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destination HANOI CROWNE PLAZA WEST HANOI $$$ Lot X7, Le Duc Tho, My Dinh, Tu Liem, Hanoi Tel: 04 6270 6688 www.crowneplaza.com My Dinh’s first five-star property, this 24-storey, mixed use complex lies next to My Dinh National Stadium and close to the National Convention Centre. Boasting 393 guest rooms (including 40 suites), two swimming pools and a spa and fitness centre, Crowne Plaza also has some of the best meetings and conference facilities in town. CREDIT
FRASER SUITES
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$$$$ 51 Xuan Dieu, Quang An, Q Tay Ho Tel: 04 3719 8877 Fax: 04 3719 8811 www.hanoi.frasershospitality.com Strategically located in the Syrena Centre on Xuan Dieu, Fraser Suites is ideal for expatriates who desire a home close to work, and yet offers repose from the bustle of the city. The gold–standard serviced residence is in the Westlake district, an enclave preferred by foreign executives and their families and close to a good selection of quality restaurants, gourmet food shops and decent bars.
GOLDEN SILK BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$$ 109-111 Hang Gai, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi Tel: 3928 6969 www.goldensilkhotel.com With 55 rooms and suites, the four-star Golden Silk Boutique Hotel, which is located in the centre of the Old Quarter, is the only hotel offering a complimentary (free!) daily, replenished minibar and snack basket service in every room. Facilities include a spa with Jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms, a comprehensive range of business amenities, the Orient restaurant, serving international and Vietnamese fare and the Rendezvous Piano Bar with wines and cocktails.
PHOTO BY DBZ885
PHOTO BY NGUYEN HOA A
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A TEMPLE OF MEMORIES Ryan Connor discovers the remote town of Ba Chuc and its eerie past
riving south from the border with Cambodia, it didn’t take long to reach Ba Chuc. As we approached, large rocks loomed ahead, jutting out from between trees. The town is ringshaped, built along a road that encircles a small mountain. By the time we arrived at this ring road, the sun was on the horizon, but we were still hopeful to see the pagoda before daylight faded. We didn’t even have to ask for directions. As soon as we stopped, the locals knew what we were looking for. They motioned with their heads and then pointed down the road to where hundreds of skulls lay within Ba Chuc Temple (also known as Bone Pagoda) — victims of the 1978 Ba Chuc Massacre. We soon found the pagoda, a memorial stupa resembling the famous one at the Choeung Ek killing fields in Cambodia. With over 1,700 skulls peering out from a hexagonal glass-windowed building, it is just as chilling — a shocking example of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1978. We approached the site slowly and
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solemnly. After we removed our shoes, the guard asks us to sign the visitors’ book. We dropped some money in a donation box and he handed us incense and ceremonial papers to burn in a fire pit nearby. When this was done, we absorbed the horror of the Bone Pagoda. Looking at the skulls and bones separated by gender and age, the sheer number of deaths was hard to fathom. It’s easy to see that no one was spared or given mercy. 3,157 people were slaughtered on that fateful night ofApr. 18, 1978. Only two of the town’s residents are known to have survived.
Laughter Among Tears Returning to our parked motorbikes, we were approached by a large crowd. Some were trying to sell us various goods, but many of them were just curious. Ba Chuc is the remotest place we have visited yet in Vietnam, and clearly not many foreigners stop by. We were struck by the pleasant nature of the people, which stood in direct contrast to the horror we had just seen. We spent a while mingling and laughing. One never would have guessed that they
spent most of their time at such a gruesome place. That evening, as we walked around town, everyone we encountered was eager to talk to us. The next day we returned to the Bone Pagoda to see the small museum next door, which displays photographs and artifacts from the massacre. The images are graphic, perhaps even more disturbing than the skulls. Knowing that these events happened around where we were standing made it feel very vivid. Part of a series of Pol Pot-orchestrated cross-border raids, the Ba Chuc Massacre was one of the primary reasons Vietnam would invade Cambodia the following year in 1979, ending the Khmer Rouge’s brutal reign. Though the history behind the Bone Pagoda is not pleasant, it’s important to experience. The village of Ba Chuc became the highlight of a trip filled with many other better-known destinations. To get there, take road 955A along the Cambodian border. Around halfway between Ha Tien and Chau Doc, go south on 955B for about 10 minutes until you reach the village. The pagoda and museum are on the east side of town.
HANOI BACKPACKERS’ HOSTEL $ 48 Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem Tel: 04 3828 5372 www.hanoibackpackershostel.com The cheapest European–style place in town, with bunk–style beds in mixed or single–sex dorms starting from VND120,000 a night plus a small selection of double and twin rooms for VND800,000. A place to meet like–minded travellers, also has a second hostel at 9 Ma May, Hoan Kiem (Tel: 04 3935 1890) close to all the latenight Old Quarter bars and eating spots. CREDIT
HANOI HILTON
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$$$$ 1 Le Thanh Tong, Hoan Kiem, Tel: 04 3933 0500 www.hilton.com Located next to the Opera House, this
five–star is not to be confused with the famed “Hanoi Hilton” that once housed American POWs. Reproduction colonial architecture is matched by an elegant and spacious inside area. Has all the standard facilities of a top–end hotel as well as an attractive, courtyard pool area. Presently undergoing extensive renovation.
HONG NGOC HOTEL
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$$ 14 Luong Van Can, Hoan Kiem Tel: 04 3826 7566 With four locations right in the Old Quarter, this is a good no–frills option close to Hoan Kiem Lake. Friendly staff can help you with any detail like renting a car, motorbike, or bicycle. Rooms are compact with small but clean bathrooms and all have the quality amenities of a proper hotel. Either ADSL or Wi–Fi connections available.
JOSEPH’S HOTEL
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$$ 5 Au Trieu, Hoan Kiem Tel: 04 3938 1048 info@josephshotel.com Just on the side of beautiful St. Joseph’s Cathedral, this is a good, comfortable mid– range hotel. Each of the 10 rooms is fitted with cable television, Wi–Fi and a mini bar. The staff is quite helpful and can arrange tours and tickets to many destinations surrounding Hanoi. With room fees starting at $40 a night, and topping out at $50, the small boutique–style hotel offers quite a deal.
MARIGOLD HOTEL HANOI
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$$ 17A Pham Dinh Phung, Ba Dinh, Hanoi Tel: 3734 9988 www.marigoldhotelhanoi.com Located only 50 meters away from Hang Cot, the newly built Marigold Hotel Hanoi elegantly combines traditional Vietnamese architecture with a modernised classic facade. The Mimosa Wine Bar & Pub, an Irish bar complete with nightly live Irish music, is located on the top floor, providing excellent views of Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
MAISON D’HANOI HANOVA HOTEL $$$ 35-37 Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3938 0999 www.hanovahotel.com Just a short walk from Hoan Kiem lake, Maison d’Hanoi provides an elegant respite from the traffic and noise of the city. They have 33 comfortable guest rooms, 18 deluxe, and four luxurious suites. All rooms have Wi–Fi access, and the cozy lobby has both a gallery and a piano bar. Prices range from VND2.4 million for a guest room to VND4.4 million for a suite. CREDIT
Viet Nam Phan Thiet - Mui Ne Bay Tel.: +(84) 62 384 71 11 / 2 Fax.: +(84) 62 384 71 15
paradise@cocobeach.net www.cocobeach.net
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