Hanoi, Hoian, and Nha Trang

I am currently writing from the coastal town of Nha Trang, in southern Vietnam. This was supposed to be our beach city where we did little more than eat and drink and bask in the sunlight along the South China Sea. But, as it does...the rain has put a dent in those plans...so instead I'm updating my blog!

We spent about 2 days in Hanoi--and thus far it's been my favorite city. The Old Quarter is so incredibly similar to New Orleans' French Quarter, except that it's much more crowded and...i don't know...vertical. The buildings are all extremely thin and extremely tall--and all are accented with french architecture. The food is INCREDIBLE--we've decided it's a mesh between Thai and Chinese. Most of my pictures involve us eating.

The Prison Museum in Hanoi was an interesting experience. This museum was first used by the French to hold Vietnamese Revolutionaries during the war for Vietnamese Independence. Then, during the American War, it was used by the Viet Cong to hold US and Republican POWs. This is the same prison where Sen. John McCain was held during the war. There are photos throughout the facility meant to show "how well the Viet cong treated the US POWs"...including photos of US POWs sitting in church and playing basketball together. It's a weird feeling to stand looking at photos of "enemy destruction of our Hanoi" knowing that "the enemy" mentioned is US.

We also caught the tail end of Sunday Mass at the St Joseph Cathedral in the center of the Old Quarter. It was so crowded that they had set up screens outside the Cathedral--so the Vietnamese Catholics could just drive up on their motorbikes and watch Mass like a drive-in movie!

All around both Hanoi and Hoian, there are tailor shops with cute clothing that they make for you within 4 hours. While I keep thinking of buying something...many of the dresses and skirts are just too similar to something you could pick up at Target or Old Navy! So I'm waiting for something that I just can't resist before I buy!

We arrived in Hoian in the early afternoon after a 20 hour bus ride through the countryside. Hoian is a cute little village along a river. It's very close to the DMZ and so the villagers had to live torn between Repulican/US and Vietcong forces--many of the villages in this area suffered the most destruction during the war. The village is very laid back and peaceful--there are beaches about 5 km out of town and lots of great restaurants. Jenn and I rented bikes and spent a peaceful but chilly evening on the beach the first day. The second day we tried to avoid rain and enjoyed the coffee and pastry shops and some shopping.

Speaking of coffee--Vietnamese coffee is INCREDIBLE!!!! It's a black drip coffee that is sweetened with condensed milk/cream. Wow---sooo good! The black coffee is incredibly strong--but I'm quickly getting addicted to that kick! I'm going to have to buy some beans to bring home with me!

Today we arrived in Nha Trang ready to hit the beaches--but instead are trying to stay dry from the rain. It might let up tomorrow and then on Saturday is supposed to be beautiful--so we'll see if we stay that long. The town isn't as cute as Hoian--but the charm is supposed to lie mostly in the beaches! We'll probably check out some temples and the usual in the wait for clear skies. We all agree that we'd rather be here in the rain than in Wuhan, and we're getting great exposure to Vietnam and the people, so we're happy!

Next stop is Saigon/ Ho Chi Mhen City and then it's on to Cambodia!