.

This video will talk more about Hue, Vietnam. If you wanna know more about Hue.

Alright, that's all about part 2 of my 5D 4N trip in Vietnam - Hue... 
I hope you guys enjoy reading this blog post. See you guys in the next blog post, which I will upload regarding part 3 - Hoi An, Vietnam. Bye.

Vietnam 5D 4N family trip - Part 1 Da Nang.

This is the part 1 of the trip, click here for part 2 and 3.
I had divided the trip according to the destinations we travelled to.

Hello everybody! Last few days my family and I as well as my Father's friends were been to Central part of Vietnam - Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An for 5 days 4 nights tour. Indeed, it was a marvelous tour as we have travel to many mountains and beaches, ancient temples, imperial city of Hue as well as ancient city of Hue.

Without further ado, let's start with part 1 - Da Nang.
Da Nang - the largest city in the central part of Vietnam...
It was used to be a small town of South Vietnam back then during Vietnam War... Fortunately, it had began to transform into a city gradually by the early 90s, thanks to Doi Moi Economic Reform Policy which had been carried out in the late 80's. Many investors were then began to investing more in infrastructure building, commercial and residential lots there. This pushed for good economic cycles go on cycle. Therefore, the city will be so lively and vibrant by this date.

Where to visit there...
In Da Nang province, there are many places for foreigners to visit such as...

a) Dragon Bridge
Dragon Bridge was the first place we visited there upon arriving to Da Nang on the first day of our trip (23/8).

Dragon Bridge in Da Nang is the longest bridge in Vietnam with 666 metres in length, it is located in Da Nang City and constructed in the shape of a golden dragon. The six-lane bridge crosses the Han River, serving as direct routes to My Khe Beach and Non Nuoc Beach as well as a popular spot amongst travelling photographers. Dragon Bridge was officially opened in 2013 after a two-year-long construction, commemorating the 38th anniversary of Da Nang City’s liberation. According to local beliefs, which date back to the Ly Dynasty, the dragon is a significant symbol of power, nobility and good fortune.

In the night, Dragon Bridge of Da Nang will be filled with LED lights, making it to be appear to be so mesmerising of the night view. (P/S: I felt like I was in Singapore waterfront at night.).

b) Ba Na Hills
In the next day morning (24/8), we spend our half day on Ba Na Hills.

Vietnam version of Malaysia's Bukit Tinggi Little France.

Ba Na Hills were operated by Sun World group corporation. On top of the hills, there are numerous French styled gardens and restaurants for us to hang out with. Besides, there have also a Chinese Buddhist temple (Linh Ung Temple) for the devotees to pray.

Cable cars and inclined hill trains were provided to the tourists to go up the Ba Na Hills.

Few days ago, we managed to bought the entrance tickets at 37USD* each person (Adult), which were included with cable car and hill train services as well as lunch buffet meal.
(The entrance ticket price maybe subjected to the holiday season.)*

Oh yah, not forgetting to mention about the golden hand bridge on Da Nang. There was also a place for visitors to take some breathtaking scenery photos.

c) Monkey Mountain
In the 4th day of our trip in Vietnam (26/8), we visited Da Nang again before departing to Hoi An. There's a mountain on the Da Nang peninsula. Usually, the local would name it as (Son Tra Mountain). However, that mountain has its other name which is Monkey Mountain as that mountain used to lived by the US soldiers during Vietnam War. They named it as "Monkey Mountain" due to their (the US soldiers) encounter of monkeys on the mountain which had caused them in lots of trouble back then.

Her Holiness of Guanyin, appeared to be mercy

On top of the mountain there's a Guanyin statue nearby Ling Ung Temple of Da Nang. That statue was set facing towards the ocean. The local fishermen believed that Guanyin will protect them when they are sailing in the sea. That's why that status is so meaningful for them.

d) My Khe Beach
My Khe Beach is one of the popular tourist destination to visit in Da Nang, Vietnam. It is located about 5km away from the city centre. Besides, the beach itself is 10km long scratching from Son Tra Peninsula to Marble Mountain (will be talk in the next point).

Very clean beach as compared to in Malaysia ones.

According to the website of Mykhebeach.org, that beach was selected as one of the most attractive beaches on the planet by Forbes Magazine as well as being commended by The Sunday Herald Sun of Australia as one of the 10 popular beaches in the world. This is all attribute to its famous blue sky and its crystal clear and warm seawater as well as beautiful areas surrounded by coconut trees.

e) Marble Mountains
We have also briefly visited Marble Mountains on the 4th day of our trip (26/8). On top of Marble Mountains, there are again Buddhist temple and pagoda there, except this time there have a cave which was used by the monks to do meditation, according to the tour guide.

Temple on top of Marble Mountain

Temple inside the cave

The view looks like somewhere in Ipoh, Malaysia.

There are numerous of marble stone stores nearby the Marble mountains area. They do sell lots of product from marmite granite such as Marble made Jade, Buddha Statue and Chairs and Tables.

Marble made chessboard.

Alright, that's all for this part. The next part I will talk about Hue and Hoi An. Both are processing UNESCO World Heritage Sites there. The former one is used to be Imperial city and Capital City of Vietnam and the latter one is Ancient Trading Port City.
Thanks for reading this blog post, see you in the next blog post, bye.

Mostly only in Vietnam, part of my experience in central part of Vietnam (23/8 - 27/8)

Hello guys, Happy Merdeka Day (Happy National Days)!!! 
Few days ago I've been back from Vietnam tour (23/8 till 27/8)...

I am here to share a bit of my thoughts about the things that I had seen in Vietnam...

Last few days I had been to Central part of Vietnam - Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An. From these few places, I had found some interest things to share to you guys... I will also indirectly make some comparison with the live in Malaysia, my country.

1. Motorcycles are everywhere.

Basically, motorcycles are everywhere in Vietnam. This is because of their roads and highways are not that wide and smooth as in Malaysia. Futhermore, car ownership in Vietnam is considered as something extremely luxurious for their people as most of the car were imported and got imposed by taxes.

Peak hour after working hours in Danang, Vietnam

Therefore, many people there opt for motorcycles as theirs mode of transportation as it is cheaper and easier to get a motorcycle license there. Motorcycles were also unable them to travel through some narrow street and cutting through hustling and bustling roads.

Motorcycles parked somewhere in Hue, Vietnam.

2. Jaywalking

Jaywalking in Malaysia is definitely a norm, however in Vietnam, jaywalking is also a norm for them. The only difference is that there are absolutely countless motorcycles and other mode of vehicles on the road which is also poising a challenge for the tourists in Vietnam to cross over the street... Usually, the locals there cross the street slowly and steadily as the drivers and motocycles usually being able to predict if there are pedestrians walking across the street. So, there is no problem jaywalking across the hustling and bustling street in Vietnam. Furthermore, there are so many cameras on the road, so the drivers wouldn't dare to simply accelerate on the road. Therefore, crossing the road steadily if there's no traffic light for pedestrians. Oh ya, some drivers and motorcyclists will use honks to urge the pedestrians cross the street faster.

Jaywalking across the street... View from Danang market.

3. Cheaper beer
Vietnam has cheaper beer compared to in Malaysia. This is because Malaysia is a Muslim majority country and the government taxed heavily on any alcohol drinks as it is deemed as non-halal beverage. However, in Vietnam, many people were not Muslim, they were either Buddhists, Catholic or even Atheists. Therefore, drinking alcohol or beer there isn't any problem. Besides, the beer there is cheap due to higher demand as compared to in Malaysia.

4. Energy consumption savers
In Vietnam, especially the South and Central part of Vietnam is extremely hot due to its monsoon tropical climate there. Amid the hotness, the locals there were seemingly reluctant to switch on the fans as well as air-conditioners.  Why? This is because of Vietnam has higher chance to face severe power shortage from 2021 year and hike in electricity production cost. Therefore, Vietnam electricity is deemed as more precious compared to in Malaysia.

Fans were available in the normal price restaurant, air-conditioners were provided in some expensive restaurants.

5. Roadside food stalls
In Malaysia, there are also have roadside food stalls same as in Vietnam. However, the food stalls in Vietnam usually are using smaller chairs and tables as compared to in Malaysia. There are lots of stools and tables in the food stall as shown in the picture. They are using stools and smaller tables mainly because of they need to cater more spaces to more customer to patronize their foods there. Wow...

Banh mi stall

6. E-hailing motor service
The number of motorcycles in Vietnam is higher as compared to the number of cars. Therefore, the e-hailing motor service is very welcoming in Vietnam. Usually, the grab e-hailing service is by car, however, in Vietnam, the grab e-hailing service is totally localized to cater the locals needs by using motorcycles. Motorcycles are more convenient just as I mentioned on my first point.

Last but not least...
7. Narrow and tall shop lots building
There was a plenty of spaces for building up shop lots in the city and town centres of Vietnam to cater the need of population. Therefore, the shop lots there were built narrowly and upwards.

In my opinion, Vietnam is an interesting country that worth us to visit. There one could see their attitude and creativities in saving up spaces and energy consumption. Not only for that, the people there is also being so disciplined by abiding the traffic laws and no simply speeding on the road as most of the speed limit in Vietnam are at 50km/h to 90km/h. Although the traffics there are always in congestion but the flows of traffic there never stop.