So different Vietnam: Fantjet and Muine

Keeping fond memories of ThailandOur family decided to continue their trip to Asia and went to Vietnam the following year. We wanted to see as much as possible, see the country from different angles, so we spent the first week of vacation on the coast of Fantiet, near the fishing village of Muine, and the next in the city of Nha Trang.

At the time, we thought we knew where we were going and we thought it wasn’t very different from Thailand, but it wasn’t quite that way.

We came to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. At first glance it is not noticeable: the same feeling of the resort city, freedom and celebration. Only then, amid the natural beauty, you begin to notice posters painted in the “Soviet” style with smiling faces and calling slogans. But it’s so unobtrusive that you don’t feel any pressure or control from the regime. Socialism in Vietnam manifests itself more in the attitude of people to each other. The doors of residential buildings do not lock or are completely open, in response to a smile you will get a smile.

One of the first was struck by the fact that all women and girls at a temperature of +35 degrees wear long-sleeved sweatshirts and rag masks on their faces. All the fault is the cult of snow-white skin.

In Vietnam, as in many Asian countries, beautiful is the girl whose skin is not touched by the sun. Therefore, girls wear open clothes only at nightfall. And all local cosmetics have whitening properties. Here the famous sacrifice of beauty is felt like nowhere else.

Religion of Vietnam

Officially, 81 percent of the population in the country are atheists, but in fact it is not, they are much less. The freedom of religion granted by the state opened the way to many religions – Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism – the triple religion “tam giáo”. In almost every diner, shop there are some kind of Buddhist table-altars, made of wood or plastic, lavishly decorated with light bulbs.

At the same time, every family, no matter what religion it professes, practices the cult of ancestors. The fact is that the Vietnamese perceive their deceased loved ones and relatives as supernatural beings who protect the family and can help, so they are worshipped as saints.

Currency of Vietnam

Vietnam is a country where everyone can feel like a millionaire. I’ve never had so much money in my hands!

Locals rarely use designations in the thousands (if it is, for example, 200,000 dong – the price tag will say 200). To compare the amount with the Russian exchange rate, you need to subtract three zeros and multiply by about 3 (in 2014 multiplied by 1.7), because the exchange rate will today be 1 dong = 0.002957 Russian ruble.

Fanthiet

Fantjet met us, as for me, the perfect weather: from morning to lunch – sunny and clear, and by 4 o’clock the sky was tightening with clouds. You have time in the morning to sunbathe and swim, and then go somewhere or walk.

The coast is full of seashells, so much so that hotel workers had to constantly rake them into one big pile. The blue-green sea acquires a murky golden hue from the sand - the waves do their job.

By the way, the sand is very “dirty” – leaves marks on shoes made of light leather and fabric, so it is better to choose rubber/polyurethane flippers on this beach that do not get dirty.

We arrived at the end of August, which, as they say, is not the season, so two or three more families lived in the hotel with us. Cons: Breakfast did not make “buffet”, and gave a menu where you could choose one of 7 sets of dishes, the so-called “Set”. Pros: freedom of action. It so happened that sometimes we did not meet guests at all – we were on the territory completely alone. And that meant that the pool, the sun loungers, the staff, the kitchen, everything was at our disposal. Nice, isn't it?

There were at least two or three good family restaurants nearby. The dishes are tasty, the prices are low, the attitude towards visitors is soulful. At the end of the week, we started to put a plate of fruit (completely free) in gratitude for choosing their place. And when the hosts found out that we were leaving, they said goodbye almost with tears. How can you trade that for faceless waiters?

On the coast of Fantiet there are shops, seemingly small, but in which there is everything. Suitcases, T-shirts, cookies, ointments, dried crocodiles - everything. Even if you don’t see it on the counter, ask and I assure you they will find what you need. We found a needle with threads - we did not expect.

For lovers of more cultural establishments, you can eat, for example, in the advertised restaurant “DÉJÀ VU”, but before it you will have to go to Muin. Here you and fresh seafood, and live music, and Russian administrator, as well as comfort and beauty. Fans of salad "Caesar" will rejoice - the menu is generally European, but there are plenty of Vietnamese dishes. We celebrated our mother’s birthday wonderfully!

A gift from the institution is a piece of cake and Happy Birthday from a Filipino artist.

I also tried crab for the first time in my life! Considering that I am not a lover of seafood (except fish), the crab turned out to be very tasty, however, small. By the way, if you can't eat it, like me, the waiter will help you.

Another tip for those who want to go to Muin: do not tell the taxi driver the name of the place where you need to get to! The Vietnamese language is complicated by the fact that it has six tones and not every local will understand what you – an illiterate tourist – are trying to say. Just take a map with you and show the place on it – less problems! Trust our bitter experience. Instead of Mui Ne, we found ourselves in the opposite part of Fantiet, a completely different fishing village! There we got acquainted with the real life of the Vietnamese: small houses, everywhere garbage, unpleasant smell and all sorts of sea creeps that dried in the sun in a cloud of flies.

Author of text and photo: Tatiana Goncharova