I am really troubled.

My posts are very balanced and responsible.

Why are you editing them?

The great advice of Fodorites led us to book a car and driver to go from Furama to Hue, and we are so glad that we booked that route.

The drive through Lang Co and the mountain pass were charming.

We arrived at La Residence Hue on schedule. My husband and son had stayed there the previous summer on business and wanted me to see it. It did not disappoint -- I loved La Residence even though I am not an Art Deco fan. The hotel and its well trained staff are a delight. So is th pool overloooking the Perfume River.

MaryA-did your GI illness post ever get up on the forum? If so, then it was edited. If you never saw it up, there was probably a glitch in the posting. They don't edit too much and certainly not in the early morning.

Of course, pandas never sleep. We are eternally diligent.

Marya,
Very enjoyable reading. Am looking forward to your posting about having clothing made in Hanoi.

I don't believe anything was edited out, the posting probably was delayed.

awaiting the next section

Hue, as many of you know, was the imperial capital from 1802 to 1945 so it boasts some impressive monuments and ruins in addition to having a reputation for the best regional Vietnamese cuisine. Two private tours arranged by the Exotissimo desk in our hotel helped us to discover the city.

One afternoon, we took a cyclo-into-the countryside tour which we loved. Later on, by the way, our guide said this tour was rarely booked. He explained that most tourists come through Hue for about two nights, naturally focusing their attention on the Citadel, the Imperial Tombs, and the cuisine. Because we had four nights, we were looking for something a little different, a little “more,” so this is what we settled on. We are glad of it.

Four cyclos and drivers showed up at La Residence at the appointed afternoon time: one for each of the three of us and one for our “guide” who was more a manager of the process because you cannot provide much narration of a tour that takes place in independently driven cyclos. We set out across town with the requisite hair-raising crossing of busy intersections… The tour became great fun as we got to the outskirts of town and crossed beautiful ride paddies framed by distant hills. We rode for an hour or more on flat land out to a famed local covered bridge that the locals proudly compare with the “Japanese Bridge” in Hoi An. When this tour goes out in the morning, there is the opportunity to visit the thriving local market that had already closed when we arrived but no matter – it was still interesting to walk around the village-like setting and observe.

After treating all the cyclo drivers to drinks at inflated prices and a well-earned rest, we got back on board for the return to town. Along the way, we got lots of opportunities to see how locals live. The pace of cyclos is so well suited to observation of your local surroundings. We got back to town and headed over to the large covered market that was all the more atmospheric (read: dark) because of the afternoon’s electric power cut. Last of all, we headed over to the Citadel for some late afternoon enjoyment of the area. While the drivers took another well-earned rest, we happily strolled over lotus ponds and just basked in the environment. Then they returned us to our hotel.

The next day, we booked a full day private tour of Hue. The itinerary: (1) the Thien Mu Pagoda, (2) the Citadel (or Imperial City), (3) lunch, (4) a rest back at the hotel, (5) an outing to two of the imperial tombs.

We first walked the short distance from our hotel to the banks of the Perfume River where we boarded a so-called dragon boat for the approximately 25 minute ride to Thien Mu Pagoda, much prized by the Vietnamese. We enjoyed the relaxing river trip, touring the structures, seeing the view of the river from on high, and observing the monks since this is a working monastery. We especially enjoyed eavesdropping on the young monks English language class. Try not to visit during lunch time when only the buildings are available to you.

I had read that the Citadel was mostly ruins indecipherable without the help of a good guide but this information is out of date: Hue is rapidly restoring its imperial city so there is quite a balance of ruins and restored buildings. (Don’t ask me to comment on the quality of the restoration – I’m not qualified to judge.) Despite the searing heat of the day, I loved the tour. It was better than I expected. (Don’t you love when that happens?) It was particularly moving to me to climb to the top of the Noon Gate (Cua Ngo Mon) and think about the fact that this balcony was where Emperor Bao Dai surrendered power to Ho Chi Minh in 1945.

After hours at the Citadel, we were exhausted from the heat and happily went off to our scheduled lunch at Ancient Hue, a remote restaurant that we never would have found on our own that apparently bases its menus on those of the Nguyen emperors. It includes several open-sided buildings on beautifully landscaped grounds. We had the set menu booked by Exotissimo. It was quite adequate but it was the surroundings that were a real treat. On that hot afternoon at lunch time, we were the only people served in the main building. Normally I would despair at such a situation, but it felt fine in this context. Just as we were preparing to leave, another Western couple arrived, undoubtedly another pair of tour guests. We were given a tour of a traditional Hue-style home on the premises before we left. Also, because I had expressed an interest to Exotissimo in seeing residential architecture as well as imperial palace ruins and tombs, we were taken by our guide to see a modest inhabited home and, inexplicably, a restaurant under construction that allegedly replicates the style of a grand traditional home.

“Home” for a brief rest and then onward to two of the Imperial Tombs…

Hue Imperial Tombs

We chose to see two: that of Khai Dinh (because my husband had never seen it and I wanted him to enjoy something new) and that of Minh Mang (because he had seen it and wanted me to do so). Minh Mang is a little farther out of town -- the standard tour usually features Khai Dinh and another closer-in tomb.

"Tomb," as many of you know, is a misnomer. These are extraodinary complexes that were often enjoyed during the emperor's lifetime in addition to being their sacred burial grounds.

Frommer's calls Khai Dinh's tomb "one of the world's wonders." That is perhaps overstatement, but it is a remarkable memorial to a flamboyant megalomoaniac. (I usually don't speak this crude way but you will understand if you have seen the tomb.) The complex is also a fascinating study in how westernized Khai Dinh was. Do go. It is a wildly fantastic tribute in stone to a very self-involved man. It is also beautifully situated between the white tiger and blue dragon hills so your short, steep climb will repay your efforts with a beautiful view.

Minh Mang's Tomb coud not be more different -- classical, balanced, harmonious, situated on a very large and relatively flat tract of land. Some of it was closed for restoration so it may be even more appealing by the time some of you visit.

I wish that we had had time to see more of the tombs. I'd love to go back. Hue is a friendly, appealing, relaxed city.

La Residence was a delight in every way. It is an Accor franchise and has a very French tone which appeals to some of us. The restaurant, Le Parfum, is considered one of the city's best and we certainly enjoyed it numerous times, dining both indoors and on the lovely terrace and patio. The pool is quite pleasant.
The spa is undoubtedly wonderful from what I hear but, given how much we were spending on accomodations, meals and tours, we decided not to sample it. The only thing that surprised me was how newly built and thoroughly Art Deco it is -- almost like an ocean liner. I was expecting something more along the lines of La Residence Phou Vao in LP. Wrong.

The other issue is that La Residence is luxuriously self-contained rather than in the middle of things. If you want to be immersed in the city, go elsewhere.

Prices in Hue are a little lower than in Hanoi and HCMC. People are also friendlier. Here are some examples of what I mean. The new South African chef of Le Parfum kindly invited my son to bike over to the produce market one day. Second, when my husband stopped by the Exotissimo desk in the hotel one day -- not so busy in the low season although apparently wildly busy in the peak season -- the rep was plugged into an Ipod listening to music. When my husband asked what he was listening to, he replied that my son had played guitar for some of the staff earlier that day and they had liked the music so recorded it. Friendly, huh?

Was anything not perfect in Hue, you ask. Yes! La Carambole, a restaurant in town on Pham Ngu Lao with a French owner gets great reviews in the guidebooks but was our experience ever different. It was a pleasant little place that looked appealing but was the food on that day ever bad. Really bad to the point of being funny, I regret to say.

I started with an avocado "salad" that was a lovely cut up avocado, nicely ripened. Great. Then I had a croque monsieur -- French owner/chef, no? -- that was half charred, half uncooked and filled with inedible something. Never, even in my backpacking days when I was a student on a lean budget, was I ever served anything so vile. Moving on to dessert, I ordered mango cake. It took perhaps 15 minutes to come and then presented as a curiously pale lump of pastry. When I took a bite, I was scalded. Guess it was retrieved from a deep freezer and then microwave defrosted but never cooked. Also inedible. I then ordered Japanese Green Tea but got Jasmine Tea. No matter certainly but nothing was working right.

The problem with the restaurant can be easily summarized. No adult was minding the store (even though the woman whom we gathered to be the owner's wife was in the back of the room focused on her computer). A gaggle of young teen-aged servers was trying to cope but they were out of their depth. Also distracted by each other. Our table was back by the open bar area that connected to the kitchen so I couldn't help but observe staff interactions with each other and last stage food preparation. It was hilarious but didn't inspire confidence. Perhaps that was an off day...perhaps they are normally on top of their game at La Carambole but it was mystifyingly awful when we went.

Other random insights that might prove useful: whereas most of the other tourists at Furama in Danang had been from other Asian nations, we experienced some culture shock in arriving at La Residence/Hue where most of the other guests were European. Second, we especially enjoyed the hotel pool at sunset --early at this latitude -- when the lights in the pool area came on and the sun was setting, minimally visible out over the Perfume River but quite charming.

After plenty of pool time, touring, relaxation, internet connections with my daughter in China and family/friends in the states, we headed to the airport for our flight to HCMC/Saigon.

MaryA-your narrative is great. Very insightful. Keep it coming.

FREE LCUY.

Thanks marya for your additional responses re: Hanoi and the rest of your report - nice effort!

loving it!!

Wonderful report!

Daytrip: Danang to HOI AN

Oops. Before moving on from Hue to Saigon, I have to go back to correct an omission. While staying at the Furama in Danang, before getting sick, we spent the better part of a day in nearby Hoi An.

Furama runs a complementary daily shuttle to Hoi An that leaves after breakfast and departs Hoi An for the return at about 3 pm. The half-hour drive additionally affords some perspective on all the bustle and construction in Danang, and it provides a view of the "Marble Mountain" considered by locals to be in the shape of a dragon.

I definitely recommend seeing Hoi An. As you know, it is one of the few (5, I think) UNESCO World Heritage sites in Vietnam, the others being Hue, Halong Bay, My Son, and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. My response to Hoi An is a little unsettled though because as visually stunning as its architecture is, it feels like a town-sized museum and for some reason, that puts me on edge. It was also the most blazingly hot day imaginable. I normally tolerate heat well but was over-matched by the heat on that day.

So much in travel depends upon the idiosyncratically serendipitous or unfortunate, no? Extremes of weather and of health are especially powerful determinants of what we appreciate and fail to appreciate. I don't mean to bore you with the particulars of my introduction to Hoi An, just to alert you to the additional limitations on my point of view about the town.

We bought a standard admission ticket that allows you to sample an historic house, a museum, and an assembly hall. There are several choices on offer for each category. You are also entitled to entry into either the little chamber off the Japanese Bridge or something else, relating to handicrafts perhaps, that I forget because we chose the bridge. If you had more time, you could buy additional tickets. When we went to the Museum of Trade and Ceramics though, the ticket-taker told me that we would be allowed to visit as many museums as we wanted on that ticket that day; perhaps everyone flocks to the houses and assembly halls and leaves the museums relatively unvisited.

We chose The Old House of Tan Ky because my husband had already seen The Tran Family Home and Chapel on a previous visit. At Tan Ky, you are offered a small cup of tea and told that the woman opposite is a seventh-generation member of the family to occupy the house. Great start. The "tour" is then very bare-bones and doesn't supply much information at all, but it is worthwhile to sit quietly and enjoy the ambiance. It is also remarkable to see the markers of the many times the river has flooded the home.

The flamboyant Fukian Assembly Hall made me feel as though I was back in China. An aside: part of the fun of Hoi An is disentangling the various Asian and European influences on this long-time trading port.

The Museum of Trade Ceramics has the advantage of being located in a lovely old house and, was, as I mentioned nearly empty. Again, it is all about expectations, isn't it? My guidebook referred to the museum's extensive English-language descriptions that give you a thorough understanding of the town's "origins and history." I was excited about that but they over-promised, to put it mildly. Again, though, the experience of wandering around the house alone was worth it. I poked around out back and enjoyed having the second floor to myself where I could stand out on the covered balcony that affords a view of the street below.

Finally, we went to the Japanese Bridge sanctuary located just off the picturesque little bridge. Another minimalist commentary did little to illuminate the experience but being on the bridge affords one of those "I'm really here!" moments of delight because you have seen photos of the Japanese Bridge in so many books about Vietnam.

For lunch and cafe breaks, you are spoiled for choice although the same woman appears to own a number of the nice restaurants. We chose the Hoi An Cargo Club and Patisserie, a delightful two-story restaurant and bakery that my husband remembered fondly from an earlier trip. If you go, do sit upstairs rather than downstairs next to the bakery. They offer balcony seating overlooking the river but it was too much of a scorcher to sit there. We enjoyed the tranquil, high-ceilinged upstairs dining room. Near the end of our meal, a group of young Canadians staggered in articulating disbelief that any place on earth could be this hot. Seeing a group of young, healthy folk 30+ years younger than us struggling so with the heat made me feel like less of a wimp.

After a relaxing lunch, our spirits were restored and we went out to visit some of the sites mentioned above and to browse a bit in the galleries and shops, of which there are many. Before taking the shuttle back to Furama, we stopped for a juice drink in one of the little water-side cafes on Bach Dang. The guidebooks were right -- while seated we werer aggressively approached by salesmen and women hawking vegetables, fruits, and souvenirs.

On occasion, a penultimate version of my comments gets posted rather than the final version. I preview - edit -- preview again and all the changes previously viewable in the "preview" screen have vanished. Perhaps the problem is on my end with a periodic loss of connection and resetting? In any event this has happened several times.

Here is the end of my Hoi An remarks:

The Cargo Club is known for its patisserie. The pastries were indeed beautiful to look at but we did not sample them. I tend not to have an appetite for even the most exquisite European pastry in that setting and would rather up my sugar through fresh lime juice, Vietnamese-style coffee with sweetened condensed milk, mango and sticky rice, and so forth.

After a relaxing lunch, our spirits were restored and we went out to visit some of the sites mentioned above and to browse a bit in the galleries and shops, of which there are many. Before taking the shuttle back to Furama, we stopped for a juice drink in one of the little water-side cafes on Bach Dang. The guidebooks were right -- while seated we were aggressively approached by salesmen and women hawking vegetables, fruits, and souvenirs. I wonder how successful they are at making at-table sales. I don't mind an endless chorus of "Madame...you buy?" all day long because people are trying to make a living and you admire the entrepreneurial spirit. I do prefer a respite while at table though. Perhaps others feel differently.

HCMC/Saigon

La Residence was asking for a hotel-airport transfer fee that seemed ludicrous so we booked a taxi the night before for the trip to the airport. It worked well and was substantially less expensive.

We had arrived in Hue by car so this was my first introduction to this small airport with friendly personnel. How small? I had put my reading glasses away while receiving our boarding passes so, being lazy, I asked the airline rep which gate assignment our flight had. She smiled kindly at me and said that there was only one gate. I begged her indulgence of my first-time floundering question.

Our morning flight on Vietnam Airlines from Hue to Saigon was easy and uneventful, about an hour and 15 minutes long. Since we were being met at the airport by a business associate of my husband's, and since our Saigon hotel had been booked for us by business associates, I was temporarily off-duty as trip logistics commander and could just sat back and enjoy the introduction to a new city.

Wow, the traffic was as promised -- choking congestion and broader streets and larger vehicles than in motorbike-beset Hanoi. We crawled to the Sofitel Plaza Saigon, which is located away from the heart of things but across from the US and French consular offices and near the History Museum. You can also walk easily to the Post Office and Cathedral.

In previous trips, my husband has stayed in a couple of the riverside hotels -- the Renaisance Riverside and the New World, I think. The bright new kid on the Saigon hotel block is, as you know, the centrally located Park Hyatt Saigon on Lamson Square; it looked lovely from the outside but I did not make the time to go in.

While I wouldn't particularly recommend the Sofitel's location, it worked out fine in this instance. For one, there is major roadwork being done down by some of the riverside hotels -- sewer and sanitation work, according to our driver. The area is not looking at its best but should be substantially improved. For another thing, we found a delightful young man from the north of France on the Sofitel concierge desk. He provided restaurant and other information.

The Sofitel is a city hotel so that was naturally a bit jarring after the less energized hotel settings we had enjoyed in Danang and Hue. It is an 18-story building with a decent roof-top pool. There are a couple of restaurants and a bar. The lobby is one of those soaring, extravagant, highly polished affairs that is designed to awe you with its magnificence and move you along. There are a few chairs, but not many and about half of them service the Exotissimo desk, I suspect. The staff are very gracious and efficient. You are mostly addressed in French as you come and go.

Our first room on the 11th floor was one of the newly remodeled ones and was sleekly beautiful. With construction (low-season plague) taking place on floors 7 & 8, truly noxious odors got into the ductwork and spewed out into our room among others. The air quality was awful and it was discernible as soon as you exited the elevator onto the floor. After one night and a substantial headache, we were moved to the 18th floor. The rooms were of an older vintage but the bathroom was completely up to date. Most important, the air quality was infinitely better. The view from both rooms was of city sprawl -- some old colonial-era rooftops down below but lots of new construction with less obvious charms.

We had heard that the city had greatly restricted cyclo drivers. That's an understatement -- they have nearly vanished. Take note, you old-timers, that Saigon will look different to you because of their absence. My husband fondly remembered touring by cyclo and enjoying conversation with his driver so we were sorry that this option has been lost. I asked our guide what happened to the legions of people who used to make a living driving a cyclo but only got a blank look and a reply that "They got other jobs." Some verbal transactions yield up very little information.

The first day, we wandered around by ourselves to sights such as the Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral. The Opera House was (unfortunately for us but all to the good in the long run) under scaffolding. We nevertheless relaxed over coffee outdoors at the Highland Coffee in the Opera's shadow after our stroll down Dong Khoi, the old rue Catinat.

Really enjoying your report. But before I get to packing questions, can you tell me how you managed with laundry? Especially in Hanoi and Bangkok...Thanks, trying to think about all the little details in advance for this 5 1/2 week trip - - first time we've been away for more than two weeks.

Hi FromDC:

I have a quirky packing style that nevertheless works for me. I bring a stunningly small number of clothes and I do hand-laundry every single night. Just a routine. I pack small bottles of Woolite (or such) and, if that supply runs out, switch to hotel shampoo.

I have a few things from the Travelsmith catalogue that reliably dry overnight. I have worn them to tatters and they need replacing now. Black and white with an accent color or two does it.

I mostly vary how I look with jewelery changes -- costume jewelry acquired in our travels, for the most part.

Shoes are incredibly important to me. For years, I kept buying a model of SAS sandal that is very comfortable. I would wear them out and replace them. Last year, I upgraded to a pair of Mephistos ($200 instead of about $100) that I have very nearly worn out now.

This summer, I picked up a second pair of summer travel shoes of a different sort at EMS - Ahnnu's which are like Keen's. They were indispensable for the mud and muck of temple touring during rainstorms, riverboat travel, etc. I had a third pair of backup shoes in my bag but I regard that as my main packing mistake -- I alternated the other two constantly, airing them and washing them as needed.

I have an EMS rain jacket that I have been traveling with for 6 years but that also wasted space in my bag this trip because it was too hot to wear such a thing. Wearing it would feel like toting around a personal sauna. I used my travel umbrella for rain and sun protection. That usually sufficed although we did buy cheap disposable ponchos during a Mekong Delta downpour of some signifcance.

Not bringing many clothing frees me up to bring a good supply of personal care/first aid supplies and a pile of books. Too many first aid items, I suspect. I might rethink that but it's nice to have the option of everything from needles to bandaids to antacids. I do bring personal care products but don't wear makeup aside from a slick of lipstick and some nailpolish so I suppose that I am fairly low maintenance.

Asian hotels provide many more toiletry amenities than is the norm on other continents -- tootbrushes and razors included.

My husband and son use hotel laundry services but they are pricey so they are slowly learning to wash some things out and send out the bulkier, more formal things. To me, it seems ridiculous to pay someone inflated prices to wash your underwear and socks.

The hotels that we stay at in Asia tend to have fabulous big bathrooms, often with separate tubs and showers, so that helps make room for laundry.

Reading this over I do sound like a primitive but there is a great freedom in not being bogged down in things. It's also true that I want to have plenty of books, guidebooks, and first aid items at my disposal. Of course, traveling in summer makes it easier than other times to lighten the load.

So, the short answer is handwashing with liquid soap for delicate fabrics.

Where are you going in your 5 1/2 weeks?

marya-I am very much enjoying all the details of your trip and extremely envious of the amount of time you got to spend there. Vietnam is on my radar for our next trip but we will only be able to manage two weeks.

FromDC-I've not yet been to Vietnam, but my experience from multiple trips to Thailand and Cambodia is that it's not hard to find a place to have laundry done for you outside the hotels. It's usually a few dollars a kilo and ready in about 24 hours. One thing to note; in some places it's considered bad form to turn in your undies to be washed by someone else, but that seems to vary from place to place. I've always just done my own by hand and dropped off other stuff like t shirts and pants.

Thanks, marya, I was thinking about doing a combination of handwashing and a couple of loads. We are going to HongKong, Hanoi, Chiang Rai, BKK, Penang, Langkawi and KUL (5 or 6 nites everyplaces except PEN and KUL). Thinking I would do laundry in Hanoi and BKK outside of the hotels, but we are staying at the Metropole and Oriental and I feel awkward about bringing laundry in and out of those places. I am already mentally packing and am trying to really minimize how much I pack so that I can buy things along the way, but I also want to bring some things to be copied. Are you going to give us more detail about the tailoring in Hanoi?

HCMC/SAIGON, continued

I haven't provided much on restaurants, it seems, so here are some comments on our dining experiences over 4 days in Saigon.

Breakfast was included in our room-rate so we ate daily at the Sofitel. The hotel has a highly regarded French restaurant but we wanted to get out of our hotel cocoon so we never tried it.

For ambiance, the Temple Club is a treat. We had a lovely table at the street-end of the dining room. Service was excellent. One review referred to their delicious cha ca. I thought myself remiss for not getting to Cha Ca La Vong in Hanoi -- family members were not interested, so I never went. I decided to order that. My pumpkin soup first course was lovely, but the cha ca hardly made the earth move. Is it wonderful at the Hanoi restaurant? Similarly, my review source extolled the virtues of their homemade Hue cake in secret sauce but I was underwhelmed. Lesson learned: try cha ca in Hanoi and Hue cake in Hue. My son loved his ice cream dessert but, much as I expected, it was brought up from the Fanny's on the ground floor below at about a 250% markup for thr trip over the stairs. The Temple Club dining room is quite beautiful but the meal was not our best in town.

The best food we had was at Lemongrass. We went with a business associate and ordered lots of dishes among the four of us. Once again, we had a good table at the street-end of the dining room. Everything -- especially the prawn-based seafood dishes -- was delicious.

Xu is a pretty, breezy, contemporary restaurant with stylishly minimalist decor, lots of candles, and lots of beautiful young people. The restaurant is on the second floor. We were warmly greeted by the (Australian?) maitre d' and he persuaded me that a featured dish with sublime, smoky eggplant was to die for. He performance over, he faded away and a small cotillion of pretty, hip young waitresses waited on us. They were clearly disappointed that we are not big drinkers.

The food was alas not as good as Lemongrass's. The restaurant is a young, possibly happening scene and has at least one nice small private dining room in addition to a big bar on the first floor. I felt like an anthropologist doing field research there but younger Fodorites might enjoy it. After espresso, we beat a hasty retreat.

We promised my son an Indian meal and an Italian meal. Both were easy to find in Saigon and also very good. The Indian restaurant, Tandoor, is across the street from the Park Hyatt Hotel. The decor is nothing special but the food was good. I enjoyed my shrimp biriyani. They have a big lunch buffet if you would like to have a substantial meal at midday and then take a siesta.

For Italian food, our concierge recommended Santa Lucia over the listings in our guidebooks. It did not disappoint. I had simple comfort food -- lasagna and salad. The breads and espresso were a treat.

In the past, my husband has enjoyed Mandarin but we ran out of time and could not try it this time 'round.

As in Hanoi, Fanny's ice cream is wonderful even if, like my son, you didn't think that you liked ice cream. They have both indoor and outdoor seating.

We get thirty lashes with a pair of serving chopsticks -- self-inflicted -- for not going to Quan An Ngon in either HCMC or Hanoi. That is at the top of my list for the (hoped-for) next time. My gentlemen companions were not interested in going this time so I didn't insist.

" I bring a stunningly small number of clothes and I do hand-laundry every single night. Just a routine. I pack small bottles of Woolite (or such) and, if that supply runs out, switch to hotel shampoo." - exactly what I do, except it's more often every other night. On the one occasion I dropped my clothes off for laundering in Cambodia (Sihanoukville), they were obviously thrown in with other people's gear, as one pair of pants came back with the addition of pale yellow patches. Fortunately it was my last stop.