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Vietnam – Part 4 – Hanoi

Hanoi - Woman with Sun Glasses

Introduction Hanoi is one of my favorite cities in the world. As with the rest of Vietnam, it is young and beaming with energy, optimism and joie de vivre. While being a metropolis, it retains a small-town feel, especially in the Old Quarter. It is a beautiful city merging modern structures, tradition East Asian architecture […]

Vietnam – Part 3 – Bai Tu Long Bay

Bai Tu Long Bay

Introduction I can’t remember how and when in my childhood when I associated strange, hump hills with Vietnam. However it impregnated my brain, this iconic impression was prominently remembered as the buttes of Monument Valley. It took me decades to finally see these incredible rock formations in the Vietnamese bays. I was afraid that the […]

Vietnam – Part 2 – Ba Be National Park

Ba Be National Park - Ba Be Lake

Introduction We were slowly sailing by karst peaks on the Nang River. We occasionally saw someone walk through the dense forest. We passed through a dark grotto where we could hardly see our helmsman steering the boat with a long pole. After our boat was securely moored in the grotto, we walked under flying bats […]

Vietnam – Part 1 – Sapa

Thress Ta Phin - Red Dao ladies in front of a house with green door

Introduction As we walked in the chilly air down a steep mountain path, we saw a panorama of formidable mountains with serpentine rice terraces. Our companions were Hmong women with bold earrings, checkered headwraps, richly embroidered indigo tunics, and bright purses with long shoulder straps. We chatted amiably about our families and homes in basic […]

Luang Prabang – The Jewel of Laos

We are sitting in a French restaurant in a quiet locale enjoying a three-course meal with sumptuous wine. Outside, we hear chants from a centuries-old wooden temple. On the street, local residents easily mingle with backpackers and affluent visitors speaking a panoply of languages. Nearby is one of the longest rivers in the world with […]