Tuesday, 27 January 2015 
Sailing from Phu My, Vietnam, to Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Hard to believe that half the cruise is over. I have been very busy on and off the ship.  I just enjoyed an afternoon "Indonesia Tea" Service, with enough finger sandwiches, cakes, and scones to serve as my mid-day meal.  The weather has been wonderful.  Even though it gets warmer as we sail south along the Vietnam coast, the temperatures are in the 70s and the humidity, while higher than in Tucson, is not nearly as bad as it was in the Caribbean when I visited in February 2014.

Thursday, 22 January 2014
Day at Sea
Sailing from Halong Bay to Da Nang, Vietnam

One more note about the beauty of Halong Bay:  it was used as the setting for the central part of the wonderful 1960s film, Indochine, which just happens to be playing on the Volendam's video system. The film also includes scenes in Saigon, many of which are still recognizable.

I have breakfast in the Lido, chatting with a graduate student in computer technology from Australia, travelling with his parents.  He seems to spend a lot of time in the computer center and on shore finding places with free wifi.

At 11am I attend the Mariners' Awards Reception, at which we receive another Delft tile souvenir (I could re-tile the bathroom), and individual travelers receive special awards.  The lady sitting next to me receives an award for over 600 days at sea on Holland America (and that doesn't count the extra day-credits you get for spending money or booking a suite).  After the reception, we remove to the dining room for a special brunch, with pampering and pandering speeches by the captain and cruise director (who is a familiar face from my 2013 cruise on the Prinsendam).

I spend some afternoon time blogging and napping and then head off to dinner for crostini with assorted toppings, Szechuan shimp with Thai Basil, garlic sauce, rice, etc.  I sart my 2nd bottle of wine, a rather heavy Australian Cabernet Sauvignon.

Friday 23 January 2014
Da Nang, Vietnam

I receive several email birthday cards (and not just from my dentist and car dealer!) and a bottle of champagne from Will delivered on ice to my stateroom . It is going to be a long and busy day with a full-day excursion to Hue, the Imperial Capital of the Emperors and Kings of Vietnam in the 19th century, and the site of much destruction by both sides in the American War.  Speaking of which, the Vietnamese have a long history of warfare with their neighbors, particularly Chinese, and are too busy with new grudges to dwell on hating Americans.  Much is influenced by contemporary American culture and the people are very welcoming.  For the younger generation, the American War (as it is called here) is like ancient history.  Especially interesting, our guides tell us that while the English signs at museums and other places take a fairly neutral view of the war, the signs in Vietnamese are much more critical of Westerners.

The 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Hue provides a panorama of city life and rural rice fields--as well as horrible traffic--that keeps me from boredom and sleep, including a 6-km tunnel through the mountains--the longest tunnel in Vietnam.

The first stop in Hue is at one of the city's five-star hotels, Saigon Morin, for the use of facilities.  We will return to the hotel later for lunch.  The hotel is in the center of Hue and the entrance to the "Imperial City of the Nguyen Empire" is only a few blocks away. Like the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Imperial City is a huge complex, set behind two layers of forbidding walls.  Much of the first inner area has been displaced by urban renewal over the past 100 years, but within the Imperial City is the Imperial Fortress, behind another set of walls. Although not as large or ornate as in Beijing, this area is truly fascinating, with buildings in various stages of repair and/or decay.  The colorful and complex ornamentation is beautiful and the long open hallways provide varying vistas of the whole complex.  The "Pavilion of Benevolence" is open to tourists and we are taken around a large section of the grounds--but there is much more to see if one has the time.  You don't need to be with a tour group to visit the Imperial City; tickets can be purchased at the entrance and you can hire a private guide if you wish (probably a good idea, since the signs are mostly in Vietnamese and Russian; the Russians have always been big tourists here).

After an excellent buffet lunch of Vietnamese and Chinese foods back at the hotel, we are off to the other side of the Perfume River to visit the Imperial Tomb of the 19th-century king, Tu Duc, who designed the place himself and lived here for 15 years until his death. Because he was vertically challenged, many of the statues of his followers are built short and low.  He was also a great (quantity not quality) writer of poetry and built a special pavilion just for the time spent writing.  There are several structures on the grounds, and no one is sure of his exact burial place because he did not want it plundered for its contents after his death (even though the Vietnamese, like the Chinese, use only paper objects for burial as wealth, it is still useful in the afterlife and thus valuable to the resident of the tomb).

The return bus ride--still 2 1/2 hours--is relaxing and I am able to snooze along the way.  So I am ready for dinner on the return to Da Nang and the Volendam:  duck pate in brioche; chilled pear and apple salad; NY strip steak (very tender and very large portion) with green peppercorn sauce.  Topped off by creme brulee.

All told, a fascinating day.  The one drawback has been that two of the top three sights in Vietnam are both reached from Da Nang, Hue and the 19th-century Japanese trading village of Hoi An, and since we have only one day here, the tourist has to choose between them.