Vietnam with Quoc Part 2/2

1. Kaiserstadt Hue

Except for the Citadel with the imperial residences from the 19th century, Hue didn't have much to offer. But what we saw was beautiful! Sadly, a lot was bombed during the Vietnam War, but there was still enough to see.

I have to admit that we weren't motivated to see more than the Citadel. We could have done more sightseeing, but it's important to take breaks. And Quoc was on his well-deserved vacation and wanted to relax. Meanwhile, I wrote in my diary and enjoyed delicious Vietnamese food. Can't get enough of it! But I should also think about exercising. Just eating is not enough 🙈!!

1. Da Nang

On the way here, this time by car, we could admire the diversity of the Vietnamese landscape again.

Da Nang is the third largest and rapidly growing city in Vietnam.

Luxury hotels are popping up on the beach and mainly Chinese and Korean tourists come here. (To avoid the Japanese, who prefer other cities - they don't really like each other...)

In Da Nang, we relaxed on the beach, I even went for a run in the morning to burn off all the food! 😅

We also visited the Cham Museum with great Hindu and Buddhist excavations from Central Vietnam (7th-13th centuries). It was well presented and slowly but surely, I can recognize different styles after visiting Thai, Khmer, and Vietnamese excavations. However, the differences between different subgroups of Hinduism and Buddhism and their beliefs still remain a mystery to me...

Oh, and then there was the weird trip to Bana Hills. We actually just wanted to see the new "Hand Bridge," but the tour also included a trip to "Fake Europe" in the mountains. We went up with the cable car (Austrian company 😂) and ended up in a disneyworld-like city. It was more of a horror, but at least the view was beautiful and we laughed a lot about the junk!

   9. Phu Quoc Island 

Unfortunately, I caught a cold just in time for the beach, but I still enjoyed the sea and the beautiful beaches on the island: Terribly cheesy sunsets and a very nice bar with good music and friendly locals! I actually wanted to teach Quoc how to play "Schnapsen" here, but somehow we didn't get around to it. But we still had a great time even without "Schnapsen"!

10. Farewell to Quoc and Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City 

Quoc and I had a cozy last evening together with drinks in a sky bar, watching the sunset and overlooking Saigon! Since Quoc visited his relatives, we had to say goodbye early 😕.

It's strange when suddenly you're alone again...

I didn't see much of Saigon because my flight to Taiwan was on the same night. I almost missed it because I thought it was the next night! 😳

Now I have arrived in Taipei after a sleepless flight and I'm listening to my roommate snoring in the dorm room! 😒

Vietnam is definitely a country I want to return to! It has so much to offer culturally, gastronomically, touristically, and scenically. Unfortunately, it had to go through some terrible wars in history, which have undoubtedly shaped the country.

Next time, I absolutely have to visit the Mekong Delta and the north with the Sapa region. Whenever that may be.. 😊!