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Ed Boitano:

view of Ha Long Bay from boat

A Taste of Adventure in Vietnam
Story by Ed Boitano
Photographs by Deb Roskamp

ur wooden vessel glided along Ha Long Bay’s jade green waters. Located off the coast of Northeastern Vietnam, its stunning 620 sq miles of seascape is one of the country’s five UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Hundreds of towering karsts dotted the horizon. Vendors in little skiffs tapped on the side of our vessel, selling unfamiliar exotic fruits – mangosteen, rambutan (aka Harry Cherry), longan, star and jack fruits.

houses on rafts with limestone karst formations in the background, Ha Long Bay
Ha Long Bay (Descending Dragon Bay) is bordered on the south and southeast by the Gulf of Tonkin in northeastern Vietnam

This trip was to be a genuine taste of adventure. When Royal Caribbean International invited me to be a guest on their Exotic Asia voyage to Southeast Asia, I couldn’t say no. The centerpiece of the voyage would be to locations barely on the tourist map - four-days in Vietnam, a day in Cambodia, and the added bonus of landings in the more traveled destinations of Bangkok and Singapore.

Embarkation on the 2,435 passenger Rhapsody of the Seas was in Hong Kong, with the next day spent on the voyage to the port of Haipong, gateway to Hanoi. This allowed us to catch up on our sleep and to become familiar with the seemingly endless amenities on the vessel, our home for the next thirteen-days.

the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi
The Hoh Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi

In preparation for our landings, a guest speaker conducted seminars on what to expect in Vietnam. Today it is a communist nation with a free-market economy, and considered one of the safest nations in the world. With 84 million people, it is now one of SE Asia’s vibrant Little Tiger economies. A number of Vietnam War veterans were on the vessel, many returning for closure from the war (1959 to 1975), others bringing family members to share with them an important piece of their personal history. I later found that for most Vietnamese people, the war is past tense, and a let ‘bygones-be-bygones’ sentiment prevails.

busy street traffic, Hanoi

As we took the 2.5 hour bus ride to the capital of Hanoi, there was an intensity of traffic;
bicycles, motorcycles, scooters and little cars chocked the bumpy road. I noticed virtually all women wore scarves (khau trang) covering their faces. I asked if this was due to pollution, but was informed that culturally Vietnamese women prefer pale complexions. The county’s pristine beaches are often empty until 5 pm, with locals waiting for the sun to down.

street vendors, the Old Quarter, Hanoi
Hanoi’s Old Quarter is located the heart of the original city, with its 36 streets named after the products for sale: Silver Street, Silk Street, ect. We were greeted with welcoming smiles from a populace that was just as interested in seeing us as we were of them. Bargaining was essential. The French Quarter – a remnant of France’s 100 years of dominance – featured wide boulevards of tree-lined streets. Monuments to former President Hoh Chi Minh (1890 –1969) were seemingly everywhere. His body rests in a mausoleum where it has been embalmed for viewings. We also got a look at the former palace, which Hoh turned into an administrative building, preferring to live in the simple servant’s quarters in back. The day also featured regional delicacies such as pho, spring rolls, green papaya salad and baguettes, a gift from the French era.

pagoda in Hue

Vietnamese woman in traditional dress walking just outside the Hue citadel wall

Hue, located on the central coast, is the original imperial capital, with many of its century-old pagodas, architectural relics and Forbidden Purple City - modeled after China’s own Forbidden City - still standing despite heavy U.S. bombings.

The first site in Vietnam ever listed in the World Heritage list, a visit to Hue offers an inside look at the Vietnamese monarchy during its most prosperous period. Lunch on the banks of the Perfume River was an unforgettable experience, with floating villages of water gypsies in the distance.

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), just off the southern coast, is an urban frenzy of eight million people packed into a city of sidewalk cafes, cyclo-pedicabs, city squares, palaces and markets. The three top tourist attractions are the War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace and the underground world of the Chu Chi Tunnels, with many of the tours conducted by former residents. Later we saw the remnants of the towers and temples of the now extinct Indian-influenced Kingdom of Champa.

motorcycle traffic, Ho Chi Minh City

Our time in Sihanoukville, Cambodia was brief. But it was easy to see a fledging nation still recovering from the genocide of the Khmer Rouge regime and their own war with Vietnam. Many in our group were stunned to see such poverty in this nation attempting to make tourism an important component in their infrastructure. Animals grazed in open garbage dumps, and derelict homes on stilts tilted towards the sea. Yet young children with open smiles rushed up to me to say hello in English. Like Vietnam, I hope it’s just a matter of time for them to join the modern world.


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Let Ed know what you think about his traveling adventure.

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Kudos to Mark Twain. He knows how to honor a dog, and kudos to Cedric for all he was and still is and kudos to you for another edition of www.traveling boy.com. Peace and Love,

--- Joel, Pasadena, CA

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Ed, I really enjoy your traveling adventures. Your stories are so well written and the photographs are amazing. Thank you for letting us in on your adventures. You bring the adventure to those of us who aren't able to go. Thank you.

--- Cheryl, Pismo Beach, CA

Amazing story and pictures. To think that 40 years ago we were all terrified at the prospect of going there... what a difference a few decades makes. Fantastic article!

--- Roger, Puyallup, WA

Thanks for your expert insight, Jeremy. Have you ever lived in New York? Don't tell me you are one of those tourists or former transplants. It's a very different experience when one lives here. Unlike Los Angeles, there really is a sense of community. New Yorkers love and care about their city... and, yes, their neighbors too.

--- Lisa - New York, NY

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NY sucks. It's now nothing more than a Disneyland version of its former glory. It city filled with tourists and transplants, and no longer the center of the universe. The WEST is the best. Everyone is moivng to the Coast. Even NY fashion designers check out the LA street scene before launching their new designs. Plus no one in NY knows real pizza. Take a trip to Naples sometime and try the real thing.

--- Jeremy - Los Angeles, CA

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The economic boom is what drove all the changes in New York. The mayors were in the right place at the right time, and to their credit, handled things well. It's easier to clean up the city and cut crime when you have more money to spend. The economic outlook for New York is bleak now with unemployment going up. Bloomberg already is short money and will be cutting services across the board. If things don't turn around, people may not be as friendly in a few years.The idea that New Yorkers are not nice is just a myth; people in L.A. are much more distant and shut-off.

--- Michael, Native New Yorker

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I think that overall, Manhattan has become friendlier in the last few years, not sure why but don't think Giuliani or Dinkins can take credit. There was definitely a surge of NYC solidarity following 9/11, and Giuliani was extremely popular during that period. When he supported Bush so strongly in the election that followed, his popularity plummeted, though. Bloomberg has definitely done a good job with making a lot of bike lanes, blocking off large areas of what was previously street and putting tables and chairs for pedestrian use. Not sure how this economic downturn will affect local attitudes, though....

--- Sue, New York

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This is the best. Keep them coming.--- Paul Ash

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Ed, thanks for putting the Holland button on your site.

By the way, your images really work! I opened the newsletter and was immediately tempted to click on an article. Love it. And also love the fact I can click on images in the articles to enlarge them. The short headline on the image makes me curious. Well done.

--- Bianca Helderman

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Thanks Ed, for this delightful view of this wondrous city! The first time I traveled with a husband to NYC years ago, it was for an Orchestral Conductor's conference. We lived in Newfoundland at that time, so you can imagine my shock of coming from isolation to the big apple!My heart began beating as I looked out of my hotel window at the figures of humans below, scurrying like ants, I was up so high. It wasn't the height, rather, the invisible buzz, that urgently beckoned me to go outside! But when I reached the sidewalk, the rush of pedestrians made me wonder "where's the party?" Friendly? Yes! I lived in NYC for 5 years with a later husband and loved every minute! Being an artist, I could not relax enough to paint, so I took up acting and worked with "Children In Need" a charity, instead and partook of everything NY had to offer from opera and Off Broadway plays and such to ballet and wholistic healings....a city full of everything one could imagine! I truly love NYC and years later am grateful to live in a quieter area of California so I may relax and paint and do my healing work...going back only to visit my delightful haunts. There is nothing like NYC!.

--- Yoka, Westlake Village, CA

Ed,

Great issue. Well done. They keep getting better! --- Grace Conlee Micetich, San Diego, CA

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I loved all of the traveling news! It’s good to know you are still out there in the world. --- Judy Vincent

Ed,

Thanks for getting me back on the Traveling Boy newsletter mailing list- I have missed it!

I do believe we need contributions of the ‘road less traveled’ in the US for those of us whose feet never leave the ground… Ahhhh… the Badlands... Two Medicine in Glacier… the Lava tubes in central Oregon… my next destination wish: Monument Valley.

--- Lorrie Sjoquist

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The photos and descriptions of this trip are wonderful. I love the idea of the slowed down pace of the train. Kind of a throwback to the "good old days." --- Larry Lombard, Puyallup, WA

I think you outdid yourself with the "Two Cities" article. I'm ashamed to admit that I knew so little about these two cities. I learned so much. Your article was jampacked with very interesting trivia. Surprised the Jazz greats and Walt Disney came from practically the same area. And those pictures --- especially the WWI museum --- what an incredible shot --- almost like out of somebody's Satyricon dream. Bravo!

--- Rod, Glendale, CA

What a great article! --- Michelle, Torrance, California

Ed,

The photos are spectacular. I can envision many a romantic novel inspired by these majestic sceneries. Makes me want to do a little more research on Norway. John Lenon must have been one of the converts when he wrote "Norwegian Woods."
--- Peter Paul, South Pasadena CA

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Peter,

Thanks for the kind words and taking the time to write. Indeed, Norway was paradise on earth, and I dream of returning again and again. You had a funny line about John Lennon being so inspired by the beauty of Norway that he composed the song, "Norwegian Wood." If I'm not mistaken, his reference to "Norwegian Wood" is just that: an inexpensive pine wood from Norway that was becoming popular in the UK. I did read somewhere, though, that "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was inspired by Norwegian fjord trek.

Thanks again… and please keep writing.

Ed

Ed,

Reading Peter's implication that "Norwegian Wood" was based on a trip that John Lennon took to Norway led me to do some research.

According to Paul McCartney at a press conference in Los Angeles: 'Peter Asher [brother of McCartney's then-girlfriend Jane Asher] had just done his room out in wood, and a lot of people were decorating their places in wood. Norwegian wood. It was pine, really, just cheap pine. But it's not as good a title, is it, "Cheap Pine"? It was a little parody, really, on those kind of girls who, when you'd get back to their flat, there would be a lot of Norwegian wood. It was completely imaginary from my point of view, but not from John's. It was based on an affair he had. She made him sleep in the bath and then, finally, in the last verse, I had this idea to set the Norwegian wood on fire as a revenge. She led him on and said, "You'd better sleep in the bath." And in our world, that meant the guy having some sort of revenge, so it meant burning the place down....'

Of course, just cause it's on the 'net doesn't mean it's true.

--- Jeff M, Tacoma, WA

Weird piece on Copenhagen (Cosy in Copenhaggen). Do you think now that Keefer’s in the slammer in Glendale for DWI he’s experiencing any hygge? I bet some of those jailbirds would like to see how touch he is.

--- Adam S., Glendale CA

I loved your intro and the way you set up the article. It immediately set the tone of an action-paced adventure. I imagined Annette as a spy in a trenchcoat feeding you top secret information. I'm surprised you didn't get lost. Do they speak English over there? Are the street signs in English? Does a GPS work over there?

I never heard of "hygge" but, like you, I think I've felt that sensation everytime the cold wind blows here in South Pasadena, CA. When I sit beside a warm fire, sipping my hot chocolate, I will remember this article. Thanks!

--- Peter Paul, South Pasadena, CA


Stay tuned.


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