As my friend Melinda said, “I never knew I wanted to go to Vietnam before, and now I can’t wait.” Vietnam travel has always been on the long list that my wife and I keep folded in our atlas, but there are few destinations that are not. Now, like Melinda, I’m wondering why did we wait so long?
Prior to reading Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent’s all-enocompassing memoir A Short Ride in the Jungle: The Ho Chi Minh Trail by Motorcycle, my Vietnamese knowledge was at spring roll level at best. Growing up in southwestern Ontario, my first true bite of exotica was at Quan 99, a tiny Vietnamese resto that opened a few blocks from my high school. I’d go solo at first, possibly shirking off a dull history class in favour of crispy spring rolls that shattered with each bite. I slowly moved my way through the unfamiliar menu of glazed duck wings, spring wok snow peas with tangles of vermicelli to thick durian and soursop shakes. Confident, I then began luring everyone I knew to join me. I loved what little I knew of Vietnam long ago through the bright flavours of lemongrass, coriander and fruit that never found its way into our usual grocery store.
Being a longtime Anthony Bourdain fan, it’s no big secret that one of his greatest eating love affairs was with Vietnam. He filmed eight episodes there as part of his A Cook’s Tour, No Reservations and Parts Unknown series, extolling his affection for spicy beef Phở for breakfast, bird’s nest soup, wild boar and Mekong moonshine.
Knowing Kim and I would be a part of Wild Women’s inaugural Northern Vietnam Hiking Adventure this March, my Christmas holidays were spent waist-deep in everything Vietnamese, including the pages of a very edible cookbook memoir, My Vietnamese Kitchen by Uyen Luu. This book served as a gorgeous lesson in Vietnamese food philosophies (the yin and yang concept) with an introduction to unheard-of garnishes like cockscomb mint, wood ear mushrooms and curly morning glory garnishes. There were even pictograms distinguishing the dozen types of noodles and herbs that are integral to Vietnamese recipes.
Tube Houses and Water Puppets
It’s impossible for me to go anywhere without knowing a good chunk of history and what to expect when it comes to local flora, fauna, noodles and the unusual—like the tube houses, water puppet theatre and incense stick village near Hanoi where the sticks are laid out to dry in brilliant abundance.
Tube houses emerged as a solution to escaping higher property taxes. A skinnier footprint and small facade translated to lower taxes (and optimized land use). The streetscapes of several Vietnamese cities showcase this tax-savvy approach in tube house designs that tower three to five stories high with windows located on the front facade only.
Did you know that the famed water puppet theatre originated in the early 11th-century? Due to the predictable annual floods in the Red River delta during monsoon season, historians believe that the theatre was created by farmers out of boredom. Carving puppets out of fig wood, performances continue behind bamboo curtains with puppet masters standing in water up to their waists.
It would be remiss to speak of Vietnam without mention of the American War and the defoliation campaign that saw eight million tonnes of napalm bombs dropped on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The effects won’t escape the generations to come—either will the influence of thousands of years of Chinese rule, then French, Japan and American occupation. In a positive twist, the French left cathedrals, a rail system, opera houses and baguettes.
Fried Eels and Turtle Gods
Vietnam is full of curious evolution at every turn. Hanoi is home to the world’s largest ceramic mosaic mural, a bridge designed by Gustav Eiffel, a Turtle God, custom silk clothing shops, car rentals that include a driver, fried eel vendors, cheap spas, an ice rink, Minsk bike tours, a very perky coffee culture, an unreal incense village and spaghetti Bolognese.
I’m looking forward to the Hanoi congestion that Lonely Planet describes as a “frantic commercial labyrinth.” I’m eager to take a tiny seat at the eateries that open up to the street in a haze of charcoal smoke, bubbling broths and steaming rice crepes. I’ve already compiled a to-eat list: nem cua (sea crab spring rolls), xoi yen (sticky rice topped with spicy Asian sausage, fried egg and slow-cooked pork), betel leaves, ca phe trung (egg coffee) and as many banh mi as humanly possible. These Vietnamese baguettes are “like biting into crispy air” as the dough is removed from the centre of the baguette and stuffed with combo of sweet and sour: shredded carrot, daikon, umami-rich pate, BBQ pork, cooling coriander and cuke with a swizzle of spicy chili sauce.
The Sanctuary of Sapa and Topas Ecolodge
After a solid fill of the city’s fever, the hiking hub of Sapa will be a pure refuge. Here, the summit of Mount Fanispan looms in the mist—mountains hug all sides of Sapa and its plunging valley.
Wild Women has lined up some impressive stays on this itinerary like the stone and thatch bungalows with maxed-out balcony views at the Topas Ecolodge in Hoang Lien National Park near Sapa. There is a dense history in this national park where ethnic minority groups like the Red Dao tribe, Hmong and Tay reside. On this soft hiking adventure, Wild Women will be guided by a Hmong woman from the Sapa O’Chau Travel Social Enterprise. They are the only tour operator in Vietnam that is officially registered as a social enterprise providing opportunities for all ethnic minorities through guiding positions, tours, a hotel, café and handicraft store. We’ll visit a few of these villages on our hiking routes and learn more about their daily rhythms. I’ll also be looking over my shoulder for langurs (leaf-eating monkeys), hooting gibbons, sunbirds, cuckoos, needletails, buttonquails and honey buzzards. A collared scops owl or gray-capped pygmy woodpecker will be at the top of my pecking order.
In Halong Bay, we’re spending two nights on a boutique wooden boat that will navigate through the surreal limestone pillars and Chinese-style junks that dot the Gulf of Tonkin. Exploring the caves and legends below the surface in this area by sampan (traditional wooden boat) will be a cool experience.
There’s a favourable mix of zest and rest squeezed into this itinerary—just like the Vietnamese approach to balanced eating through yin and yang principles. Wild Women’s Northern Vietnam Hiking Adventure offers everything from an interactive cooking class to beach time on Hon CO Island to market visits, long walks in the national park and unique edible experiences like the welcome dinner at the Michelin-recommended A Bản Mountain Dew.
Sounds totally satiating to me. What do you think?
If you loved this post be sure to check out my previous posts on how to prep for Wild Women adventures in Scotland and Switzerland. You can also check out our Ultimate Guide to Vietnam to learn more about Vietnam Travel on our Northern Vietnam Hiking Adventure and our alternative Northern Vietnam Explorer itinerary designed for the Wild at Heart!
