Gilly Oppenheim spoke to the Club about her recent three week trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. Gilly went with the inaugural Solos Trip run by Discover Travel in Christchurch.She found Vietnam a wonderful country to visit – lovely people, delicious food (fresh, fragrant and not too spicy), a unique history and some breathtaking scenery, especially in the surreal landscape of Halong Bay where she went kayaking.
Gilly found the Vietnamese people to be amazingly resilient, holding no grudges towards those responsible for the ‘American War’ from 1954 -1974 which resulted in dreadful casualties (3 million Vietnamese killed) and the awful effects of Agent Orange (over 6 million hectares contaminated and hideous birth deformities).
Gilly became an instant millionaire (1 million dong = approximately $50 American) and enjoyed the culture and shopping.Most dynasties have left their imprint on Vietman, and the ancient trading quarters in Hanoi and Hoi An have thriving craft industries.
Gilly found the hectic, crowded streets fascinating, learned to stride into the manic motorbike traffic in Hanoi and Saigon like a local, and whizzed around Hue on the back of a motorbike!
Cultural visits included the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ha Loa Prison, Temple of Literature and Women’s Museum in Hanoi and the National Art Gallery, War Remnants Museum, the Cu Chi Tunnels, and Notre Dame Cathedral in Saigon. She took a boat trip up the Mekong (even driving the boat!) and also to Tonle Sap in Cambodia.
Her favourite city was the gorgeous lantern-lit Hoi An, with its narrow streets, charming facades, trailing bougainvillea, tiled rooves and ancient assembly halls and temples.
Cambodia was hotter and poorer. Gilly stayed in Siem Reap, from where she visited the famous temples; the mesmerising Angkor Wat at 5am to see the sunrise, Beng Melea, Angkor Thom and Bayon. On the boat trip to Kampong Kleang and Tonle Sap she saw the houses on stilts because of regular flooding and whole floating villages bobbing on the lake- school, health centre, petrol station, general store etc.
Certainly a fun-filled and interesting trip.