My Son is not Called Ruins for Nothing

Ever since seeing the episode of Departures in Vietnam where they visited My Son Sanctuary (or My Son), I have wanted to go there and experience walking in the ruins myself. And so when I had the chance to travel to Vietnam, this was on top of my priorities.

My Son is a complex of Hindu temples built by the Champa Kingdom. It may be nothing compared to the Angkor in terms of size but it is much older. Construction of these temples began as early as the 4th century. Unfortunately, most of these temples are crumbling or have been destroyed during the Vietnam War.

Most people join group tours from Hoin An to visit Vietnam. I found the cheapest half-day tour costs 100,000 dong which includes a boat ride at the end of the trip. But I decided to go by myself even though it would cost more since I also wanted to see the sunset in the ruins.

My host in Hoi An was kind enough to arrange a transportation for me. My driver and his motorcycle was on the old side and as expected, the tire burst a few kilometers on the trip. We were lucky that a repair shop was just a few meters away and we were good to go after a few minutes.

The weird thing is that my driver does not know where exactly My Son is. It didn't help that signs to the site are very rare. So he kept on asking other locals if we were going the right direction. In other circumstances, I would have been pissed and frustrated but I felt no negativity at all. Maybe because I was taking this as part of my adventure or I just couldn't get angry at an old person who I am sure is not going to scam me.

Just as we arrived at about 4pm, a tour bus was leaving. I thought to myself that it would be great having only a number of people in the site. I paid the entrance fee which is 60,000 dong. And as I expected, the parking fee for foreigners is higher (5000 dong) than what a local will have to pay (3000 dong). I wonder if locals could enter the site free because my driver was able to roam My Son without paying anything.

I walked around the site for around an hour an half. I lingered on some sites taking in the details. I tried to act like an explorer hoping to find something that's been hidden to everyone but since the ruins is pretty small, I guess everything has been found already. And there are signs telling you not to go any further or higher.

As I have mentioned before, most of the temples of My Son are crumbling. As I walked around the site, I also found a few bomb craters. I wonder what the case would be if the Vietnam War did not happen, or at least if the Americans did not bomb this place. Wars claimed lives of innocent people and destroyed treasures centuries-old civilizations left us such as this.

Efforts however are being done to restore My Son. As I was walking around the site, I saw lots of temples being reconstructed. I just hope they do a good job at this and at least make them look like they are really ancient and not built just yesterday. (Like what they did to the Cham Towers.)

I read that many people who go to My Son are disappointed by the size of the site and that there aren't much to see except for a few crumbling towers. Well, My Son is not called ruins for nothing, right? I guess visiting My Son is more about appreciating its rich culture and history rather than a feast for the eyes.

One of the temples in the site that is undergoing reconstruction.

My Son is Vietnamese and means beautiful mountains.

Mt. Pulag: The Best Sunrise of My Life (So Far)

It was a few minutes past 4am when we started our ascent to the peak of Mt. Pulag. The 5km hike up would take about 1-2hours depending on our pace, according to our guide. We were one of the last groups to leave the camp and I was a little worried that sunrise might come before we reach the peak.

The night was very cold. Without gloves, my hands were getting numb. We walked fast so that our bodies would warm up. The good thing was that the terrain at the start of the climb is only gently sloping. We still had to stop a few times though, to wait for the other members and rest for a few minutes. At 2000+m, the elevation was no joke to us who are near-sea-level dwellers.

As we were walking (and still far from the peak), we could already see a glimmer of light on the horizon. We were able to walk at a steady (and relatively fast) pace on the gently sloping grounds. But the last few hundred meters to the peak was really steep. Everyone was panting and had to stop a few times to catch our breath. We kept on pushing ourselves because we didn't want to miss the sunrise.

They say that God rewards those who persevere to the end. Though out of breath, we had smile on our faces as we reach the peak of Mt. Pulag. We knew we were in for a treat. The sun didn't fully come out until after 30 minutes or so though. We watched the sky as it turns to light, slowly revealing a magnificent landscape. This in itself makes our trip already well worth it. But then the sun finally revealed itself amidst the sea of clouds. I am out of words.

It was still dark when we reached the peak.

Playing with silhouettes.

More than a hundred were blessed to witness the sunrise at Mt. Pulag.

Taking the Tourist Bus in Vietnam

Before leaving for my nine-day trip in Vietnam, I wanted to book everything in advance so that I wouldn't have to be bothered when I get there. The trains are somewhat expensive for me so I decided to just take the tourist bus since many travelers use this anyway.

From what I read in several travel forums, the two most trusted companies operating bus tours are Kim Tours and Sinh Cafe (which is now known as The Sinh Tourist). I opted for the latter for the simple reason that the name has more appeal to me. (Haha) I sent an e-mail to inquire about the availability of tickets for my desired travel dates, the cost and how to book. I received a reply in a few days and they gave me instructions, which is by wiring them the payment. I didn't see Sinh Cafe in the company name where I should send my payment and I immediately realized that this is one of those 'fakes' pretending to be the real one. (Even if they were the real one, I wouldn't bother because wiring money is tiresome and I would rather take my chance on booking when I get there.)

I scoured the web to find the website of the real one. I was still not able to book in advance though. I didn't know if it was my connection or their website which has a problem that time.

On my first day in Vietnam, the first thing I had to do was to book my bus tickets. I was lucky that the hostel I stayed in HCMC was very near their office which is along De Tham St. I was able to book my desired schedule and was really glad that it was cheaper than I expected. I only paid about 976,000vnd for HCMC-Nha Trang-Hoi An-Hue-Hanoi trips. I also got a free souvenir shirt. (I am a sucker for freebies!)


For my first overnight trip, I had no expectation with the sleeper bus. I thought that it would be just like any other buses only with much larger leg rooms so that you could recline your seats more. But to my surprise, there were real beds, (or at least close to a real bed) double-deckers arranged in three rows, which made me look forward to a restful sleep. The beds are long enough. However, the beds at the front and the middle portion are shorter and was not enough for me. They also provide a blanket and you get 500ml water. (I wonder how often they wash those blankets.) There's also a toilet but in only one of the three overnight buses I took is functioning. Wearing shoes/slippers inside the bus is not allowed so we had to take them off and put them in a plastic bag. This is actually nice to make sure that the bus is kept clean. I think it is also because in Vietnam you have to remove your foot wear upon entering a house and since people sleep in the overnight bus, it is considered a house. Here's to hoping that all sleeper buses are like this.

Inside the Sinh Tourist sleeper bus (HCMC-Nha Trang)

An Afternoon in Ho Chi Minh

Arriving in Ho Chi Minh at past midnight without having much sleep and rest for the past three days, I decided to sleep in until my check-out time in the hostel where I stayed in. I had 9 days to travel from the southern part of Vietnam to Hanoi and with this very short time, I knew I should waste no time to make this trip worth it.

I was surprised, or rather became uneasy, when the driver of my rental car from the airport told me to follow him to narrow alleys at 1:30am. I didn't expect that my hostel would be located in such a place. My hostel was already locked and very dark when we got there which made me think if there were any other guests. An old man greeted me and I supposed he owns the place. I had to remove my shoes (which I actually liked) to get in and he led me to my room which is has a double bed and a balcony.

I woke up the next morning with familiar sounds of women chatting, children playing on the streets, music and honking of motorcycles. It suddenly felt like I was in my cousin's house in Batangas but I got reminded that I was in Vietnam. I stayed in the receiving area of the hostel before leaving to use their wi-fi and check what I should do in the city in the afternoon. The old lady was nice enough to give me a bagel, or something similar to it. She must have seen in my face that I was really hungry that time. Although it was really oily, I still ate all of it since I was starving and it would be ungrateful of me if I didn't.

Don't get me wrong. I really appreciate and am very thankful to all the hospitable and generous people I know or met. But their acts don't always guarantee that you will really enjoy. It's not always that what they offer is what you want. Nonetheless, they never fail to make me feel good.

Before leaving, I asked the old lady how to go to the office of Sinh Tourist. I was glad to know that it was just a few hundred meters from the hostel and easy to find. I booked all four trips to Hanoi and they gave me a free t-shirt.

I had approximately seven hours to spend in the city and it felt like I wasted much of it in getting lost. Finding a place to eat was difficult and deciding what to eat is much so. I ended up eating pho in a nearly empty Vietnamese-Mexican restaurant. I know I should eat where locals go because it is an assurance that the food there is good but I still feel a little awkward if I am the only foreigner in there. I could pass as a local but the backpack I carry gave me away.

After much thinking, I decided to just visit the War Remnants Museum. I assumed that the museum was around the area so I just walked not really knowing what direction I should be taking. Already tired with aching back and dripping with sweat, I called a xe om (a motorbike similar to Philippines' habal-habal). Unfortunately, the driver doesn't speak English and had no idea where the museum is. So I had to walk a few more hundred meters until I found another xe om. Luckily this time, he speaks English and knows where my destination is. During the ride, I had a little chat with my driver (whose name I forgot). He asked my name and where I am from (which was how most of my conversations with locals would go). Since he told me that it was up to me on how much I should pay him, I gave him 20,000vnd (roughly 1usd) and he seemed to be satisfied with it. He was also nice enough to help me cross the street (which made me think why he didn't just dropped  me on the other side of the street) when he noticed that I was very hesitant for fear of getting hit by a motorbike.

Tanks and air crafts used during the Vietnam war displayed on the museum grounds.

The entrance fee was 15,000vnd. The museum grounds was not that big but you will find several tanks and air crafts used during the war on display. Inside the building are photos which chronicles many of the aspects of the war. It was very informative and at the same time heart-wrenching. The exhibit about the people, mostly children who were suffering from physical and mental degradation due to dioxin compound (one of the chemicals used by America and commonly known as Agent Orange) that poisoned them and their parents, put me on the verge of tears.

One of the photos showing people affected by the chemicals used during the Vietnam war.  An older photo shows the same man when he was just a baby walking on land sprayed with those chemicals. I took the photo only because of the dog, though.

I am not really well-versed when it comes to history and the Vietnam war. For all I know, America wanted to protect democracy from the rising power of communism. But seriously, I wonder if the war was necessary. Wanting to protect people by killing others, especially those who are innocent doesn't buy me. The war has long been over but it's effects are still gravely felt by those who have nothing to do with it.

After spending three hours in the museum, I tried to find the Saigon Central Post Office and the Notre Dame Basilica. I followed two guys who were also from the museum, assuming that they have the same destination. Unfortunately, I lost them mainly because of my hesitation to cross the street.

The wonder of getting lost is that you get to a place you never thought you'd be and get to do something you didn't plan. In my case, I became a food critic for once. Or at least my opinion about a food was/will be credited. I walked into this restaurant in some part of the city I don't exactly know and one of the staff asked me to try their new product and give them feedback. It was free. How could I say no?

I spent my remaining time at the Sinh Tourist office, waiting for my bus. I was too tired that all I wanted to do is to lie down and sleep. If only I have found out earlier that my phones GPS works, I wouldn't have spent so much time getting lost. But then again...