Emearaude Classic Cruises featured on Gourmet Traveler Australia

8/6/2019 Emearaude Classic Cruises featured on Gourmet Traveler Australia

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142 gourmettraveller.com.au

Words Paul Daley PhotographyChris Chen

Looking for a recession-proof international holiday that

delivers easy access, affordable luxury, cultural experiences

and downright fab food? Welcome to Vietnam.

vive

Street life

Take in the view fromthe Caravelle Hotelin Ho Chi Minh Cityor experience theless urbane comingsand goings in HoiAn, on the centralcoast (opposite).


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place to which youve just been, or, worse, to which

youre about to go, has been ruined by tourism.

And so it was that my travel agent warned me

about Vietnam. It is, she said, like a theme park

over the top, wrecked by tourism and development.

Having travelled extensively in Vietnam 15 years

ago, when an American trade embargo continued to

cruelly isolate a country still crippled by its longest

recent war, I had my own niggling reservations.

I jealously guarded my first Vietnam experiences,

resonating as they still do with memories of markets,

restaurants and museums where few Westerners wan-

dered. But it was the people beautiful and generous,

though desperately poor and their joie de vivre despite

years of pain that left the biggest mark on me.ere was little mass tourism when I first visited

Vietnam. e Communist cadre was still only flirting

with market economics and the security apparatus

was paranoid about Westerners.

So forewarned, I landed at Ho Chi Minh City s Tan

Son Nhat Airport anticipating a super-size culture

of tasteless hotels and girlie bars, a Krispy Kreme on

every corner and legions of Als and Betsies from

Florida, cramming the footpaths as they filed after the

man with the pink umbrella.

e ultra-modern airport itself confirmed how

much things had changed. But I soon came to realise

that not all change has been bad for Vietnam.

e roads are much better, making it safer and easier

to move around. Domestic air routes (once the domain

of dodgy ex-Aeroflot Tupolevs that coughed smoke and

more than occasionally crashed) now includes new

competitors such as Jetstar, making it easier than

ever for budget-conscious Australians to holiday in

luxury at unbelievably affordable prices.

Sure, there are more tourists. But most visitors to

Vietnam these days come to sample a rich culture, streetlife and architecture that point to a complex, fascinating

amalgam of influences Chinese, French, Malaysian

and American that have shaped it.

Vietnam is alive with signs (a skyline ragged with

cranes and a coastline dotted with countless resort

developments) that tourism is booming. Indeed, if its

done right, it will be a boon for the Vietnamese economy

and its people, many of whom are taking full advan-

tage of the opportunity to learn new languages and

skills in the burgeoning hospitality industry.

ere are encouraging signs, too, that the current

development is sympathetic to Vietnams culture and

its abundant natural beauty. Wiser foreign tourism

operators, mindful that this is a country rich in human

as well as natural capital, have been quick to incorpo-

rate Vietnamese attributes of diligence, courtesy and

friendliness into their guest services.

Maybe Im just older and, yes, softer. With hindsight,

visiting Vietnam in the early 1990s was a culturally

rich but often physically challenging experience.

Today, visitors to Vietnam can enjoy the very best of

modern European comforts and amenities.

Vietnam is also a foodies heaven, especially for

seafood lovers. Combined with the staples of rice, rice

noodles, leafy vegetables, spices and herbs, youll not

get fresher, more traditional fish dishes anywhere.

en, of course, theres the ubiquitous rice-noodle

soup pho (arguably Vietnams national dish) and

spring rolls which, washed down with a Vietnamese

beer while perched on a plastic stool at Ho Chi Minh

Citys Ben anh Market, are all yours for just a

dollar or two.

ose uncomfortable about seeing their food au

naturel should steer clear of the stalls toward the back of

the markets, which were built in 1914 and boast a grand

clock tower. For out the back youll see the slaughter

of fish and birds and the dismemberment of frogs andcrustaceans, even dogs.

Westerners are often distressed by the sight of

caged puppies at Vietnams food markets. But in a

country where every part of every animal is eaten,

everything non-human is fair game to the chef.

e day I arrived in the country, I lunched with a

group of friends at Quan An Ngon a bustling insti-

tution in Ho Chi Minh City, featuring a central dining

hall surrounded by external kitchens making all variety

of traditional Vietnamese cuisine. We ordered a dish>

e travel cognoscenti love pointing out that the

Land of contrasts

Commuters whizthrough the old quarterof Hanoi (above). TheWorld Heritage-listedHa Long Bay (opposite,top left), the Templeof Literature in Hanoi(opposite, top right)and traditional streetmarkets in Hoi An(opposite, bottom).


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of green papaya with sliced pigs ear. It wasnt too bad.

Together with eight other dishes and drinks for seven

people, our feast cost a total of about $40.

Its just as easy to spend more money on dining

out, however, because upmarket Vietnamese and

European restaurants vie for business alongside the

street stalls in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Needless to

say, the big hotels also have fine-dining restaurants that

offer the best of Vietnamese and European cuisines.

e French influence is omnipotent, on the plate

and in the cellar. e most positive legacies of French

colonialism are, perhaps, coffee, fine architecture and,of course, the ptisserie. Consequently, you wont get a

better croissant or latte anywhere in the Asia-Pacific.

Shopping is also superb these days, with an

ever growing selection of boutiques and designer stalls,

markets displaying tourist goods (you can take home a

Ho Chi Minh T-shirt or pith helmet) and antique shops.

(Fifteen years ago, when my luggage was lost by my

airline, the only jacket I could find in my size came from

a war surplus market, an unexpected reminder of the

conflict between Vietnam and America.)

We call it the Vietnam War but the Vietnamese

(whove endured battles with the French, the Chinese

and the Cambodians, not to mention civil wars of their

own, during the past century) refer to the devastating

conflict that killed four million of their own civilians

between 1959 and 1975 as the American War.Reminders of this past are everywhere, from the

Dan Sinh Market, a war surplus market on the edge

of Ho Chi Minh, to the War Remnants Museum in

town. When I first visited this museum, which graph-

ically records the conflict with a superb collection of

photographs, memorabilia and military hardware, it

was called the Museum of Chinese and American War

Crimes. Its been renamed since then, signalling a sig-

nificant improvement in relations with Washington.

During the Vietnam War, Western correspondents

haunted the bars along the infamous Dong Khoi Street

(formerly Rue Catinat) and the hotels around Lam Son

Square, including the Continental, the Rex and the

Caravelle. From the Caravelles rooftop bar, reporters

such as Pulitzer Prize-winning Peter Arnett, who

returned earlier this year to help the hotel celebrate

its 50th anniversary, watched the fire fights of the

ever-approaching front line during the closing stagesof the war. e bar on the 10th floor of the original

1959 hotel, once the tallest building in the city,

remains the perfect place for a drink on a fragrant

evening. e Caravelle was relaunched in 1998 and,

after an extensive redesign, a 24-storey tower has now

been added to the original structure.

Just a few hours north of Ho Chi Minh City you

will find stunning beaches and low-rise family

resorts on the edge of traditional Vietnamese cities

and towns.

Phan iet is a sprawling traditional fishing town

200 kilometres north-east of Ho Chi Minh City off High-

way 1, a road that has, I was pleased to experience, been

widened and sealed since I last drove on it. Virtually

untouched by tourism, despite its proximity to the city,

Phan iet is situated on a river mouth and close to

unspoilt white sandy beaches.

For instance, the Novotel Phan iet Ocean Dunes

& Golf Resort is a charming but understated resort

set on a private stretch of beach. Set amid an 18-hole,

Nick Faldo-designed golf course, Ocean Dunes is an

ideal spot for a family break. e beach is clean, thewater is clear and the seafood in the hotel restaurant is

inexpensive and excellent.

ose wanting a bit more life should try Mui Ne

Beach, 13 kilometres further east along the South

China Sea coast. Mui Ne, considered to be the wind-

surf-sports capital of Vietnam, is itself a small fishing

village at the eastern end of a long strip of beach. Again,the beach and the sea are clean and a good swell rolls

in from August to December, making it popular with

windsurfers, kite surfers and board-riders.>

To market, to m

A cluster of fishinboats in Mui Ne(opposite, top leShoppers at themarkets in Phan (opposite, top rigcentre right and centre). Fishermbring in their catat Mui Ne (oppobottom left). The

Temple of Literatin Hanoi (below)

At a bustling Ho Chi Minh City dining hall we ordered green papaya with sliced pigs


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Getting Tere

Jetstar flies from Sydney

to Ho Chi Minh City viaDarwin. One-wayJetSaver Light fares startat $389. Jetstar Pacificoffers domesticconnections in Vietnam.131 538, jetstar.com

See & DoBen Thanh MarketsCnr Le Loi, Ham Nghi,Tran Hung Dao & Le LaiSts, District 1, Ho ChiMinh CityDan Sinh Market104 Yersin St, Ho ChiMinh CityWar Remnants Museum

28 Vo Van Tan St, District 3,Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh Mausoleum

Cnr Pho Ngoc Ha & PhoDoi Can Sts, Ba DinhDistrict, HanoiTemple of LiteraturePho Quoc Tu Giam, HanoiEmeraude

emeraude-cruises.com

Stay & EatQuan An Ngon138 Nam Ky Khoi NghiaSt, Ho Chi Minh CityCaravelle Hotel

Deluxe rooms from $397.19 Lam Son Square,

District 1, Ho Chi Minh

City, caravellehotel.com

Novotel Phan Thiet

Ocean Dunes and

Golf Resort

Deluxe rooms from $180.1 Ton Duc Thang St, Phan

Thiet, novotel.com

Blue Ocean Resort

Standard rooms from $99.54 Nguyen Dinh Chieu,

Ham Tien, Mui Ne, Phan

Thiet, life-resorts.com

The Nam Hai

One-bedroom villas from$1050. Hamlet 1, Dien

Duong Village, Dien Ban

District, Quang Nam

Province, ghmluxury

hotels.com

InterContinental Hanoi

Westlake Deluxe rooms with lakeviews from $320. 1A NghiTam, Tay Ho, Hanoi,

intercontinental.com

THE FINE PRINT

e Blue Ocean Resort in Mui Ne, managed by the

Life Resorts chain, recently reopened after a majorrenovation last year. Situated in sprawling gardens with

pathways leading to a swimming pool, an excellent

restaurant and the beach, the Blue Ocean has an

ambience and understated style that belies the

remarkably inexpensive room rates. Besides luxurious

standard double and twin rooms, the Blue Ocean has

two family bungalows each featuring two bedrooms,

an individual plunge pool and a sala.

ose wanting to flex their wallets should travel

further north-east to Hoi An, near Danang on the cen-

tral coast, to e Nam Hai resort. Its hard to add to

the effusive praise already awarded this resort, which

opened in 2006, except to say it has the most breath-

takingly beautiful swimming pool, which at sunset ap-

pears to extend, like a sheet of smoky Murano glass,

straight into the South China Sea. (Young children

are perhaps more tolerated than encouraged to be

young children at places like this. Leave them at home

if youre going to splurge, and take one of the luxury

spa treatments while youre at it.)

Travelling further up the coast, youll arrive at

the northern city of Hanoi. Its charms have been

evident to travellers for hundreds of years but only

since the mid- to l ate-1990s have the major hotel chains

begun taking advantage of the burgeoning market for

top-quality, affordable accommodation.

e InterContinental Hanoi Westlake is the most

obvious case in point. Situated on the lake and with

all 359 rooms and 18 suites offering views of either

the water or Hanoi street life, this is much more a

resort than a luxury city hotel. Its perfectly located

close to the heart of Hanoi, and is just a taxi ride from

the major sights and shopping strips.

Take a cyclo-ride through the old town and dont

miss the Temple of Literature. Built in 1070, it is

perhaps the finest example of traditional architecture

still standing in Hanoi. Make sure, also, that you

visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. is is a revered

and holy site for many Vietnamese people because

the body of Ho Chi Minh former revolutionary, Com-munist party leader, president of the Democratic

Republic of Vietnam and spiritual founder of modern

Vietnam is still on display there.

Get lost in Hanois bustling old city. Look sky-

wards at the stunning French colonial faades (many

of which have been lovingly restored in recent years,

thanks to massive international aid efforts), and

shop for silk and wooden carvings including genuine,

much-loved Hanoi water puppets.

en return to the InterContinental. A late after-

noon drink at e Sunset Bar, which occupies its own

island reached by a torch-lit promenade, is a must.

e hotel boasts two fantastic restaurants on the

mezzanine level Milan and Saigon which offer the

best of European and Asian cuisines. For this sort of

quality, the prices are exceptional.

If you make it to Hanoi, take the opportunity to

visit the stunning natural phenomenon that is the

World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay, where some 1600towering islands rise like giant limestone cenotaphs

from the brilliant jade green water. Everyone wants

to see it. is is probably why tourism has not been

as kind to this part of Vietnam as it has to others.

Little more than a decade ago just a handful of boats

took tourists. Today more than 400 tourist boats are

competing for elbow room out there.

Tragically, in parts the water is dirty; some boats

pump their effluent directly into the sea, where it floats

in a pitiful slick with plastic bags, drink bottles and

other detritus. Reputable tour operators are aware of

the problem and are working on measures to ensure

Ha Long Bays pristine beauty is preserved.

Spending a night on Ha Long Bay is nonetheless

a magical experience. I was fortunate enough to

stay on the Emeraude, a 55-metre replica of a French

paddle-steamer that cruised these waters from 1906

to 1937. I usually baulk at such ye olde experiences

but the Emeraude with its brass fittings, polished

wooden floors, wicker chairs on the sundeck, and top-

notch restaurant is fun and relaxing.

Ha Long Bay is, perhaps, a sign of what awaits

Vietnam if tourism is not ecologically managed. Gov-

ernment tourism authorities are, it is said, slow to en-

gage with the problems. Foreign tourism investors,

however, know business will be short-term unless they

lead the way. e doomsayers are wrong. As Vietnam

tourism develops, its future looks assured.*

A drink at Te Sunset Bar, on its own island reached by a torch-lit promenade, is a m

Floating

The brigthe InteHanoi WSunset aNam Ha

Vietnamcoast (o

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Emearaude Classic Cruises featured on Gourmet Traveler Australia