Blogs from Vietnam, Asia - page 1354

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Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City April 14th 2006

From the South China Sea we entered the Saigon River to reach Ho Chi Min City. It’s amazing this river could accommodate such a large ship. The traffic on this river is intense. Small boats just take a chance and run directly in front of the ship. It took 3 1/2 hours to go up river and dock.... read more
RICE PADDIES
BUSY PORT
REALLY BUSY PORT

Asia » Vietnam » Central Highlands » Lam Dong » Da Lat April 13th 2006

Siden vi sidst skrev, ups.. vist ca 20 dage siden, har vi haft et synomyn til power shopping; power travelling. Foerst fra Vientiane, hovedstaden i Laos. Efter at havde vaeret der i 2 dage, tog vi natbussen paa anden dagen, til pakse (700 km mod syd), derefter straks som vi var staaet af bussen hoppede vi paa endnu en bus mod dong det, 3 timer. Der var vi i 1-en-halv dag, hvor efter vi igen tog nordpaa, mod et stort omraade 30 km syd for pakse hvor der ligger en kaempe ruin af et tempel (wat pou, Champasak). Det var noget af en spaendende tur ud til dette world heritage-site - som selvfoelgelig efter denne verdensarvs-status har mangedoblet entreen, men intet gjort ved tilgangsruten og mulighederne. Vi er jo i asien, saa diverse maste minibusser ala ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi April 13th 2006

So Hanoi has really been great. Our first day here we saw a few museums but got sick of museums really fast and decided to just spend our time wandering the city. It's a really cool city, though I like the vibe of Saigon better. Went to Hanoi Hilton a couple days ago then I split off to find a swimming pool and I met a Vietnamese university student studying Economics who talked to me for a while and I invited him to dinner last night. Really really funny kid - I'll be telling stories about him for a long time... Yesterday I was wandering around looking for something to do and bumped into Pope outside the Chinese Embassy. Embassy staff was out to lunch, so we took a walk outside the old quarter. We saw ... read more
Sago Bubble Tea
Water Puppets
Last Night in Vietnam

Asia » Vietnam April 13th 2006

Our next stop up the coast of Vietnam was in the central highlands town of Dalat. Previously a weekend spot for french expats living in Saigon, this town almost feels like it could be in Europe (even a swiss friend agreed!)... if you imagined an asian version of a european town, set in the mountains, with some beautiful scenery, lots of farming and a cog/cable railway! A very interesting, cute and kitch place, its scenery wasn't like any other town we'd seen so far. Being high above sea level made for a very welcome cool change; it was the first time we had to put on jumpers and long pants! Here, we were taken on a day tour by the people that ran our hotel, visiting a range of places to see what Dalat is about. ... read more
Many types of rice and spices, inside the market.
Hours, upon hours of work.
Lengths of silk ready to be woven.

Asia » Vietnam » Central Highlands » Lam Dong » Da Lat April 13th 2006

After Hoi An I was a bit tired of cities, having not seen anything but since Laos. So I took an overnight bus that eventually dropped me off at Da Lat, a city further inland that is set amongst the southern highlands, which along with wonderful scenery, provided a welcome respite from the heat. The city itself is not all that exciting, and as the number one tourist destination for Vietnamese, it is quite touristy, but my main enticement was the surrounding countryside, which is pleasantly rugged and on top of being quite scenic. I arrived in the afternoon and did nothing exceptional for the rest of the day because I am always a bit wiped after an all night bus ride. Went to bed early after indulging in some mindless entertainment (MTV Asia of all ... read more
View from the Road
Another view from the Road

Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Khanh Hoa » Nha Trang April 13th 2006

The main attractions of the coastal town of Nha Trang are the monumental Cham Towers and white sand beaches. This area is also known to have the best coastal climate in Vietnam. The port was established in 1924 and became a popular recreational spot for American sailors during the Vietnam War. Nha Trang’s earlier existence goes back to the Cham Kingdom, a civilization originated with the migration of Malay-Polynesians. The Cham people are one of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities with their own language. In their unique culture the women select their husbands and give their property to their daughters rather than their sons. Over the years the Cham have acclimated to the ways of the Vietnamese while at the same time retaining many of their ancient customs. The two tiered city of Nha Trang offers both a ... read more
NHA TRANG FERRIES
CHAOS
ANNIVERSARY CAKE

Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Quảng Nam » Hoi An April 12th 2006

Well, Vietnam has certainly grown on me this past week. I've been settled in Hoi An, a little town on the beach, for several days and have had an amazing time. I've met up with so many wicked people here and we've all just been having a blast. Hoi An has about ten million tailors and is THE place to get tailor made anything. So here's the list... and I really have been quite well behaved compared to some: 2 long gowns (mom: 1 strapless in red thai silk and 1 black satin with a beautiful flower pattern on it) 2 dress shirts 3 knee length skirts 1 long skirt 1 chinese silk top 1 three piece suit (jacket, skirt and pants - dark brown with pin-stripes) 1 pair of sandles to match the red gown ... read more
Hoi An Sunset - deserves two photos
Passover in Hoi An
The crew from Hoi An/Nha Trang

Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Quảng Nam » Hoi An April 12th 2006

This is Jason: So I know we're just a little bit behind on this blog, so I'll attempt to catch up. After Halong Bay we went back to Hanoi (which both Cyn and I agree totally sucks). We had breakfast with "Adam's Brother" (that's what Adam told us to call him) and then jumped on a plane to central vietnam and historic Hoi An town. Hoi An rocked. Its much smaller and much less crazy than Hanoi (although we still had to dodge motorcycles when crossing the street), which was a really welcome change. It was a little hot, but we had so much fun we really didn't mind. We stayed in the Hop Yen guesthouse, which had the sweetest english speaking employees for only $10 per night. The first thing we did in Hoi An ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Quảng Nam » Hoi An April 12th 2006

I first heard of this family through Giao, a volunteer and translator I had previously met with Karen. Giao grabbed me while walking home from Tam’s house, and immediately proceeded into the story about Ly Chan Hung. Hung is the father of 6 children, ages 3, 7, 8, 9, 12, and 17. The 8 year old has Tuburculosis. I remember Karen telling me that most of the serious medical problems here could be prevented with proper vaccinations, or cured with simple antibiotics, but since it is not available or affordable the cases become so chronic that either amputation or death occurs. And so is the case with Hung. He and his family are extremely poor. Hung works at the market for a very low and unsteady income, so he has been begging in the streets to ... read more
Ly Chan Quay & Hang - Ages 7 & 9
Ly Chan Hai - Age 12

Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Khanh Hoa » Nha Trang April 12th 2006

Today we had a tour of the ship’s bridge. It is totally electronic similar to a 747 plane. They control every aspect of the ship. They have double redundancy in terms of equipment yet they still plot the course manually. No more giant steering wheels…it is the size of a go cart steering wheel. There are always two navigators on the bridge looking at sea for ships. They say that the human eyes are the best judge to what is in front of the ship. Small wooden boats do not show up well on radar. They also control all doors on the ship electrically. They can lock all doors for fire safety, water containment and for security reasons. When asked about security measures they didn’t say but it seems as thought they are fully armed to ... read more
LITTLE WOODEN BOAT
OUR BOAT




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