Got up at 7.00am after an excellent night’s sleep, and briefly stepped out onto our little balcony overlooking the street below. The weather was already sultry and warm.
The coach was not due to depart until half-past eight, but we had our packing to do as we would be on the move once again. It was just as well most of the clothes I had brought were crease-proof. I’d left my cossie and sarong spread out on the coffee table hoping the aircon would dry it, and indeed it had. Once we’d got washed and dressed and put the last few things in the case, we were ready to go down to breakfast.
The dining room was very busy; there seemed to be a lot of business men in suits as well as holidaymakers. I enjoyed some pastries along with coffee and orange juice, and then, as we had some time to spare, we had a look around the hotel shop, where I bought a lovely embroidered cotton wrap/scarf for $11.25.
We then waited in our group for Kevin to appear, and watched as our bags were loaded onto the coach. Our first visit today would be to the Nui Sam mountain, which stands at just under 1,000 feet high and is the highest mountain on the Mekong Delta. It affords wonderful views over lush fields and rice paddis, as well as small villages. On a clear day you can see across to Cambodia.
We set off through the bustling streets, watching the endless stream of traffic and the motorcyles and scooters in their hundreds, nonchalantly weaving in and out of cars, buses, trucks and pedestrians. The air was filled with the constant sound of beeping horns. It took about 40 minutes for the coach to arrive at the parking layby near the top of the mountain, wending its way up the zig-zagging road.
The mountain is very popular with walkers and hikers, but we didn’t fancy doing it in the relentless heat and humidity, so we were grateful for the bus ride!
We wore our audio devices so Kevin could tell us the legend of Nui Sam, which centres on a mysterious statue of of Ba Chua Xu (the Holy Mother of the Realm) discovered on Sam Mountain in the early 1800s. Locals wished to move the statue down the mountain for worship and built a simple shrine at the base. When they first tried to move it, no matter how many strong men they used, the statue wouldn’t budge, making it impossible to move, until a spiritual medium advised that the statue could only be moved by virgin girls. When nine virgins came to the site, the statue became so light that they were able to carry it down the mountain with ease. Kevin pointed out the original site of the statue to us, and I took a photo.
From the top of the mountain, we enjoyed the views all around us. As we were nearly 1,000 feet up, we also enjoyed a refreshing breeze, which made the heat slightly more bearable.
Once we made our way back down the mountain, we stopped at the Ba Chua Xu Temple. This is a famous spiritual site and this was evident by the number of locals that had come to pray before the Buddha statue. They had taken off their shoes and sank to their knees on the prayer mats, and the air was heavy with the scent of the incence sticks they carried with them.
Our next visit, which was only a few minutes away, was to the colourful and eclectic Tay An Pagoda, which was founded in 1847 and blends Vietnamese, Hindu and Islamic influences. Kevin had told us there were restrooms here and the chance to buy refreshments if we needed them.
It was very crowded at the temple. We walked around the interior and marvelled at the lavish sculptures and paintings. Again, many people were praying. I was very conscious of keeping my phone’s wrist-strap in place and ensuring my bumbag was secure, as with most crowded places, you had to be very aware of pickpockets.
Presently, we were back out on the thronging streets, and we followed Kevin along the road and in and out of the traffic. We found it most disconcerting that the traffic would not stop for pedestrians, but would toot their horn in annoyance as they drove around you – even on the pedestrian crossings. As we walked along, I couldn’t resist take a photo of a Vietnamese fruit and vegetable seller, wearing the traditional conical hat.
Our final visit was to see the famed statue of Ba Chua Xu, in a large pagoda which was absolutely packed with worshippers. We couldn’t get near the statue for all the people waving lit incence sticks in the air; I was afraid of one of them burning my clothes or skin. I therefore move right to the back, where the crowds were thinner, and used the excellent zoom facility on my phone to take a photo of the colourful statue.
Once we were all rounded up and back in the air-conditioned bliss of the coach, Kevin said we had a journey of around two hours before we reached our lunch stop and, after having our water bottles refilled, we sat back in our seats and relaxed, looking out of the window at the passing scenery.
One thing I will say about Vietnam is that it seemed a less-developed country than Thailand or Cambodia. In lots of ways it reminded me of when I lived in Singapore as a child from 1968-70. There were lots of paddy fields, rubber and banana trees and little villages similar to the kampongs I remembered. Our guide Kevin confirmed that Vietnam was classed as a “second world” country.
Around 12.45pm, the coach pulled up and Kevin said we had a short walk to the restaurant for our lunch and loo stop. Once again it was a case of washing and sanitising my hands before we took our seats and ordered the mandatory cold beer. This time, we decided to try the local stuff, and we each ordered a can of Saigon beer.
Then it was just a case of the inevitable rice being brought to the table, along with the usual selection of meat and vegetable local dishes. We had time to enjoy another beer each before we used the loos and got ready to leave again. We cheered up when Kevin said we would reach our hotel in under two hours. 🙂
It was 3.45pm when we reached the Victoria Can Tho Hotel, which once again was on the banks of the Hau River. Like the Victoria Chau Doc, it looked an amazing hotel. We couldn’t wait to try out the swimming pool! 🙂
Our room was fantastic. Large and airy and with a balcony. Newmarket Holidays had certainly done us proud with their hotel choices.
As soon as our cases arrived, we extracted our cossies and hurriedly put them on. I wore my sarong over the top. We went straight down to the pool but a lot of people were obviously quicker than us, as there were already quite a few of our party in there. We discovered there were two pools at right angles to each other; a plunge pool whcih was only about 4′ deep and a deeper pool for swimming. We opted for the deeper one, and revelled in that first feeling as we slid into the refreshingly-cool water. 🙂
We swam for a few lengths before hauling ourselves out and procuring a sunlounger each, and Trevor went off to get a couple of beers, as it was happy hour. We sat there people-watching and enjoying our beers, which went down an absolute treat. We were in no great hurry; our time was our own.
Letting myself dry off in the sun, we each ordered another beer and then I looked at Google Maps to explore our surroundings and see if there were any bars nearby. They wouldn’t have to be far, as we already knew that everything closed at 10.00pm in Vietnam! We saw the there was a high-rise hotel at the other side of the river, over a footbridge, and it had a Sky Bar which looked really good. We spotted Brian and Clare by the pool and asked them if they fancied coming to the Sky Bar with us later on, and they agreed.
Meanwhile, we sat by the pool until the sun went down, and enjoyed a third beer. 🙂
Presently we returned to our room and got dried off and I changed into some clean clothes and put on a bit of makeup (I’d given up on my hair by now!). We wandered on down to the hotel bar and got talking to some people who had already ventured over the bridge and into town to explore. They said the path was just out of the back of the hotel, past the swimming pools, and the bridges looked lovely all lit up with neon lights.
It was about 8.30pm when we left with Brian and Clare, and walked off down the path into the darkness. I don’t see very well in the dark, and I had to watch my footing on the uneven ground. In order to reach the bridge, we walked over some wooden walkways that led to lots of over-water restaurants where the locals gathered.
We eventually found the footbridge and started across. It was spectacular, and we were able to get some good photos, as well as a photo of the lit-up traffic bridge. You can see the high-rise Sky Bar building over the footbridge in the fourth photo.
Inside what was obviously a hotel, we asked the receptionist if it was OK to go to the Sky Bar, and she told us it was on the 13th floor. I was surprised that there was a thirteenth floor; many buildings (and ships) don’t include thirteen out of superstition.
We took the lift to the top floor and, when we emerged, it looked singularly uninspiring, more like a level on a multi-storey carpark than a posh hotel. Nevertheless, we opened some doors onto an open-sided area with tables and chairs, and stools along the outer perimeter of the room. From here, we had a fabulous view over Can Tho and the river Hau.
We stayed for one more drink, then decided to make our way back to the hotel, as it was now 10.40pm and we had another early start in the morning. As we emerged from the lift and found ourselves outside again, we noticed that all the colourful lights had been turned off, and the bridge (as well as everything else) was in darkness. They certainly don’t like late nights in Vietnam, do they?
We had to try to find our way back in the pitch black. It was one thing going over the darkened bridge, but then we had to negotiate those little wooden walkways in between the over-water restaurants. At the other side, we went to where we’d emerged from the back of the hotel, but the gate was closed and locked! 🙁
Long story short… We stumbled around in the dark, trying several pathways which led to dead ends, until I referred to Google Maps. The hotel was tantalisingly near, but it was just getting to it! Eventually we met a local man who was walking the other way, and we asked him where the hotel was. He directed us to the main entrance, and we thankfully went inside.
After saying our goodnights, we took the lift up to our comfortable room, where we settled down for the night. We were due to arrive in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly and famously Saigon) tomorrow, and we looked forward to this next stage of our adventure. 🙂