Vietnam and Thailand

We just returned from Vietnam and Thailand over the holidays. The trip began Hanoi and we stayed at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi. It was a magnificent place. It was built in 1901 and has hosted every US president to visit Vietnam. Located in the French Quarter it has an unmistakable French influence but with Vietnamese flair.

We toured the Temple of Literature which is dedicated to Confucius and scholars. The temple used to host the studies and exams of doctors. A small food market was on our way to lunch so we walked through it saw the local way food is sold and prepared. After lunch we enjoyed a water puppet theater production. Water puppets theater has a long history in Vietnam and traces back to the 11th century when rice paddy fields were flooded.

In the evening, we enjoyed a special treat when a Vietnamese friend currently living in Dallas picked us up and took us to dinner and for a walk all around town! We went to a special French restaurant owned by a family friend and loved hearing the local perspective of Hanoi. Afterwards we sampled the ice cream at Kem Trang Tien. The rice flavor was delicious. Not two sweet-just perfect.

The next morning was off to Halong Bay. We boarded our boat that would be our home for the next 24 hours. These pictures don’t quite capture the spectacular view. The karsts that make up the bay were all around us, and they were never ending. We relaxed on the deck and enjoyed the scenery. In the morning we took a kayak trip to a floating fishing village and a cave as well. In less than 24 hours we felt very far away from bustling Hanoi.

On our way to our next stop Hue, we had some time before our flight. We decided to see Bút Tháp Temple.

Hue, which used to be the capital of Vietnam, still has a lot of important history. We visited the Imperial City, a Unesco World Heritage site, with monuments and ruins. It is modeled after Beijing’s Forbidden City.

We began the scenic drive from Hue to Hoi An. It is some of the most beautiful countryside in Vietnam. It was foggy and we couldn’t see some of the overpass views as we got closer to Danang. We stopped at “China Beach”, named that by the American soldiers during the war. Hoi An is very different that Hue. You enter a Unesco World Heritage protected town and no cars are allowed on the streets. (However, motorcycles and bikes are, so be prepared to still almost be run over.) Every shop is painted yellow and has lanterns hanging from it. Interspersed among the shops and tailors are historical sites. The grid of streets are all around the Thu Bon River. This makes for an unforgettable scene when the boats float down the river studded with lanterns.

One of the things you must do in Hoi An is visit a tailor and have custom clothes made. It was such a fun experience. We each did it, and 48 hours later and a after a few fittings, the clothes looked great. A cooking class should also be on your list. We went to the local market to scout out the fresh food first. Then we had a food tasting before we prepared our own. Some of the foods that were offered were not things we are used to seeing on Western menus. Our stay at the Anatara Hoi An was fabulous. The rooms were huge and had great balconies overlooking the river.

From Hoi An we traveled to Bangkok. This a city of so many malls and so much activity. The big city buzz was humming as soon as we hit the ground. We started with tour of Wat Pho and the Grand Palace. Indian influences are much more apparent here than the Chinese architectural ones in Vietnam. We took a bus boat for transportation which was really fun. I also recommend a tour of the Jim Thompson house. The house was built in 1959 by Jim Thompson, who relocated to Bangkok and started a silk company. The house is architecturally significant and houses traditional Buddhist statues and Thai paintings. It is a must see.

The last leg of our trip was spent in Chiang Mai. This was perhaps one of my favorite cities. It has all of the charm of a smaller town but has a bigger city feel. There are historical temples to tour, great food, and amazing hotels and every turn. We spent New Year’s Eve here which was such a treat because we got to experience the tradition of taking paper lanterns and writing your intentions on them before sending them off into the sky. We spent a morning taking care of elephants in a preserve which was the highlight of the trip. Just strolling the streets of the city was exhilarating. I think of all of the destinations, I will put this high on my list to return.

We stayed at the X2 Riverside in Chiang Mai. The rooms were some of the biggest we stayed in the whole trip and very modern. The restaurant was stunning and right on the river. Our breakfast choices were outstanding. It will be hard to go back to regular breakfasts. The breakfast buffets and choices at all of these top hotels were extraordinary.

Washington DC and Park Hyatt