An Unusual Birthday Surprise When Traveling to Vietnam

On November 20, 2020November 20, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Vietnam5 Comments

We often travel around the times of our birthdays, mostly just because of the time of year that they occur. At this point in our lives, we don’t tend to make a fuss over our birthdays and certainly don’t tell people when we’re traveling if it happens to be one of our birthdays. This made what happened during our trip to Hanoi even more surprising. We had a very full itinerary while we were in Vietnam with every day full of long tours and it was always a joy to return to our hotel in the old town area of Hanoi.

On this particular day, we had gotten up early and gone to the Ninh Binh province where we saw many amazing sights. It was relatively late when we returned to the hotel and we were looking forward to going out and getting a bite to eat. As we entered the hotel, the staff at the desk asked us to take a seat in the lobby as they had some information for us. This did not surprise us as they were extremely helpful, friendly, and had provided us lots of useful information about places to go in the neighborhood.

What was surprising was when the staff returned with an entire birthday cake and singing “Happy Birthday” to us. Since we had never mentioned the birthday to the hotel, we made the assumption that they must have gotten it from our passports. The staff told us that they were honored that we chose to share such a special occasion with them. In addition to the cake, they also gave us a tray of fresh fruit and fresh fruit juice. Then we went up to our room to change for dinner and discovered a hearts made from towels and flower petals on the bed. To say that the staff of the Antique Legend Hotel were wonderful would be an extreme understatement.

Riding Bicycles in the Ninh Binh Province of Vietnam

On August 7, 2020August 7, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, Vietnam3 Comments

One of the things that was included in our tour of the Ninh Binh Province in Vietnam was riding bicycles through the countryside and along the rice paddies. Well, at least that was the description in the tour literature. We did ride bicycles, but it was not through the idyllic countryside, but rather through construction. Vietnam is known for it’s use of bicycles from the 1950’s, which aren’t as stable as modern bicycles. Add to that, we had to dodge construction trucks and ride over stones instead of a smooth path. It may be something that most tourists expect when visiting Vietnam, but we’d have preferred a quiet ride in the countryside versus a ride through a construction zone.

It Would Have Been Pretty Without the Construction

This is Closer to What the Tour Guides Would Like You to See

Tam Coc Cave Tour in Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam

On December 17, 2019December 17, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Vietnam2 Comments

One of the more popular day tours from Hanoi is to go to the Ninh Binh province, especially to do the Tam Coc caves (which actually means three caves). There are a couple of styles of boats that will take you along the Ngo Dong River, but the ones where the oarsman rows with their feet are different from anything else that we’ve done. The caves themselves are quite interesting as they have been carved out by the river and they actually create tunnels that take you under the mountain by boat.

Boats Going One After Another Through the Caves

The area of Ninh Binh is also known as the Halong Bay of Inner Vietnam for obvious reasons if you visit both of them as we did. The scenery is absolutely beautiful with the mountain scenery and the rice paddies. Due to the popularity of the tour, you will likely find a lot of boats on the river with you as you make your way through the three caves. In fact, we actually teased during our tour that it almost felt like we were on a ride in Disneyworld as the boats went one by one through the caves.

Most tours provide you with a local, handwoven hat, which you will need to protect from the sun during the hour and half tour. The limestone caves have unique formations due to the elements that have created them and will be within arm’s reach at some points as you make your way through them. One of the caves is so long that you will virtually be in the dark as you pass through it. As the boat turns around after passing through the last cave, there will be boats with local vendors offering to sell you drinks, snacks, and other items.

We saw so many amazing sights during our time in Vietnam and Tam Coc in the Ninh Binh province was certainly one of our favorites. There are a variety of choices of places that you can visit during a Ninh Binh tour, but we would highly recommend making Tam Coc one the choices that you make. Between the scenery, the caves, and the unique boats, it is well worth dealing with the potential crowds.