Vietnam’s Hanoi and Phu Quoc island deliver travel’s best of both worlds
Travellers get the best of both worlds – moments of tranquillity and urban energy – at these two Vietnamese destinations.
Fog is shrouding the uppermost levels of Vietnam’s tallest Buddhist pagoda in Ninh Binh province, south of the capital Hanoi. Incense wafts by and I’m keenly aware of the peace and quiet, particularly after the constant beeping of scooters during the three-hour drive from the city. This vast temple complex spreads out from the base of picturesque Bai Dinh Mountain. Visitors are praying before altars laden with offerings of exotic longan and dragon fruit, money and a slightly incongruous box of ChocoPie biscuits.
Lamps cast a glow on an open timber-truss corridor looking out to a beautifully manicured garden. Five hundred imposing Arhat statues carved from stone by villagers line the passage, the outer layers rubbed smooth by the touch of pilgrims seeking luck and prosperity. As I’m led from one sacred room to the next, I’m reminded that despite how familiar and accessible Vietnam is as a travel destination, it feels a world away from everyday life in Australia.
That feeling returns later the same day during a boat ride in Trang An, an area famous for its caves. A woman wearing a non dang, the traditional conical hat made from palm leaves, paddles four of us down the river past rice paddies and villages. The only sound breaking the silence is the water trickling from the oars.
The experience is in stark contrast to Hanoi, which heaves with sounds, smells and colours. I grab a bite to eat at Bun cha Huong Lien, a family-run restaurant made famous for hosting then US president Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain in 2016 for the late celebrity chef’s TV show Parts Unknown. The three-storey restaurant serves bun cha, a local specialty of pork meatballs and smoky grilled pork belly with vermicelli noodles and a warm broth made from fish sauce; throw in a beer and it’s called the “Obama Combo”. The place is packed with diners perched on plastic stools around stainless-steel tables – the one used by the VIP duo is preserved, like a museum artefact, beneath an acrylic box. There’s nothing upmarket about this eatery, and with meals costing no more than $8, it’s as cheap as it is deliciously memorable.
By the time I check in to the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake, it’s around 4pm. Sipping on a welcome drink of Vietnamese drip coffee made with sweet condensed milk, I take in my surrounds. The luxury property overlooks the freshwater West Lake in the vibrant Tay Ho district and encompasses 318 guestrooms and suites, a pool and fitness centre and six dining options, ranging from Milan, an Italian-inspired restaurant, to a classic brasserie at Cafe du Lac. My room has lovely local touches such as lanterns beside the plush king-sized bed, timber shutters leading out to a balcony and a traditional Vietnamese robe framed on the wall. I’m delighted to discover the bathroom is stocked with amenities by Swedish brand Byredo, maker of one of my favourite perfumes. I make good use of the supplies and then, glistening with perhaps a little too much body lotion, it’s time to head out for the evening.
At the hotel’s Sunset Bar, housed in a rotunda with indoor and outdoor seating, staff pass trays of foamy passionfruit cocktails as chefs prepare dinner at makeshift stations. They’re serving banh xeo, the crispy crepe made from rice flour and filled with pork, prawn and green onion, and banh tom, a sweet shrimp cake. Dessert, a fluffy pandan cake with coconut ice cream made with liquid nitrogen and topped with a sticky caramel sauce, is so good I have two.
It’s not until the next day, as a kind gentleman pedals me around the Old Quarter on a 30-minute cyclo tour, that I regret the second helping. Perhaps the extra weight is why his tourism patter is so minimalist. He points out just three things – “opera house”, “supermarket” and “puppet show” – but it’s all I need to know as we pass street vendors selling everything from intricately designed silks to fresh produce and artworks.
Over coffee at Cafe Giang, a humming establishment famous for Cafe Trung, a sweet and fluffy beverage of condensed milk whipped with egg yolk and plopped on a ristretto shot, tour guide Thanh Vuong advises how to cross the road without getting struck by a scooter. “Don’t stop,” he says simply, before adding: “Or, if you’re religious, pray.” Taking that piece of wisdom on board, I make my way through the old streets, picking up trinkets on the way before checking into the InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72.
What feels like the longest elevator ride comes to a stop on the 62nd floor, where the sky lobby is located. The view from the tallest building in the heart of Hanoi’s CBD is spectacular from every corner. The modern interiors, so slick in comparison with its sister property, make for a very different stay and attract a far more corporate clientele. My room, a King Classic, on the 70th floor, is bright and spacious, and boasts those bird’s-eye views. Features include a desk, plush armchair and sumptuous bed dressed in soft white linen. The bathroom is decked out with grey travertine tiles, chrome fixtures, separate shower and tub, and the same luxe lotions as my previous lodgings.
At the hotel’s Stellar Steakhouse, the menu delivers a generous fusion of east and west. I gorge on wagyu striploin pho, Nha Trang lobster and Sapa leek ravioli, followed by a Vietnamese sweet basil creme brulee. There’s an impressive wine list from global suppliers, something that’s hard to find in a country where kegs of bia hoi (fresh beer) are brewed daily and delivered to vendors on the back of bikes.
This sophisticated setting is a far cry from the place where my journey began, on Phu Quoc, a small island in the Gulf of Thailand. Just 15km from the coast of Cambodia, its most prominent attractions are pristine white-sand beaches and thick tropical jungle, most of which is national park. Large swathes of the island are undeveloped and power cuts are a regular occurrence away from the tourist circuit.
My accommodation, though, is very much of the developed variety – a two-bedroom villa at Melia Vinpearl Phu Quoc, a resort with more than 500 villas. It’s so immense you need a buggy to get around. The property’s size may not be to everyone’s taste, but its amenities are abundant. Each villa, measuring up to 330sq m, has a private pool and views of the lake or private beach. The spa, with nine treatment rooms, is opposite one of two communal pools. The food is a knockout at its three restaurants, especially the Hanoi fried spring rolls and spring onion pancakes.
Learning to make the latter at a cooking class with executive chef Nguyen Tran Chinh, I feel like an impostor wearing the tall chef’s hat he insists upon. Those feelings of inadequacy soon fade as I flip pancakes and perfect the correct technique for folding spring rolls like an origami master. The class serves as a starter of sorts for the dinner to come. Tables are set up on the beach, seats sinking into the sand, as the sun dips beneath the horizon. The food is zingingly fresh and plentiful; crowding the table are a shredded chicken salad with laksa leaf, fried squid and egg, grilled pork rib and a sweet lotus-seed soup.
Seafood is the star of the show on Phu Quoc, with squid one of the island’s main industries. Colourful fishing boats in bright greens, blues and reds bob below me on the sea as I ride in a cable car from the strangely empty faux Italian village called Sunset Town. This aberration was apparently built so Asian tourists could “experience” Europe without leaving home. It’s a jarring departure point but the elevated 30-minute jaunt to the Sun World theme park on the island of Hon Thom delivers some of the best views of the entire, extraordinary trip.
Imogen Reid was a guest of Bamboo Airways.
In the know
Bamboo Airways is the newest addition to Vietnam’s skies, offering flights from Sydney and Melbourne direct to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi respectively. Australian passport holders must register for an E-Visa for entry into Vietnam, which permits 30 days of consecutive travel.
The InterContinental Hanoi Westlake has King Classic Lake View rooms from $214 a night; King Classic rooms at the InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72 from $240, both including breakfast.
Melia Vinpearl Phu Quoc has one-bedroom lake-view villas with pool from about $242 a night with breakfast.
