VIETNAM
PP to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): 280Kms – 7.5hrs (inc border). Hotel: Sheraton
You need to start early for this trip as it’s another border, not to mention a river ferry crossing on the way. Once at the border you will be amazed by the number of Casinos here which seem to be aimed at enticing the Vietnamese over the border to spend their money. They are not quite Las Vegas but look quite good from the outside,
Soon after entering Vietnam we take a detour to the Ho Chi Minh tunnels at Cu Chi some 70km from Ho Chi Minh City. Here you can see how the Viet Cong tunnelled their way under the US military camps and infiltrated their lines. You can crawl through one yourself but I suggest that if you suffer from even the smallest amount of claustrophobia you will find them impossible to contemplate. You also get the chance to fire a variety of automatic weapons used by both sides – with live ammunition. Definitely a big boys toy. Watch the recoil!
As you approach HCMC the traffic increases alarmingly with almost the whole population driving around on scooters and little motorbikes. You will discover that the whole of Vietnam is similar with the drivers seemingly oblivious to traffic around them. You need a good horn, patience and a moderate pace.
The hotel is located in district 1 which has many of the best restaurants, shops and some sights such as the Opera House nearby.
Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat: 280Kms – 5hrs. Hotel: Da Lat Palace
And now for something completely different. The town of Da Lat was a hill station for the French during their colonial period in Vietnam and still retains much of its original charm. The best example is the Da Lat Palace Hotel itself which is still exquisitely evocative of the era. The welcome will be warm although we will hopefully have more clement weather in this little oasis. Two nights here are a must, giving the opportunity to visit silk factories nearby, the market and the golf course which is one of the very best in SE Asia. But if you are happy to just relax try the excellent spa facilities.
The road is generally good once outside HCMC although stopping for road food can be problematical if you are faint hearted. While they do eat dog meat in Vietnam it is very rare and will not be served to you or openly on a menu. Packed lunches will be available although it is good to sample the food available.
Da Lat to Nha Trang: 220Kms – 4.5hrs. Hotel: Sofitel Vinpearl Resort
From the cool of Da Lat we descend to the stunning Vietnamese coastline along an exceptionally picturesque hill road which meanders down to the coast. Not a long day so plenty of time to take in the countryside and enjoy the views.
Sofitel Vinpearl Resort is located on an unspoiled island overlooking an aquamarine sea at the south end of famed Central Coast of Vietnam. Its midway between Ho Chi Minh City and Danang. The hotel has 230 large, well appointed rooms, most of which overlook the South China Sea and the private beach which is exclusive to the hotel. Renowned as a tropical paradise and retreat for sun lovers with beautiful white sand beaches and 300 days of sunshine per year.
Nha Trang to Hoi An: 510Kms – 8.5hrs. Hotel: Nam Hai
This looks like a long way on the maps but the road is good and the sights spectacular. Hugging the coastline you will follow the South China Sea to the right while having the mountains to the left providing the best of both worlds. This is a region of Vietnam steeped in history and there are a number of stop-offs that will be a magnet for the historically minded. Hoi An is just 30km south of Danang which, for most of us, has strong resonances of the Vietnam conflict.
This drive is one of the longer on the event but the rewards are huge with the day ending at the Nam Hai hotel, one of the finest we will be staying at on this event. Running down the east coast of Central Vietnam in a seemingly unbroken swathe of alluring soft white sand, China Beach has captured the imagination like no other sun-and-sand playground. And it is here, on a prime stretch of Ha My Beach near historic Hoi An that The Nam Hai is sited.
The Nam Hai is no ordinary beachfront getaway. This is a benchmark setting for sybarites in search of real class. Sprawled across 35 hectares, this splendid spa resort opened in December 2006 offering 60 elegant Villas and a further 40 Pool Villas each within landscaped gardens with unobstructed views across the South China Sea on to the misty Cham Islands. Bedrooms are spacious with en suite baths, walk-in closets, and high ceilings, all adding to a sense of space. Welcome to Vietnam cool.
Hoi An to Hue: 140Kms – 3hrs. Hotel: La Residence
After two nights in the lap of luxury you will have to haul yourself away from the Nam Hai and take to the road again. But, we are not cruel and a short distance up the coast is the historic town of Hue where we suggest you use the short day to look round the historic Old City.
Hue was the capitol of Vietnam from 1744 when the Nguyen lords controlled all of southern Vietnam from the city. The dynasty of the Nguyen family lasted from 1802, when Nguyen Anh defeated rebels to control the city, until 1945, when the last emperor abdicated. The city was severely damaged in the 1968 Tet offensive during the American war, when house-to-house fighting lasted for weeks, but many architectural gems remain and are well worth a visit.
Hue is divided between the older fortified Citadel, containing almost everything interesting, and the new, smaller sprawl that has developed across the Perfume River. The new side contains most of the facilities, the hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, and banks. People come to Hue to see the old Imperial complex, the Citadel and the Forbidden city, the pagodas, and the many tombs of the emperors that lie a few kilometres south of the city. Each tomb is a walled compound containing temples, palaces, and lakes.
Hue to Vinh: 360Kms – 3hrs. Hotel: Phuong Dong
After two nights in the lap of luxury you will have to haul yourself away from the Nam Hai and head north to the regional town of Vinh which, it has to be said, is not the most beautiful city in Vietnam but it serves our purpose well as a staging post for the drive to Laos. While the hotel was modern and adequate, on the recce we were assured that the hotel will be improved for the visit of the rally.
The drive to Vinh, however, is excellent as you pass over the 71st Parallel some 100km north of Hue. This was the two km wide Demilitarised Zone which held the north and south apart for many years.
The Geneva Conference on July 21, 1954, recognized the 17th parallel as a "provisional military demarcation line" temporarily dividing the country into two states, Communist North Vietnam and "Free" South Vietnam.
The Geneva Accords promised elections in 1956 to determine a national government for a united Vietnam. However, only France and the North Vietnamese government (DRV) signed the document. The U.S. and the government in Saigon refused to abide by the agreement, believing that the election would result in an easy victory for Hồ Chí Minh. Emperor Bảo Đại, from his home in France, appointed Ngô Đình Diệm as Prime Minister of South Vietnam. With American support. In 1955, Diệm used a rigged referendum to remove the Emperor and declare himself president of the Republic of Vietnam. Thus the competition for the whole of Vietnam began; Diệm's military was unable to prevail in the civil war which escalated, as a result of international intervention, into the Vietnam War.
