22 September:  Our exploration of Hanoi began with a wonderful lunch, probably one of the best we had here in Asia.  We then went to the Confucius Temple of Literature which was established in 11^th century to educate individuals who would advise the King.  Next, we drove to the Ngoc Son Temple by The Vanishing Sword Lake.  It was a very beautiful setting in the heart of the city.  Finally, we were taken on a bicycle rickshaw ride through the Old Quarter of Hanoi.  It was lots of fun although we felt a bit guilty having someone pedal us about.  All in all, it was a very informative and fun day.  After a break at the hotel to refresh ourselves, we were taken to dinner at a restaurant near the hotel.  We walked back amid the bustle of the evening.

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23 September:  We visited the Mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh is laid to rest.  Mr. Ha told us a great deal about their former leader’s life and work.  Next, we walked the grounds to see the two homes used by Ho Chi Minh (very modest) and a temple in the complex.  We then visited the Ho Chi Minh Museum.  It contained a collection of memorabilia and information.  We finished our day at the Museum of Ethnology, learning about the many tribes and ethnic minorities which comprise current day Vietnam.

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	The Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh
	Ho Chi Minh's last home
	A view inside a temple in the complex
	Ho Chi Minh Museum
	A statute of Ho Chi Minh, a very popular photo spot
	The symbol of Vietnam, a beautiful highlight in the museum

[ T O P ]

24 September:  We left Hanoi and headed to the coast to visit Halong Bay.  Unfortunately, one of us must be a typhoon magnet as one of those storms headed for us in Vietnam.  Originally, we were scheduled to cruise the bay for two days, spending one night on the junk in between.  However, the storm changed our plans.  Instead, we took an afternoon cruise while enjoying a delicious seafood lunch.  Then, we visited the “Heaven Cave” which certainly fits its name.  We then returned to spend the evening in Hanoi.

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	Junks floating in Halong Bay
	These are floating houses where individuals live in the Bay
	The mysterious side of Halong Bay
	Inside of Heaven Cave
	Another view in Heaven Cave

[ T O P ]

25 September:  At Mr. Ha’s suggestion, we left Hanoi and headed northwest (away from the storm area) to visit one of the ethnic minority communities located there – the Thai people.  The individuals are Vietnamese citizens but their language and culture is a mix of Thai and Vietnamese.  We stayed at one of their traditional homes built on stilts.    The living space occupies a second floor while the bottom floor is a combination of sitting area and store.  We enjoyed the hospitality, wonderful food and, for us, a very unusual setting in the village of Mai Chau. 

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	The village of Mai Chau from a far
	The home in which we stayed in Mai Chau
	A view of the main living area
	These wall decorations are made from fish fins
	Our sleeping area

In the evening we were treated to a performance of singing and dancing by local artists.  Also, this day was a holiday for children which is celebrated with cakes and sweets.  We gave the local kids tootsie rolls we brought from home and we shared traditional sweets which we bought in Hanoi with our host family.  The women in the village are incredible weavers so we bought some of their handicrafts which are truly beautiful.

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	A toast with a delicious dinner before the evening's festivities (Ed joined us as soon as he finished our photo opt)
	We brought sweets to share with our host family for the Moon Cake Festival. The family patriarch is on the left; our driver, Mr. Chung, is opening packages
	Local women perform traditional dances for us
	The entertainment continues (Note the use of bowls and chop sticks as the dancer's musical instruments)
	We're enjoying the "Ruou Can" (which contains a homemade wine) along with the dancers

[ T O P ]

26 September:  We awoke early and enjoyed tea and breakfast.  We then took a walk through the area, including some of the other villages nearby.   It’s a taste of old and new.  Individuals still work rice fields by hand, raise chickens and pigs but also have dish TV and motorcycles.  That being said, however, the pace is leisurely and it was a world away from Hanoi.  In the afternoon, we returned to the airport outside of Hanoi.  There we said goodbye to our host, Mr. Ha, and our driver, Mr. Chung, and took a flight to Hue.

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	Lindy and our hostess; she is an excellent weaver and she loomed all the items in the photo
	The loom used by our hostess
	A view of the village from our walk
	Mr. Ha explains the functionality of the traditional Vietnamese hat (it really works to keep off the rain!)
	Mr. Ha stops to talk with a local as he is moving his water buffalo along the trail
	A final shot of Mr. Ha and Ed before our departure

[ T O P ]

27 September:  We explored the town of Hue with our guide and host, Mr. Hieu.  We began with a cruise along the Perfume River which winds through town.  We landed outside a beautiful five storied pagoda. 

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	The junk we used to float the Perfume River
	A junk used as a home
	Our hostess while on the junk
	The beautiful five story pagoda where our river trip ended
	The protector of the pagoda (He's pretty impressive!)

We next went to the Citadel or Old Imperial Palace area.  The grounds were very large and the buildings were quite impressive.  Different sections of the grounds were used by different individuals (i.e., King’s area; Queen’s Area; Children’s Area; and Concubines’ Area).  Also there were different entrances into the Citadel depending on one’s status.

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	Entry into the Imperial City via the King's Gate
	A glimpse into one of the buildings in the King's Area
	The entry to the Queen's Palace
	A group of altars dedicated to 12 Kings
	Ed and Mr. Hieu inside the Imperial Palace

Our next stop was a local street market where Lindy bargained (not very well according to our guide) and bought an additional pair of shoes.  She may have overpaid a bit by Vietnamese standards but less than $9 for a pair of shoes seems pretty good.  We then drove out of town to visit some of the tombs of two kings – Tuc Duc and Khai Dinh.  Tuc Duc was the 4^th king of the Nguyen Dynasty and he had his tomb constructed while he was still on the throne.  Khai Dinh was the 12th king of Nguyen Dynasty and he was also the father of King Bao Dai, the last king of Vietnam. The tomb was constructed beginning in 1920 through 1931.  Both were very impressive.

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	The bridge into the tomb complex
	The tomb of Tuc Duc
	Us standing in front of the tomb of Khai Dinh

[ T O P ]

28 September:  We drove south heading towards Danang.  En route, we stopped at a pass where U.S. forces had built bunkers during the Vietnam War.  They had a great view of all sides of the valleys and mountains in the area and seemed to be impenetrable.  However, Viet Cong soldiers came through a dense jungle under the cover of darkness for several nights and then attacked the bunkers and caused a great number of casualties.  Bullet holes and grenade explosives are visible everywhere.  After arriving in Danang, we had lunch and then went to a museum dedicated to sculpture made by the Cham people.  The Champa Empire existed during the 7^th to 15^th centuries, and their people built the historic village and temples of My Son.  The array of artifacts was quite good and very informative.

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	A U.S. bunker from the Vietnam War era
	A pillbox in the same area
	The elephant god, God Ganesa. found in the Champa museum
	This is a carving of Apsaras known as the "Nymphs of Heaven"
	A sculpture of Goddess Uma
	A bronze statute of Goddess Vara

 Lastly, we then drove to Hoi An, making two great stops - one at a marble factory and the other at a silk factory.  Both were very informative and provided some great shopping opportunities!

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	The entry to the Marble Factory
	A man carving marble by hand
	A very intricate carving
	Fountains of varying types of marble
	Silk worms at the silk factory
	Silk worm cocoons which are spun into silk thread
	A woman weaving silk at a mechanized loom
	These women use embroidery to create beautiful silk pictures; the process takes 1-3 months depending on detail
	The two women are weaving a mat from reeds

[ T O P ]

29 September:  We explored Old Hoi An.  It is accessible only by foot or motorbike.  We began by visiting some of the historic buildings which included the Assembly Hall, a traditional house which has been inhabited by the same family for eight generations and the Japanese Bridge.  The bridge was over a canal which divided China Town from Japanese Town and it was used as place to meet and bargain with individuals from the other side of the river.  Now it includes a place to worship the God of Water.  We also saw another traditional music and dance show.  Then, we wandered through the tiny streets.  Most of the shops sell silk clothing – either pre-made or tailored to fit. 

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30 September:  Today we visited the ruins of My Son.  It is a World Heritage archeological site containing ruins from the 7^th – 12^th century.  Most of the artifacts have been transferred to the Cham Museum in Danang to conserve and protect them from the elements. 

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1 October:  We once again explored Old Hoi An.  There was torrential rainfall (again, from a nearby typhoon) but we braved the elements wearing flip-flops and using large umbrellas.  The streets were not as crowded but there were still plenty of shops open.  After doing a bit more shopping and enjoying some hot tea during the worst of the rain, we said goodbye to this remarkable city – one of our favorites in Vietnam.

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2 October:  We flew to Saigon to begin the last trek of our Vietnam adventure.  Our guide and host, Mr. Toan, showed us the main sites in the city.  We visited the central Cathedral and the central Post Office which are directly across from one another.  Both were built in the late 1800’s and reflect French architecture.  We next visited the Opera House, again French.  We went to a traditional market which exists in the heart of Saigon.  You could buy anything there!  We ended our sightseeing in the Reunification Museum (former Presidential Palace) and the War Museum.

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3 October:  We set off today for Can Tho in the Mekong Delta region in the far south of Vietnam.  En route, we took a boat ride on the upper Mekong River.   The river is huge with many side channels and canals!  It flows through six countries:  Tibet, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.   First, we stopped at a candy factory where they were making a variety of chewy coconut candies wrapped in edible rice paper and a caramel coated puffed rice candy.  All delicious!  Then we saw a floating market (see more about them below) and proceeded to visit an island in the Mekong River that is 6KM square.  It was covered with canals and most residents there are fruit growers.  We had lunch on the island, the highlight of which was a whole elephant fish – a delicacy in the Mekong Delta.  After lunch we were ferried by sampan down a tiny canal to meet our motorboat.  A sampan is a small boat that is very narrow and very maneuverable and has two oars.  The boatman stands up facing forward and pushes on the oars.  In almost all cases the boatmen are women.  Lastly, we visited a brick factory where bricks made from a local clay found near the river are fired for a week using rice hulls as fuel so nothing goes to waste.  Interestingly, most of the individuals we saw stacking bricks into giant piles were females.  Ultimately, we proceeded a little further down the river to be met by our driver, Mr. Kien.  We proceeded by car until we reached a ferry crossing.  A bridge is currently being built further down the river but is not scheduled for completion for at least another year.  In the meantime, 10 ferries are used to make the crossing.  It took over an hour in the queue for the 5 minute ride.  We then drove only about 15 minutes to reach Can Tho and our hotel.  Interestingly, our hotel was a bit outside the main town so it provided a shuttle service – by boat; not by car.  Pretty neat way to get to/from the main city.

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4 October:  We met Mr. Toan at 7:30AM and headed out via boat to see a large floating market.  We first stopped at a popular land market which was bustling.  Most of the sellers and buyers were all women.  Mr. Toan said they were better at bargaining than most men.  Next, we went to the large floating market.  Most of the boats are selling produce.  On the front of each boat is a bamboo pole on which they hang their particular product.  Some had sweet potatoes; others melon or squash.  We stopped and got on board a boat selling pineapple.  We shared one (delicious!) and took lots of photographs of surrounding boats.  Also in the marketplace were enterprising women who sold soup or bread and other foods and drinks to the bigger boats via sampans (small boats).  It was a great experience.  After returning to our hotel, we drove to Chau Doc, near the Cambodian border, and our jumping off point for Cambodia.  We stopped for delicious soup at a local restaurant en route and then we visited a household where incense is made.

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5 October:  This was our last day of touring in Vietnam.  We began by driving to Mt. Sam to visit three temples – a Buddhist pagoda (Tay Anh); a temple to the Lady of the Mountain (Lady Chua Xu); and a temple to the Mandarin Mr. Ho, the founder of Chau Doc.  We then hiked up the hill to get a view of the rice fields and surrounding area.  Next we took a boat ride to see a floating community.  We stopped at a Cham village where the individuals (men and women) wear sarongs and are Muslims.  We stopped at their Mosque and spent some time outside with the men going to attend prayers.  We next visited a fish farm where fish are raised on the Mekong River.  It was a great way to say goodbye to this country before heading to Cambodia tomorrow morning via speedboat on the Mekong River.

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Continue to our next stop - CAMBODIA