Blogs from Red River Delta, Vietnam, Asia

Even after travelling in different parts of the world the airport security never ceases to amaze me. Every airport is slightly different, you can never fully anticipate what what you exaclty need to do. May be that is intentional to keep those targetted guessing, I don't know. Some places you can keep your computer in the bag, other places they have to be scanned seperately. Some require you to take everything out of your pockets, even your hankys before the body scan. In other places you can even wear your belt with a large buckle. In Cairnes I saw a guy putting his duty free through the scanners without any doubt. I myself had forgotten to drink the water in the bottle and it had nearly a litre in it. It did not cause any problems ... read more

from North Devon Consulate Hanoi Duong*Au Co 126 Ngo** 22 Hem*** 41 House with no number 00 84 1657417470 devoncalling@hotmail.com To the hundreds of students who “do” Vietnam in their gap year And the hundreds of unemployed graduates who suddenly know how to teach languages Care of travelblog Having read an updated article preparing businessmen for a trip to Vietnam , I felt it incumbent upon me to start a more reliable guide. According to the aforementioned ar... read more

©devoncalling2012 Long-haired Dictionaries Within a few days of arriving in Vietnam most of the western males who were travelling alone have acquired a long-haired dictionary. For those in need of an explanation, this is a local girl who can speak English. She may not end up with the new passport she would have liked but at least she gets a nice holiday, all expenses paid. These are the paperback dictionaries. The hardback version has found a westerner with a contract or business in the country. Marriages are not uncommon nor is the transmogrification from sweet-compliant to concerned But what is... read more

Still alive after local food and traffic! Dus hier al een beke nieuws van de eerste dagen. De vlucht was super relaxed, snel voorbij gegaan. FF plakken in de kleffe lucht van Bangkok tijdens de overstap maar hier in Hanoi is het ideaal; geen regen, goe warm! Na t landen wa sjacheren met de minibus om mee te mogen aan het normale ipv het overdreven tarief. 55 jarige loverboy naast ons met zijn jong Thais dingske gaat voor het dubbele tarief. maar gewoon of dubbel, de sensatie is voor iedereen gelijk; heerlijke chaos op de weg, rond punt opknallen met de claxon, scooters die langs alle kanten voorbijvliegen en bijna geraakt worden, maar eigenlijk is het al bij al nog behoorlijk relaxed! Er zijn niet veel regels. zoals ne collega had aangeraden, traag in het verkeer ... read more

Hi dudes! tijd om het roest van de blog te schuren, weer een laag eelt te kweken en te gaaaaaan met die rugzak! Moet zowat de minst voorbereide reis ooit zijn: geen van ons is voorbij pagina 54 in de capitool geraakt :) Dus Hanoi, waar we landen straks, zal een verrassing worden! We hebben nog een ganse vlucht om tussen blijtende kinderen en zwetende & snurkende passagiers verder te lezen den informatieve schok te beperken. Over 10 minuten vertrekken we hier naar Zaventem, dan naar Bangkok en dan doorvliegen naar Hanoi. So keep posted fella's, we'll miss ya! Cheers, Anouksken & Wouter.... read more

Wir verbringen nicht allzuviel Zeit in Hanoi. Eine etwas enttäuschende 3 Tagestour durch die Halong Bay und ein paar Tage in der Hauptstadt selber. Wer schonmal in Hanoi war wird mir hier vermutlich zustimmen: diese Stadt hat viel zu viele Roller! Schon nach wenigen Stunden geht einem das ständige Hupen und auf die Seite springen total auf die Nerven. Ich weiss nicht warum die Leute hier immer und überall bei jeder Gelegenheit auf die Hupen drücken als gäbs kein Morgen. Auf dem Markt wird uns dann mal wieder bewusst, wie verschieden diese Kultur doch zu unsere ist...Vietnamesen essen WIRKLICH ALLES! Ihr wisst ja schon, dass kein Fisch vor ihnen sicher ist, aber was man hier findet und erfährt toppt nochmal alles...dreimal dürft ihr Raten warum es zum Beispiel keine Quallen gibt in der Halong Bay...japp auch ... read more

Hanoi Next up was Hanoi. I'll lay my cards on the table and say that I loved Hanoi. It was a bit cold, a little bit run down and definitely not an immediately pleasant city to walk around. But it has a certain character that's massively lacking in HCMC. I did the usual touristy stuff with the museums, and the Ho Chin Minh Mausoleum, including his residence and the surrounding area. All very pleasant and if you're interested in history (which I am). The old quarter of Hanoi was easily my favourite part. It's a labyrinth of cobbled streets lined with tiny shops/stalls selling everything from fish, clothing, dried food, cafes/bars, street food etc, the kind of stuff you come across many Asian cities. The night life doesn't last much later than midnight but the tiny ... read more