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The coast of North Vietnam has always been one of the places forbidden to
most outsiders, especially during the war years. Perhaps the Vietnamese,
generally proud of displaying their history, thought the place had absorbed
enough and wanted to spare it any more. For obvious reasons, North Vietnam is
a place that North Americans know very little about, yet are incredibly
curious about. Dominated by the Red River basin and the sea, the fertile
northeast is the cradle of Vietnamese civilization. Much of Vietnamese
history, not all of it happy, was made here.
One result is that its long sandy beaches, thousands of limestone islands,
caves, bays and harbors and small villages have been little seen by
foreigners, the stories of its resident's rarely heard. Our goal is to spend
50 days kayaking along the coast, beginning at the Chinese border and working
south, to both witness the spectacular beauty and meet the permanently
nomadic people who live and work on the water. On land, we will be among few
outsiders to see the tiny pagodas that grace many of the beaches, certainly
the first to make camps nearby.
For 100 miles of our projected 800 mile paddle we'll cross through the single
most beautiful sight in all of Vietnam -- Ha Long Bay -- its waters dotted
with 3,000 misty islets in the shape of tigers, unicorns and fighting cocks.
It is hard not to be mesmerized by the watercolor beauty of the area -
billow-sailed junks outlined against the jagged limestone outcrops,
kingfishers skimming low above the water, in the early light, fishermen
casting nets gliding silently across the water.
(According to Chinese myth, heavenly dragons could hide in the water during
the spring equinox because it was deeper than during the autumn. The dragons
could grow fins and horns and change shape and size at will. After taming the
ocean's currents one day, a dragon came down to Luc Hai Bay and stepped so
heavily on the earth that deep valleys were formed, which quickly filled up
with water when the beast plunged back into the sea. The peaks of the
mountains formed the many rocky islands and the bay was ever after called Ha
Long -- Where the Dragon Descends to the Sea.)
(Click for a photo gallery from Vietnam.)
This will be a cultural adventure, with a heavy emphasis on adventure. The
climate - tropical, hot, steamy, wet - will make for challenging
day-after-day sea kayaking weather. Carrying appropriate foods given the heat
and finding drinkable water for a 50-day trip will be a challenge. Occasional
monsoon winds and rain, several long open ocean crossings and a people who've
simply never seen kayakers, or Westerners, should provide us with plenty of
adventure. Good camps will be at a premium, which means we could end up
sleeping in our kayaks some nights, or begging floor space on an anchored
fishing boat. Averaging 15-20 miles a day for nearly two months, it will be a
physical test, as well as cultural eye-opener.
I am particularly interested in spending time with locals as we paddle, an
element of adventure that is too often overlooked during expeditions to the
more-isolated parts of the world. Thus the importance of including one or two
North Vietnamese on our team. I've participated in plenty of expeditions
where we've traveled very far from home to a beautiful place, had a great,
big adventure, but met few, if any, local people. I think the stories shared
with us by fishermen and farmers who work along the South China Sea, maybe
even those of the pirates who still prowl the northern shores, will be one of
the best and valuable parts of this adventure, and our subsequent retellings.
(Click for maps of the trip).
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