Blogs from Ninh Binh, Red River Delta, Vietnam, Asia - page 16

Hey All, (Warning: this is a long one) You will be thrilled to know that Mary Kay and I have taken a ride on the bus with the loudest horn in all of Vietnam, perhaps even all of Southeast Asia (I will consult with Mr. Guiness upon my return). We have spent the past few days on a triangle tour, up to Hanoi, over to Halong Bay and then back to Ninh Binh via a local bus we picked up in Hai Phoung. I now know what the soundtrack of my nightmares will sound like. Coming from the tv on the bus, very, very loud Vietnamese music featuring a particularly disonant riff on the Vietnamese version of the sitar. I think we were watching Vietnamese Lawrence Welk show... a little schmoozing with the host, a lot ... read more

After two minor clips and one too many near misses in that chaos they call traffic, I blew off Hanoi for Ninh Binh. Not exactly Vietnam's culinary capital but some friendly people, rustic village life amid a stunning rice paddy landscape, and more importantly, home to Tam Coc, the "inland Ha Long Bay". I imagined a few rocks sticking out of some fields but much to my wonderment there were dozens of gargantuan limestone rocks a la Ha Long Bay scattered among resplendent green rice paddies, lotus flower ponds, and a meandering river upon which you row. Many of the rocks serve as caves, and hideouts for some of Vietnam's most persistent sellers. However, when torrential rain hit, I didn't knock back the entrepreneurial 30c raincoat seller. After Tam Coc, Kien, my moto driver took me ... read more