Vietnam: Ninh Binh, Phong Nha & Hue

NINH BINH

Well what a nightmare. First Cat Ba had closed down and now our hostel in Tam Coc (which is in Ninh Binh) had been quarantined. We’d wanted to stay at Banana Tree Hostel as this was supposed to be the place to go. However, we had to make an executive decision to avoid Tam Coc now it was suffering from Corona, and redirect to Trang An which is also by Ninh Binh (thankfully we had a friend here already who was keeping us up to date on what to do and where to go).

We had a bus from Halong Bay to Trang An, during which the man next to Grace plucked out his phone, pulled down his mask and started snapping selfies of them both. Between giggles Grace chanted "no, no, no" before we managed to get the man next to me to swap with her! Four hours later and we were in a taxi to our hostel when we spotted my long time friend Jonty cycling on the road! What. Are. The. Odds! I was ecstatic and after screaming hysterically the driver pulled over and let us all say hello. We then hopped back into the taxi as the meter was still running but our driver seemed to have got the impression we were a bit mad so he got out his phone, started a Facebook live video, and recorded us all. What was it with men wanting to get us on film!? He turned up the music and we all danced into the camera because when in Vietnam ey!

Our Hostel was actually really lovely. We'd wanted to stay at Green Mountain which was two minutes down the road and viewed as the best place to go in Trang An but our Mountain Hostel was pretty lush for a last minute booking. We searched for some restaurants but all that seemed to be on offer was a full barbecued goat. No thanks. We ate at the hostel then headed to Green Mountain for a night of wine and catching up with Jonty. Lovely.

The next day Jonty was leaving so he came for breakfast then headed up North to Hanoi. We decided to rent out bikes for the day (for £1.30) and go to the lake where they were still doing boat tours. We wanted to take the masks that we were being forced to wear off, but the rowers were pretty vigilant (fair enough, there was a worldwide pandemic going on). For £8 we had three hours going in and out of stunning caves, surrounded by the most incredible scenery, and having the odd stop at a temple which we could explore.

Following our fun filled morning we went to refuel at Mona Lisa (not the actual Mona Lisa, just a pizza place nearby). It was then back home on our bikes, or at least it would have been had Grace's chain not come off. I channeled my inner mechanic and managed to pop it back on after a lot of pushing and pulling (I was also now covered in oil but I didn't care, I was chuffed I'd fixed a bike)!

That night it was back to Mountain Green and we got playing the most addictive game with a group of lads all staying there. It was called Smash Ball and effectively consisted of you all standing round a pool table and having to hit the 8 ball into one of the holes with the white ball. The black ball was never allowed to stop though so it was very fast paced with everyone trying to get it into a pocket. Us girls stumbled around frantically trying to juggle doing the game whilst sipping wine. It was a hoot!

The next day everything shut. The lake tour we'd done the day before had closed down and no where was really open. We had a chill day by the pool and that evening went into Tam Coc for our bus. It was really lovely and I could see why people said to stay here, I certainly would if I came back! At 9PM we got onto a sleeper bus which was due to arrive in Phong Nha at 4AM; that's travelling for you!

PHONG NHA

Yet more cancellations plagued us as we found out Easy Tiger (the top hostel for Phong Nha) had closed due to Corona. We'd changed to Central Hostel which, whilst very central and next to a great restaurant, was more like a prison than a hostel! We arrived in the early hours of the morning and slumped into bed. The next day we got up and headed for the Dark Cave as we didn't want to risk it closing. It cost us about £15 for the longest zip line in Vietnam (400m), the cave, a mud bath, kayaks and a number of ropes suspended above the water that you could try scramble across. We had a fab time and of all the caves in Phong Nha this seemed like the best one to visit.

We headed back for lunch at Phong Nha Coffee Station as it was next door to our hostel. It was delicious food and if you like coffee then you'd be in heaven (they had peanut butter coffee and banana coffee, both of which were purchased and very much enjoyed)! That evening it was more lovely food at Veggie Box before drinks at the bars which were still open. God knows how, but we found a club. It was called Hair Of The Dogs so from that name I think you can imagine what it was like. Let's just stay we stuck it out until 1AM then called it a night but usually Andy's Bar would be open and that's the place you want to go!

The next day we tried to go to the Duck Stop and Botanical Gardens but both were closed. For the first time we were really starting to reap the effects of Corona. We decided we'd try to move down South quicker as we'd heard it wasn't as bad (and thankfully that was right)! At least we were still keeping spirits high and we got the day to pass by playing table football, card games and laughing with each other.

HUE

We really did have a whistle stop tour of Hue, but this was enough to see everything that was on offer. We arrived at 8AM after a four hour journey in the middle of the night so we were a bit delirious. We managed to fit a lot in though! We started by getting back on some bikes and going to the Abandoned Waterpark which is what Hue is best known for (well amongst travellers anyway)! At the entrance it says "No Visitors" so we were directed down a dodgy dirt path to the side where a guard made us pay 30,000 dong (£1) to enter. It didn't seem legitimate at all but we had read that this would happen so we were prepared.

Once in it was amazing. A huge dragon swirling around a dome structure with glass shattered inside and graffiti splattering the walls. You could go right up to the mouth of the dragon and see out for miles across the water below. We found out that it had been constructed in 2004 and had been set to be a major attraction, however, construction was never completed and it is still unknown exactly why. Some locals believe the area is cursed and you could see why! There was a very eerie atmosphere surrounding the place but it was such an interesting experience.

We ventured on to find the slides that had been constructed; shame they weren't in use, had the water not been so green I reckon you could have had a blast on them! We also saw an area with hundreds of seats which had been created for shows. They really had made an awful lot! After thoroughly exploring we decided to head back and explore the Imperial Citadel. We met up with some people at the hostel and all made our way over Perfume River to where the citadel was. Unfortunately, the inside was closed (no surprises there), but we didn't think we'd have gone in anyway as you could walk round the outside and get a good feel for it.

That night we had curry at Shiva-Shakti Indian Restaurant which was only 3 minutes from the hostel. I'd really enjoyed Hue and it's a great place to stop in between Phong Nha and Hoi An but it is definitely doable in one day or a maximum of two if you want to take things easy.