vietnam
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Saigon, Vietnam
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And my final stop in Vietnam was a quick two days in Saigon. I was feeling under a bit of a time crunch, but still wanted to at least get a brief view of Saigon. I flew from Hoi An to Saigon. Walking around the city was fantastic, and it certainly has a distinct character.
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The Cu Chi Tunnels
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What trip to Vietnam would be complete without a trip to visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels? From Wikipedia: The tunnels of C? Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the C? Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels…
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Exploring Hoi An, Vietnam
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Finally, I was in the famed city of Hoi An, Vietnam. I had heard of the town from a number of friends, and was excited to be there. Staying at the Sunflower Hotel was great, and gave me a great location to explore. Sunflower’s pool is fantastic! At night, there are beautiful lanterns placed everywhere,…
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Biking from Hue to Hoi An, Vietnam
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Next stop after Hue was our final destination of Hoi An, Vietnam. For this last leg, we rented motor scooters, and took to the open road. Fueling up in the morning before departing town. Out on the road, the views were beautiful. For lunch, we stopped at the Langco Bay Banyan Tree Resort – a…
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Planting Rice
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Hue, Vietnam is surrounded by rice paddies – and after literally months of seeing rice everywhere in SE Asia, I felt like I needed to know more. Through a few connections, I got connected with a woman who worked her rice paddies in a nearby village. I got driven out to her house, and then…
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The Hue Imperial City
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Next stop in Hue was the Hue Imperial Palace. From UNESCO: Established as the capital of unified Viet Nam in 1802, Hué was not only the political but also the cultural and religious centre under the Nguyen dynasty until 1945. The Perfume River winds its way through the Capital City, the Imperial City, the Forbidden…
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A Beach Bar in Hue, Vietnam
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Hue was beautiful, in part because of the prime relaxation opportunities available – including this nice beach bar on an unnamed, pristine beach just outside of Hue, Vietnam. To get there, we drove out to a spit of land, and then hiked through a shady bamboo tunnel. The bar also has a few little cabanas…
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Arrival in Hue, Vietnam
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A few days on the road, and finally we were in our first larger town, Hue, Vietnam. We stayed at a local hostel, and upon checking into our dorm rooms, immediately grabbed a few bikes and set off to watch the sunset, again, over the farmland. Hue is a beautiful town, and it took just…
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Sunset at the Phong Nha Farmstay
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After a day of exploring Paradise Cafe, we rolled on over to the beautiful Phong Nha Farmstay for an evening swim, drink, and sunset. The farmstay is a beautiful hostel located right on the edge of a huge section of farmland. The various buildings that make up the farmstay are clean and nice. Out back,…
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Inside Dong Hoi’s Paradise Cave
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Driving southward in Vietnam, one of the distinct highlights of the natural landscape is the world-class cave formations. Although our time traveling through the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was limited, the essential stop at Paradise Cave was incredible. View Larger Map This gigantic cave was only discovered in 2005, and tourists have only been…
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Going Inside the Vinh Moc Tunnels, Vietnam
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On our way down to Hue, we made one brief, but solid stop at the Vinh Moc Tunnels. From Wikipedia: Vinh Moc (V?nh M?c) is a tunnel complex in Quang Tri, Vietnam. During the Vietnam War it was strategically located on the border of North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The tunnels were built to shelter…
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Biking to the Cave of Prehistoric Man
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After departing the beautifully abandoned Cuc Phuong National Park Resort and stopping to see a few monkeys and turtles, we hopped on bikes to complete the next leg of the journey through Cuc Phuong National Park. View Larger Map There’s a reasonably well maintained concrete road that winds its way through the park – perfect…
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Monkeys and Turtles at the Cuc Phuong Preservation Center
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The next day of our journey southward, we woke up early in the middle of Cuc Phuong National Park, and headed over to the Wildlife Preservation Center. Monkeys and Turtles were the main attractions. However, we also saw a few interesting insects, as well as a spectacular view from the top of the park rangers…
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Exploring the Abandoned Ruins of the Cuc Phuong National Park Resort
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Deep inside north Vietnam’s Cuc Phuong National Park lies an abandoned resort. From the looks of it, its been lying dormant for a number of years, with the jungle slowly eating away at the once sprawling structures. There’s a conference center, now inhabited by butterflies. There’s an olympic size swimming pool, now turned into a…
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Halong Bay, The (Annoyingly) Boozy Way
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Halong Bay lies just north of Hanoi, and is one of the absolute must-see excursions for anyone visiting Hanoi. And for good reason – the bay, with it’s towering stone karsts jutting out of the water as far as the eye can see is stunningly beautiful. Marine life abounds, fisherman ply the waters, birds take…
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Arrival in Vietnam: Hanoi
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Finally, I made it to Vietnam. Another country that had always had a bit of a mystical, legendary status for me, for whatever reason. It was good to be there, and I was excited to get exploring the rest of the country. I only spent about 4 days in Hanoi, but the time I did…