Explore Vietnam

Explore Vietnamhttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/southeast-asia/vietnamExplore Vietnamhttps://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/the-world-nomads-podcast-stuck-in-southeast-asiaIn this episode, how being stranded in Vietnam forced this family to rethink the way they’d like to travel the world moving forward.2020-09-23T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/the-world-nomads-podcast-stuck-in-southeast-asiahttps://www.worldnomads.com<h2>The World Nomads Podcast: Traveling during COVID-19 </h2> With COVID-19 still affecting the way we engage with the world, it’s important to plan wisely and travel responsibly, both for your own safety and that of the places you visit. But as we reengage with the world, you're likely planning vacations not far from home. World Nomads can help by providing travel safety tips, inspiring content, and travel insurance designed to protect you while traveling. Before you buy a travel insurance policy, check your government travel warnings and health advice – there may be no travel insurance cover for locations with a government travel ban or health advice against travel. <h2>What’s in the episode</h2> 00:36 Vietnam’s COVID-19 response 01:54 Stumbling across the World Nomads Travel Podcast 04:36 Finding out about coronavirus in Da Nang 07:09 A farm stay in Vietnam 09:17 A change of plans 11:15 The end of the two-week vacation 12:09 Next episode <h2>Quotes from the episode</h2> “I think people can still travel. It's just going to be doing it a little bit differently, isn't it? And it's going to be thinking outside the box.” - Melissa <h2>Who is in the episode</h2> <a href="https://worldtravelambitions.com/">Melissa and her family</a> set off on a two-year trip in February this year but they didn’t get far. “Thanks, Covid-19! Instead of jet setting speedily across Asia, into Istanbul and over to Europe to walk the Camino de Santiago, we have enjoyed the period of COVID hanging out in the beautiful country of Vietnam.” You can follow Melissa and her family adventures on Instagram @worldtravelambitions. <figure><img src=" https://media.worldnomads.com/podcast/melissa_shownotes.jpg" alt="woman near a lake" /> <figcaption> Melissa and her family are happy to have the extra time to explore Vietnam</figcaption></figure> <h2>Resources & links</h2> <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/southeast-asia/vietnam/latest-vietnam-travel-warnings-alerts">Vietnam travel alerts and safety.</a> Whether it’s a call from your mom or the call of the wild, we’ll help you prepare for your trip and <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/usa/travel-insurance/near-is-the-new-far">help you stay safe while traveling</a>. <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/worldwide/worldwide-travel-alerts">Travel safety alerts.</a> You can get in touch with us by emailing <a href="mailto:podcast@worldnomads.com">podcast@worldnomads.com</a>. <h2>Help us spread the word</h2> We’d love it if you could please share #TheWorldNomadsTravelPodcast with your twitter followers and head over to Facebook and join the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/worldnomadspodcast">World Nomads Travel Podcast group</a>. If you liked this episode please head to <a href="itms://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-world-nomads-podcast/id1297825851?mt=2">Apple Podcasts</a> and kindly leave us a rating, review, and of course, subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. We use the <a href="https://www.rode.com/rodecasterpro">Rodecaster Pro</a> to record our episodes and interviews when in the studio, made possible with the kind support of Rode. <div class="AccordionSection nst-component nst-is-collapsed"><button class="AccordionSection-title nst-toggle">Full Transcript of the Episode</button> <div class="nst-content"> <div class="AccordionSection-inner"> Kim: Thanks for tuning in from wherever you get your favorite podcasts, it’s Kim and Phil with you sharing the story in this episode of a family who launched into a planned trip in February one month before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and have been in Vietnam since. Phil: Vietnam acted very early when the virus hit in fact as early as January thinking they were preparing for a strain of acute pneumonia originating from Wuhan, which we now know was coronavirus. Kim: Despite a population of 97 million at the time of recording in late September 2020 they had just over one thousand cases and 35 deaths. The highest number of cases was in Da Nang, Vietnam’s fifth-largest city by population. Phil: And despite their success in containing the virus the country is not allowing entry or issuing visas to foreign nationals except for those traveling for official or diplomatic purposes, and they must undergo medical checks and 14-day quarantine at their own expense but for those whose visit is less than 14 days they don’t have to quarantine, but they must comply with Vietnam's COVID regulations. Kim: Melissa and her family kicked off what was going to be a two-year family vacation and in her research stumbled across the World Nomads Travel Podcast. Melissa: Well, I was just online looking for just more inspiration and having a look at what was out there. And as well, just feeling like at the moment it's hard to travel, as you know, and trying to figure out how to get anywhere or where you can go and things like that. So, I've been looking on heaps of sites of what countries are open and that sort of thing. And I thought, why don't I have a look and see if there's someone just updating and what's going on. So, you came up in a search and it was like, okay, awesome. There's something that I can tune into and listen to from time to time. So, it's actually really cool, and some of the stuff that you guys have got on there, I actually really enjoyed the one that you did recently with the rooted storytelling. It was really cool. Kim: Yeah, on sustainable and ethical travel. Yeah, absolutely. Melissa: Yeah. Kim: You picked a terrible time to start a two-year world trip. February, you left Australia, in March everything fell apart, Melissa. Melissa: We didn't get far, no. The reason that we stayed was that I wrote this trip down on my dreams in 2010. At the time, I was a single mom. I was rebuilding my life after family violence, and so had just no hope really, but I wrote it down anyway. I was like, "I want to travel the world with my kids." So, we've been saving and planning for this for five years, and we arrived in Vietnam on the 6th of March. Phil: Oh, no. Kim: Well, you have to laugh. Melissa: You have to laugh. You have to laugh because I think in some ways it's the unluckiest thing, but in other ways, it's been the luckiest thing that's ever happened to us. So- Kim: Well, a good country to land in, too. Phil: Hang on, hang on. Why? Why has it been lucky? Melissa: Because I'm in Vietnam, and everyone in the rest of the world has been in and out of all these insane lockdowns, and we've cruised through. We have been so lucky. I'll tell you, it was really scary. So when we arrived, everything was fine. We did the trip out to the Củ Chi tunnels, we did the War Remnants Museum, everything was okay. We had arrived in Saigon, and that was the first time we'd been here and thinking, "Oh my gosh, this is madness." Then people are like, "Oh no, this is quiet." I was like, "I don't ever want to see this place busy." Melissa: We flew up to Da Nang on the 10th of March and that day I'm so glad we didn't check the news. But the lady at our homestay, she gave us the face masks and she said, "You must wear these at the airport." We're like, "Oh no, it's fine. Vietnam's fine, we're fine, it's good." She's like, "No, seriously, wear these." We hadn't read the news. It wasn't until we arrived in Da Nang and my three year old got a fever and we started having a freakout. Phil: Uh Oh. Melissa: We contacted one of my friends who happened to live in Da Nang, and she was like, "Um, haven't you heard? There's a massive outbreak, and this lady's being traipsing around Vietnam, spreading COVID everywhere." I went, "What the?" We were- Kim: That's why I was going to say you're lucky because Vietnam was very proactive. They had some comprehensive measures in place very, very quickly, and they've done very well, almost the poster country for COVID. Melissa: Exactly. Yeah, so it was freaky at the time because it was so new and it was so unexpected. Then we had this kid with a fever and when we told the reception at the hotel, they looked like they just wanted to die. But it worked out okay because we'd flown in from New Zealand, they couldn't trace any possibility of us being in contact with any non-cases. So he went to the hospital, they checked him out made sure it wasn't [inaudible 00:03:50] or anything like that, no COVID test at that point, and sent him home. We just were like, "Okay, we'll just hide from everybody and hope that we don't have it." Melissa: Then we moved over to Hội An on the 19th of March when everything was starting to really drastically escalate, and we made a call, we sort of said, "Well, okay, this country's looking like it's going to go shut down really quick, what town do we want to be in?" We basically could choose from Da Nang or Hội An. We chose Hội An, and we ended up in this beautiful villa, overlooking the rice fields with a swimming pool. We were there for a month. The only tricky thing in that time was we had to do COVID tests. Melissa: So, we had to do the whole blood test, throat test, up the nose. And, that was the entire family. That's got to be probably the hardest day of my mothering life, I think. Kim: Are you still a single mother? Melissa: No, no. Well, I got married, me and my husband got married in Cooke Islands in 2014. So yeah, since then we've been planning this trip. Phil: Can you do me a favor, because I'm not allowed to travel anywhere at the moment, but not quite clearly, the noise of Hội An is going on in the background. Can you just not say anything for a minute so I can just listen and pretend I'm there? Melissa: Well, now I'm actually not in Hội An anymore. Phil: Where are you now? Melissa: We're in the beautiful Phong Nha, it's a farm state. And so you sort of said, well, why is it lucky? Because we spent one month in Hội An, and then it was fire season where they burn the crops. And so we moved from Hội An to the beachfront of An Bang. And we spent a month there and these are things that we wouldn't have done. You know, originally we had on our plan, we were going to spend about five weeks in Asia because we had pre-booked our flight from Singapore to Istanbul. Melissa: We had planned to do, we're world schoolers. So we've got three kids, and my two are older. So they're 13 and 11. We were planning to [inaudible 00:05:53]. We were going to travel Turkey for a month, And then we were going to go over to Spain and walk the Camino. Instead, we spent April beachfront An Bang in the most beautiful villa, which we just would not have done at all. And then at the end of that, we felt like Vietnam was pretty much COVID free. We'd got on top of it here, as the country, it was doing so well. So we thought, right, we'll go traveling and we've traveled the whole Northern region of Vietnam. Melissa: We've been all the way out to Ban Gioc, which is actually on the border of Vietnam and China. We've done Cao Bằng, Ba Be Lake. We spent two weeks out in Sa Pa, and we came down to Ninh Bình. And, that's when this recent outbreak happened. So, that's why we're now in Phong Nha. Phil: How long do you have to stay where you are? Melissa: Oh gosh, that's the difficult thing. Because, we sold everything, right. We sold everything. Like I sold the cars, we sold everything we owned. Melissa: We didn't actually own a house. So we gave up our beautiful rental. So our home in Australia is not there. And, then we're New Zealand citizens, so we thought about going back potentially to New Zealand. So we're kind of thinking, we need to figure out how we can get longterm visas, looking at being in Vietnam and watching the world unfold and then sort of trying to switch off as much as we can but watching it unfold again, I kind of get the vibe that this thing's not going away in the short to midterm. And I feel like, we may be here for two or three years. So our strategy going forward is to work out where we can get long term visas, and plan to just travel for a year at a time in one country. And if that means we have to stay put on a beach somewhere, because my husband's desperately missing surfing. Melissa: We'll just try and find a place that can take us, that we can physically get to. So that's part of the biggest challenge right now. It's not even if we wanted to go home. Back in March, we got that call from our New Zealand embassy. They said you should go home. You should go home. And we looked around and there were a lot of people booking flights. Like a lot of people don't even realize there was a lot of people booking flights and they were getting canceled. They were going to turn up in the airport and they'd get canceled or even worse. They'd be one leg into their flight, and then the next leg gets canceled and they're stuck on the airport floors and things. And I just thought at the time there was so much panic and I was like, I don't want to subject my kids to crazy airports and flights where people are panic flying home, if we don't have to. I don't want them to be put into the more likely bracket of possibly picking up COVID en route home. So, we chose not to go then. Melissa: And then, when things started to sort of settling down and people were flying, we sort of just thought, well, can't drag out that long can it? Like that was my mindset. It was like, it's not going to drag on for more than two months. And then we've sort of got to now and it's sort of looking like we probably don't really want to go home. If we booked September, there's no guarantee of flight. That becomes tricky. So we've just changed our plan and thought well we'll figure out how we can do this safely and sensibly and not, we don't want to be gallivanting around, especially in areas where there is outbreaks. We'll just, we'll sit tight when these outbreaks, but we'd still like to see more of the world. So it's, going to be different. It really is. It's not, going to be viable to take a two-week vacation internationally for quite some time I think, for a lot of us, especially Down Under. Europe, they are doing okay at the moment. But being sensible, and looking at how we navigate for the next two years, it is more sensible to try and do these big, longer trips. And so for us, we want to see the world. So we're going to set a date. Phil: I think it's amazingly inspirational to think that you can still travel and some of those experiences despite it all as well. Melissa: Yeah, I think people can still travel. It's just going to be doing it a little bit differently, isn't it? And it's going to be thinking outside the box. Kim: I have been told if you don’t come out of COVID having changed something for the best, then you have missed an opportunity. Slow travel, a year in each country, love it well done Melissa. Phil: To get in touch and share how COVID has changed you email <a href="mailto:podcast@worldnomads.com">podcast@worldnomads.com</a> Kim: Next week with the world slowly moving again we revisit our episode on Ecuador with all the information you need to know to get into the country and be COVID safe. Bye   </div> </div> </div>Supplied 0

The Road Less Traveled | Vietnam Travel Storyhttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/stories/connection/the-road-less-traveled-vietnamThe Road Less Traveled | Vietnam Travel StoryWed, 22 Apr 2020 22:20:56 GMThttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/stories/connection/the-road-less-traveled-vietnamMadam Khanh: The Bánh Mì Queenhttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/stories/connection/madam-khanh-the-banh-mi-queenMadam Khanh: The Bánh Mì QueenFri, 12 Jul 2019 17:41:02 GMThttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/stories/connection/madam-khanh-the-banh-mi-queenhttps://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/the-world-nomads-podcast-vietnam-cambodia-and-laosA bumper episode of The World Nomads Podcast covering everything you need to know for visiting Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.2018-08-07T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/the-world-nomads-podcast-vietnam-cambodia-and-laoshttps://www.worldnomads.com<div> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2V9BgOBKU7Mu64Jii8i9DY?si=ucNEpy2dQ_GZeHkenEK_UQ"><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Podcast/spotify%20logo%20green.png" style="width: 46px; height: 46px;" alt="“Listen" on="" spotify="" /></a>   <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=154934&refid=stpr"><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Podcast/stitcher-logo-120x46.jpg" style="width: 120px; height: 46px;" alt="Listen on Stitcher" /></a></div> In this episode, we explore the logistics of traveling across borders, the world’s most trafficked mammal, backpacking in South East Asia and giving back the right way <h2>What's in the Episode</h2> 00:12 Welcome 01.02 What we will cover 02:05 Quiz Question 02.32 Cassie Wilkins on the logistics of crossing borders “…There are a lot more horror stories than there are success stories, so I just thought I'd break it down into simple steps to make it easier for everyone.” 08:54 Nikki Scott from SEA Backpackers “… “I’ve met lots of different types of people who consider themselves backpackers whether they are in their 60s, and they're taking an older gap year or couples. Then you have the whole digital nomad scene.” 15:51 Karen Leonard from the Lifestart Foundation “…Our main focus is working with disadvantaged and disabled people and helping them to become self-sufficient.” 23.24 Ashley Kelly talks about enjoying the wildlife ethically “…There are some really good conservation organizations that are doing some great work in those countries.” 32:40 Travel News 34:49 Stef Hendry on riding a motorbike in Vietnam “… If there's a crash get away as quickly as you can. Because no matter who's at fault you will pay.” 43:25 Answer to the quiz question 45:20 What’s happening in the next episode <h2>Who's On the Show</h2> It’s a bumper show. Nikki Scott runs <a href="https://southeastasiabackpacker.com/">South East Asia Backpackers</a>. Nikki says it’s not just an online business but a voice for the backpacking community. If you like the sound of writing for the website by reviewing hostels, trips and activities for free make sure you sign up for their <a href="https://southeastasiabackpacker.com/join-us/">newsletter.</a> Cassie Wilkins is a World Nomad contributor who lived in Cambodia for four years. Cassie shares with us a few of the logistics of traveling around Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Read the <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/southeast-asia/logistics-of-travel-between-vietnam-cambodia-and-laos">full article</a> here. Karen Leonard founded the Lifestart Foundation a grassroots, not-for-profit charity that helps disadvantaged Vietnamese people and their families to become self-sufficient. Take a look at her <a href="https://www.lifestartfoundation.org.au/">website </a>to read more about her amazing work and how you can get involved. Ashley Kelly is<a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/wafRCNLJxlTVrAqIggpQs?domain=ashleyscottkelly.com"></a> a researcher and wildlife conservationist. In this episode, she chats to us about the endangered pangolin, the world’s most trafficked mammal and how to enjoy animals in South East Asia, ethically. Check out Ashley’s work as a <a href="https://vimeo.com/251897906">volunteer filmmaker</a> at Save Vietnam’s Wildlife. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Podcast/Vietnam/Pangolin_GettyImages-155261042.jpg" /><figcaption>A pangolin (Image: Getty/hph image library)</figcaption></figure> Stef Hendry is an Australian expat who has just wrapped up four years living in Hanoi. Stef owns and rides a motorbike and in this episode takes us through the difficulties and dangers of being on the road in South East Asia. <a href="https://vipbikes.org/">VIP Bike Rentals</a> is run by Aussie ex-pat Andrew Souto. Stef argues he is the best person in Hanoi for information on riding in Vietnam. Andrew also has a not-for-profit business <a href="https://www.bluedragon.org/">Blue Dragon</a> doing really important work for children and women in Vietnam. Stef also suggests <a href="https://wideeyedtours.com/interest/motorbike-tours-in-vietnam">Wide Eyed Motorbike Tours</a>. <h2>Resources & Links</h2> <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/southeast-asia/cambodia/alternative-ancient-historical-sites-of-cambodia-beyond-angkor-wat">Beyond Angkor Wat</a> by Cassie Wilkins in which she explores 9 alternative ancient sites. Motorbike safety in Laos, <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/southeast-asia/laos/motorbike-safety">all you need to know</a>. Check out <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/sustainable-travel-tips-for-vietnam">sustainable travel tips for Vietnam</a>. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Podcast/Vietnam/vietnam_bridge_GettyImages-1008623338.jpg" /><figcaption>Golden Bridge, Da Nang (image: Getty/Linh Pham)</figcaption></figure> Scholarships Newsletter: <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/create">Sign up for scholarships news and see what opportunities are live here</a>. <h2>Want to Talk to us?</h2> We want to hear from you! If you have any travel insurance questions to <a href="mailto:podcast@worldnomads.com">Ask Phil</a>, want to give us feedback on the episode, or have suggestions for topics you'd like us to cover, email us at <a href="mailto:podcast@worldnomads.com">podcast@worldnomads.com</a> <h2>About The Podcast</h2> Explore your boundaries and discover your next adventure with The World Nomads Podcast. Hosted by Podcast Producer Kim Napier and World Nomads Phil Sylvester, each episode will take you around the world with insights into destinations from travelers and experts. They’ll share the latest in travel news, answer your travel questions and fill you in on what World Nomads is up to, including the latest scholarships and guides. The World Nomads Podcast is not your usual travel Podcast. It’s everything for the adventurous, independent traveler. Don’t miss out. Subscribe today. <h2>Want to Re-publish This Episode?</h2> Copy this code onto your web page or blog: <iframe width="100%" height="200" src="https://player.whooshkaa.com/player/episode/id/262468?visual=true&autoplay=true&scrolling_title=true&sharing=true" frameborder="0" style="width: 100%; height: 200px"></iframe> <div class="AccordionSection nst-component nst-is-collapsed"><button class="AccordionSection-title nst-toggle">Full Transcript of the Episode</button> <div class="nst-content"> <div class="AccordionSection-inner"> Intro: Welcome to the World Nomads Podcast delivered by World Nomads, the travel, lifestyle, and insurance brand. It's not your usual travel podcast. It's everything for the adventurous, independent traveler. Kim: Hello. A big addition to the World Nomads Podcast this episode. Phil, have we bitten off more than we can chew? Three countries, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, all in the one podcast. Phil: Yeah. Does anybody know the Heimlich maneuver? We may choke on what we're doing here. Kim: I know. There is so much. Tell us about Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Where are we thinking, imagining in our heads? Phil: Well, I mean, it's the quintessential Southeast Asia countries. South of China to the west, no, east of Thailand. That would be north, yeah, [inaudible 00:00:40] when you go around the clock to the east of Thailand. Kim: Can I just say even though I'd written it for you ... Phil: Really mountainous part of the country there, and it has been colonized by the Europeans, of course. Indochine, Indochina, the French colonized it for quite a while, and some people would even argue that the Americans have done so since. Kim: Well, there's a point. It has a very checkered history, Phil, surviving political regimes, and war. The effects of which can still be felt. Now, in this episode, we'll chat with an amazing woman helping disadvantaged children access education. We'll hear from a wildlife conservationist on ethical travel through Southeast Asia, and she talks about something that I've unwittingly done. You know that coffee that you can have that's- Phil: Yes. Kim: ... from ... I can't think of the animal. Phil: Civet. Kim: Yes. Yeah, I've done that no-no. Phil: They feed the beans to the civet, and then they take the droppings and make the coffee out of it. Kim: Yeah, so that happens naturally. Phil: Right. Kim: But you shouldn't be- Phil: Capturing them to do that. Kim: ... capturing them and feeding them. I've actually learned something from Ash, and I'm sure that you will too. We will also touch on hiring a motorbike. Everyone talks about hiring motorbikes when you go to Southeast Asia. Phil: Vietnam is the most complicated of places to know whether you're properly licensed or not. Kim: Yeah, I'll leave you to get all the details for [crosstalk 00:01:59]. Phil: It's one of my favorite topics. Kim: The logistics of crossing borders between those three countries. But, we cannot get started without your quiz question, Phil? Phil: Okay. Over the summer of 2018, the cues to go up the Eiffel Tower have become so long that the staff has gone strike. Apparently, they're absolutely sick of being abused by hot and bothered tourists. Though apparently they've changed which lift you can use, and people were getting in the wrong cue and cuing for hours and then finding out they were in the wrong one, and they're abusing staff. Anyway, they've gone on strike. But, here's the quiz question, all right? How many people visit the Eiffel Tower every year? Kim: Find out at the end of the episode. In our last destination podcast on Guatemala, we talked to Cassie who was in Antigua. She was helping out with the recovery after the volcano. Phil: Yup. Kim: Yup. We've got her back on because she was so popular. Cassie, this time we're talking Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. You are really a fount of knowledge, aren't you? Phil: You're very well traveled. Cassie: Yeah, you could say that. Cambodia's definitely my forte. I lived there for four years, so I'd say it's my specialty area. Kim: Great. Well, we're going to pick your brains on the logistics of traveling around Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, and you've written an article we can share. But you have everything for us that you need to know about border crossings, visas, transport, changing money before you travel. You make it sound hard. Is it difficult traveling to those countries? Cassie: Honestly, no, it isn't. But I think a lot of it's just having the information before you go. It just kind of puts your mind at ease a little bit. Some of the border crossings sometimes can be complicated, but there are a lot more horror stories than there are success stories, so I just thought I'd break it down into simple steps to make it easier for everyone. Phil: All right. [inaudible 00:03:43]. Which are the complicated borders to get over? Cassie: When you're crossing the borders into Cambodia especially from Thailand, there are quite a few scams famously. It's worth just keeping your passport with you at all times and doing everything yourself rather than giving it to anyone else. Sometimes, people pose as officials and ask you for money and take your passport and runoff. Most of the time, they don't run off with your passport, but they just take extra money that you really don't need to pay. Kim: What about you talk about having small change available. Cassie: Because sometimes it helps to ease the process a little. They ask for money for a health check, or they ask for money if you don't have your passport pictures, or they say they're not the right size or something. It's like, "Oh, it's an extra three U.S. dollars." Generally, it just helps to have in case of any unexpected costs that may arise. Generally, you wouldn't expect them to add up to any more than three to five USD. Phil: How does it sit with you, because you're encouraging corrupt behavior? Cassie: Having lived in Cambodia for four years, it's actually voted the second most corrupt country in the entire world after Venezuela. You end up having to pay quite a few bribes for different things. I was a managing a guest house, for example, so you had to bribe the police a certain amount of money just to leave you alone, or they would come in and try and give monthly shakedowns and things. If you drive a bike or a car, they ask you for bribes. It's expected behavior, and, at the borders, it generally helps to ease the way a little bit. Do I agree with it morally? No, but the police in Cambodia don't actually get paid enough to support themselves and their families, and they rely on the extra income that comes from this. Especially prior to holidays and things like prior to Khmer New Year and different things, there are a lot more police on the roads, for example, so they have enough money to support their families. Phil: In one of the articles we have on World Nomads site about the ethics of bribing ... Obviously, as a travel insurance program, we can't condone illegal behavior. But- Cassie: Of course. Phil: ... both of you have got no problem with it, as our writer said, "They like to consider it giving honor and respect to the officials that you're dealing with." Cassie: Be respectful, yeah. Kim: And a smile goes a long way. Phil: That's right. If you get pulled over, "How much honor and respect do I owe you, officer?" Cassie: Will a smile count, or do I need to give you some money? Kim: Yeah. Cassie: Yeah. Kim: How important then is it to do your research before traveling to these countries? Cassie: I feel like everyone should always do their research before they travel to any country. Before I came to Guatemala, I was in El Salvador before that, and I did a lot of research before I went there, because you read a lot of horror stories. But then you get there it's not actually as bad as everyone makes it out to seem. I just think wherever you go it's worth knowing what you're getting yourself in for in a lot of ways. I'd always say do as much research as possible. When you travel, you see so many other people reading all these blog posts, reading their guides, reading the different things. I think it's really useful to share the information that we have. That's one of the reasons I love being a World Nomads contributor because I can share the knowledge that I gain from going to all these awesome places. Kim: What about currency exchange? I've already said that I've been to Vietnam a few times. I've found that even going into a tailor you get a better exchange rate than you would at the airport. But a lot of people don't feel comfortable doing that. What would your tip be? Cassie: I always change money in the markets. I found that I got the best rates in the markets, but I know that a lot of people don't feel comfortable walking around with much money on them especially in the market. I would change little and often rather than changing a lot at one time. Generally, I find that withdrawing cash from ATMs gives you a pretty good exchange rate as well with certain bankcards and prepaid cards that are available now like TransferWise and Monzo and Revolut. They give you generally pretty good rates. It's not worth going into a country with several thousand U.S., for example. I would say it's always worth going in with a couple of hundred maximum and then pulling out cash when you're there. Phil: Plenty of ATMs in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos? Cassie: Surprisingly, yes. Laos maybe less so than other places, but Cambodia when I first arrived in the little beach town I was living on, there were no ATMs, and you had to drive half an hour to get to the nearest bank. But, now, there are six in that little area, so they're just cropping everywhere. Phil: Thanks, Cassie. Some practical tips for travel there, and you can read more of Cassie's article in show notes which also covers visas and tips for motorbike riding which we'll have more on in this episode of the World Nomads Podcast. Kim: Southeast Asia backpackers have been the voice for the backpacking community ever since the launch of the first print magazine in 2009. That's how it started with British backpacker, Nikki. She launched this business as a magazine initially. We're touching base with her to find out who she's talking to almost 10 years later now that she's online, and what advice she's giving on travel to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Nikki: Well, it's really developed over the past 10 years, so when I started the magazine I was 23, and you're a stereotypical backpacker, really finding the cheapest hostels possible and having beers and going and meeting different people on a really loose schedule. Then, yeah, I think the whole concept of Backpacker has changed as my travel style has changed. I've met lots of different types of people who consider themselves backpackers whether they are in their 60s, and they're taking an older gap year or couples. Then you have the whole digital nomad scene where people take their laptop on the road and work, and that's a different kind of backpacking. I think we're talking to all of these groups now. It's not just you're scrimp and saving budget traveler. It's flashpackers as well. It's gap years. Yeah, a whole different ... The whole word, the word incorporates a lot of different people these days, I think. Kim: What are some of those off the beaten track places that appeal to those independent, adventurous backpackers that you deal with? Nikki: The North of Laos, so around Luang Namtha getting up into the mountains, there is amazing scenery. You've got these huge limestone cast mountains at the side of the river. That's amazing for trekking, and there's rock climbing scene starting, so, yeah, definitely northern Laos. Then you've got your hotspots in Vietnam, Hanoi, Hội An, and that. But it's really ... It's really easy to get off the beaten track even just getting on a motorbike and going half an hour away from the main tourist trail. You'll find little villages and places. Yeah, we were in Hội An for a couple of ... We were there for two months a few months ago. We hired bicycles and went all around the little villages like the vegetable gardens of Trà Quế, and it's definitely not pronounced Trà Quế. It's Cha-way, I think. But the Vietnamese accent is impossible to pronounce. It's quite- Kim: Yup, yup. Nikki: ... difficult. Yeah, I would just say find your own little nooks and crannies for sure, yeah. There's a place that's not so far from Hội An that [inaudible 00:11:42] which is a hill tribe region of Vietnam which is becoming a bit more of well-known on the backpacker trail, but it's ... Yeah, there are so many places off the beaten ... Even though [inaudible 00:11:55], it's a well-trodden trail, it's really easy to still get off the beaten track, and people are staring at you going, "What are these foreigners doing here? This isn't the tourist area." Kim: Well, the thing about Southeast Asia is that they are so friendly. Nikki: Yeah, yeah it's difficult to find a more friendly region to backpack through. Kim: In terms of value for money, backpacking through those areas, it's just incredibly cheap. Nikki: Yeah, it's ... You can get dorm beds for three dollars I think in Vietnam. We've just been updating some of our guides at the moment and as cheap as three dollars, a meal or a dollar. It's super cheap to travel through and great value for money. I think as it's become more popular, there are some incredible hostels that are more like ... They really know what backpackers want. They're super comfortable, great beds and showers and everything, and it's still you're paying up to five dollars for these places. It's, yeah, great value for money. Especially when you come back to Europe, and we arrived back in Spain the other day and we're looking at hotels, and it's like, "Right, yeah, no, we can't get anything near the airport for less than a hundred dollars," and you're like, "Oh, back in the real world." Yeah, it's definitely to be appreciated. Western food obviously is going to be more expensive. I've known some travelers are a little bit afraid of eating the street food and in the local markets. But apart from a little bit of an upset stomach, I've never really been ill. It's just the best food, the cheapest food, and the nicest experiences. You're going to have so much appreciation from the local people that you're eating there and stuff, and it's, yeah, the best experiences we had. Kim: People listening to this podcast that are inspired to backpack, where can we find you? Nikki: Its <a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/uh63COMK7mh59JLIBCoRY?domain=southeastasiabackpacker.com">southeastasiabackpacker.com</a> is the website. We've got a Facebook community where people have lots of travelers Southeast Asia Backpacker Community basically. There are people asking each other questions and advice, so if you're looking to travel that's a great place to meet travel buddies and chat kind of thing. Kim: How good is social media for that? Nikki: Yeah, it really makes you feel like you're not alone even if you're going backpacking totally solo, you really have got whole community out there of people going give you advice and support. Yeah, it's so easy to meet people in Southeast Asia anyway so. Thinking actually just to mention before I go, if you're interested in writing for us, we have a lot of opportunities to go and review hostels for free or review treks and things like that. If you are interested in writing, and you want to write about your travels and possibly get the opportunity to review things while you travel, we have a newsletter you can sign up to and find out about free opportunities. It's kind of like we're trying to create a whole Wikipedia of backpackers collaborating with all this information for each of the ... and then also getting some of the perks of being able to stay in places and do dive trips and things for free. Because there's only two of us running the website, and we can't do all of this. It's great to get loads of people involved. That's what we're trying to do at the minute. Phil: Thanks Nikki, and I don't think you'll have any trouble finding people keen to tell their story or review an activity or hostel, links in the show notes. Kim: Yes, speaking of helping out amid that sense of community, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos still have many challenges. We're about to chat with the founder of a charity, Karen Leonard. But a warning. There's a little bit of static in the interview which happens when you're recording stuff over the phone and Skype, doesn't it? Just par for the course of podcasting. Phil: You're being very generous. I think it's user error by me. Kim: Yeah. Phil: Sorry. Kim: Yeah, [inaudible 00:15:48]. The Lifestart Foundation is a grassroots, not-for-profit charity helping disadvantaged, Vietnamese people and their families to become self-sufficient. Am I on the money, Karen? Karen Leonard: You are. You are. Yes, so we're an NGO. We're a charity based in central Vietnam. Our main focus is working with disadvantaged and disabled people and helping them to become self-sufficient. Kim: How do you do that? Karen Leonard: How do we do that? Via several programs. Our biggest project is education scholarships. We find in order to break the poverty cycle, it's a generational change. There's no quick-fix or Band-Aid fixes. Education, taking kids who are from super poor families and getting them through their education to the end of year 12, and, in our case, then, we take them on through university. It's really not until they've completed a degree where there's a pathway for employment that you're really breaking the poverty cycle. Kim: I know you do a lot with people with disability. Why is there a correlation between disability and poverty? Karen Leonard: The problem is that in, well, in particular in Vietnam, there's no government assistance that we would call real assistance. If a family has a disabled member born into the family, then they often don't get access to education that means then they can't find employment depending on the severity of the disability. One family member then needs to stay home to care for the disabled person. It's this compounding effect where you've got one person who's disabled that needs to be fed and cared for. Then another family member who can't be an income earner who then becomes the carer. Then without any sort of assistance that puts a lot of stress and pressure obviously on the rest of the family. Phil: Sounds like the absolute definition of a vicious cycle that will never [crosstalk 00:17:57] and spiral down. Karen Leonard: It absolutely is. Obviously, if you're a disabled person born into a poor family, it is that cycle that's incredibly hard to break. Kim: I know all the stats say that in the '90s, poverty in Vietnam was halved and halved again in 2004. Here we are in 2018, why is there still this need? Karen Leonard: That's a good question. I'd have to wonder where the stats came from I suppose. To the tourist, the visitor that's perhaps visiting Vietnam for the first or the third time, and they're only visiting the tourist areas, it appears to be doing really well and really affluent in parts. But, in my opinion, that doesn't trickle down to the poor people. If you venture out of tourist towns only a few kilometers, you'll still see people that are living hand-to-mouth. This would be the vast majority of people live hand-to-mouth, and nothing's changed since the war. Kim: How do you then identify children that are bright or children that could benefit from education? How do you find these people? Karen Leonard: Well, because we've been doing it for so long, it's 18 years now, we work with schools and school principals and teachers in our province. We've got at least 40 schools that we work with. They know our criteria, which to get a scholarship, one of our scholarships means the child has to display academic excellence, be from a super poor family, and our third criteria is a desire to give back to the community by way of their chosen vocation. Kim: What are the success stories? Karen Leonard: Well, we've got our first doctor has graduated. Phil: Wow. Karen Leonard: He started as a scholarship with us in secondary school. We've seen him through medical university, so it's a long process, that's a 12-year scholarship with us. He's just graduated. He's a doctor at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Da Nang and now specializing in pediatric oncology. We're thrilled to pieces with him. We've got our first lawyer graduated, first environmental scientist, first architect. With the scholarship process, it's really long. It's round about 12 years, particularly if they're going to do medicine. They take it as this huge challenge and are so determined. Phil: Anybody listening to this right now, unless they're a brick and have got no emotions whatsoever, will be going, "Okay, so how do I help, what can I do?" A lot of people who travel to Vietnam will be going, "Well, I've got help these people." What are the right way of helping and the wrong way? I know you'll see kids on the street selling trinkets. Is it the- Karen Leonard: Sure. Phil: ... the right thing to do to help them out or not? Karen Leonard: That is absolutely the wrong thing to do because what you're doing is perpetuating that industry, unfortunately. If tourists don't buy from children on the street, then the parents are more likely to keep their children in school. There are a lot of street kids that are exploited sadly by family members to earn an income because they're cute, and tourists will give them money. But by buying from them, you're supporting that industry of child exploitation. If you're traveling to Vietnam seek out a reputable charity. Do your homework before you travel and find an organization that resonates with you and your ethos. Speak to them beforehand about how you could help or support them. Phil: Just one other one, a little bit out of your scope, okay? But orphanages, visiting orphanages, I've got strong- Karen Leonard: That's a no-go. Phil: ... opinion about this one. Don't do it. Karen Leonard: Yeah, I'm really passionate about this, Phil. That, again, the boom in or the growth in orphanages, particularly in Cambodia, but certainly in other Southeast Asian countries is due to the need for western tourists to go and have some sort of interaction with kids in an orphanage. My advice is that should be an absolute no-go. The kids often are not orphans, but they're put into these places, because they'll get gifts, and they're treated to things by visiting tourists. Often children are relinquished into an orphanage, and they've got a family. It is absolutely the wrong thing to be doing. It's like anywhere. Would you be able to do that in your own country? I think people need to do a check and balance before they do these what they think are well-meaning acts. But if it doesn't sit right in your country, and you wouldn't allow it with your children, then, what makes it okay when you're traveling? It's terribly sad, but through Southeast Asia that would be a common, common problem. Again, it's a matter of being armed with information rather than being ignorant and traveling ... I'm not saying ... People are wanting to do the right thing. Don't get me wrong. But there's a way to do that, and there's a wrong way to do it. Kim: We will share the right way to do it in show notes. Now, still to come in this episode what you need to consider before planning to ride a motorbike in Southeast Asia. But speaking of the right way to travel and doing it ethically, our next guest, Ashleigh, is a wildlife conservationist who's doing amazing work not just in Southeast Asia but right around the world. Ashley: I've volunteered quite a few countries. I recently returned from Vietnam where I volunteered for Save Vietnam's Wildlife which specializes in pangolin rescue and releases back to the wild. I also volunteered over in the Maldives with the whale shark research program. I've also volunteered over in Africa for an organization called C.A.R.E., The Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education, which focuses on baboons. I've spent quite a lot of time in America particularly lately with my studies looking at the human dimensions of wildlife conservation. I've been visiting lots of zoos and aquariums there and seeing how they can better improve the conservation messages that they're sending out to all their guests. Kim: Okay, well this particular podcast is on Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. The treatment of animals in that particular region, what would your reaction be to that type of question? Ashley: There are some gems among the roughage. There are some really good conservation organizations that are doing some great work in those countries. But there are a lot of issues because they're low socio-economic countries the people that live in those countries do what they have to, to survive a lot of the time. It's like Maslow's hierarchy of needs when you're personal needs aren't met then you can't really think beyond yourself to the conservation of other species. Unfortunately, that's quite relevant to a lot of those countries. They can't put food on the table for their children and their families. If it means that they need to go and poach animals from the wild, then that's something that they do, because they have to. If that means taking animals from the wild and using them for tourist attractions to try and get income to put food on the table for their families, then that's something that they'll be willing to do as well. Unfortunately, you do see quite a lot of attractions that target animal-loving tourists, because there are some really amazing exotic animals in these countries. Southeast Asia is a biodiversity hotspot. They have heaps of incredible and unique species, and it's one of the reasons people go to Southeast Asia is to see a lot of these species. If you are an animal lover, and you get the opportunity to get up close to some of these really incredible species, you're probably going to take that opportunity. One thing that I do is I run a social media campaign. It's called the Wildlife Friendly Traveler. It aims to demystify some of the issues around whether your actions as a tourist are supporting wildlife conservation, or whether they're contributing to the exploitation of wildlife. It's really hard to know if a place is legitimately supporting conservation, or whether they're telling you this story, but, in reality, they're actually exploiting the wildlife which happens all too often. We try to help people sieve through some of the muddy areas and allow them to make the best decisions that they can as a tourist particularly in Southeast Asia. Kim: Yeah, for instance, riding an elephant is not all it's cut out to be. Ashley: It's a really tricky issue. Generally, my personal stance and that of Wildlife Friendly Traveler is that any elephant experience that involves riding of the elephant is one that should be avoided. The reason for that is the process to get the animals to the point where they can be ridden, the process of breaking in the elephant per se, is absolutely brutal, and what those elephants endure being caught from the wild, being beaten into submission in order to become tame enough to be ridden by tourists is an absolutely horrific process. It really, really does put a lot of physical and emotional strain on those animals. The condition of life that they lead is atrocious. They're often chained up most of the day with very little access to food or water. They often have really bad injuries around where the chains are. It is something that should be avoided. Having said that, I recently went to what was called an elephant sanctuary. I'm hesitant to call it an elephant sanctuary because it was not really a very nice place. This was actually in Sumatra, a little bit outside of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, but the only time those elephants got let off their chains was when someone came to ride them. It was only time they got to stretch. It was the only time they got to eat food from the forest as they were walking along. If someone wasn't there riding that elephant, it was standing on a piece of concrete with a chain around its legs in the full sun with no food and no water. The only time it got to do anything close to an actual behavior was when someone was riding it. Which is really difficult, because that goes against are a no-riding philosophy that the only time those elephants were able to be fed and exercised was when someone was riding them. But there are a couple of good sanctuaries in Southeast Asia, and if you really do your research then read as many reviews as you can. See if they're genuinely rescuing elephants, or whether they're breeding them, or whether they're capturing them from the wild. That's a really important point. There's a good website <a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/OFtfCP7L1nIvrO1ckzjF5?domain=waspinternational.com">waspinternational.com</a> which has helped take the guesswork out of some of those issues that can be really helpful as well. Kim: You mentioned the particular animal that you were in Vietnam volunteering for. You told me what you did. I believe this particular animal is one of the most traded animals in the world. Ashley: It is the most trafficked animal in the world, number one. Kim: Wow. What is it again? Ashley: It is the pangolin. Kim: I've seen pictures of it, and it just looks weird. What are you going to do with it? Ashley: Yup, they're scaly mammals. They're one of the only scaly mammals in the world. Unfortunately, that is their downfall. Unfortunately, there are some beliefs among some cultures that the scales have medicinal value. The scientific proof has shown that that's not really true. They're made of keratin which is the same as what our fingernails are made of, so essentially eating pangolin scales is the same as eating fingernails. However, the scales are by far the highest valued part of that animal, and that is what is driving the trade in that animal. They're traded by the ton. This is a little animal. It's most similar to an anteater in appearance. It's small with a really long nose, a really long tongue, a long tail, and a scaly body. Kim: What about Laos and Cambodia? Anything coming out of there? Ashley: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yeah, absolutely, Sunda pangolin are often found in Laos or Cambodia and transported across to China as well. As a tourist, you're never going to have any issues with pangolins. It's not something that's going to affect your experience in Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia at all. You probably would go on holiday there and come home and still not even know that pangolins exist. Kim: But do your research before you jump on the back of an elephant. Ashley: Absolutely, and also before buying civet coffee. Traditionally, the civets would come through a coffee plantation and have a nibble on the coffee beans and poop out the coffee beans. A farmer accidentally discovered that if you roast up those poop beans, they make a really cool tasting coffee. Unfortunately, a lot of places have very poor caged conditions that they make the civets live in, and the civets are force-fed huge amounts of coffee beans as their only food which is very unnatural. In the wild, it would make up a very small percentage of their natural diet. But the unfortunate thing is that a lot of the places that will tell you the best story, they'll say, "We're an amazing free-range wild civet place." Unfortunately, a lot of those ones are the ones that actually have the worst behind the scenes. Kim: Doing great work, Ashleigh, well done. A lot to think about there, Phil, and traveling ethically, not jumping on the back of elephants. Phil: Yup. Kim: Thinking about going to zoos and aquariums. Phil: Well, funny should mention that, because I've got something about that right now in travel news. Kim: Have you? Phil: All right, let me just skip through to that one. Anybody who's visited the Greek island of Santorini will know one of the most popular tourist activities there is to ride a donkey from the port up to the town up about 500 steps. Problem is all the donkeys are being injured. They can't carry the weight especially of the obese tourists who are turning up. These donkeys are only supposed to carry about 50 kilos which are about 112 pounds, so you can imagine what's happening to the poor things. The locals have even tried cross-breeding the donkeys with mules so that they can carry the weight much better there. But you know what? It's 500 steps- Kim: Just walk it. Phil: ... don't ride the donkeys. You'll appreciate it. Look, as we're putting this podcast together, a bit of bad news, I'm sorry. A second major earthquake in a week has struck the Indonesian island of Lombok, this one's killed as many as 82. Lombok is- Kim: At the time of recording. Phil: At the time of recording it. Lombok is an island neighboring the very popular destination of Bali which we all know about, but it's a relatively popular destination too. Luckily for travelers there though, the quake is centered on the other side of the island, some 50 miles away. Where the tourists are was classed as light, although it doesn't look like it from the damage that we have seen on TV coverage, not such good news for the main town on the islands and, of course, the Indonesians living close to the epicenter. Our thoughts are with them right now. Whilst we're on Vietnam, a new tourist attraction has opened in the Ba Na Hills behind Da Nang in Vietnam. It's essentially a semi-circular viewing platform like a bridge with amazing views over the district, a treetop sort of experience there. But they've incorporated into the bridge a sculpture which is a pair of giant hands that look like they're holding the bridge up. I've shown you a picture of it there. Kim: Yeah, it looks amazing. In fact, it reminds me of something you're more likely to see in Berlin- Phil: Yes. Kim: ... than Vietnam. It's cool, it's really cool. Phil: It's really cool. There are lots and lots of photos. We'll put some in the show notes for you to have a look at. Kim: That's new. Phil: About a month ago. Kim: Don't tell me that we don't have the latest news- Phil: No, that's it. Kim: ... on this podcast. Good one, Phil, thanks. Phil: All right, I know we've skirted around the issue a couple of times, Kim, but what we really need to do is find out about one of the most asked questions we had on World Nomads about, can you ride a motorbike or a motor scooter in Vietnam, and how do you get a licence to do so? Now, I've got some pretty strong ... I've done a lot of research. I've got some pretty strong opinions about whether you can or not. But we always like to go to the insider, a local source, so joining us in the studio right now, Stef Hendry who ... You've been living there for the last four years, Stef. Stef Hendry: Yup. Phil: Doing what? Stef Hendry: Working at the international school in Hanoi as a special education teacher. Phil: Wow. Kim: Nice gig. What brings you back to World Nomads headquarters being Sydney? Stef Hendry: Well, I'm only here for two more days, and then I'm moving to Morocco. Phil: Oh, okay. Kim: Of course. Stef Hendry: To Casablanca. Phil: Doing the same sort of thing? Stef Hendry: Yeah, exactly the same sort of thing. Phil: Wow. Stef Hendry: We've ... Four years, the kids have grown tired of the pollution and so have we in Hanoi, and we thought, "Let's do something different." Phil: I was just reading about that actually speaking of motorbikes. They're actually talking about banning motorbikes in Hanoi by 2030. Have you heard that one? Stef Hendry: It was 2025, and, now, they've just realized that that won't work, so they're putting it back to 2030. The plan is to replace it all with public transport. Since they took the tax off cars, there was a 100% import tax, about five years ago, they're getting an average of 50,000 cars on the road each month. Kim: Yeah, but, having been in a car from Ho Chi Minh to Nha Trang, there are two lanes, Phil. Phil: Yeah. Kim: But there's three cars going one way, three coming the other way, and one down the middle. It's a scary experience. Phil: Which brings me to- Stef Hendry: Well, plus you've got ... Before you get to the licenses, plus you've got the electric bikes coming on the roads now. A lot of the kids are riding those to and from school. They just are on the highways and everywhere, so it's really dangerous. The whole traffic system works on, it's called yield and forgives. No matter what anyone does in front of you, you give way, and you then forgive them. Kim: Yield and forgive. Stef Hendry: The number of times you nearly get killed by somebody and you go, "Okay." Kim: Yeah, sorry. Stef Hendry: As an Australian, you want to beep the horn and yell at them. Kim: Oh, but there's heaps of horn beeping going on. Stef Hendry: But the horn beeping is just to let you know they're coming. There's no road rage. Kim: I didn't realize. I thought the beeping was road rage. Phil: There's actually a law against road rage in the Emirates. Is there a law against it, or is it just the custom, just the practice? Stef Hendry: There are laws for lots of things, but there's no enforcement of laws. Phil: How stupid, what was I thinking. Kim: Well, yeah. Like Cassie was saying when we chatted to her about traveling through Laos, Cambodia, they take bribes, don't they? Stef Hendry: Yeah, especially, around Tet. Kim: Yeah. Stef Hendry: That's when you get pulled over a lot. Phil: Because they need the spending money. Stef Hendry: My wife got pulled over for not indicating which in Hanoi is hilarious. While she was waiting for the policeman to finish yelling at her, he's holding his hand out. There are people going the wrong way past them. He's trying to explain to her ... She took her helmet off, and he's seen she's a westerner. She just threw 10,000 dongs at him and rode off which is what you do. Kim: Yeah, exactly, exactly. It's what you do. Phil: That was ... What's that a couple bucks, five bucks? Stef Hendry: 50 cents. Kim: Yeah, 50 cents. Phil: 50 cents? Kim: It's nothing, yeah. What is the rule with alcohol and scooters? Stef Hendry: That's a good one. I was asking some students about how old you have to be to drink, and the general consensus was when you look old enough to drink you can drink, and if you're a westerner you can drink any time you want. Kim: And get on your bike? Stef Hendry: There's not breath testing. If you're in a crash, it doesn't really matter. What we're told by government agencies, let's just say, I won't say which ones, that if there's a crash get away as quickly as you can. Because no matter who's at fault you will pay. An extremely high chance of a motorcycle accident in Vietnam. Kim: Yeah, my girlfriends had one. My son nearly became a cripple with a bus. It's ... For anyone listening that's thinking about it, don't take it lightly. Stef Hendry: No. Phil: Well, that's one of the things that I actually wrote in our safety advice as well. It's if you don't already know how to ride a motorbike, Hanoi's not the place to learn. Stef Hendry: No. No. Kim: It's not. What are the rules then around licenses? Stef Hendry: I had a motorcycle licence before, an Australian one before I left. It doesn't translate to Vietnamese, so you're not licensed. There's no ... International licenses aren't recognized in Vietnam. If you're staying for more than three months, you can convert your Australian licence to Vietnamese through the help of the embassy in Hanoi, or there's a consulate in Ho Chi Minh. But if you're not, you can do the licence test. Phil: But that process takes a couple of weeks. Stef Hendry: Yeah. Phil: Yeah. It's also- Stef Hendry: You have to be the- Phil: There's a waiting list for it and everything as well. Stef Hendry: You need to be on a work visa as well generally. Phil: Right. Stef Hendry: But I know a lot of people that have been there for three or four years plus with no licence. Phil: See, but this is the problem you see, because for travel insurance- Stef Hendry: Well, you'd never- Phil: ... you're not insured, because you're not licensed. Yeah, you're not going to get caught. Yeah, you're only going to pay a 50 cent fine, but if you do get cleaned up, and you need evacuating back home, and a hundred thousand dollar emergency medical evacuations, it's not covered. Kim: Why is it in places like Southeast Asia that you get a little scooter, and you have six family members on it, including a tiny baby? Stef Hendry: Why is it only the adults have the helmets? That's what I- Phil: I never- Stef Hendry: ... always wonder. Phil: That's exactly what I was going to say. Stef Hendry: That's what I always wonder. Kim: Apparently, the helmets though aren't accredited. Stef Hendry: They brought in a law saying you have to wear a helmet. I'm not sure how long ago it was. The response was unanimously negative like, "Why would we need helmets?" You're right, the helmets I think you can buy them for about 4 dollars probably, so they're terrible. But what happens on big roads like [inaudible 00:40:40] something where 10 lanes of traffic, the police will set up a check, a helmet checking station like an RBT here. A couple hundred meters before that a guy will set up a stall renting helmets and a couple hundred meters after- Phil: You return them. Stef Hendry: ... you return it. Kim: Well- Stef Hendry: It's awesome to watch. Kim: ... an entrepreneur at work. He's seen a need, and- Stef Hendry: It's just great. The Vietnamese, they have a way around everything. Phil: The guy renting the helmets is the cop's cousin or something, I take it. Stef Hendry: Probably. Kim: There are companies though that do tours, bike tours where you're a pillion passenger. Am I guessing you would be covered in that situation? Phil: Yeah, licensed operators all that sort of stuff, yeah. Stef Hendry: There's Wide-Eyed Tours. They do really good ones. I have been on day ones with them where you ride along with them. I've had friends that went to the Northern Vietnam one as pillion passengers, and they love that, and you stay in houses with families. They really, really enjoyed that. Kim: Yeah. Tell us about that company you mentioned when you first arrived at the studio. Stef Hendry: Well, yeah, so one of the things about Vietnam is there is no air pollution because when it's bad, they just turn the monitors off. There's no ... I work in special education, and it's been a real battle getting them to recognize things like autism as being a real condition. There are people who've started charities. An Australian, Mike, I can't think of his last name, Brosowski or something, he came over in 2005 and started a charity called Blue Dragon. One of the things they do, they help a lot of kids and orphans, but they rescue a lot of women from sex trafficking in China. They get taken from Vietnam to China. Another offshoot of Blue Dragon is VIP Bikes which is [inaudible 00:42:14] Andrew Souto, and he got there in 2005 and saw a lot of ... He's a licensed mechanic. He found a lot of kids on the streets who needed skills. He upskills them. He teaches them. Does an apprenticeship for them. He charges really cheap rates for really reliable bikes, and that's a big problem with the rental places where all the tourists are. You get cheap rentals but the bikes break down, and there's no service, so you can be stuck in the middle of nowhere. Phil: What are you going to miss the most? Stef Hendry: Oh, the people without a doubt. We, working with the school, went out on a lot of trips out into the countryside and met kids at schools, and those are amazing- Kim: Later in the podcast, we'll touch on a foundation that's actually helping within the poor communities identify bright kids, people that would normally miss out on an education and offer it to them through scholarships. Phil: Mate, thanks so much for coming in. Stef Hendry: Thank you. Kim: Yeah, awesome, Stef. Always great to have someone live in the studio, it just makes it fun. Phil: Feel real, doesn't it? Kim: Yeah it's fun. Phil: Yeah, it's great, great. Kim: It's really fun. Phil, the answer to your quiz question. We kick off an episode with this each time, and then we finish it with the answer. Phil: Okay, how many people go up the Eiffel Tower every year? Six million. Kim: Whoo. Phil: Six million people, I did the math, see. If you average it out over the year which it doesn't because, of course, summertime is the most- Kim: Yeah, the peak. Phil: Their peak time. That's like 16,000 people a day. Kim: Have you been up it? Phil: I have it's fantastic. Kim: No, I walked past it if that makes sense. Obviously, I stood- Phil: I really like that- Kim: ... in front of it. Phil: ... the area around there as well. Kim: Yeah, it's really nice. Phil: Actually, when you cross over the Seine onto the other side that's quite a nice district around there. Kim: That is where Princess Diana was in her car accident. Phil: No, I thought that was over near the Louvre, wasn't it on that tunnel there? Kim: I'm pretty sure. No, so, okay, let's pretend- Phil: I'm now Googling where Princess Diana died. Kim: Let's pretend you're the Eiffel Tower. Phil: I'm being the Eiffel Tower. You can't see, but I'm holding my hands by my head. Kim: You walk down, and you cross the little bridge- Phil: You're now heading down- Kim: Towards the Champs-Élysées. Phil: Right, okay. Kim: Is that where you're thinking? Phil: That's the road there? Kim: Yeah. That's the tunnel, and there's a whole memorial to her, and you can actually write on it and leave your message. Phil: Fair enough. Kim: Is that the direction you were talking? Phil: No, I thought it was elsewhere, but I ... I'm not always right. Look- Kim: Oh. Yes, he is. Phil: I tell you what I have done in Paris. I've been to Jim Morrison's grave. Kim: Oh, where'd you find that? Phil: Oh, it's in the Père Lachaise Cemetery just north of the main city. Kim: Right. Phil: There's always flowers and arrangements there and lots of graffiti on his headstone, and what have you. Kim: How cool. Hey, speaking of ... I know we're venturing far and wide, but speaking of those kinds of things, I was in Munich and came across this shrine to Michael Jackson. Phil: Where he dangled his son over the- Kim: Yes, it was- Phil: No, really? Kim: ... it was where he dangled his son, Blanket, outside the window. You can access the World Nomads Podcast on Stitcher, Google Play, iHeartRadio, and iTunes where you can rate, share, and subscribe. Now, next week, it's a bit of a special though. We're not focusing so much on amazing nomads or a destination as such. Phil: One of our most popular travel insiders guides is the Thailand Safety Guide. We've revamped it. We're going to have another look at Thailand through the lens of some of the weird laws there like you're not allowed to go out without wearing underwear. Seriously, who's checking your underwear? What police officer is doing that? Kim: Can't wait for this episode. Phil: And a bunch of quirky stuff like that. It's such a popular destination. While we're touring in Southeast Asia, it's really important to understand how to stay safe there, so that you have the best experience you can, so we'll talk about that. Kim: Excellent. That's next time. Contact us too by emailing <a href="mailto:podcast@worldnomads.com">podcast@worldnomads.com</a>. See you. Phil: Bye. Close: The World Nomads Podcast. Explore your boundaries. </div> </div> </div>Extra Suriyachat 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/an-insiders-guide-to-hanoiSee how Hanoi’s reputation as a conservative city is evolving and discover the changing culture on the streets.2018-07-20T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/an-insiders-guide-to-hanoihttps://www.worldnomads.comThough Vietnam is known for its communism and conservatism, a blossoming subculture is bringing more independent, local and creative types to the country’s quaint capital. Hanoi is often used by travelers as the <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/halong-bay-recommendations">gateway city to Halong Bay,</a> but stay a while longer to see centuries-old architecture and discover these local experiences away from the tourist hot-spots. <ul> <li><a href="#oldquarter"> Old Quarter Hanoi </a></li> <li><a href="#creatives"> Creatives of Hanoi </a></li> <li><a href="#artists"> Underground culture in Hanoi </a></li> <li><a href="#hochiminh"> Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum </a></li> </ul> <h2 id="oldquarter">Old Quarter Hanoi</h2> <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/top-destinations-to-explore-in-northern-vietnam">After enjoying the incredible landscapes of the north</a>, whether it be a day trip to <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/trailblazing-education-through-tourism-in-sapa-vietnam">Sapa</a> or Halong Bay, and completing cooking classes fragrant with simmering bun rieu and bun cha, try getting off the well-trodden backpacker trail and rest in the Old Quarter’s kitsch hangouts. On any given sultry day in Vietnam, hipster geeks with thick-rimmed glasses cool off with iced coconut drip coffee in the communist-themed <a href="http://congcaphe.com/" target="_blank">Công Càphê</a> coffee shop. Here, the baristas wear dark-green military uniforms and the menus are scratched into dingy, old books by Lenin. You can chow down on local street food from early morning until the ungodly hours of the night – try <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293924-d7024017-Reviews-Bun_Cha_34-Hanoi.html" target="_blank">Bún Chả 34</a>’s specialty, a dish with grilled pork, fragrant fish sauce, vermicelli noodles mint leaves and herbs. Or go for cinnamon pork and banh cuon, or rice rolls filled to the brim with minced pork at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293924-d1123423-Reviews-Banh_Cuon_Gia_Truyen-Hanoi.html" target="_blank">Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền Thanh Vân</a>. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/cycling-in-hanoi-vietnam-unsplash-mumbojumbo.jpg" /> <figcaption>Cycling in Hanoi. Photo credit: Photo by MumboJumbo on Unsplash</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="creatives">Creatives of Hanoi</h2> Hanoi may seem like a strange place to seek out brown leather man-bags and fixed-gear bikes, but the city has your creative needs covered, including indie bars, caffeine-fueled dens, and vintage shops – all underground and all adorably zany with vintage post-war trinkets strewn throughout. Visit the three-story <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheHanoiSocialClub/" target="_blank">Hanoi Social Club </a>near Hoan Kiem, Hanoi’s charming lakeside neighborhood, which offers vegan food, legendary egg-yolk coffee, and a subscription to Australian art and fashion magazine Frankie, with folk tunes playing in the background. In Hanoi, art is not holed up in the museum, but rather on display for everyone to see – from murals filling city walls during street art festivals to the French and Vietnamese-infused flavors of sizzling street food. <h2 id="artists">Underground culture in Hanoi</h2> Nestled in backstreets, the Tadioto bar is a watering hole with walls adorned with paintings by local artists. Here, expats, free-thinkers, and intellectuals gather to have intense conversations until late. Another popular spot, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bar-Betta/146671732053777" target="_blank">Bar Betta</a>, is the trendy epicenter of Hanoi. Here, patrons buzzed on a few too many craft cocktails, muse about ukulele music and subversive art while lounging beneath the glass bottles that dangle precariously from the dark ceiling. Travelers can get easily get in, after following the winding paths of a few alleyways. On any given night, explore these venues and you’ll encounter one of the rare scenes where tourists and locals mix. <h2 id="hochiminh">Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum</h2> For culture of a different kind, head to the mausoleum of former Vietnam leader, Ho Chi Minh, who led the country from 1951 to 1969. While the final resting place of Ho Chi Minh may not sound like a lively attraction, every day thousands of visitors – mostly Vietnamese – make the pilgrimage to pay their respects to 'Uncle Ho'.  Based on Lenin’s Mausoleum in Moscow, the building's visitors must show great respect and reverence. As you pass silently by the glass case containing the revolutionary leader’s body, you will be under close watch by armed, stone-faced guards. No photography or videoing is allowed. Lines to get in can be long, so get there early in the day. The body is allegedly sent to Russia every October for a couple of months for re-embalming. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/hochiminh-mausoleum-hanoi-parinaz-bilimoria.jpg" /> <figcaption>Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Hanoi. Photo credit: Parinaz Bilimoria</figcaption></figure>Hoach Le Dinh on Unsplash 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/top-destinations-to-explore-in-central-vietnamFrom Hue to Hoi An, our insider reveals the best off-the-beaten-path destinations in central Vietnam.2018-07-19T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/top-destinations-to-explore-in-central-vietnamhttps://www.worldnomads.comThe heart of Vietnam is home to many of the nation’s cultural gems, pristine beaches, and unforgettable views of spectacular scenery. While the popular destinations in central Vietnam are worth visiting, there are several off-the-beaten-track places to explore: the largest saltwater lagoon in the country, the hauntingly beautiful ghost town of An Bang, and Vietnam’s first street art village. Travelers can skip hectic Nha Trang and instead find soothing mud baths and ancient Cham ruins near Hoi An. <ul> <li><a href="#cycle"> Cycle around Hoi An </a></li> <li><a href="#shop"> Shopping in Hoi An </a></li> <li><a href="#mysonruins"> Explore the My Son ruins </a></li> <li><a href="#cooking"> Take a cooking class in Hoi An </a></li> <li><a href="#danang"> Da Nang and the Marble Mountains </a></li> <li><a href="#haivan"> Hai Van Pass </a></li> <li><a href="#anbang"> An Bang ghost town </a></li> <li><a href="#hothuythien"> Ho Thuy Thien waterpark</a></li> <li><a href="#beaches"> An Bang and the beaches </a></li> <li><a href="#centralhighlands"> Explore the Central Highlands </a></li> </ul> <h2 id="cycle">Cycle around Hoi An</h2> The best launching point for exploring central Vietnam is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hoi An, the enchanting town where lanterns dangle from buildings lining the Thu Bon River. Hire a bike for the day and cycle out of town to the countryside, where you’ll pass rice paddies, massive water buffalo, and see the locals tending to their fragrant vegetable farms. When you get back to the Hoi An Ancient Town, take a stroll past the ornate Japanese bridge, the stunning Chinese Fukian assembly hall, where Chinese migrants met to socialize, and many French colonial buildings which are mostly painted in a golden-yellow color in to absorb the heat. <h2 id="shop">Shopping in Hoi An</h2> Hoi An was once a major hub along the silk trade route and is still the best place in Vietnam to get bespoke clothes made. Shop local for customized clothing at talented tailor boutiques, such as the family-owned BeBe. Take along a photo of what you want <g class="gr_ gr_387 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="387" data-gr-id="387">made</g>. <h2 id="mysonruins">Explore the My Son ruins</h2> Hop in a taxi, join an organized tour or, if you’re feeling adventurous, <a href="/travel-safety/southeast-asia/do-i-need-a-license-to-ride-a-motorbike">hire a motorbike</a>, and enjoy the hour-long ride through quaint villages en route to the My Son ruins. Arrive at sunrise to peacefully explore the Hindu monuments that were destroyed during ancient battles, and the bombings during the Vietnam war. The decaying temples of the Champa people aren’t as big as Angkor Wat or Bagan, but there’s something alluring about the resilience of these crumbling structures. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/mysonruins-istock-gundulagruterich.jpg" /> <figcaption>Exploring the My Son ruins. Photo credit: iStock/GundulaGruterich </figcaption></figure> <h2 id="cooking">Take a cooking class in Hoi An</h2> Test your cooking skills at a local <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/food-in-vietnam-cambodia-and-laos">c</a>ooking class. A favorite among travelers is the Vegetarian Cooking Class at family-run Minh Hien Vegetarian Restaurant. The hands-on cooking class includes a bike ride to the Tra Que vegetable village to learn about local agriculture, and a visit to an open-air produce market to hand-select vegetables for the course. Local delicacies include the chewy cao lầu noodle dish with its secret ingredient of ash and the "white rose", which doesn’t contain any flowers! <h2 id="danang">Da Nang and the Marble Mountains</h2> Da Nang is Vietnam’s fastest-growing <g class="gr_ gr_110 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="110" data-gr-id="110">city,</g> and has several religious sites as well as a few quirky places to visit, such as the Dragon Bridge, which breathes fire on weekends at <g class="gr_ gr_111 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Style multiReplace" id="111" data-gr-id="111">9pm</g>. Take a drive around the Son Tra Peninsula and stop by the gigantic Linh Ung Pagoda. The 219ft (67m) Bodhisattva of Mercy is the tallest Lady Buddha in Vietnam and protects the expansive bay from destruction by typhoons. Traditional bamboo basket boats full of sardines linger in the sea, as skyscrapers loom in the distance, making for an astonishing contrast. The best view of Da Nang is from the top of the Marble Mountains. On your way up, you’ll visit a stunning mosaic pagoda dedicated to a Vietnamese princess, Buddhist and Hindu shrines, and an underground cave depicting the levels of hell. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/danang-beach-istock-yarapham.jpg" /> <figcaption>Da Nang beach. Photo credit: iStock/YaraPHam </figcaption></figure> <h2 id="haivan">Hai Van Pass</h2> The most memorable adventure to have in central Vietnam is to drive along the Hai Van Pass. Hai Van means “the pass of rising sea” due to the daily phenomena of clouds filling a gap between the rolling hills. Hire a motorbike or hop in a taxi and take a full day to drive the scenic road from Hoi An to Hue. Alternatively, you could join an organized tour. Along the Hai Van Pass, most travelers stop at the Elephant Springs to cool off, but there are numerous waterfalls to be discovered. Don’t miss Dam Cầu Hai, the largest saltwater lagoon in Vietnam with its colorful fishing boats, or the Lập An Lagoon where the sea meets mountains and oysters grow in abundance. The pristine Chan May Bay remains undiscovered. The entire beach is virtually empty, except for a few local food shacks and the occasional local floating on the crystal-clear waters on an old tire.  <h2 id="anbang"><g class="gr_ gr_109 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="109" data-gr-id="109">An Bang</g> ghost town</h2> About a half hour before reaching the Nguyen Dynasty Imperial Citadel in Hue, stop off at An Bang, a sprawling cemetery where more than 4mi (7km) of incredibly adorned mausoleums have been erected. Each is an individual tomb, with mosaic artwork that would leave Gaudí speechless. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/mosaic-tombs-an-bang-ghost-town-lolamendez.jpg" /> <figcaption>Endless mosaic tombs at An Bang ghost town. Photo credit: Lola Mendez </figcaption></figure> <h2 id="hothuythien">Ho Thuy Thien waterpark</h2> The most famous dragon in Vietnam is near Hue at the Ho Thuy Thien abandoned waterpark. The massive dragon was once an aquarium and today serves as a canvas for graffiti artists. There are hollow water slides and other eerie rides to <g class="gr_ gr_122 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="122" data-gr-id="122">visit,</g> but tread carefully as the structures are vulnerable. It’s no longer possible to pay off the guard to enter, but if you take the footpath before the entrance and trek through the jungle (stay left), you’ll find yourself standing in front of the majestic dragon. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/dragon-at-ho-thuy-thien-lolamendez.jpg" /> <figcaption>Vietnam's most famous dragon at Ho Thuy Thien. Photo credit: Lola Mendez </figcaption></figure> <h2 id="beaches"><g class="gr_ gr_120 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="120" data-gr-id="120">An Bang</g> and the beaches</h2> <g class="gr_ gr_121 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="121" data-gr-id="121">An Bang</g> is the most popular beach on the backpacker trail in Vietnam, but there are many nicer beaches to visit such as the aptly named Hidden Beach. Located just south of An Bang, (easily located using Google Maps) Hidden Beach boasts silky sand, turquoise waters and extremely cheap massages on the beach. Take a day trip out to the Cham Islands with local NGO Karma Waters to go <a href="/travel-insurance/activities/scuba-diving-travel-insurance">snorkeling or scuba diving</a>. Visit Tam Thanh, a fishing village that isn’t well-known to backpackers but will be soon due to its vibrant street art murals that depict daily life. Volunteers painted the town in 2016 to create Vietnam’s first mural village under the ethos of ‘art for <g class="gr_ gr_112 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="112" data-gr-id="112">better</g> community.’ <h2 id="centralhighlands">Explore the Central Highlands</h2> After exploring the stunning coastline of central Vietnam, book a bus inland to the Central Highlands to learn about agriculture, see endless green vistas, and discover waterfalls off the beaten path.  The pristine Hồ Lắk lake in Dak Lak is only accessible by boat. Travelers can explore the area by hiking the hills or <a href="/travel-insurance/activities/kayaking-or-rafting">kayaking to local villages</a> to try their hand at the region's famous pottery at artisans homes. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/daklak-vietnam-istock-xuanhuongho.jpg" /> <figcaption>Dak Lak, Vietnam. Photo credit: iStock/<g class="gr_ gr_100 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="100" data-gr-id="100">xuanhuongho</g> </figcaption></figure>iStock/Gargolas 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/a-guide-to-exploring-the-phong-nha-cavesDiscover 400 million years of history inside the caves of Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park.2018-07-18T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/a-guide-to-exploring-the-phong-nha-caveshttps://www.worldnomads.comI ease my body into the cold water, trying to distract myself from what might be swimming below me. I glance upwards instead, and my gaze is returned by a sea of curious bats.  I am exploring Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, a UNESCO Heritage Site in <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/top-destinations-to-explore-in-central-vietnam">central Vietnam</a>, that remained undiscovered until two decades ago. The karst mountains of the region date back 400 million years, making them the oldest in Asia. However, the real beauty lies beneath your feet: a bubbling underworld simmering below the soil. There are warrens of caves to explore in Phong Nha, and while you can see many of the caves independently, I booked a day tour to explore one that can be tricky to visit alone. To get to the park you can catch a train or 10-hour overnight bus from <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/an-insiders-guide-to-hanoi">Hanoi</a>.  <ul> <li><a href="#traangcave"> Tra Ang Cave </a></li> <li><a href="#paradisecave"> Paradise Cave </a></li> <li><a href="#eightladiescave"> 8 Ladies Cave </a></li> <li><a href="#hangen"> Hang En Cave </a></li> <li><a href="#transport"> Getting around Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park </a></li> <li><a href="#getthere"> How to get there </a></li> <li><a href="#packing"> What to pack </a></li> </ul> <h2 id="traangcave">Tra Ang Cave</h2> Despite its age, Tra Ang is one of Vietnam’s most recently discovered caves and was only opened to visitors in 2016. In that time, it has received minimal footfall. To reach it, you have to trek through the dense jungle and rock climb over a craggy mouth, and the easiest option is to explore as part of a tour. Once inside, you can only get around by swimming the river running through it. The tough journey is well worth it. Twisted stalagmites and stalactites drip from above, their curving limestone figures casting shadows in the beams of head torches. They look as if they’d been created by aliens – or at least a wildly out-of-control pottery wheel.  Swim through Tra Ang’s interior, which is 0.62miles (1km) long and 164ft (50m) wide. After reaching the end, you can lie on your back and let the current float you back to the mouth. Continue the journey to discover more of Phong Nha’s caves, which are all a short drive away and can be explored in one day. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/adventure-inside-the-caves-phong-nha-ke-bang-national-park-parinazbilimoria.jpg" alt="Obstacles inside Hang En cave in Vietnam." /> <figcaption>Obstacles inside Hang En cave. Photo credit: Parinaz Bilimoria</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="paradisecave">Paradise Cave</h2> Just a 20-minute drive from Tra Ang lies the enormous Paradise Cave. At 19mi (31km) long, its limestone formations match cathedral pillars in size. Since it was discovered by a local man in 2005, it’s become one of the most impressive locations to visit in Phong Nha National Park.  <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/paradise-cave-phong-nha-national-park-getty-images-pakawatthongcharoen.jpg" alt="Inside Paradise Cave, Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park." /> <figcaption>Inside Paradise Cave, Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park. Photo credit: Getty Images/Pakawat Thongcharoen </figcaption></figure> <h2 id="eightladiescave">8 Ladies Cave</h2> 8 Ladies Cave is one of the easiest to visit without a tour guide, and is a 20-minute drive from Paradise Cave. Vietnam’s rich yet heartbreaking history is apparent inside the small 8 Ladies Cave. Here in 1972, a group of women perished after they became trapped inside by a bomb blast during the Vietnam War. Today, a cave shrine and temple stand to honor them. <h2 id="hangen">Hang En Cave</h2> If you're after a more serious adventure, the Hang En Cave is the third largest cave in the world, and can be explored on a two-day, one-night camping and trekking adventure tour. For this trip, you'll have to go with <a href="http://oxalis.com.vn/cave/hang-en-cave/">Oxalis Adventure Tours</a>, the only company authorized to operate in this cave. They take care of the safety and logistics of the trip and employ locals from Phong Nha and Tan Hoa village for a sustainable, eco-friendly experience. After hiking through the dense jungle and making numerous river crossings, you'll enter the mouth of the cave wading through the waist-deep water of Hang En's very own beach! Once on the sand, you will each be assigned a beach-front tent for the night. Local food is prepared by the tour operators on a campfire, where they'll share with you the history of the largest caves in Vietnam and the world. You'll need to be moderately fit to enjoy this experience, but if you're up for the challenge it will be well worth the effort. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/inside-phong-nha-caves-camping-expedition-parinazbilimoria.jpg" alt="Camping tents on a beach inside Hang En cave." /> <figcaption>Inside Hang En cave. Photo credit: Parinaz Bilimoria</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="transport">Getting around Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park</h2> Paradise Cave and 8 Ladies Cave are accessible by scooter, but Tra Ang is more challenging. I’d recommend going with a guide since the path isn’t mapped on Google and you’ll need a head torch and life jacket. It’s easy to book a day tour through a guesthouse tour agency in town. <h2 id="getthere">How to get yhere</h2> Affordable, comfy buses arrive and depart Phong Nha daily. From Hanoi, they arrive at 4am but all the hostels are a short walk from the stop, and will be open waiting for you.  <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/phong-nha-ke-bang-national-park-parinazbilimoria.jpg" alt="Landscapes of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park." /> <figcaption>Landscapes of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Photo credit: Parinaz Bilimoria</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="packing">What to pack</h2> Assuming you’ll be borrowing a tour company’s life jacket and head torch, you’ll just need swimwear to visit Tra Ang. For photos, ensure you have a <a href="/create/learn/photography/6-basic-business-tools-every-travel-photographer-needs">waterproof camera</a>, preferably with a head mount as you’ll require both hands for swimming. For the other Phong Nha caves, bring comfy shoes and <a href="/travel-wiser/survival/how-to-stay-safe-and-hydrated">plenty of water</a>.Parinaz Bilimoria 0 Camping tents on a beach inside Hang En cave

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/top-things-to-see-and-do-in-ho-chi-minh-vietnamFind rare culinary treats, see the famously insane traffic, and explore vibrant neighborhoods of Ho Chi Minh City.2018-07-11T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/top-things-to-see-and-do-in-ho-chi-minh-vietnamhttps://www.worldnomads.comAlso known by its previous name, Saigon, <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/top-places-to-go-in-southern-vietnam"><g class="gr_ gr_66 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="66" data-gr-id="66">south</g> Vietnam’s</a> Ho Chi Minh City is an exciting place to be. Even now, after four years of living here, I still love the energy and optimism of the locals. It can be crazy at times, but it's never boring.  Ho Chi Minh City is famous for its wide boulevards and French colonial architecture – remnants from pre-1975 when the city was called Saigon. But, that’s only one part of what makes this place special. To understand the city's beautiful soul, you must visit its markets, walk through its alleys and, of course, sit on the tiny plastic chairs used at every sidewalk restaurant and cafe. <ul> <li><a href="#market"> Beyond the Ben Thanh Market </a></li> <li><a href="#food"> Food and drink </a></li> <li><a href="#nightlife"> Nightlife in Ho Chi Minh City </a></li> <li><a href="#museums"> The War Remnants Museum and Cu Chi Tunnels </a></li> <li><a href="#motorbike"> Motorbike tours </a></li> </ul> <h2 id="market">Beyond the Ben Thanh Market</h2> The Ben Thanh Market is only for tourists. For a local experience, head to Xóm Chiếu Market in District 4. It’s noisy, smelly and crowded, but it also serves a delicious variety of street food, including one of my favorites, bún mắm (seafood noodle soup). This is an evening market, so visit after <g class="gr_ gr_85 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Style multiReplace" id="85" data-gr-id="85">4pm</g>. For a mid-morning market, check out Võ Duy Ninh Street, in Bình Thạnh District. It’s a vibrant neighborhood where travelers are rare, and many of Vietnam’s wonderful culinary treats are on display, including frogs, duck and all kinds of fruits and vegetables. <h2 id="food">Food and drink around Saigon</h2> To see why this is one of the <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/food-in-vietnam-cambodia-and-laos">best street food</a> cities in the world, spend an evening on Vĩnh Khánh Street in District 4. This street is famous for its seafood, and even dinner with drinks will only cost you <g class="gr_ gr_73 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="73" data-gr-id="73">US</g> $10. And if you come earlier in the day, you can get breakfast or lunch for as little as <g class="gr_ gr_74 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="74" data-gr-id="74">US</g> $1. The streets that border the Nhieu Loc–Thi Nghe Canal (Trường Sa and Hoàng Sa Streets) are filled with local restaurants and outdoor vendors, selling icy-cold beer and grilled dishes. While you’ll inevitably visit these historic sites, visit the northern side of where the two streets intersect Điện Biên Phủ to see how locals enjoy their evenings in  Saigon. The canal's tree-lined paths are also great places morning walks, and you'll even see people exercising at outdoor public gyms. Spend some time exploring the tiny alleys and bars of nearby Little Tokyo – or if the traffic’s driving you mad, get up to a rooftop bar. <h2 id="nightlife">Nightlife in Ho Chi Minh City</h2> For a look at the local arts scene, try Indika Saigon. This hip bar is popular among young Vietnamese and regularly features local musicians and DJs. Acoustic Bar in District 3 is another cool spot to see live music on most nights of the week – and so is Yoko Cafe. If you're looking for a spot to dance, I like Piu Piu. It's got multiple floors and plays a nice mix of house EDM and hip-hop. Turtle Lake in District 3 is a great spot to see Vietnamese social life. Young people park their <a href="/travel-safety/southeast-asia/do-i-need-a-license-to-ride-a-motorbike">motorbikes</a> and spend their evenings enjoying snacks from the street food <g class="gr_ gr_80 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="80" data-gr-id="80">carts,</g> while sitting on the concrete walkways that sit above the water. The towering cement sword jabbing out the center of the pond symbolizes a harmonious layout of the city, with the head of a dragon resting at Independence Palace and the tail lurking under Turtle Lake. The sword pins the dragon's tail to keep it from disturbing people's lives. Chances are you’ll strike up a conversation here – which is a great way to get involved in their late night fun, from karaoke to all-night cafes. <h2 id="museums">The War Remnants Museum and Cu Chi Tunnels</h2> The War Remnants Museum, Independence Palace and the Củ Chi tunnels, just outside the city, are the best places to learn about the Vietnam War (or the American War, as it’s known here). But you won’t enjoy the tunnels if you’re claustrophobic. This extraordinary network of tunnels, built by the Việt Cộng during the war, is a tight squeeze. If you travel to the Củ Chi tunnels as part of a boat trip, it also includes a tour of the Saigon River. You'll see Landmark 81, the tallest building in Southeast Asia, as well as the Majestic Hotel, where scenes in Graham Greene's famous novel, The Quiet American (1955), took place. <h2 id="motorbike">Motorbike tours</h2> Though it may seem terrifying, because of the famously insane traffic, a motorbike tour is the best way to take in the sights, sounds and smells of this city, and most of the drivers speak English, so they double as guides. Just remember to wear a helmet – if you’re not wearing one, <a href="/travel-insurance/">your travel insurance</a> won’t cover you for any accidents. City tours usually start with the colonial buildings and then take in the hectic alleys and side streets of outlying districts, with stops for street food along the way. You could just ask a motorbike taxi driver (<g class="gr_ gr_65 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="65" data-gr-id="65">xe</g> ôm) to show you around, but you'll have a much better experience if you book with a reputable company, such as Tigit Motorbikes or VN Bike Tour.Photo by LIM ENG on Unsplash 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/top-destinations-to-explore-in-northern-vietnamGoats on the Road take us beyond Halong Bay and Sapa to find the real treasures in the north.2018-07-19T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/top-destinations-to-explore-in-northern-vietnamhttps://www.worldnomads.com<a href="https://www.goatsontheroad.com/where-to-go-in-vietnam/">Goats on the Road</a> share their tips on getting the most from well-known <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/halong-bay-recommendations">Halong Bay</a> and Sapa, and then take us beyond those famous destinations to find the hidden treasures up in Vietnam’s far north. <ul> <li><a href="#halong"> Halong Bay </a></li> <li><a href="#beyond"> Beyond Halong Bay </a></li> <li><a href="#sapa"> Sapa and surrounds </a></li> <li><a href="#dongvanplateau"> Dong Van Plateau </a></li> <li><a href="#maichau"> Mai Chau </a></li> <li><a href="#bangioc"> Ban-Gioc and Dietan Falls </a></li> <li><a href="#bacha"> Bac Ha </a></li> <li><a href="#tamcoc"> Tam Coc </a></li> <li><a href="#hoalu"> Hoa Lu </a></li> </ul> <h2 id="halong">Halong Bay</h2> Despite the growing number of visitors each year and accompanying environmental issues, there are ways to visit Halong Bay without causing too much harm to the fragile environment of this UNESCO-listed site. First, check that your tour operator is <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/how-to-choose-an-ethical-tour-operator">eco-friendly</a>: before booking, read traveler’s reviews on TripAdvisor and look for positive reviews about the disposal of garbage, cleanliness of boat emissions and level of professionalism on the trip. If you see anyone littering, politely request that they pick up their trash. Better yet, pick up any rubbish you see along the way and dispose of it responsibly. Most trips to Halong Bay leave from the uninspiring city of Halong, or from <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/an-insiders-guide-to-hanoi">Hanoi</a>. You’ll have to buy an admission ticket to Halong Bay of around 290,000d (<g class="gr_ gr_517 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="517" data-gr-id="517">US</g> $12) for a day trip or 500,000 (US $20) for overnight, which is often included in the cost of a cruise, and there are also some individual entrance tickets for different caves, grottos and fishing villages. These range from 31.500d (US $1.30) to 52,000d (<g class="gr_ gr_154 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="154" data-gr-id="154">US</g> $2.15), and many are well worth the fee. You can explore Halong Bay on a cruise ship, by <a href="/travel-insurance/activities/kayaking-or-rafting">kayak</a>, and on half-day, one-day or overnight trips on houseboats. One of the best ways to visit is to go on a combined two-day, one-night trip from Hanoi, skipping Halong City altogether, which will include visits to villages and caves, as well as kayaking and great food, all from the comfort of a nice boat. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/junk-boat-bai-tu-long-bay-parinazbilimoria.jpg" /> <figcaption>On board a junk boat in Halong Bay. Photo credit: Parinaz Bilimoria</figcaption></figure> <a href="https://www.getyourguide.com/ha-long-l934/?partner_id=C0RBWUK&cmp=linkHALONG">GetYourGuide</a> have some really well-rated tours in Halong Bay. Make sure whoever you book with has a lot of <g class="gr_ gr_145 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="145" data-gr-id="145">5-star</g> reviews and that you know what’s included. <h2 id="beyond">Beyond Halong Bay</h2> Skip the crowds of Halong Bay for these great alternatives. <h3>Cat Ba Island</h3> <g class="gr_ gr_160 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="160" data-gr-id="160">Still</g> in Halong Bay, Cat Ba is a beautiful island, in spite of its overdeveloped main town which has seen a massive surge in tourism and thoughtless development. However, the jungle-clad interior of this craggy islet is raw, pristine and untouched. Don’t miss the Cannon Fort and Lan Ha Pay, a just-as-beautiful, but less-crowded version of Halong Bay. <h3>Bai Tu Long Bay</h3> The equally dramatic coastal topography of Bai Tu Long may play second fiddle to Halong when it comes to visitor numbers, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t as beautiful as its southwestern cousin. Come here for a more relaxed Halong experience. The slower pace of tours here means that you’ll have more time to explore the accessible caves, swim in the clear waters between the towering limestone formations, possibly <a href="/create/learn/photography/tips-for-mastering-wildlife-photography">spot dugongs</a>, enjoy kayaking and explore the forest reserves found on the larger islands in the bay. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/kayaking-bai-tu-long-bay-parinazbilimoria.jpg" /> <figcaption>Kayaking in Bai Tu Long Bay. Photo credit: Parinaz Bilimoria</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="sapa">Sapa and surrounds</h2> Home to Fan Si Pan, Vietnam’s highest peak, and hillsides of emerald green rice terraces, Sapa is one of the most beautiful places in the country. First developed by the French as a refreshing hill station, it's far from the sweltering heat of the jungle, and also the gateway to the region. Following WWII, there was a series of battles in the Tonkin region which left many of the most notable colonial buildings leveled in their wake. In the 1940s to early 1950s, Sapa was attacked by independence fighters who drove the colonists from the region, but the French retaliated by bombing the area in a series of air raids. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that tourism was reborn in the region, and Sapa began to flourish as one of Vietnam’s best outdoor travel hot-spots. A great place to <a href="/travel-insurance/activities/hiking-travel-insurance">base yourself for trekking</a>, Sapa has way too many hiking trails to list, and local tour operators (as well as ones based in Hanoi) can guide you through these stunning landscapes for a fee. If you prefer hiking independently, there are plenty of marked trails around Sapa, and you’ll likely bump into plenty of other hikers every 45 minutes or so. Cat Cat, Giang Ta, and Lo Chai are just three of the trails that are quite easy to do without a guide. They are all beautiful trails and lead to lovely little villages. It’s a good idea to hire a local guide, however, because it helps the economy (on top of the entrance fees you’ll pay for different places) and they will help you to communicate with the locals in the villages. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/red-dao-homestay-landscapes-brianrapsey.jpg" /> <figcaption>Landscapes near the Red Dao homestay in Sapa. Photo credit: Brian Rapsey</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="dongvanplateau">Dong Van Plateau</h2> Dong Van Plateau (also known as the Dong Van Karst Geopark) is a wonderful alternative to popular Sapa. Previously off the tourist radar, due to difficult access on poor roads, visitor numbers to Dong Van are slowly starting to rise. This is a stunning area of Vietnam to trek in, the trails are less worn, there are plenty of easy, well-marked day treks, and the locals are more interested to see visitors here. Located in Ha Giang Province, this region boasts some of the most beautiful trekking routes in the country, and is also the most ethnically diverse population, with 80% of the people living in remote, rural areas. As you trek from village to village, deeper into the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, you’ll notice the numbers of tribal and ethnic groups increasing, dressed in fascinating clothes and selling local wares. <h2 id="maichau">Mai Chau</h2> About 99 miles (160km) southwest of Hanoi, Mai Chau is worlds away from the noise of the Vietnamese capital. Here, rice terraces spill down the hillsides around the tiny village and are great to explore on foot or by bike, or just to chill out in. The ethnic minorities in Mai Chau are predominantly White and Black Thai, whose ancestors are from Thailand. These people live in traditional stilted homes but have all but abandoned their traditional dress, and the town is now fully set up for visitors, so don’t expect a deep cultural experience here. Lots of tour buses arrive every hour and the locals know how to <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/the-ethical-traveler-s-guide-to-souvenir-shopping">sell their beautiful woven souvenirs</a>. <h2 id="bangioc">Ban-Gioc and Dietan Falls</h2> These waterfalls are arguably two of the most beautiful sights in Vietnam. You can visit them on a tour from Hanoi or independently by hopping on the public bus at Cao Bằng station. On the way, you can stop at Ngườm Ngao Cave to view the stunning stalactite and stalagmite formations, as well as enjoy the cooler temperatures as you explore deeper and deeper below ground. After a visit to the cave, hop on a motor taxi, for about US $2, to take you the final 1.8 miles (3km) to the falls. There are signs everywhere that read “No Swimming” in both Vietnamese and English, but many tourists and locals find it hard to resist the blue pools that surround the cascading falls. It’s best to follow the rules and just enjoy these falls from the viewing platforms or from the bamboo rafts that offer tours closer to the falls. <h2 id="bacha">Bac Ha</h2> Bac Ha has a popular Sunday market where the local Flower Hmong congregate. The Flower Hmong women are known for their gorgeous, multi-colored traditional clothing and even if you’re not here to shop, it’s worth visiting to experience the explosion of color and chaos in this otherwise sleepy village. There are also some interesting markets a few miles from Bac Ha, including at Can Cau and Lung Phin, which offer a comparatively low-key village market experience. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/bac-ha-countryside-brianrapsey.jpg" /> <figcaption>Views over the countryside in Bac Ha. Photo credit: Brian Rapsey</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="tamcoc">Tam Coc</h2> The location of the Oscar-winning film Indochine, Tam Coc has since exploded onto Vietnam's tourism scene. One of the most conspicuously beautiful places in the country, with large, dark karsts bursting from brilliant green rice paddies, the scenery is larger than life. On a sunny day, when the rice is ready for harvest, you could easily go through an entire memory card of photographs and video clips. Don’t miss the many caves and grottos here, and ask the local women to teach you how to row a Sampan boat the traditional way – which is with your feet! The best way to explore the rice paddies and limestone karsts is <a href="/travel-insurance/activities/cycling-travel-insurance">by bike.</a> You can rent them in town, or join a tour that takes you around these beautiful formations, and usually includes lunch. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/Explore/vietnam/tam-coc-cycling-countryside-istock-thanhngoctran.jpg" /> <figcaption>Cycling around the countryside in Tam Coc. Photo credit: iStock/ThanNgocTran</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="hoalu">Hoa Lu</h2> History buffs should check out the incredibly ornate ancient capital of Hoa Lu. There are dozens of historical monuments in the area, including Dinh Tien Hoang Temple, Le Dai Hanh Temple, and Le Dai Hanh Tomb. Also, explore the 15th-century Bich Dong pagoda, a fascinating group of mountain temples that lies a few miles north of Tam Coc. Built in 1428, this historical site climbs up Ngu Nhac Mountain. Visitors typically ascend the mountain, viewing three separate pagodas along the way (Hạ, Trung, and Thượng) before reaching the top and enjoying expansive views of the surrounding countryside and karst formations.iStock/ThanNgocTran 0

Hung, the Boat Woman of Hue | Vietnam Travel Storyhttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/stories/connection/hung-the-boat-woman-of-hueHung, the Boat Woman of Hue | Vietnam Travel StoryTue, 17 Apr 2018 18:10:40 GMThttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/stories/connection/hung-the-boat-woman-of-huehttps://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/is-halong-bay-worth-itIs a junk boat cruise on Halong Bay worth doing? This guide will explore the breathtaking beauty of Halong Bay, the pros and cons of its cruises, and recommend some worthy alternatives like Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay.2024-07-15T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/is-halong-bay-worth-ithttps://www.worldnomads.comThere's a lot of debate over whether Halong Bay is a beautiful wonder of the world, or if it has become an overrun tourist trap where party boats and garbage litter the bay. The answer is not a simple one. Before you book a trip, here are some things to consider. <ul> <li><a href="#why-go-to-halong-bay">Why should you visit Halong Bay?</a></li> <li><a href="#the-pathway-to-ha-long-bay">The downsides to Halong Bay</a></li> <li><a href="#is-ha-long-bay-worth-it">Is a Halong Bay cruise worth it? </a></li> <li><a href="#off-the-beaten-path">Alternatives to Halong Bay</a></li> <li><a href="#ethical-concerns">Are Halong Bay cruises eco-friendly?</a></li> <li><a href="#getting-there">Getting to Halong Bay</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="why-go-to-halong-bay">Why visit Halong Bay? The unique beauty of this iconic natural wonder</h2> This extraordinary bay, with its towering limestone karsts, make it a natural attraction worthy of a UNESCO World Heritage listing.  There are more than 1,600 islets in the bay, their limestone worn down by 500 million years of tropical downpours, and topped by thick jungle growth. Some of the islands are hollow, and visitors can take guided tours inside to explore majestic caves. Some of the larger islands even have their own lakes.  At the center of the bay there are 775 formations in an area of just 127mi² (330km²) – and this is where travelers onboard a traditional Vietnamese junk boat can explore the bay's islands, caves, and floating villages. <h2 id="the-pathway-to-ha-long-bay">The downsides to Halong Bay: tourist crowds and environmental concerns</h2> On the downside, there is now a well-worn path that leads from the hostels of <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/an-insiders-guide-to-hanoi">Hanoi</a> straight to Halong Bay. What were once quintessential, sleepy fishing villages are now transport hubs for hundreds of vessels that ply the waters. The Irish backpacker you met at <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/cambodia/top-things-to-do-in-siem-reap">Siem Reap</a> is likely in the queue to buy a ticket, and the last free berth has just been sold to a honeymoon couple from Pittsburgh. Regulation and safety haven't always kept pace with the popularity of the destination and the rapid expansion of services to meet demand. So, should you go? Or has it been loved to death?  <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/explore/vietnam/cat-ba-island-kayaking-gettyimages-ninelutsk.jpg" alt="Kayaking through a floating village in Halong Bay." /><figcaption>Kayaking through a floating village in Halong Bay. Photo credit: Getty Images/ninelutsk</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="is-ha-long-bay-worth-it">Is a Halong Bay cruise worth it? Tips for chosing the right tour</h2> Halong Bay is a magnet for tourists from all over the world. However, some things are popular for a reason, and Halong Bay is definitely one of them. No one can deny the unique beauty of the bay, and depending on which cruise you choose, it is possible to have a relaxing and memorable experience that isn't ruined by a bucket-load of tourists. While I am often in favor of independent travel over organized tours, Halong Bay is one of those places that cannot be experienced without booking some kind of group tour. (Unless you have your own sailboat, that is!) It's important to know that the tour you choose will greatly affect the type of experience that you have – so <a href="https://southeastasiabackpacker.com/halong-bay-tour/" target="_blank">choose wisely</a>. If you don't want to end up singing karaoke at 4am on a boat decked out with neon lights and a disco ball, then be sure to do your research. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/explore/vietnam/fisherman-in-halong-bay-gettyimages-mark-keelan.jpg" alt="A fisherman paddling in Halong Bay." /> <figcaption>A fisherman paddling in Halong Bay. Photo credit: Getty Images/Mark Keelan</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="off-the-beaten-path">Alternative destinations: Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay</h2> Are there ways to have a more authentic experience here? Absolutely! I suggest <a href="https://southeastasiabackpacker.com/destinations/vietnam/cat-ba-island/" target="_blank">Cat Ba Island</a> or <a href="https://southeastasiabackpacker.com/lan-ha-bay-vietnam/" target="_blank">Lan Ha Bay</a> instead. <h3>Is Cat Ba Island worth visiting?</h3> Budget backpackers may consider getting themselves to the island of Cat Ba from Hanoi (via bus and ferry), and booking a day tour of Lan Ha Bay and Halong Bay from there. The tours that can be booked from Cat Ba Island can be much cheaper, sometimes even 1/10 of the price! Plus, you get the added bonus of getting to spend more time on Cat Ba Island itself, where there is a lot to explore. You can go hiking in Cat Ba National Park, visit the abandoned Hospital Cave, or relax on one of Cat Ba's lovely beaches. A motorbike is a great way to get around the island. Tours can be booked from travel agencies or backpacker hostels, and start at around US $20 per day. <h3>Is Lan Ha Bay worth visiting?</h3> Lan Ha is a neighboring bay to Halong that's equally as stunning, but for some reason receives a fraction of the crowds, You can book a two or three day tour to Lan Ha Bay from Hanoi (around US $300 for a luxury tour), or you can arrange a cheaper day tour from Cat Ba Island. We recommend booking a two or three night tour where you spend one night on the boat in the middle of Lan Ha Bay, and one night in a homestay on one of the small beautiful islands in the bay. As well as being less crowded than Halong Bay, Lan Ha Bay is less polluted, as fewer tourist boats make it here. This means that you have a better chance of spotting wildlife – birds and mammals such as the highly endangered Cat Ba langur that is native to this area. There are also loads of adventure activities to do in Lan Ha Bay, from <a href="/travel-insurance/activities/kayaking-or-rafting">kayaking</a> into caves and even rock climbing and <a href="/travel-insurance/activities/hiking-travel-insurance">hiking</a> on some of the islands located in Lan Ha Bay. (Cat Ba Island itself is actually located in Lan Ha Bay.) Planning a trip to Vietnam? Find out <a href="/travel-insurance">how travel insurance can help</a> in case of unexpected illness, lost luggage, or other travel mishaps. <h2 id="ethical-concerns">Are Halong Bay cruises eco-friendly? How to choose sustainable tours</h2> Some travelers have reported seeing a lot of trash around Halong Bay, or felt that some tour operators didn't seem concerned about waste or conservation. There's some truth to that. Unfortunately, we have heard reports from members of the South East Asia Backpacker Community of operators dumping waste off the boats into Halong Bay. Especially by the harbor, it's possible to see a lot of trash in the water, a sight that is sadly common throughout Vietnam. However, as you get out into the bay (and in particular, Lan Ha Bay), the waters become cleaner and are safe for swimming. While many tour operators claim to be eco-friendly and have concerns for the environment, it's important to <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/how-to-choose-an-ethical-tour-operator">do your research</a>. We advise that you ask the tour operator several important questions before booking their tour in Halong Bay. What environmental practices do they have in place on board? What do they do with the plastic on board? Do they recycle? etc. A good tour company who cares about the local area will be more than happy to answer your questions. <h2 id="getting-there">Tips for getting to Halong Bay: travel tips and transportation options</h2> A great way to travel Vietnam is by train. The trains are comfortable and clean, and you can watch the landscape of Vietnam change out of the window. The train network runs all the way from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. If you prefer to travel by night and save money on accommodation, the sleeper trains are actually very comfortable and you can get a good night's sleep while covering a great distance. (We do not recommend taking night buses in Vietnam as there have been many accidents caused by drivers that are overtired.) The jumping-off point for Halong Bay is Hanoi. From the capital, you can get a bus three hours to Hai Phong Harbor and then set sail to Halong Bay from there. Most tour operators include transport to and from Hanoi in the price of their trip. Getty Images/cristaltran 1537645163 Getty Images Halong Bay as seen from Titop island.

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/dos-and-donts-when-travelling-in-vietnamNomad Ronan O’Connell shares what to do and what to avoid in Vietnam. Here are his tips on Vietnamese culture and etiquette, currency, weather, and getting around. 2022-06-27T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/dos-and-donts-when-travelling-in-vietnamhttps://www.worldnomads.comMeasuring 1,000mi (1,600km) from top to bottom, home to more than 50 ethnic groups, and bordered by the contrasting countries of China, Cambodia, and Laos, Vietnam is perhaps the most diverse travel destination in Southeast Asia. That helps explain why it continues to intrigue and thrill me, even after more than a dozen visits. It’s also why travelers should study up on Vietnam before visiting. Here are a few insider tips to know before you go. <ul> <li><a href="#cities">Get out of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City</a></li> <li><a href="#respect">Etiquette when visiting religious sites in Vietnam</a></li> <li><a href="#currency">Vietnam currency advice - be prepared to become a millionaire</a></li> <li><a href="#weather">Managing the weather in Vietnam</a></li> <li><a href="#clothing">You can buy brand-name clothing for next to nothing</a></li> <li><a href="#motorbike">Unless you’re experienced, don’t ride a motorbike in Vietnam</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="cities">Get out of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City</h2> Vietnam’s cities are so lively, so captivating, that I didn’t venture outside them on my first three trips. When I finally delved into its countryside I was transfixed – not just due to the natural splendor of its misty mountains, dense forests, photogenic rice terraces, and sun-laced beaches, but also the wonderful heritage that’s preserved in its villages and towns. While Vietnam’s cities have modernized greatly in the past 20 years, becoming increasingly Westernized, beyond those metropolises are many communities which showcase unique and ancient architecture and lifestyles. For example, Duong Lam, a charming 1,200-year-old farming village of mud brick homes which lies about 37mi (60km) west of <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/an-insiders-guide-to-hanoi">Hanoi</a>. Perhaps you want a simultaneous dose of heritage and scenery? Then visit Lao Cai, a rugged province in the far north of Vietnam that hugs its border with China. This is one of the first places I ever traveled solo, and I still have daydreams about its colorful hill tribes, spectacular hiking trails, and historic mountainside villages. <h2 id="respect">Etiquette when visiting religious sites in Vietnam</h2> Encompassing gilded Buddhist temples, colorful Taoist pagodas, and stately Christian churches, Vietnam’s regal religious structures are among the country’s finest attractions. I highly recommend Hanoi’s lakeside Tran Quoc Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City’s flamingo pink church, and <a href="/stories/connection/hung-the-boat-woman-of-hue">Hue’s ancient Thien Mu Pagoda</a>. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/explore/vietnam/thien-mu-pagoda.jpg" alt="The ancient, multi-tiered Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue, Vietnam." /> <figcaption>Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue. Image credit: Getty Images / rchphoto</figcaption></figure> Although visitors to these religious sites aren’t directed to cover up, there is an unwritten dress code. These are, after all, <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/respectful-travel">places of solemn worship</a>, so don’t wear anything too casual or too revealing. Vietnamese people are so polite they likely won’t confront you even if you’re dressed inappropriately, so take it upon yourself to be neat, tidy, and reasonably modest in appearance, to keep your voice down inside these complexes, and not to be intrusive with your photography. I’ve never had anyone object to me taking a photo inside a Vietnamese religious site, but while doing so I keep as much distance as possible, so as not to disturb worshippers. <h2 id="currency">Vietnam currency advice – be prepared to become a millionaire</h2> Changing just USD $50 in Vietnam will make you a millionaire – that’s because $1 normally converts to more than 25,000 Vietnamese Dong. I’m good at math, but even I struggle mentally converting a Vietnamese price tag of, say 1.4 million Dong, which is why my phone’s calculator gets a lot of use. Further complicating matters is the fact <a href="https://www.sbv.gov.vn/webcenter/portal/en/home/sbv/bac/mic?centerWidth=80%25&leftWidth=20%25&rightWidth=0%25&showFooter=false&showHeader=false&_adf.ctrl-state=p85jhnzyj_83&_afrLoop=58368810861144466#%40%3F_afrLoop%3D58368810861144466%26centerWidth%3D80%2525%26leftWidth%3D20%2525%26rightWidth%3D0%2525%26showFooter%3Dfalse%26showHeader%3Dfalse%26_adf.ctrl-state%3D14n8vh3f4p_78">Vietnam has 12 different varieties of notes</a>. The lowest denomination is 100 Dong, which is worth about USD 0.05c. So, your wallet could bulge with hundreds of those bills, yet combined they’d only amount to USD $1. Because of the bulk of notes, I don’t carry any denomination less than 10,000 Dong (worth around USD 40c) and leave the remainder in my room as part of my daily tip for the hotel cleaners. <h2 id="weather">Managing the weather in Vietnam</h2> One of the few things I dislike about Southeast Asia is its year-round hot and humid weather. So, I treasure the fact that Vietnam actually has a real winter. Home to some of the northernmost points of SE Asia – including national capital Hanoi, stunning hilltribe town Sapa, and <a href="/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/is-halong-bay-worth-it">spectacular Halong Bay</a> – the upper third of Vietnam can be refreshingly cool. <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/explore/vietnam/red-dao-sapa.jpg" alt="A member of the Red Dao hilltribe overlooks terraced fields near Sapa, Vietnam." /> <figcaption>A member of the Red Dao hill tribe near Sapa, Vietnam. Image credit: Brian Rapsey</figcaption></figure> From November to February, maximum temperatures there typically rest in the friendly 66°-77°F (19°-25°C) range, compared to 86°-93°F (30°-34°C) in places like Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In the wonderful mountain villages of northern Vietnam, temperatures can drop as low as 39°F (4°C) in winter. <h2 id="clothing">You can buy brand-name clothing for next to nothing</h2> Southeast Asia is famous for markets which sell fake versions of popular clothing brands. In Vietnam, though, you can buy real brand-name clothing for as cheap as those copies. That’s because Vietnam is a hub of manufacturing for many leading clothing brands, and their factory seconds end up being sold for one-quarter of retail prices in places like the Old Quarter of Hanoi, or Ho Chi Minh City’s Russian market. These factory seconds are not torn or stained or misshapen – typically they just have tiny blemishes, like interior labels that are off-center or smudged. Over the past decade, I’ve bought dozens of these brand-name shirts, jackets, shorts and pants in Vietnam which looked perfect from the outside, and over years of wear proved to be the genuine article. <h2 id="motorbike">Unless you’re experienced, don’t ride a motorbike in Vietnam</h2> It strikes me every time I arrive in Vietnam – the remarkable volume of motorbikes, which outnumber cars by more than 20 to 1 in this nation. It’s tempting to join in because motorbikes are very cheap to rent, it’s legal for foreigners to hire versions that are 50cc or less, and Vietnamese scenery is splendid and begs to be explored on two wheels. But, as explained in <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/southeast-asia/vietnam/motorbike-safety">our guide to motorcycling in Vietnam</a>, this is not a country for novices. If you’re a veteran motorcyclist, then by all means, savor the ride (be sure you’re <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/southeast-asia/do-i-need-a-license-to-ride-a-motorbike">properly licensed</a>, and always wear a helmet). But amateurs can easily get into trouble due to the swarming and unpredictable traffic, often uneven road surfaces, and their lack of familiarity with Vietnam’s road rules.Getty Images/zgr_pro 1506059958 Getty Images Limestone cliffs above Halong Bay.

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/cyclo-culture-join-the-slow-laneWant to know the benefits of taking a cyclo tour around Vietnam's major cities? A nomad shares her experience and tips for hailing a cyclo.2009-06-01T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/explore/southeast-asia/vietnam/cyclo-culture-join-the-slow-lanehttps://www.worldnomads.comCyclos (also called trishaws) in Vietnam are now mainly for tourists, although many locals do still use them from time to time. They aren't hard to miss, as drivers ring their bells constantly trying to attract attention, especially near tourist attractions. In a cyclo you’re sitting in front of the driver who is on a bicycle behind you, so you really <a href="/travel-safety/southeast-asia/vietnam/travel-tips-for-vietnam" target="_blank">feel part of the crazy street traffic</a>. If this sounds like a terrifying proposition to be in among the moped frenzy of Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi, then let me explain some of the great benefits of grabbing a cyclo. <ul> <li><a href="#benefits"> The benefits of taking a cyclo </a></li> <li><a href="#downside"> The downside of taking a cyclo </a></li> <li><a href="#tips"> Tips for hailing a cyclo </a></li> <li><a href="#adventure"> Christy's Hanoi adventure </a></li> </ul> <h2 id="benefits">Benefits of taking a cyclo</h2> <ul> <li>In the hot climate, the breeze often will keep you cooler than in the non air conditioned taxis.</li> <li>Cyclos are meant to fit two people, but if there are plenty around and you’re with a friend take two cyclos – easier for the driver and better for the local economy.</li> <li>The guys work hard all day and are often far from their families, earning a small keep in the big city to send their kids to school.</li> <li>Aside from your contribution to the economy, the real benefits of traveling by cyclo is that the city moves by at a different pace.</li> <li>If you're interested in the art of people watching and generally understanding the minutae of daily life that give Vietnam it's unique feel, then the slow pace of cyclos are a must-have travel experience.</li> </ul> <h2 id="downside">Downside of taking a cyclo</h2> The downside to all this is occasionally absorbing new smells – not always that nice if you pass piles of rubbish or sewers! Careful with the scammers too. One of our Nomads got scammed on her first day in Ho Chi Minh. The driver promised it would cost AU$10, but at the end of the trip, he demanded they pay AU$100! When you're unfamiliar with the Dong, it isn't hard to get confused. <h2 id="tips">Tips for hailing a cyclo</h2> <ul> <li>Negotiate the price before setting out – don’t bargain too hard though, this is a low-income country.</li> <li>Have the correct rate, as they often don't seem to have change.</li> <li>Take a deep breath. You’ll be in the middle of traffic so it won’t be a smooth, eventless journey, but that said, it is a wonderful way to see things in style, and at a human pace rather than whizzing past in a taxi.</li> </ul> <h2 id="adventure">My Hanoi adventure</h2> I'd been in Hanoi just one day and couldn't work out how to cross the street. After half an hour watching for a gap in the relentless traffic, a guy gently took my arm and led me calmly and boldly into the oncoming traffic. We reached the other side safely and I grinned... "Thank you, thank you" I said, as he hopped back on his parked cyclo. "How about a ride tomorrow? I'll pick you up at 9 and take you everywhere!" How could I say no? And thus begun a great three days in Hanoi as seen from the front of Mr Bihn's bike. The highlights were a spot of lunch in a local restaurant near some military buildings – no English on the menu, the *best* fish in tomato and dill dish I have ever eaten, and a roomful of uniformed Officers talking and laughing over tea and rice. It was a moment in time where the communist Vietnam of old, and entrepreneurship of new came face to face. The deal was that I paid for both of us – about US$5 in total – but got to see a local view that wasn't on offer to other tourists. For me, a priceless memory. Cyclo drivers are a lifeline into the real life of Hanoi.iStock/tbradford 0534662239 iStock Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam - November 15, 2008: A richshaw driver rides pass a bar with people dining outside in the busy Pham Ngu Lao area Of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). This area is popular with backpackers and has many hotels, guess houses, bars and restaurants.