nha trang

When I walked into the Red Apple backpacker bar late on Wednesday night, it appeared to confirm all the stereotypes I had heard about Nha Trang.

Two young women were dancing on their chairs as the DJ pumped out 'Down Under' by Men at Work into the streets. One English traveller was stumbling all over the place, and looked like he was about to be sick. Every drink at the bar came free with an obligatory free shot of apple schnapps.

Nha Trang has a reputation for being the party town on Vietnam's tourist trail. I was half expecting to find Asia's answer to San Antonio in Ibiza. In truth, it is not as bad as it might sound given what I just described. Although there were drunken travellers in that bar, it was the only venue in the area that had many people in it, so I would not wish to give the impression that this is a vomit drenched place beseiged by boistrous backpackers.

I got chatting to a group of Israeli and Italian travellers in the bar. One of the subjects they brought up was the relative absence of 'Britpackers' in Vietnam - something I had already noticed myself. I was told that a couple of years ago people would be spilling out of the bars late at night in places like Nha Trang. 'Europe is really hurting,' said one Italian, who put the absence of the young travelling hordes at the door of the recession. I'm still not so sure. I wouldn't mind betting there are quite a lot of them puking up on the floor of bars in places like Cairns at the moment.

Anyway, Nha Trang is a pleasant place with a fantastic beach. It is totally geared for mass tourism. The streets are immaculately clean. There are loads of hotels, and to be honest there isn't much about the place to indicate that it is in Vietnam. It's a resort. You really could be anywhere.

That all said, it is without question a beautiful city. Plus if it's sunny, 30 degrees and the beer is flowing, you won't hear too many words of complaint from me...

danang to nha trang

Danang seemed dank and dirty as my taxi drove me from Hoi An to the train station. What a difference the rain had made. Four days ago in the blazing sunshine, it appeared like a bustling city set beneath beautiful surroundings. Now, it looked like a shit hole.

I had to wait a good 45 minutes at the station before being able to board my train to NhaTrang. This was the Hanoi to Saigon service - a journey that takes 39 hours if you complete it in full. Can you imagine what that would be like?! Because of the length of the trip, anyone can book a bed for any leg of the journey in a shared room with three other people. I decided against this option. I didn't see the point given that I was travelling during the day, and also didn't fancy walking into a room that three people had been sharing all night from Hanoi.

As I boarded carriage A of the 13.15 service, it became clear this was to be no ordinary train journey. Most people had been here since the train left last night. The floor was covered in litter. People looked knackered, their feet rested upon anything possible, desperate for sleep but unable to get any. At this point, I didn't wonder so much why I hadn't booked a bed for my journey, but more why anyone would put themselves through this for 39 hours.

The train jurked its way out of Danang, and I opened a beer, put on my ipod and started reading a book. These three things can insulate you against pretty much anything. As we headed south, I hoped the weather would improve, and at times the sun did shine through the very dark clouds, but it was only a brief respite. I suppose, in a way, I was lucky to be travelling on a day when the weather was rubbish, rather than being at a beach resort, but I couldn't help feel cheated of the views I could have got of Vietnam's gorgeous landscape.

After a few hours, I moved to the 'restaurant' car at the front of the train. This carriage didn't look as if it had been cleaned or changed in 50 years. The wooden benches were chipped and cracked, the lamps were covered in ash and the floor was filthy. I sat looking out of the open window at the lush green countryside sipping beer, while Vietnamese men dragged on strong cigarettes and the train staff served up plates of rice from one of the biggest cooking dishes I have ever seen. This was why I had travelled by train.

There was just one stop on our epic journey - the station of Dieu Tri, where people alight for the beach resort of Quy Nhon. The weather was really bad when we got here. Rain battered the windows of the train, mist and darkness loomed outside. The cool air conditioning on the train also meant I felt like I was anywhere but South East Asia. It was as if I had arrived at a remote part of the Scottish Highlands in the middle of winter...

Just before 10pm, and a little under nine hours after we had departed Denang, the train arrived in Nha Trang. As I stumbled off after sinking 12 cans of Tiger beer, I was relieved to see the rain had not affected this part of 'Nam and it was very warm even at 10pm...

a cockroach! a cockroach!

Today (Wednesday 18 February) is probably a good day to be leaving Hoi An given that it is pissing down with rain.

I am getting the train down to Nha Trang, which takes a quite considerable eight hours. You can fly there from nearby Danang and it takes less than an hour, but I don't want to do that. For some, getting to the next place as quickly as possible is more important. I would rather see more of the country than the departures and arrival halls of airports. Whether or not I still feel like that half way through the journey remains to be seen!

I'm armed with lots of booze, books and a fully charged ipod, so everything should be ok. On the subject of books, I've just finished reading my first of the trip - Flat Earth News by Nick Davies. It is an excellent account of how the world of media and PR has become utterly unscrupulous and unreliable, although as it is an account of the industry I work in, I'm not sure if it was exactly the right choice of reading to kick off my holiday...

One final comment on Hoi An before I fuck off. There were far more older, European tourists here than you normally see in this part of the world. This is no bad thing, but it got me thinking. Where are the British and Irish backpackers? Surely they can't all be so classless that the prevelance of culture rather than clubs in Hoi An means it gets missed off their trip? Perhaps they are all in Australia, where it is still summer. Maybe they've been credit crunched. Maybe they're all in Nha Trang...

There was an amusing incident involving a group of older English tourists (late 50s) last night. They were in a splendidly decadent bar on the riverfront (as was I) where the paint is coming off the walls and you can drink red wine for 50p a glass. It quickly became evident this was their first trip to SE Asia when a woman in their group started screaching when she saw a cockroach running up the wall. Not an unusual sight in this part of the world, and judging by her reaction you would have thought it had run up her leg and into her pants. There did then follow something that I must admit I found a little squeamish. A gorgeous little kitten that hangs around in the bar and normally does nothing more than rub against the leg of customers, saw the cockroach, ran for it, got in his mouth and then proceeded to much it to bits all over the floor. Don't they sell Whiskers out here?

hanging out in hoi ain

In Hoi An you don't really have to do very much to enjoy everything it has to offer. There is no real need to go on tours, trips or anything else - you can soak it all up just by hanging around.

For the last two days I've hired a bicycle to get around the town and to the beach, which is roughly a couple of miles away. It's been ages since I've ridden a bike. Part of that is down to my pathological hatred of cyclists in London, and I'd forgotten how much fun it can be - particularly if you're riding round a place as gorgeous as Hoi An.

So the last few days have basically followed this pattern. Get up, get some breakfast. Go for a ride in the lush green countryside, maybe stop for a beer. Ride to the beach, maybe stop for several beers. Ride back to town, maybe stop for a beer by the river. Get back to town, and you, erm, get the picture.

It has been incredibly good fun - helped by perfect weather. The sun has been shining, but there has also been a cool breeze blowing that has made cycling a very comfortable experience. There isn't much traffic around either, so riding a bike is not as stressful an experience as it would be in most of Vietnam.

I really can't fault Hoi An and will be sorry to leave tomorrow (Wednesday), although four days here has been enough for me to see everything. Interestingly, I shared a few drinks the other night with a French girl who is on holiday here, who said she wasn't keen on the place. Her reason is that she is constantly being hassled to buy stuff comapred to other places (there is a plethora of renowned clothes shops here, specialisiung in silk) while I have relatively been left alone. I did try and comfort her with the thought that at least she is having to put up with people trying to sell her stylish clothes. I have had only pimps and dealers hassle me in this country!

Tonight I will get my last chance to eat in one of the many fine restaurants of Hoi An. Then tomorrow it's off to Nha Trang, the main beach party resort further down the south coast, for what is likely to be a very different experience...

hoi an

Several people had said to me before I came to Vietnam that one of the highlights would be the town of Hoi An. They were spot on.

If you were to ask me to write down all the attributes of what constiutues a perfect holiday location, this place would pretty much have the lot. It is a town with incredible culture and charm, and a relaxing antidote to some of this country's more frenetic tourist destinations.

Hoi An is a very small place, but that in itself is part of the attraction. The ancient centre of the town - clusterted around two rivers - is very colonial French in its architecture, but also includes pagodas going back to the 15th century. It is exceptionally well kept, cars are banned from certain streets and if the locals are trying to sell stuff, it's boat trips and paintings rather than hookers and hash.

I cannot speak highly enough about this place. I arrived on Saturday 14 February, with a hotel booked for two nights. By the end of the day I had extended it to three. By Sunday lunch time I had made that four.

My experience of Hoi An didn't get off to the best of starts, but that was my fault. I somehow managed to get lost on my way from the hotel to the town centre - quite an achievement in a place this size. And so I found myself walking out of town instead of into it, and along streets that were not as inviting as the guide books suggested. It was a relief to discover I was walking the wrong way. I had done the equivalent of arriving in London to visit Buckingham Palace, only to find myself walking through an industrial estate in Croydon.

When I did find myself in the centre of Hoi An, I was immediately charmed by the place. There are restaurants serving the most amazing food, really cool bars, heaps of cultural 'stuff' and lots of shops. Handmade clothing is a speciality here, if you like that sort of thing.

My hotel is wicked. For a avery affordable price, I have a large traditionally decorated room with all mod cons and a balcony looking over a paddy field. It's absolutely perfect for what I need. On Saturday night I came back from the bars and had a choice of three live games I could watch from the Premier League and FA Cup on tv. Getting home from the boozer and watching the footy is something I've done many times, but not in tropical heat overlooking a paddy field...

If all that wasn't enough, a few kilometers away is an amazing beach. However it says much about Hoi An's appeal that most people prefer to stay in the town rather than sit on the sand.

If you haven't been here before, make sure you do. If you have already, make sure you do so again.

from hue to hoi an

On Saturday morning I left the pleasant city of Hue to travel 130km south towards the small town of Hoi An.

Hoi An is not accessible by rail, so with a heavy heart I resigned myself to getting there by bus. When I went to book a ticket, I was told I would have to leave at 8 in the morning and that the journey could take five hours - although it would cost only $5. Another option would be to pay for a car to take me there. It would be considerably more expensive ($60) but I could leave when I wanted, stop where and when I wanted to en route and sit in the back of an air conditioned car rather than a packed bus. With memories of my last bus journey in Vietnam and subsequent puking still fresh in my mind, I appiled my usual financial analysis to such issues, thought 'fuck it' and booked the car.

We set off at the civilised time of 10am from Hue. The roads seemed to go from being in good condition in some areas to near unpassable in others, and it made the journey uncomfortable at times. At least they were better than those in Cambodia, I thought. Mind you that isn't much of a gloss to put on things. It's a bit like picking up a minger in a club and then consoling yourself the next day with the thought that at least it wasn't Kenneth Clarke...

About an hour into the journey, we started to drive through some of the most breathtaking natural scenery I have ever come across. When I get the USB cord on my camera sorted out I will upoload some of the pictures I took because nothing I type can do justice to this part of Vietnam. Lush green fields, stunning mountain views and glistening lakes - it was fantastic. Then at the foot of the mountain we came to Lang Co beach, which looked beautiful on what was a perfect sunny day. We stopped to take endless photographs.

Our next stop was close to the city of Danang, where old American pillar boxes overlook the forested side of mountains for miles and miles. Again, the views were incredible. And again, there was the predictable hassle of people trying to sell stuff. I had to tell one woman more than ten times that I didn't want to buy a necklace from her. I bet the Americans didn't have to put up with this crap when they were here. As if a soldier letting loose on a machine gun would be interrupted by someone saying 'please mister you buy necklace for your girlfriend'. So why should I have to!

The stunning scenery did actually get me thinking about the war again. It may have been a terrible, terrible ordeal to have gone through that conflict, but I can think of worse places to be drafted into battle. At least the yanks didn't have to fight communism in somewhere like Belgium...

We then drove through Vietnam's fourth largest city, Danang. It seemed really pleasant, with the tree-lined boulevards and light traffic contrasting sharply with what I had come across in Saigon. Just outside the city is the famous China beach, which is now home to endless spanking new luxury resorts.

Eventually we arrived in Hoi An just before 2pm. It had been a really nice journey, but as I will explain in a later blog, the best part of the trip was to come as I explored this wonderful, quaint and relaxed little town...

citadel

I opened the curtains of my hotel room at around 10.30 this morning to reveal a glorious looking sunny day. Forgetting about my mild hangover at once, I ventured up to the rooftop pool to enjoy the conditions.

It was obviously going to be a very hot day, and I felt relaxed and contented as I looked out from the pool across the skyline of Hue. It was at this rooftop location that I had also spent much of last night. The great views and pool side location bettered all of this small city's bars - although that is not to say there is anything wrong with them.

Remaining within the confines of this excellent hotel - not something I would normally do - also had the advantages of avoiding the pests, pushers and pimps that line the streets of the main tourist area. These 'touts' are a lot more aggressive than those in Saigon - probably because they have fewer people to pick on - and can be quite annoying. As always, the script is to first ask if you want a motorbike. Then marijuana. And then a prostitute. I wonder if they do a special discount if you use all three at the same time? One of them did make me literally laugh out loud when he asked if I wanted to hire a motorbike to race him. Obviously on streets containing thousands of bikes and where nobody pays any regard for traffic law or basic common sense, what I really wanted to do was race someone...

Anyway, after a spot of light brunch and having booked my next leg of travel and accommodation, I ventured off towards The Citadel in Hue. This is the main attraction of the place - a vast array of old imperial buildings and temples. I nearly fried in the heat while walking along the beautifully named Perfume River to get there, but it was worth it. The buildings are very impressive, and you can see why this has named a World Heritage site. What is more difficult to understand is that for many years the buildings were left dilapidated, and at one stage seemed destined for demolition. Definitely worth a visit.

By mid afternoon I'd done enough walking, and set about finding a bar to enjoy the sunshine from. Lots of other travellers seemed to have the same idea. Many were sat outside with a glass of local beer (average cost 35p) in front of them, reading a book and with a smile on their faces. Sounds corny, I know, but it was a great atmosphere in which to just watch the world go by.

Ok, time for some more beer and dinner...