#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Vietnam, Nepal and Burma  Travel Forum >  >  Crocman in Vietnam

## crocman

The Dragonlady decide some time ago that she wanted to dip the pointy end of her tail in some exotic waters. So with this in mind I booked us a trip to central and southern Vietnam for the Xmas holiday break.

The first place we camped was the Naman Retreat which is roughly half way between Da Nang and Hoi An. It proved to an excellent place to camp, with two pools, several restaurants and the architecture of the resort is quite unique.



The use of bamboo in this place is amazing





As mentioned there are two pools. The main pool backs onto the beach.



And the second is behind building which houses the spa.



And a very nice reflection pool which have a couple of sunken lounge areas for guests to chill out in.



Have to take break as photobucket and I are having relationship issues at the moment. Normal transmission will return as soon as possible.........

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## david44

poolcleaners missed the vomit

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## boloa

I see the Germans Hotel Guests already have their towels on the sun-beds  :Smile:

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## crocman

> I see the Germans Hotel Guests already have their towels on the sun-beds


Not this time, it was all part of the pool service. The service in this place is top notch, upon check in you are assigned an ambassador who caters to your needs as requested. And very efficient they were.

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## crocman

The beach along this part of the coastline is beautiful.



I don't know why but the sea here is bloody freezing. I thought at this latitude that it would be a lot warmer.

The room we had was nice with all the mod cons.

This is Loc. She is a little pocket rocket who controlled the pool area and introduced the Dragonlady to her new favourite drink, a Passijuito.

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## david44

Nice room rest looks from Tenko and nobody on a lovely beach suggests its a hole, the bamboo garage looks like the old hangars at Doha airport

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## Humbert

Beautiful design. I think it was done by a local Vietnamese architect.

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## david44

Different strokes I guess anyway thanks for taking the time to share Crocman, I hope you enjoyed your vacation

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## beerlaodrinker

Wow! You said that you had a great gaff but that's just fookin amazing, I'm  not showing this thread to Mrs. BLD coz she will get the shits on and demand the same , and I will have to work overtime to pay for it

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## Topper

> and I will have to work overtime to pay for it


What were the prices like?

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## boloa

> Originally Posted by beerlaodrinker
> 
> and I will have to work overtime to pay for it
> 
> 
> What were the prices like?


agoda says about 7-8,000 Baht a night 	 :Cool:

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## crocman

> Originally Posted by beerlaodrinker
> 
> and I will have to work overtime to pay for it
> 
> 
> What were the prices like?


As Boloa has mentioned they start at about 8000 baht. There are three types of accommodation, Seafront beachside villas with private pool, pool villas and suites in a low rise block.

We picked up a deal which included accommodation, massage for two everyday,lunch on two days, dinner on two days, couple of free cocktails and return airport transfers.

We spent 8 nights there at 4400 baht per.

Not a bad deal.

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## crocman

> Wow! You said that you had a great gaff but that's just fookin amazing, I'm  not showing this thread to Mrs. BLD coz she will get the shits on and demand the same , and I will have to work overtime to pay for it


Your safe mate, Mrs B would not be real happy here, they weren't big on seafood. 

Just the odd bit of baked sea bass here and there as well as the obligatory prawn on a stick.

Mind you having said that the rest of the menu was top class and the lunches around the pool hit the spot.

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## crocman

The previously mentioned new favourite drink.

As we were just up the road from Hoi An, which is on the UNESCO world heritage and is also famous for tailor made goods and shoes made to measure, we spent a fair bit of time there. The pointy tailed one suddenly had all these occasions to attend for which she obviously need a new frock and matching shoes for.

I must admit that I got caught up in frenzy myself and had three pairs of shoes made for me.

Although the place is not as hardcore as the markets in Thailand they do still try to gouge you, so do your homework and buyers beware.

The streets in Hoi An are very nice with lots of cafes and bakeries mixed in amongst some bars. There is a fairly lively market as well as all the tailors

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## crocman

Back in the day the river that runs through Hoi An was the lifeblood of the town for both trade and food.



This net is on four poles and is raised and lowered from the bank of the river. Quite clever.




Nowadays the river is just for strolling alongside.

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## crocman



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## crocman

About twenty minutes drive north of where we staying is the city of Danang. IMHO not a very attractive city but it does have nice beachfront and there is quite a bit of construction going on so the place has potential.

Some shots of Danang.









One of Danangs biggest attractions is the Dragon bridge for which Old Firey seemed to have a strange affinity?



In the week end it lights up, spits fire and sprays water.



However the main reason for us venturing into Danang was for a catch up with BLD and his lovely family.



We hope to catch up with the big fella and Mrs B in Laos someday.

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## crocman

Please note the lovely ladies in the background are not BLD's kids.

I don't think.

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## crocman

The area around here was originally populated by the Chaam people and back in the eighth century they built some temples. Over the next couple of hundred years they added more but as usual not everybody can be happy at the same time so there were tribal and sectarian squabbles which led to the place being abandoned.





Seems the ancients didn't mind a phallus or two

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## crocman

During the war the NVA thought they could  hide out among the ruins thinking that the Americans wouldn't bomb the the place.

They were wrong.

The place is covered in bomb craters.

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## Horatio Hornblower

Great informative thread.

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## crocman

^ Thank you, more to come.

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## crocman

On BLD's advice we took a trip up to the Ba Na hills. To get there you ride what was once the longest and highest cable car in the world. Don't know if it still is.

Back when those horrible French people ruled the roost around here they searched out somewhere to escape the heat on the flatland. Ba Na hills was it. So they got locals to carry them up aboard palanquins and then set to having a little village built.

Over time the place was abandoned but some local entrepreneur decided to rebuild the place but bigger and better, a bit like Steve Austin.

Up the top there is a hotel, restaurants, a cathedral, a wine cellar, some lovely gardens and there is even a three storey amusement centre for the kids. It's all a little bit surreal.

Anyway on the day we ventured there the place was covered by clouds as the pics show.















And on the way down.

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## FatOne

Great thread, great pics. Thanks Crocman

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## crocman

^ Thank you, heading to Saigon next.

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## FatOne

Keep em coming

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## Loy Toy

Brilliant thread mate.

I'm looking forward to enjoying the rest of your trip.

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## crocman

No worries LT. It was a good trip, especially touching base with BLD.

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## katie23

Hi crocman, thnx 4 d pix & stories.  I'm glad u enjoyed ur trip.  I did a trip too - went to the province (not mine), a small coastal town.  Experienced quiet, small town life & the madness of commuting by boat during Christmas holidays.  Climbed mountains & went to beach. Dont know when i'll be able to download pix or if will make a thread.  Btw, i 
saw d back of ur head in Bld's thread. As I've said, it looked vely hansum.  :Razz:  Cheers!

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## crocman

Hey there Katie, good to here you had a good Xmas. Mind you any time spent travelling is always a good time.

Can't wait for your next thread as we are already looking for somewhere  new in the PI's to visit on our next big trip. While we were on this trip we were on line to our friends in New Zealand who travelled to the PI's with us last time.

The ladies have definitely locked in a couple of days shopping in Manilla and us guys are seeking a return to Panglao but we are looking for another 1or possibly 2 destinations to round off the trip. No pressure though coz it won't be till late in the year.

My brother is heading to Sabang towards the end of the year also.

Don't hold your breath but the front view of croc may show up later. :Smile:

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## Loy Toy

> Don't hold your breath but the front view of croc may show up later.


Keep it clean mate as this is a family show!  :Smile:

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## beerlaodrinker

Katie, send me $20 and I will PM you Crocs front view, or croc can send me $20 not to. :Smile:

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## crocman

You all need to take a nap.

Front views of croc are freely available on TD in past threads.

So either you all send me twenty bucks or I'll remind you which thread. :Smile:

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## PeeCoffee

Terrific thread. Thank you for sharing.

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## crocman

After eight nights at the Naman Retreat, which I can highly recommend, it was time to move south to Saigon. Off to Da Nang airport and a short hop on Vietjet.

We checked into the Rex Hotel for two nights. The hotel originally started life as a motor garage owned by a French couple but morphed into a grand hotel over the years. It became famous during the war for hosting the Five O'clock Follies on the rooftop bar.



We were camping in the Governors Suite which consists of a sitting room, bedroom and two bathrooms.









The famous rooftop bar and stage.





The view from the bar down into the square and the statue of Uncle Ho.

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## crocman

We went for a bit of a stroll to the Ban Thien market which was jam packed but the streets outside were strangely quiet, and it was about 4pm.

The market.



Outside.





Old fella cooking his dinner.



Came across thi Hindu temple which is strangely in the Malay/Muslim sector.

.

Packed a fair bit of sightseeing in, in the short time we were in Saigon. We started at the war museum which the Dragonlady found to be a bit confronting in parts. The displays can be quite brutal in their depiction. So much so that I didn't take any pics inside, it will be your choice to go there and view.

It was interesting to see the war depicted by the other side for a change. It was obviously slanted, but it is not until the last exhibit that there is any mention of South Vietnamese actually being involved. The museum would have you believe that there were no Viets fighting Viets, only Americans.

Some of the machinery left behind.





Croc getting his Maverick on. :Smile:

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## Chittychangchang

Top thread and awesome pics.

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## katie23

^^ Ooh, croc is vely hansum man!  :Very Happy: 

Re: the $20, you should all give me twenties. With $100, I can go to the Visayas on a weekend by boat, climb mountains, go to the beach, live cheaply & stay w/ friends, take lots of pics and make another pic thread.  :Razz:  

Crocman, you can try Palawan, Cebu, Camiguin or Camotes Islands if you haven't been to those places.  There's a Palawan thread by Natalie, check it out.  I *should* make that Camiguin thread, if & when I get the time & willpower to do so - my internet at home is &%#.

Is that Ban Thien or Ben Thanh market? I think it's Ben Thanh.  :Smile:  If it is, then that's the place where I usually bought goodies (mostly foodstuff) for bringing home.  The war museum was depressing, esp. the Agent Orange room.  That war was terrible and it affected some of my relatives (from the South). 

Thanks for the pics!

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## beerlaodrinker

> https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2016/01/550.jpg[/img]
> 
> The famous rooftop bar and stage.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The view from the bar down into the square and the statue of Uncle Ho.


Whos that handsome fooker with uncle Ho

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## crocman

> ^^ Ooh, croc is vely hansum man! 
> 
> Re: the $20, you should all give me twenties. With $100, I can go to the Visayas on a weekend by boat, climb mountains, go to the beach, live cheaply & stay w/ friends, take lots of pics and make another pic thread.  
> 
> Crocman, you can try Palawan, Cebu, Camiguin or Camotes Islands if you haven't been to those places.  There's a Palawan thread by Natalie, check it out.  I *should* make that Camiguin thread, if & when I get the time & willpower to do so - my internet at home is &%#.
> 
> Is that Ban Thien or Ben Thanh market? I think it's Ben Thanh.  If it is, then that's the place where I usually bought goodies (mostly foodstuff) for bringing home.  The war museum was depressing, esp. the Agent Orange room.  That war was terrible and it affected some of my relatives (from the South). 
> 
> 
> ...


You are spot on with the market Katie, I got my a's and e's round the wrong way. :Confused:  :Confused:

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## crocman

> Originally Posted by crocman;
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I heard a rumour that there is to be a statue erected in Vientiane of that handsome fooker. :smiley laughing:

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## crocman

The next tour the Dragonlady undertook was to the Cu Chi tunnels. As most dragons lairs are under ground it came as a surprise that this particular Dragonlady is claustrophobic.

However that wasn't the biggest problem on this particular day. Oh no no no, upon arrival crocman discovers that he hasn't put the memory card in his camera.

But because I was born before electronics and the interwebby jobby I came up with a very clever solution so that you,dear readers, can enjoy the full experience that I enjoyed.

So strap yourselves in and get ready,









You can almost taste the tension.

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## crocman

The tunnels are well worth the visit. Amazing that so many men can go undetected for so long being so close to Saigon.

I couldn't even begin to imagine what it would've been like to be in tunnels when they were being bombed.

And as for the soldiers sent down to clear the tunnels, they would have have been extremely brave or fookin mental like

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## phukitbound

Great pics, and glad to hear that the tunnels are worth a visit. I've heard mixed reviews from people. I have many friends that live in Saigon currently and seem to like it. Traffic is a bit of a nightmare though.

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## Topper

Spectacular thread! 

Thanks!

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## crocman

> Spectacular thread! 
> 
> Thanks!


Cheers mate, stay tuned a likkle bit more to come.

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## Yemen

Did these tunnels about 10yrs ago. Well worth it.

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## katie23

@crocman - Awesome drawings! The Little Prince would be proud of you!  :Smile: 

@Phukitbound - the tunnels are indeed worth visiting. If you're pressed for time, a half-day tour will do (there are whole day & half-day tours). For some pics of the tour, you may view my thread on Saigon - it's somewhere in this Vietnam forum. 

@BLD (the hansum f**ker, lol) - seems like they have changed the statue of Uncle Ho.  When I went there in 2005, Uncle Ho was seated. I'll try to find & upload the pic.  I'll look forward to your statue if/when I visit Vientiane. Cheers!

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## wasabi

Nice pictures, thanks.

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## Neo

Excellent thread Crocman.. thanks for sharing.

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## crocman

So after crocs perilous journey below ground it was time to change campgrounds. We could only get two days at the Rex( shame) so we had to pack the swag and head off to the Pullman Saigon Centre.

Bedroom



View from the bathroom.



Next we booked a trip to the Mekong Delta ( fringes of really) via a trip down the Saigon river. We booked this and some other trips with a company called Les Rives. I can highly recommend them as they provided good guides, good food and plenty of cold drinks. We booked them through Viator but I'm sure they could be reached direct.

Travelling down river there is a bit of construction going on.





As in most cities the rivers running through supply life's blood.

Fish sauce.




> 




Ferry in the delta.



Door to door shopping centre.



We stopped at a couple of local markets for a peek.

Would you like flies with that sir.



This old dear was preparing her morning betel nut.



Housing on the river can be pretty precarious at times.





Some locals invited us in for a visit, a drink and a feed. 

Home on the delta.







The local shebeen where local flavoured whiskey is consumed in great amounts.



And a feed of elephant ear fish.



And to finish the trip, name this bike

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/...psqqcb0hzd.jpg

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## crocman

Sorry I'll try that again. Name this bike.

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## crocman

So apart from some fartarsing around the next day this was the end of the trip for the Dragonlady and the ever suffering crocman.

Thank you for following our journey.

Until the next time.(looks like Langkawi and Koh lipe in March)

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## katie23

Hi crocman, thanks for the pics and stories. I found my pic with Uncle Ho from 2005; seems like they changed the statue over the years. Cheers!

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## nigelandjan

Superb thread mate well done , great pics and info green sent

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## crocman

> Hi crocman, thanks for the pics and stories. I found my pic with Uncle Ho from 2005; seems like they changed the statue over the years. Cheers!


That's quite interesting Katie, I've never seen a statue that has been changed before. You occasionally see them pulled down with a regime change.

I wonder what the the reason was. Anyway old uncle Ho is still pulling them in.

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## crocman

> Superb thread mate well done , great pics and info green sent


Cheers Nige it was a good trip. Next trip is booked for seven weeks time.

Will post pics then.

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## deuhie

To visit Vietnam, Da Nang you should come first !
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