Category: Travel

Vietnam Holiday Days Eleven, Twelve & Thirteen: Ninh Van Bay Days, 20, 21 & 22 February 2012

20 February 2012

Rose/breakfasted a bit earlier on a brighter day.

After breakfast (Ged tried chicken with egg noodles today), Ged cracked on with Sense Of An Ending and even gets to start Exit Ghost today in the sun.

I am a great fan of the novels of both Julian Barnes and Philip Roth. I do recall very much enjoying the Barnes (Sense) whereas I found Exit Ghost a little below par for Roth.

Daisy does Tai Chi class and both [of us] enjoy some sun on our deck and some beer.

Play tennis just before dusk to avoid the heat – Daisy won 6-3 – pleasant at that hour.

Then back for a late siesta and then on to dinner where Basha [chef] has specially prepared the five spice duck for us very well it’s good isn’t it. We also enjoy a starter of dry spice beef salad and additional main teriyaki tuna – best meal at Six Senses so far for sure.

21 February 2012

Woke to a misty rainy morning – rain will not relent all day sadly.

Ged goes off to do some work on the photos before breakfast and then again after, while Daisy does Tai Chi.

Finish off the photos and chat briefly with German couple who wanted our villa and wanted to use the PC – they must hate us but they don’t show it!

Then decide to have a satay nibble & some wine in the room – very nice.

Then attempt to play tennis but the court is waterlogged so we switch to badminton, Ged pulling off a surprise two nil win 15-8, 15-11)! Good fun.

Went to a “cocktail Martini” event in the bar and chatted with a nice Israeli couple.

They were a very interesting couple. She was in publishing and seemed a lot older and more high falutin’ than her man. We felt a bit sorry for them as they were only at the Six Senses for two nights; that wet day was their only full day there.

Then went home for an hour and then went to dinner to try caramelised pork belly done properly – uber-fatty but good with morning glory and tasty brown rice – more like red rice. Starter of cabbage chicken salad.

22 February 2012

Rose to another wet morning. Rested in and took late breakfast.

But then someone turn the lights on and it brightened up in a jiffy.

Soon the resort dried out – we enjoyed our sundeck round our own pool and read (finished Exit Ghost in my case) and had tea in the library with sandwich nibbles.

Played tennis in the evening – I won 6-4 – and thus met Françoise who sorted us out.

After tennis we got ready for dinner and had enormous ribeye steaks after a duo of tuna starter.

Very good meal.

Vietnam Holiday Days Nine & Ten: Narry A Ray In Ninh Van Bay, 18 & 19 February 2012

Our first couple of days at Ninh Van Bay were not blessed with good weather. Still, there were plenty of compensations at the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay even when the weather was not so good.

18 February 2012

Rose quite early to a rainy day. Potter then rush to get into breakfast in time!

Straight after breakfast Ân shows us a couple more villas – we fall in love with the one-off beach bungalow villa.

We look through photos while waiting to move and then we move into our new bungalow.

Unpack, potter and finish reviewing the photos.

Then Ged goes to the library to sort through photos for several (successful) hours, Daisy joining him for a while.

Then get ready for dinner and go down for a meal of mushroom ravioli with prawns (highlight) followed by poor mains of Thai seafood curry and caramelised pork belly, followed by ice cream.

Comparatively late night after following cricket and catching up on the news.

19 February 2012

Take breakfast in better time today. Ged had beef pho noodle soup, Daisy chicken egg noodle soup.

The weather is a bit better but still not good so we arrange to have our complimentary spa treatments this evening before dinner. Also chose to have a Vietnamese barbecue dinner.

Potter for much of the day and get used to new villa and such – look at shop.

Borrow a couple of DVDs and chat with Gary the general manager from Lichfield!

[Parenthetically, it was that conversation with Gary that persuaded us to try Six Senses Zighy Bay a couple of years later. The property had poor reports from its troubled launch but Gary convinced us, having been sent there to sort out the difficulties, that the property was now very special indeed and well worth trying. Gary was right.]

Play tennis – Ged wins six four – mid afternoon (it’s cool enough). Have some siesta and then a complimentary treatments. Daisy has a foot massage and body scrub, Ged has hand (arm) and body scrub. Very nice.

Then Vietnamese barbecue. Lots of spring/hand roll things (variations on a theme) plus salads and barbecue tuna probably the highlight – also grouper and a mackerel type fish. Could’ve pigged out but as usual we didn’t. Tried various desserts with limited success.

Vietnam Holiday Day Eight: From Dalat To Ninh Van Bay Via Nha Trang, 17 February 2012

Ged was feeling very poorly this morning – had ginger tea only while Daisy ate just a light breakfast.

Some comedy moments on pick up as Cuong (guide) and Hien (driver) go past us as we walk up to reception, but somehow they, the luggage and we all end up in the right place and off we go.

We stopped to photograph a vista [see headline picture] before going up high passes in unbelievably heavy rain – like a pea soup.

As we came down the rain is less intense and even stopped for us to visit a village in Khanh Vinh district…

The outskirts of the village guarded by piglets

…[populated by] the Raglai minority people…

…where we took a photo opportunity with Price of Fish…

…then on to Nha Trang where we drove past the cathedral, looked at the Po Nagar Cham Towers and saw the Long Sun pagoda from afar

Then went to Ninh Van Bay pick up place and got speedboated across to our resort…

…where manager Gary and our butler Ân greet us. Ân shows us to our villa & then shows us several alternatives as ours is quite dingy. Will look at a couple more tomorrow.

Then we unpacked a little & took early dinner, comprising a seafood pancake Banh Xeo, soft shell crab with mango salad and Hanoi duck breast salad (reminiscent of our first night in Hanoi all those years ago) followed by Mekong Tiger Prawn (skewers). Also tried the home-made ice cream (highlight!)

Meal quite good. Slept well.

Vietnam Holiday Day Seven: Another Day In & Around Dalat, 16 February 2012

Overnight walking shoe cleaning in incident – Daisy went off early and search about missing shoes which were “still wet” – oy. Rescued – clean and more or less dry!

Breakfast of noodle soup (beef for Ged, chicken for Daisy) Vietnamese coffee without the paraphernalia. Passion fruit juice & breads/Danish.

Off touring circa 9:15. First stop, cable car panorama – we took the panorama without the cable car! [see headline photo above]

Next stop – on to Truc Lam [Zen] Buddhist monastery swarming with tourists again but with admittedly beautiful gardens and vistas.

Then on to see Bao Dai’s summer palace… …

…and then the crazy house, all similarly swarming with (mostly Russian) tourists.

Next to the Dalat railway station…

… then around Xuan Huang Lake before stopping at a place (I am told I described as) “another fucking botanical garden” – named “Flower Park” from what I can gather.

Then a wild goose chase for mosquito tablets and return to base.

Goodbye to guide Chien and driver Minh as the drizzle starts.

Then we venture up to pool and bar, landing at the latter and ordering some beer, nuts and chips just before the heavens open. We witness a French couple drinking and going off to get soaked and then returning for a cocktail!

Janie bought some items in the shop while we wait for the rain to subside. Then back to the room for some R&R and then get ready for dinner.

Dinner of Chinese style marinated beef wrapped in piper lolot leaf served with rice vermicelli (bánh hỏi) followed by a mixed meat and seafood hotpot – too much food but very enjoyable.

Reasonably early night but Ged woke up in the early hours feeling very poorly indeed!

There is a placeholder with links to all of the photos, itineraries etc. for this Vietnam holiday – here.

Vietnam Holiday Day Six: In And Around Dalat, 15 February 2012

Took breakfast (beef fried rice “Dalat style” – whatever that might be – for me, boiled eggs for Daisy).

Set off a little later than planned. First stop a nursery, mainly roses [see headline picture], then, after a panorama stop [above], a rice wine distillery where they also keep [civet] weasels in cages to make weasel coffee.

No we did not try the resulting civet coffee – we found the sight of these poor animals in cages offensive

Next to silk factory where we saw jacquard looms for the umpteenth time and bought some clobber.

Then on to the elephant waterfall, quite tricky and more or less worth a scramble on the rocks!

Then to the Linh An Buddhist temple and gardens where our guide Chien explained the basics of Buddhism to us again for the xtieth time.

Next stop the cricket farm (hurray it’s the cricket season) where we did not try the fare.

Writing this up, as I am, in March 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, this might be as close to pictures of live cricket as I get to see for months

Then back into town for lunch where we did try the fare and met a solo Belgian girl who was not enjoying Vietnam. Touristic set meal of chicken salad, “deer” on crispbread stuff, fish which was salty but tasty and a decent plate of vegetables.

Then round the town market in the drizzle at a quiet hour and then on to K’Ho Lat village where it was pouring with rain. First into the church (Catholic) named K’Ho Lach, where animist totems share space with Catholic symbols.

Real wet rain by then (thoughts of exploring Langban mountain abandoned). But we went to the village store! (Cultural knickknacks) and then (rain subsiding, mercifully) went to meet the big chief K’Ran Hai. He showed us musical instruments how’s the local rice brew and a and told us all about it in reasonable English and excellent French. He had been a nurse in hallway et cetera et cetera.

Then a walk around the village before exhaustion set in. Back to hotel to try to get boots cleaned!

We tool a lighter dinner of pasta with the local wine while following England’s cricketing fortunes on the phone and reviewing pictures on the cameras.

There is a placeholder with links to all of the photos, itineraries etc. for this Vietnam holiday – here.

Vietnam Holiday Day Five: From Mekong Delta Home Stay In Ut Trinh To Dalat, 14 February 2012

“Enjoyed” the country and river sounds homestay – rose quite early wrote up and had breakfast.

Then off for a walk/cycle around Cat Thia area of Delta…

Ged was invited into this rather grand Cat Thia home
This girl persuaded Ged to take her photo
Daisy met this gang on her cycling tour

…then boat to Cai Be and then car to Saigon.

Visited another Parkson mall taking coffee and bought ginseng.

Then flew from Saigon to Dalat.

On the plane, a western gentleman sat in his seat near ours, until a couple (local?) bustled along and threw him out of that seat so they could be together. Seems they should have sat in front of us but instead he did so, with a remarkable good humour and tolerance – in the end all of us were laughing.

Washed and scrubbed before dinner at lovely resort Ana Mandara Dalat. Combination of artichoke salad, bon bon? of young papaya and greens with beef & prawn wrapped in pork on a bed of noodle, bland chicken curry and a slow cooked dish of pork ribs in caramel fish sauce and steamed rice.

There is a placeholder with links to all of the photos, itineraries etc. for this Vietnam holiday – here.

Vietnam Holiday Day Four: Mekong Delta Boating And Home Stay, 13 February 2012

Up and out early for our breakfast cruise on the (lucky) Lady Hau [depicted above] boat, with other hotel residents, to the start of the Cai Rang Floating Market.

Then switched to our own boat where we meet Hiu and Hoa (Captain Birdseye). Captain Birdseye is a very good sailor when there are no other vessels around.

Unfortunately, the floating market has rather a lot of vessels, so we end up in tangled in someone’s anchor and Captain Birdseye goes under about three times failing to release us. He ended up cutting us loose, going under a fourth time and then sailing round finding a replacement anchor for the aggrieved boat.

Eventually we move on to Binh Minh village specialising in dried tofu…

…where we walked around – this village is only aspiring to be cultural and only a minority of households have achieved culture. We met some children and gave some pens. We also picked up Dhi Bay – (Mrs No 7) who prepares a lunch on board– Very tasty – pork stuffed courgette flower, spring rolls, chicken and some river prawns.

Daisy helped Dhi Bay with preparing luncheon

We then stop at Phước Hậu – a cultural village thank goodness [don’t ask how the dictate app imagined that village’s name is spelt], where Daisy cycled with Hiu and I walked with Binh. Very pleasant.

Daisy met this elegant lady on her cycling tour
Ged met this wonderful old-timer on his walking tour

We saw people growing mint and families playing cards – everyone was very friendly.

Comedy moment as Captain Birdseye crosses to the wrong side of the canal as Binh and I cross to meet him but eventually we pick up Daisy and Hiu and go on to Ut Trinh.

Captain Birdseye helps Daisy to board

Short stop at touristic nursery opposite (too long for Ged) and on to home stay, greeted by a rather sad/sickly looking Mrs Ba.

Mrs Ba cooking up a storm

Soon we meet Rowan and Cindy from Belgium and Manuel the German from Tokyo. Also Parisian Globetrotters Eloise (eight) and her parents.

Cooking class, dinner with our own freebie Park Hyatt wine and chat about the world afterwards.

There is a placeholder with links to all of the photos, itineraries etc. for this Vietnam holiday – here.

Vietnam Holiday Day Three: Saigon To Can Tho, 12 February 2012

Left Ho Chi Minh City for Can Tho by car after splendid breakfast of soup noodles (chicken) and bacon on the side.

Civilised hour of departure (11 o’clock) and arrive [at the Victoria Can Tho] shortly after 1400.

Enjoyed foot massage (extended in Daisy’s case)…

… On returning from a foot massage, Ged got into the lift with an elderly German couple and asked "where are you from"?  "Germany" came the reply. "Which part of Germany"? asked Ged, at which point the woman lectured Ged on the fact that there is only one part of Germany now, that they haven't been "two Germanys" for over 20 years and that North, South, East and West is all "Germany".  Ged replied by saying that he was enquiring which town.  "Münster", came the reply, at which point this couple became The Munsters in Ged's mind – especially the gentleman: "Herman the German" Munster.  Later of course, Ged & Daisy kept bumping in to those two all around the resort, with the German couple being overbearingly jovial and friendly – presumably to make up for the unwarranted tetchiness on first meeting. We even saw them on the floating market the next day, where the German couple looked none too happy on their [unfeasibly] little boat.…

…then Daisy hammered Ged at tennis.

Washed and then enjoyed excellent meal at the hotel – starter of Bon Bon salad, pork with O Mon noodles and roast duck Vietnamese style (whatever that might be!). A sort of coffee ice cream dessert to finish – very enjoyable.

Click above to read more about the Bon Bon salad at the Victoria Can Tho Hotel – photo from that hotel’s website


There is a placeholder with links to all of the photos, itineraries etc. for this Vietnam holiday – here.

Vietnam Holiday Day Two: Saigon, Then Dinner With Ky & Family 11 February 2012

Early start. Ged’s 4:30 attempt at making Vietnamese coffee didn’t go so well this morning – half the coffee ended up outside the cup. Perhaps it was the teacups Daisy put out with the coffee device that wrong footed Ged. Ged’s Vietnamese coffee improved as the days went on!

5:30 met by Binh who is to be our southern guide.

We go to Tao Dan Park and try some aerobics with the girls and walk around watching people play badminton, shuttlecock with feet & doing Tai Chi etc.

We take a coffee at the bird club (Daisy doesn’t like the caged birds) and then stroll some more.

Then we take beef noodle soup at Pho 2000 and a quick whizz round Ben Thanh market – little changed since last time.

Back to hotel for coffee, rest, swimming, R&R and then out to dinner with Ky, his delightful wife Tui and children Ken and Andy.

I explained the story behind this in my Day One piece – Ky was our guide in Central Vietnam when we visited in 1996. I discovered that, coincidentally, our 2012 holiday was arranged through the local agency, Vidotour, as our 1996 holiday had been and that Ky – a newbie guide in 1996 is now National Director of Marketing for company.

It was lovely to see Ky again and meet his family. It was also heart-warming to learn from him that he had remembered us fondly because my letter of praise for his services had helped him progress his career.

We went to Nha Hang Ngon restaurant – mostly local people, tried many starters (fried spring rolls, soft spring rolls, salads et cetera with fish and crab noodle to follow). Very enjoyable evening (see email exchange)

Here is a link to that e-mail exchange/correspondence.

It really was a special and very memorable evening.


There is a placeholder with links to all of the photos, itineraries etc. for this Vietnam holiday – here.

Vietnam Holiday Days Zero & One: London To Saigon Via Bangkok, 9 & 10 February 2012

There is a placeholder with links to all of the photos, itineraries etc. for this Vietnam holiday – here.

Incident free journey from Daisy’s house to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Saigon via Heathrow in Bangkok.

The only remarkable thing about the journey was the lack of remarkable things.

The food on Thai Air was excellent. We set the scene for South East Asian food with green chicken curry as a main and some noodle soup as our breakfast and some chicken and pineapple rice as a second breakfast on the Bangkok to Saigon hop. Good wines and more sleep than usual – still not all that much!

Met by beaming rep (Thien?) who reminded us a bit of Ky!

I need to explain. Ky had been our wonderful guide in Central Vietnam when we first visited the country in 1996.

Me, Ky & A Luverly Bunch Of Coconuts, Outskirts Of Hue, 1996

Quite by chance, it transpired that Ultimate Travel – which we used for this 2012 trip – used the same local agents, Vidotour, as Asia World – which we had used in 1996. I sent the Ultimate agent some of my images of our guides from 1996 and it transpired that Ky, who had been a young guide starting out in 1996, was now Group Director of Marketing for the local agent. He was keen to meet us and for us to have dinner with his family. More on that story anon.

Our room was made available to us immediately, for which we were grateful. We slept a while and Daisy enjoyed a swim.

Then later in the afternoon we ventured round the block to a couple of big malls full of posh shops and eateries but not too well endowed with customers. First Vincom, then Parkson.

Then a relatively early dinner at Square One, the Vietnamese and Western restaurant at the Park Hyatt. We tried pork spring roll wrapped in mustard leaf, river prawn in beans sauce and slow cooked short rib of beef (like my Guangzhou brisket dish). Amazing medley of chocolate puddings and chat with Aussie chef afterwards.