Vietnam — VI. Da Lat & Saigon

The final two stops on my 26-day journey down through Vietnam couldn’t have been more different. I arrived in the holiday city of Da Lat around 6:00 AM on a clear morning. As I stepped off of the sleeper bus I was relieved to feel the cooler air of the Vietnamese highlands. Not only that, but the scenery here was hilly for a change — it felt like I was in an entirely new country.

I only stayed in Da Lat for one night, but if it weren’t for the long list of stops ahead of me in SE Asia I would have stayed longer. The Tigon hostel had a beautiful view of the valley below, and for $3/night for a dorm bed it may have been the cheapest hostel I’ve ever stayed. It was a perfect size to meet people and admire the view while enjoying the free breakfast or a drink from the bar.

Had I stayed longer I would have wandered the hillsides in search of more cafes. Reflecting on the past few weeks I have really enjoyed Vietnamese coffee — from the fancy coconut coffee to the classic black coffee.

Sitooterie Coffee & Stories here in Da Lat appeared as a coffee laboratory perched along the hill, and was full of Vietnamese tourists posing in strange outfits with the view and garden as if they had planned specifically to come here.

On the morning of my arrival I met yet another American from Seattle. We hopped on a motorbike he rented from the hostel and set out to visit some sights. We had just left the hostel when he told me that he had gotten his drivers license only a year earlier, and that just like every other westerner in Asia he did not have a motorcycle license. I trusted things would be OK — and thankfully they were. But the streets of SE Asian cities are not ideal for first time motorcyclists!

Our first stop (other than a petrol top-up) was to one of the more bizarre structures I’ve seen in Vietnam — the Crazy House. I’d heard it referred to as a house with “no architectural rules” and I’d say that’s pretty accurate. But I also found it to be whimsical, the kind of place childhood me would have obsessed about. I was concerned, however, with how not safe a lot of the narrow staircases were — most often with low handrails and 10-15 foot drops if one were to accidentally slip. I have good balance, but I was worried for those I saw who were a lot older. As my new friend said, if it were in America it could be a huge OSHA infringement.

On my second day I wandered the city alone — circumventing the central lake, visiting the pink cathedral, and getting lunch at a Chinese noodle place. Because of the city’s hills I found Da Lat to be a really fun place to explore back streets and get a little lost. At one point I discovered a boba place selling Black Cherry milk tea — delicious!

From Da Lat I boarded what felt like my millionth night bus to the former capital of south Vietnam — Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. The bus arrived at a rather unfortunate 4:00 AM — there was a slight drizzle, and I just wanted to go back to sleep. Lucky for me the bus stop wasn’t too far from the hostel I had booked for later in the day. I thought perhaps they would have a 24/7 reception, and they did — they offered me a 50% discount on an immediate bed for check in. At a cost of $4 it was a no brainer to get some quality sleep for a few hours.

It didn’t take me very long out in the streets to realize Saigon is somehow crazier than Hanoi. At the same time it lacks a central tourist area akin to the old town in Hanoi. But even without this, many of the most important sights were walkable. Being at the end of my time in Vietnam I was riding on low energy, and so I opted just to visit a few sights in the two full days I had in Saigon.

Feeling more well-rested I headed to the Independence Palace, the location where the Vietnam War ended in 1975. Being from America I had surprisingly little knowledge of the war before coming to Vietnam, and even now there’s still a lot I’m confused about — but the palace was both architecturally beautiful and historically informative. I particularly liked the underground bunker, where the former president would stay during bombings. Here you’ll find old technology used to communicate with allies during the war, as well as old telephones sitting in bland rooms that appeared to be straight out of a horror movie.

My favorite memory from Saigon was viewing Landmark 81 — the tallest skyscraper in Vietnam, and the second tallest in SE Asia. It is quite far from where most hostels and hotels are located, and I convinced myself to walk the whole way there — mostly in the road as the sidewalks were often blocked by parked cars and food carts. Landmark 81 has a strange resemblance to Chicago’s Willis Tower, but here there is a giant park directly alongside where people gather to fly kites and enjoy picnics in the massive towers’ shadow. At dusk the entire tower lights up in a mesmerizing display of colors.

On my last day in Vietnam I felt this urge to try all my favorite Vietnamese foods/drink one last time — coconut coffee, phở, smoothies, bahn mi, etc. But I was content with the meals I had throughout the country, I didn’t need to savor any final moments. Back at my hostel I met two people in my dorm room — one a 23 year old Burmese citizen who has been to 109 countries while working remotely for Netflix, and another American who was just finishing five months around SE Asia before beginning a working holiday in New Zealand. Surprisingly all three of us has previously visited the country of Georgia, a weird coincidence considering it is still a pretty unknown destination.

We wound up getting dinner that night and having enjoyable travel conversations. It’s not so often these days that I meet other backpackers who inspire me to keep traveling — usually it’s the other way around. But it got me thinking, as I continue on with this extended trip through SE Asia — do I too want to travel indefinitely and eventually say I’ve been to 100+ countries? Or am I just getting my backpacking days out of my system before settling down into the classical music career I’ve spent my whole life building? Sometimes I feel I’ve gone too far down both roads to ever choose.

Up Next: “The Jungle Temples of Angkor Wat“