I have just been lucky enough to experience the wonders of Vietnam & Cambodia on a Wendy Wu educational. These two countries have been on my bucket list for a long time and they did not disappoint!
We flew from London Heathrow on a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong, continuing on to Siem Reap with Dragonair. We travelled in economy, which was fine. We enjoyed fairly good leg-room and a variety of entertainment.
Our national guide, Jackie met us at the airport and swiftly took us to our air-conditioned mini bus. Wendy Wu work on a one and a half seats per person policy, which is great as it gives everyone a window seat and plenty of room to spread out. We were given a bottle of refreshing chilled water and after a very warm welcome we were taken the short transfer to our hotel.
We stayed at the Angkor Paradise Hotel, an excellent good 3-star. I recommend requesting a pool view room, as the views out on to the pool are very welcoming. The hotel also provides a good and varied selection of breakfast items as well as evening meals and meals from the bar. Woke up bright and early on our first morning and Jackie took us to see the Angkor Wat temple at sunrise, a spectacular sight!
We returned to the hotel for our breakfast before setting out again to visit some of the many temples in the UNESCO world heritage site, these included Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm, the famous temple surrounded by the tree roots that was used in the film Tomb Raider.
After a traditional lunch in a local restaurant traditional lunch we returned the Angkor Wat Temple for an inside visit, being fully informed all the while by our very knowledgeable guide. In the evening we dined at another local restaurant and were treated to a show of local dancing. Rounding off the evening we visited Pub Street, the livelier area of Siem Reap, with many bars, local food street vendors and tanks of fish to nibble and refresh your tried feet. Then, at the end of the night we took a ride in one of the many tuk-tuk taxis back to the hotel.
The following morning we were up and out nice an early again for a short flight to Saigon, also know as Ho Chi Minh City. What a contrast! This bustling city has around 7.4 million people and nearly as many motorbikes and scooters. We were met at the airport by our second guide, Tuan and transferred to our city centre hotel. The 3-star Lan Lan 2 was in an excellent location for exploring the city and just a stone’s throw from the Bến Thành Market. The market by day is full of local produce, fish, flowers and tourist gifts when the sun goes down the surrounding streets are turned into the night market, a shoppers paradise and the place to get those special presents to take home.
While in Saigon we visited the Reunification Palace and were told of its recent history, the Americans occupied Vietnam from 1965 until 1973 and the Paris Peace Accords. The next morning Tuan arrived to take us to the Mekong delta, about a two-hour drive from Saigon. Along the way Tuan explained all about the local agriculture. Did you know that Vietnam is the second largest coffee exporter second only to Brazil? We were also told a little of the history regarding the graves in the middle of the paddy fields and how this was because many were just buried where they fell during the war in the late 60’s and 70’s.
When we arrived in the Mekong area we were taken to visit a local family who treated us to some tea and local fruit, and a song. We moved on, walking through this small community to a jetty where we boarded a small wooden canoe-like boat. We were given a ‘non la’ a traditional Vietnamese hat to wear as we meandered through the delta on a peaceful, serene journey - A very memorable moment.
We arrived at another small family home where they were making coconut candy, the end product was even hand wrapped. The candy was delicious and we were also able to try some coconut wine and snake wine – both having a bit of a kick! We then boarded a larger boat on the Mekong River for a fifteen-minute journey to a local riverside restaurant for another assault on the taste buds. We enjoyed local king prawns & elephant ear fish that was prepared and served at our table, all in such a beautiful setting. In the evening we visited Chill – The Sky Bar on the 27th floor of the A&B Tower, which is Saigon’s tallest building. The view from here is amazing. Drinks are expensive, but it really is worth one just to see the view across the city at night.
We are off again, this time on a short one-hour flight with Vietnam airways to Da Nang Airport, followed by a transfer to Hoi An. Our guide for this area was Tam who, life our previous guides, really brought the place to life. Hoi An is another UNESCO site, its old town famous for its narrow streets & lanterns, stunning by night.
Tam took us to more wonderful local restaurants serving amazing food and explained the subtle difference in the cuisine in the middle of Vietnam from that of the north & south. In Hoi An we stayed at Green Heaven Hotel, again in an excellent location just a very short walk into the heart of the old town, the hotel has a pool as well as an excellent tailor who can make you a made-to-measure suit in just a few hours. While in Hoi An, my room mate & I enjoyed a Vespa scooter tour, which is available as an optional excursion, and one that I believe is a must. We were picked up from our hotel and taken on what can only be described an assault on the senses, the true raw Vietnam. We visited locals in their homes, had cooking lessons with them and then sampled our efforts. We visited and drank coffee with the locals in their coffee shop (certainly nothing like Starbucks), wondered through paddy fields with water buffalo, travelled on the local ferries crossing the rivers, and crossed the longest bamboo bridge in Vietnam – for me this was a real highlight.
Next stop, Hanoi and more busy streets, however there seem to be more cars in Hanoi. It was just another short flight from Da Nang with Vietnam Air to get there and we were met by our last wonderful guide, Ken. If you are travelling in a group of more then 10 people with Wendy Wu then you will only get the one guide who travels with you throughout your tour. Ken took us to our hotel, The Church Boutique Hotel, and yet again we were in a fabulous location!
Our first visit in Hanoi was to the Temple of Literature, or the Temple of Confucius where Ken told us of its history and of how students still come to the temple to take their graduation pictures. Many were there during our visit. The following morning we began the four-hour drive from the city to Halong Bay now officially a World Wonder. Halong translates as “where the dragon descends into the sea” and legend claims that these limestone islands of the bay were created by a dragon which came down from the mountain. They are truly a remarkable sight, and for me the best way by far to see them is on an overnight cruise, which is what we did.
Our boat, the Bhaya 3 had two decks of cabins, each with private facilities and a balcony, Deck 3 housed the dining room, bar & outside seating area, and Deck 4 was the sun deck. There is also a small spa. We left port at around half past twelve and were then served a buffet style lunch after introductions to the captain and team. At pm we were taken by tender to the floating village where we boarded small wooden boats to be taken around this floating village by the local people. These people live in floating houses, and even had a floating school. It really was a surreal experience. Back on board we were treated to a cooking demonstration with audience participation before sitting to yet another wonderful dinner.
A 6.15am Tai Chi lesson was offered on the sun deck the following morning before again we took the tender to visit one of the many limestone caves before returning for brunch. Sadly, at around 11.00am it was time to leave the boat and return to the city. On returning to the city we visited the monument to Ho Chi Minh and arrived in time to see the changing of the guard. The monument is open 5 mornings a week where you can enter and view the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh. Again we were given a very in depth talk into the life and history of Ho Chi Minh. After another night at the Church Boutique Hotel it was time for us to leave these wonderful countries for our flight home. But, we brought with us with us so many memories that this experience will stay with us forever.
I am very grateful to have had this opportunity to visit these counties and receive the excellent service provided by Wendy Wu. What with the exceptionally knowledgeable & friendly guides, the hotels in perfect locations for exploring and the incredibly flavourful food this really is a must on anyone’s bucket list.
Travel Blog by Maria Millard
Phone Maria: 01749 671660
Email Maria: [email protected]
Visit Maria: 18 High Street, Wells, Somerset, BA5 2SG
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