A recap of the last 6 weeks: Vietnam

This update is coming from a 10+ hour flight headed for... North America! Yes, as I write this, we have flown 3,972 miles (6,392 km) from Guangzhou, China, and are 2,567 miles (4,131 km) from Vancouver, Canada. To my west are the Adak Islands, in Alaska, only 189 miles (304 km) away. Soon I’ll be in Portland, OR, home for the holidays, for the first time in about 6 months. 

The last month or so has been pretty busy! Lots of travel around Vietnam. In my last update, I said I was already planning my next Vietnam trip, so that’s exactly what I did!

This time I flew back to Da Nang, explored Hoi An, and then took the train to Quang Ngai. From there I went to Quy Nhon, a beach town, and eventually found myself back in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest city. And from there I went to Vung Tau, another beach town, popular with Vietnamese tourists, and some foreigners. 

Since I wrote about Da Nang last time, let’s start in Hoi An. The first time I was there, I was only there for an evening. This time I wanted to go back and check out this historical, picturesque town for a few days, so that’s exactly what I did.

Hoi An

Unfortunately, I was there the weekend before a typhoon was forecasted to hit central Vietnam to the south (in the direction I was traveling) so it rained a lot. Nonetheless, I still went out and walked around. It’s a nice town, with tasty food and cool buildings. Besides that, I don’t really understand the draw to it? Some people have told me it’s such an amazing place and they could spend a couple of weeks there, but maybe this all just feels normal to me since I’ve been in Asia for a while now. I don’t know.

Hoi An

After a few days in Hoi An, I went to Quang Ngai, in central Vietnam, which is just north of where the typhoon hit about a day before I arrived. The typhoon hit hardest in Quy Nhon and Nha Trang, but fortunately, the winds were not as strong as forecasted. Lots of people did evacuate, though. 

Quang Ngai is one of those towns that is in between touristy destinations, but no one stops there. I had seen some really cool photos, so I decided to check it out, see what it’s about, and see if there’s a reason to come here or if there’s a reason why tourists don’t stop here. Most tourists who are traveling from the north to the south (or vice versa) in Vietnam take buses or trains, which go through town but don’t stop. Another popular touristy thing to do is to rent or buy a motorbike in the north or south and then drive in the opposite direction. For tourists that decide to do this, Quang Ngai is actually a popular rest stop for the night, for travelers on their way north to Hoi An/Da Nang or on their way south to Quy Nhon or Nha Trang. But still, usually, those travelers arrive in the evening and depart the next morning. 

Anyway, after a bit of exploring, I can see why people don’t really stop here. There’s maybe one notable thing to do, which unfortunately I couldn’t do because the logistics didn’t work out. That would be Ly Son Island. I’ll have to get back there one day. Ly Son is a tropical island about 45 minutes east of Quang Ngai. Very popular with Vietnamese tourists, but not that many foreigners visit. It’s an old volcanic island, where they also grow garlic and other crops, and there are nice beaches, so there are some awesome photo opportunities (especially if you have a drone). Besides Ly Son, the town is a bit boring, but people are friendly and often asked what I was doing there since they don’t really get foreign tourists. 

Quang Ngai also has some historical significance. On March 16th, 1968 one of the worst atrocities in the Vietnam War occurred in the nearby Son My village. The US military arrived early in the morning on orders to wipe out the Vietcong, who they suspected of being in Son My village. Turns out they had false intel and instead killed 504 innocent civilians (according to the Vietnamese). I went to the museum. I was surprised because I was the only person there. But the photos were really really captivating. Weird to think I was standing in a place 51 years after American troops were there. It would be like going to Afghanistan in 30 years... oh wait we’ll probably still have troops there. Anyway, lots of historical significance and it was fascinating to learn about the history. 

Museum in Quang Ngai

Next up was Quy Nhon. Quy Nhon is a great place. It’s like Nha Trang (probably the busiest beach destination in Vietnam), but much cleaner, the beach is nicer and there are fewer tourists. There’s also much more to do. I don’t have lots to say besides that because I mainly relaxed there- it was nice to rest. 

Eventually, I made it back to Ho Chi Minh City for my fourth visit. This was purely for positioning purposes, and from there I went to Vung Tau. It was about a 2 hour ferry which was fine. Comfortable and uneventful. It was cool to see lots of big cargo ships at the Ho Chi Minh City port. If you follow the news then you might know that some of those ships are carrying Chinese cargo - which are in Vietnam to avoid the tariffs and get a “made in Vietnam” label. The Vietnamese claim they’re trying to clamp down on this, but it’s just another example of American influence thousands of miles away. 

Vung Tau is a nice beach town. The water isn’t exactly ideal for swimming, but there’s some really tasty local food and lots of cool things to do. The beach is nice, there’s no traffic and it takes about 10 minutes to drive anywhere. Also, there are 3 mountains, all within town. Vung Tau is another place that is popular with Vietnamese tourists and is still drawing more foreigners.

Vung Tau

While I was there one of the top things to do was visit the Jesus Christ Statue, which looks exactly like Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil (but probably not as impressive). 

Jesus Christ Statue in Vung Tau

Anyway, I’ll be in the US for the holidays and I have some cool travel plans for next year. 

Happy Holidays!