great escapes

Take a break from Ho Chi Minh City with three great day trips

WORDS GEMMA PRICE
PHOTOGRAPHY RACHEL FARNAY JACQUES

Whether it’s national history, local culture or beach-side peace and quiet you’re after, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has plenty of great spots not far from the city limits. Here are three of the best.

Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple

 

Soak up the kooky kaleidoscopic
colours at Cao Dai TempleFounded in 1926, the Cao Dai Holy See at Tay Ninh is one of the most colourful religious buildings in the world. Followers believe there is only one God, therefore all religions worship the same deity, and as a result Cao Dai borrows principles from other faiths. The red, blue and yellow colours worn by followers represent Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism respectively, and the symbolic eye represents truth. Services are held four times a day, and a morning departure from HCMC will get you there in time to witness one of the solemn yet kaleidoscopic ceremonies. Inside, you can watch from the balcony as worshippers pour into a breezy hall filled with dragon-entwined pink pillars under a blue-sky fresco. Try to spot the portrait of Victor Hugo, venerated as a Cao Dai saint.

After lunch, travel to the Cu Chi tunnels (US$5entry fee). This tunnel system was used by the Viet Cong to evade American troops during the Vietnam War and is part of a larger network spanning 250km, from HCMC to the Cambodian border. The Viet Cong and their families lived in these tunnels throughout the conflict, and everything was moved underground – schools, kitchens, weapons factories, even hospitals. The various exhibits will give you an idea of what it was like to live in such cramped conditions.

Not surprisingly, diseases were rife yet they still waged a successful campaign against the technologically superior Americans. Guerilla fighters survived on a diet of tapioca, peanuts and sugar, and your guide will happily let you taste these local delights. Also impressive are the replicas of the booby traps that protected the system.

A section of the tunnels is open for visitors, and although it has been widened to accommodate Western figures, it’s still a squeeze.
Claustrophobics are not advised to enter the tunnels.

Muine

 

The fishing and beach town
of Muine is famed as Vietnam’s
fish sauce capitalMost travel agents will look horrified if you tell them you want to take a day trip to Muine. While it’s true that the gorgeous white sands and surrounding area are better discovered on a longer trip, it is possible to see some of this spectacular region in a day. The true name of the beach is actually “Rang”, but the tourism industry refers to it as Muine Beach after the village on its point. Meaning “sheltered peninsula”, the bay and the nearby provincial capital Phan Thiet are touted as having the best weather in Vietnam.

You can go swimming, snorkelling and kayaking, and if adrenaline sports are your thing, Muine offers the best kite-boarding and windsurfing in Vietnam. A water sports lesson at one of the five certified kite-surfing schools starts at US$30, including equipment hire and tuition. Airwaves (Sailing Club, 24 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, tel: + 84 (62) 847 440) and Jibes (tel: +84 (62) 847 008) are popular centres.

Picked crab and table service on
the beach, Vietnam-style The second biggest attraction after the beach is the sand dunes, or Bao Trang (White Lake). Lying 65km north-east of Phan Thiet, the dunes range from gold to pure white and enclose a number of lotus-filled pools. Just make sure you bring enough water for the trip and don’t get entangled when taking a swim.

This area was once occupied by the Cham Kingdom, as testified by the three ninth-century Cham Towers overlooking Phan Thiet.

The towers, said to be the oldest in Vietnam, were built to worship Shiva. Because of its rich cultural history, Binh Thuan province is steeped in folklore and you’ll find the locals more than happy to spin a yarn over a Vietnamese beer. Great spots for lunch include Italian restaurants Good Morning Vietnam (tel: +84 (62) 847585) and Luna D’autunno (51A Nguyen Dinh Chieu, tel: + 84 (62) 847591) as well as seafood and grill restaurants.

Mekong Delta

 

a guide does a disappearing act
into the Cu Chi TunnelsCovering an area of 39,000 sq m, the Mekong Delta is the lifeline of southwestern Vietnam and a number of tours explore the river and its tributaries.

My Tho is the nearest town from HCMC and a visit here includes a boat trip around the floating market. Although most of the activity happens early in the morning, you can still get an idea of the sounds, sights and smells as energetic traders buy and sell their rice, fish, sugar and produce from small barges or bamboo rowboats. You can take a short cruise along small tributaries with a boatman, who will steer you between bamboo and rice paddies before transferring you back to a motorboat to cross the river. Tours make scheduled stops at various islands and visit handicraft workshops and sweet-smelling honey and coconut candy manufacturers in Ben Tre province.

beachside snacks

Another day trip takes you to Can Be floating market and the nearby rice paper and rice crisp factories. Here, you can try your hand at cooking rice pancakes and puffed rice, and learn more about traditional houses and the Buddhist faith.

There are longer two-, three- and four-day tours, but there’s plenty to see in a single day. A more expensive tour will buy you a delicious fish lunch and an afternoon biking around village lanes under your own steam.

GETTING THERE:
While organised tours are available for the Mekong Delta, Cu Chi and Cao Dai temple, you can only take a bus to Muine one-way (US$4) – for a return trip you must book a private vehicle. Both Cu Chi/Cao Dai and the Delta are within a couple of hours’ drive from HCMC, but a journey to Muine takes about four hours.