Luxury Travel Testimonial - Part 4:
Center of Vietnam along the coast.
 We had to leave our paradise island at Nha Trang. From the island to the maniland, the pick up at the mainland hotel reception there by the guide and driver and the transfer to the airport went perfectly. And so did the flight from Nha Trang to Danang. As soon as we arrived in this city, we felt at home once again with the guide and driver who were to be with us throughout our stay in the center of Vietnam, that is Danang, Hoi An and Hue as well of course during the excursions surrounding these areas. Second and third from left to right the guide and driver. The guide was once again a real expert in her field and all the areas we asked to visit (Picture 16) We requested a lot of visits covering a wide range of topics! Here we are sharing a meal with the guide and driver during one of the excursions outside of town. When we arrived in Danang, it happened to be a couple of days before Tet (the Vietnamese Lunar New Year holiday and celebration). We noticed a massive open air flower market in Danang on the occasion of Tet when the Vietnamese buy flowers for their families and friends. And so this was our first unexpected stop at our request with the guide and driver in full festive spirit for their holidays even through they were working (04). We still had ample time to visit the a marble sculpture shop and the Champa Museum serving as an introduction to this ancient civilization existing in Vietnam during the second and fifteenth century (Picture 17).
During our commentary on Nha Trang, we had mentioned this hidden secret of Vietnam: culture/learning experience combined with beach and sun. We had thought that our previous experiences were great, but number one on our list immediately became Hoi An. Why? Our hotel was the Hoi An Palm Garden Resort: right on the beach with a beautiful garden and swimming pool. The unspoiled, virgin and very wide beach stretched for miles and miles, as far as the eye can sea. But what made this spot most valuable and unique was that the hotel and its beach is situated only a few kilometers from Hoi An. The ancient part of this town is a virtual small city museum, inscribed as part of the UNESCO World heritage sights. You can take the free hotel shuttle back and forth from the hotel to the old town, or even a taxi (inexpensive). Here in Hoi An you really have the best of both worlds: educational/learning experience on the one hand and leisure on the other. In addition to the hotel we stayed at and recommend fully, Luxury also has at its disposal other such hotels.
As you may have noticed, we are very much interested in the war in Vietnam . And so the visit to the famous My Lai sight, scene of the 1968 massacre of the Vietnamese village and its civilians was unforgettable. We recommend this visit, irrespective of the degree of interest in this event and the war. It is worth it just to see how well the Vietnamese reconstructed the village with the accompanying museum (highly recommended!) and thus bringing to life this the tragic events but also the noble deeds of some Americans who attempted to save the Vietnamese. Here we are with our guide and the local village/museum guide on the right who is a descendent of one of the families killed.
We of course visited My Son, a UNESCO World heritage sight as the main vestige of the Champa empire (4 th to 13 th century), the Vietnamese equivalent of Angkor as an Indian influenced empire). An expert guide as we had is a must for this type of visit (Picture 18).
The next day we visited the ancient city of Hoi An, another UNESCO world heritage sight where our guide took us through the most important sights with full explanations. We also had a cruise on the Hoi An River. Here we are leaving the town of Hoi An and getting into the swing of things with the river boat pilot on our private boat tour. This short cruise offered some great sights of river life.
What we also liked was the ability to wander around the old city of Hoi An on our own. The architecture, atmosphere and daily life invites foreigners simply to hang out both during the day time and in the evening, strolling the peaceful streets (no cars allowed!) Hoi An is inviting for just strolling around, much like say visiting the left bank of the Paris near the Seine, or the old world heritage sight of Quebec City. This can be combined with some time at the beach at the hotel. We recommend that you organize your schedule for this possibility. In fact, if you are tight for time as far as the over-all tour in Indo-China is concerned, but you want to spend some time on the beach in order to forget about the winter with its cold weather and snow storms back home, you can skip Nha Trang, or the other beaches in the south that we have mentioned. As a trade off for this, you can satisfy this desire of sun and beach while being within a stone's throw of one of the most impressive towns in the country. Consult with Luxury Travel, they can suggest an itinerary based on this alternative.
The next city to be visited was Hue . The drive from Hoi An north to Hue through Danang was not just a drive to get from point A to point B. With the collaboration of the guide and driver, we stopped in Danang once again and visited the Marble mountains which served as the source of Cham sculpture. A photo op in Danang, one of the two most important ports in the country and the fourth most important city. Driving towards Hue with a talented driver and latest model car brings us through mountainous Hai Van Pass (1,172 meters altitude) with a great view from this area. It is known as the Dalat of the center because it was also a summer refuge for the French. Descending into the plains surrounding Hue once again we come across rice fields.
At Hue we stayed at La Residence Hotel and Spa (a former French governor's residence). This structure was completely restored and rebuilt combining French colonial and art-deco architecture and design in order to meet the most modern standards (Picture 19). We highly recommend this hotel which also has a beautiful pool and dining room over-looking the Perfume River which runs through the town of Hue .
In Hue itself, there are the tombs of the former emperor and the Citadel surrounding the Purple Forbidden City, another World Heritage sight seen here as we visit with our guide (Picture 20 ). A visit to Hue is not complete without a private cruise on the Perfume River. What a great way to finish our journey in this part of Vietnam with a drive along the Perfume River as the sun sets.
Arnold August
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