When I told my father I was planning to move to Vietnam, his response wasn’t what you’d expect. He didn’t say “Oh my god, that’s so far away,” or “Geez, why would you wanna live there?” or some quote from Forrest Gump. He didn’t even lead with “I’m really going to miss you!”
He said, “Great! I’ve always wanted to visit Vietnam!”
I can always count on my dad to say just the right thing.
I arrived at the airport to pick him up around 10pm, more than a little drunk from a day of boozing that started at the all-you-can-drink Champagne brunch at the Intercontinental Hotel. But Dad didn’t lecture me. He hugged me and cracked open one of the 333s I picked up for the ride home from the airport. And the next morning, while I slept off the bubbles, he waited patiently downstairs for breakfast. What a guy.
The first day, I threw him in the deep end in with a ride on the back of my motorbike around Ho Chi Minh City. We haggled at Ben Thanh Market and ate pho for lunch.
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| Pho! |
No guided tour of Saigon would be complete without a trip to the Central Post Office, Notre Dam Cathedral, and Reunification Palace, so of course I dragged Dad along to all the major sights. Exhausted but dealing with the jet lag like a trooper, Dad was up for a quick drink at my favorite little spot, The View rooftop bar. So cheap, so lovely.
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| Drinks with a view |
We ended the day with a family dinner, Vietnam style. I roped in all the roommates and taxied over to Cuc Gach Quan for a feast of Vietnamese deliciousness.
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| Viet-family dinner |
The next day, we woke up early, grabbed a ca phe sua da and a banh mi, and headed to the airport.
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| Dad enjoying his first bites of Banh Mi |
At the airport, we met our travel companion for the next few days, Lisa, my coworker at BIS. We boarded our plane and set off for Hue, the old Imperial capital of Vietnam. Without much of a plan, we headed out on foot to explore the city.
Hue has quite an interesting history, but most people know of Hue from the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War. We wandered around the streets near our hotel, ventured across the Perfume River, and walked up to the impressive Citadel.
The Citadel is surrounded by a 2m-thick brick wall and houses the Imperial City, historic halls and palaces, and many Hue residents. We decided not to enter the Imperial Enclosure, but instead strolled along the perimeter of the 2.5km-long walls of the citadel-within-a-citadel.
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| Imperial Enclosure walls and moat |
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| Bridge |
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| Citadel wall |
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| Imperial Enclosure gate |
Along the way, we saw the 37m-high Flag Tower, Vietnam’s tallest. We stopped to snap shots of the Nine Holy Cannons, representing the four seasons and the five elements.
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| Flag Tower |
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| Four Seasons Cannons |
In an attempt to conserve our energy for the upcoming action-packed days of travel, we took our sweet time circumambulating the Imperial Enclosure. We stopped frequently for pictures and wished desperately for a coffee shop, to no avail!
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| Crack kills |
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| More moat |
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| Dad climbs up the wall hoping for coffee |
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| Lily pads |
After crossing back over the Perfume River, we beelined over to the bar district and settled in for a few refreshing local brews.
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| Boats on the Perfume River |
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| When in Hue.... |
That night, after dinner, we went to bed early, to dream of sugarplum fairies and fully-automatic motorbikes. An epic journey awaited us in the morning!
Adventures with Papa Baker are the best...you make me want to visit Vietnam!
ReplyDeleteI'll put you up for free WHEN you come!! :)
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