Ha Tinh
Travelfish on Ha Tinh:
Guesthouse, hostel and hotel reviews
Restaurant and bar reviews
Transport and timetable information
Around Ha Tinh province
Ha Tinh
"Why am I here?" a question deep thinkers have been asking themselves throughout the ages. And you'll ask yourself that question, too, if you wind up in Ha Tinh.
Other than being the capital city of the province of the same name, Ha Tinh doesn't really have that much to offer. The city is full of carts drawn by small horses rather than oxen, and you're likely to see scads of them trotting swiftly around, ferrying goods and helping out on local construction sites. They function much the way cyclos do elsewhere in the country -- the drivers hanging around waiting for customers who require something large and heavy to be lugged from point A to point B. They'll even offer to give you a bumpy ride wherever you're headed, price negotiable. They make for good pics, but the drivers will usually ask you to pay for the privilege of taking a snap.
The other distinctive feature of Ha Tinh is Cu Do -- which sounds remarkably like the word 'Gouda' as in the cheese. But cheese it is not. It's peanut brittle, in a sticky honey and sugar treacle, infused with ginger and squeezed between two slices of rice cracker. It's a surprisingly Westerner-friendly taste treat, and if you buy Cu Do elsewhere in the region, is it likely to have been made here. If you buy it in Ha Tinh, though, it's freshly made and the insides are often still gooey.
Like any city off the tourist trail, it's worth a visit just to see the real Vietnam for a day or so. There's some decent accommodation, and the bus station will connect you to anywhere you want to go.
Orientation
Cheap, decent Internet is available throughout town. There's a 24-hour Vietcombank ATM just south of the bus station on the same side of the street. There are three buildings claiming to be the post office, but the only one that functions as such is the southernmost one at 06 Tran Phu, Ha Tinh. T: (039) 855 423. Open daily 06:30 to 21:30 -- a little longer in summer!
Bookmark this page on del.icio.us