The Citadel, Hue Hue is the site of the Citadel (Kinh Thanh). It was built between 1804 and 1833. It consists of 2m-thick 10km-long walls, a moat (30m. across and 4m deep) and 10 gateways. It has several different sections: The Imperial Enclosure and the Forbidden Purple City were the epicenter of royal life with temple compounds on the southwestern side and residences in the northwest, gardens in the northeast and a military fortress Mang Ca in the north. Retrieved from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_City,_Hu%E1%BA%BF The water in the moat is routed from the Huong River (Perfume River) through a series of sluice gates. This enclosure is the Citadel (Kinh thành). Inside the Citadel is the Imperial City (Hoàng thành), with a perimeter wall some 2.5... read more

Two weddings in Quang Ngai! What a special experience! In some ways different from US weddings but hey a wedding is a wedding isn't it? What happens first? The wedding reception/dinner is held in a catering hall -- some large restaurant that is like a ballroom or convention center with a huge hall -- the first wedding I attended held over a 1,000 people -- the hall was packed with friends and family! The 2nd was at Ocean Blue Convention Center in the middle of Quang Ngai City. What we would call the maids of honor and groomsmen line the red carpeted stair up to the entrance of the hall dressed in traditional dress to welcome the guests. There is a receiving line of the bride and groom and family as guests enter the hall. After ... read more

Le Loi Khach San, 17 Le Loi Street, Quang Ngai City, Room # 514 A month in Le Loi Hotel! It was a great room with plenty of light! two windows, one facing east and the other south! I could see Central Hotel to the east, Pham Van Dong University to the south and mountains far south! Across the street was Quan Ngon Restaurant -- fabulous food! So tasty and so convenient! Le Loi is a busy street with lots going on! Downstairs across the street next to Ngon was another street side restaurant with live karaoke that would sometimes go on until about 11. Motorbikes throughout the night roaring down the street. Lots of loud talk street level. I felt I was in the center of things and that was a good place to be ... read more

Travelled to Hoi An on the way back from Hanoi on February 1. What a lovely ancient town. The Lonely Planet describes it a graceful and historic and "Vietnam's most atmospheric and delightful town." It reminds me of the ancient cities that we visited in China but there is a certain vitality that is uniquely Vietnamese and distinguishes Hoi An from any of the old cities like Ping Yao in China. The architecture is influenced by the French; the riverside setting brings a vitality to this city with the influx of tourists but everyone is on bicycles, including the tourists and there are shops and beautiful cloth and stunning sights everywhere. This was called the Silk City -- in the Old Town there remains the legacy of Japanese merchant houses. There are Chinese temples and ancient ... read more

Administrative Building Everyone at the university seems to know everyone else, at least in this faculty at Pham Van Dong University. The new campus opened only 2 years ago. The administrative building is an imposing solid structure that communicates strength and stability positioned at the entrance of the campus. Three new buildings house classes in Foreign Languages, IT and Business. Two other buildings are dormitories for students who board at the university. First Day in the Waiting Room, aka the Teachers Room. The Faculty for Foreign Languages holds many of its classes in the G building. Between classes, teachers can take a short tea break in the Waiting Room.here's always a pot of green tea waiting to refresh ourselves before the next session meets.There I had a chance to meet some of my co-teachers. The talented ... read more