We took a short family trip during the Hari Raya holidays.
Good evening Vietnam!
Off we go!
We’re taking Vietnam Air this time. Thankfully a new-ish Airbus A321.
We’re going with my in-laws for this trip with Dwidaya Tours.
She just found out there are no individual TVs on the flight.
First stop Hanoi (with a transit in Ho Chi Minh City)
Rooms weren’t fancy throughout the trip. But they were clean-ish (except at Ha Long Bay) — in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Hanoi gives off an old world vibe…
The trip with Dwidaya Tours covers 2 cities: Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) in the south.
First stop, the Temple of Literature.
This is a temple dedicated to Confucius.
Signs of Vietnam #3 : Conical hats
The temple is old. It dates from 1070AD.
Won’t mistake this place as anywhere but Vietnam eh?
We decided not to join the line into the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum so we waited across at a cafe. The air-conditioned place was so crowded we sat in the bedroom.
Ngoc Son Temple is located in the middle of Hoan Kim Lake in Hanoi’s old town.
We bussed around the whole day
Photobomb!
Hanoi was hot and humid. It averaged 34 celcius with 80% humidity.
Onwards to Ha Long Bay!
Our group got a boat of its own.
A stopover to visit Thien Cung cave, located in one of the alcoves in Ha Long Bay.
Tien Cung cave is the ancient residence of a Dragon King!
You walk a winding pathway through the cave that’s filled with stalatites and stalacmites. No Dragon King. Must be out…
A very surreal view.
Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Cloudy day though: good weather for being outdoors, not so much for photos.
‘Ha Long’ means descending dragon.
There are over 1,600 limestone islands in Ha Long Bay.
Some of these islands are huge.
Others are much smaller and given nicknames due to their shape. This pair are ‘chickens’.
With Ha Long Bay done by the afternoon, we took the 4 hours bus ride back to Hanoi.
It was back to Hanoi’s old town in the late afternoon.
Where I had the excellent egg coffee! It’s a must try in Hanoi.
It’s not a big motorcycle, just a groovy little motorbike…
Hanoi is lined with small eateries where you sit by the street on little stools and tables.
Sunset over Hanoi
Conference
– Part 1 –
Photos taken with the Sony A7III + Sony 24-105mm F4
+ Sony 35mm F2.8 and Samsung Galaxy S10
Photo by Ed 