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Postcards From Vietnam
  • Karen Long

Postcards From Vietnam

19 days exploring Vietnam by ourselves. Dragons, Lanterns, Deltas and Rice Fields, we're looking forward to it all. Meer informatie
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  • Het begin van de reis
    29 augustus 2025
    Karen LongPostcards From VietnamReiziger

    Travelling day

    29 augustus, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 31 °C

    We’ve had a long day of travel to start our trip.
    Up early to drive to Brisbane, stopping at Gympie, to see Courtney, Keiran and the kids, then on to Brisbane to visit Mum and have tea cake and a glass of wine with Marl, Lan and Joc.
    About seven we headed out to the airport.
    We’ve been a bit nervous about this flight, we’re just doing carry on and the weight limit is 7 kgs. It’s taking a fair bit of organisation and juggling to get it down to that. By all accounts Vietjet is quite strict about the weight limit and will weigh every bag when you check in. Well they couldn’t have cared less.
    This really is a budget airline, there are absolutely no frills, unless you pay for them. We lucked out and had a vacant seat between us, so that has made it a much more comfortable flight thank goodness because the seats really are pretty tight.
    8 1/2 hours doesn’t sound that much when you’re planning to fly, but boy it can really drag when you’re trying to get some sleep and nowhere is comfortable.    Meer informatie

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  • Karen LongPostcards From VietnamReiziger
    Some of the fruits at the market
    Rice paper rollsSo many gorgeous buildings in Ho Chi MinhHe does love a nice gate.Coffee Apartments.Beers with a view.Wow the humidity is making us look a bit wildReady for the food tour.Banana Dumpling.The monks shrine.Sugarcane juice.Bahn MiFlower market. Open 24/7

    Saigon.

    30 augustus, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 30 °C

    Our plane landed at 5 this morning so after immigration we met our ride and made our way into the Hotel. Of course it was too early to check in so we left our bags and found our first Vietnamese coffee and a bowl of Pho! The coffee was iced and sweet but ok and the Pho was delicious.

    Ben trang Market is only a few minutes walk from our Hotel so that was the next stop.
    We had second breakfasts there.
    Looked around a great wet market and fruit and veg. Lots of souvenirs of course but it’s too early in the trip for them.

    Checked out a few of the beautiful old buildings in the centre of the city, found some resonance coffee and a beer with a view by which time it was getting pretty steamy and we needed a nap.

    We going on a motorbike food tour this evening, but we couldn’t hang out that long so we went for a little wander around the neighbour hood and managed to find some spring rolls and snails and cockle shells to tide us over until pickup.

    Our drivers are Whisky and Phi. We had a three hour food tour with them with 7 tasting a trip through the flower market and a history lesson.
    We had
    Bun Bo Hue
    Grilled Banana Dumpling.
    Sugarcane juice
    Bahn mi
    Barbecue
    Happy water
    Crème brûlée flan
    We loved everything about this tour, such a fun way to see different parts of the city.    Meer informatie

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  • Karen LongPostcards From VietnamReiziger
    Breakfast.
    So many orchids.Pretty little temple we passed.Sculpture made from bomb fragments.Sculpture symboling peace.The Pink Church.Salted coffee amazingly very tasty.It's hot we needed a beer.LunchEverywhere is decorated for national day.Lacquer PaintingFine arts museumRooftop bar.OctopussyBusy busyComing back with the goods.Garlic Lobster.

    DIY food tour of Saigon.

    31 augustus, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    We don’t have anything planned for today, so a bit of a slow start this morning and then coffee and breakfast just down the street.

    We found a nice coffee shop and we looked over the busiest little corner food stop. We figured it had to be good, it was a barbecue sizzling plate of meat and eggs, served with a baguette.
    We shared a table with a couple of students who were enjoying the 4 day weekend for National Day. Luckily because they were able to help us figure out how and what to order. When the bill came it the end it was for everything at our table. It was fine with us we were happy to pay it but they were horrified and even after we tried to insist we would love to shout them they had a big discussion and no they wouldn’t have it.
    “It so nice you wanted to talk to us.” We thought it was great they wanted to talk to us.

    Next stop was the War Remnant Museum. It’s Sunday and in the middle of a 4 day weekend so it is super busy everywhere and museum was no exception. It’s mostly a photographic museum, incredibly sad and confronting photos. So many tragic stories.

    We needed something uplifting after that so we got a motorbike grab to the pink church. It’s a Catholic Church not open on a Sunday which is weird and not really pink but a salmon colour. It’s a popular photo stop and there was plenty of photo shoots going on. It really is a pretty church and we had a coffee while we watched the crowd come and go.

    Graham noticed lots of people and cars going down the alley beside our coffee shop so we wandered down there to have a look. There was a restaurant making something like a big chunky omelette filled with pork, scrimp and been sprouts. So that was lunch sorted.

    We’re staying at the Fine Arts Museum Hotel so we thought we should pay it a visit. Massive old building with so many rooms of some very interesting art.
    This. evening we heading over to Bui Vien Walking St. it’s the nightlife street in Saigon, full of bars and restaurants and plenty of loud music. We found a nice rooftop bar to have a cocktail and a beer, but decided the seafood market would be more our thing for dinner.

    The grab transport is amazing in Vietnam. You just dial on up, bike or car or bus on your phone and they are there in a couple of minutes. He dropped us off at Seafood St and we ate our way up and down the street with a variety of barbecue sticks, octopus, finishing off with Garlic Lobster.    Meer informatie

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    Off to the Delta

    1 september, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    After a quick pack up and another bowl of pho for breakfast, our ride arrives for The Mekong Delta.

    It’s a two and a half hour trip down to the delta, lots of interesting things to see on the way. The city starts to spread out and more farms appear. So many coconuts, bananas, rice fields, veggie patches. They just lined the highway for the whole trip.

    We crossed the Mekong River a couple of times, it is a massive river, they’ve had quite a bit of rain recently and the river is full and flowing pretty fast.

    We are staying at Vamxang Rustic Home. It’s a gorgeous oasis in a busy rural setting. Just as we sat down for lunch the skies opened, torrential downpour which settled into a light rain that looked like was it was going to hang around all afternoon.

    Luckily it stopped and we got a couple of bikes from reception and went for a ride over to the Monastery nearby. It is a massive complex, still used by the monks today. Lovely gardens, sculptures and of course temples.

    Just as we headed off on the bikes for home it started drizzling again, the drizzle turned into a downpour and we were soaked by the time we got back.    Meer informatie

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    Morning market

    2 september, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    This morning we are off to the local market to buy some ingredients for our cooking class.
    We’re taking the bikes there, it’s not too far about three kilometres down the road. There are heaps of scooters and cars sharing the road with us, they are all very accommodating, nobody seems to get agro, they just toot and go around us. I’m sure there are road rules but I’m not entirely sure anyone followed them.

    It’s national day today so the market is super busy because most people have the day off, not the stall holders though. The market is open 364 days a year, only New Year’s Day off. They have everything at this market, fruit and veg, every protein you can think of, clothes, shoes, kitchen ware. I even found a couple of fabric shops that tempted me.

    We’re a bit of a novelty at this market, got some wide eyed stares from babies and old men. We found all our ingredients plus a few souvenirs, made friends with the chook man and the old lady selling lottery tickets, had a delicious iced coffee on the way out and cycled back to our homestay.    Meer informatie

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    Cooking class.

    2 september, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    Back at the Homestay and the staff are busy getting all the ingredients chopped up for our cooking class.
    We are making Vietnamese pancake, like a crispy crepe filled with pork, prawns and veges served with greens and a delicious dipping sauce.

    First we have to grind the rice that’s been soaked for a few hours and the turmeric to make the rice flour. Luckily they had some prepared because you have to wait for the flour to settle and the water to evaporate off.

    Next we cooked up the pork and prawns in a wok over charcoal, then the veges that were cut in little strips.
    The chefs made the batter, with rice flour, coconut milk, salt and pepper, egg, water and beer. It must be serious business, they didn’t trust us with that. By this time we’d drawn a crowd from our fellow guests who all wanted to get in on the grinding action.

    They gave us one demo on how to spread the batter in the wok, two scopes and swirl it all around to cover the wok. So we both had a go at that and managed to get it cooked and on the plate.

    It looked delicious so we carved it up and ate it there and then. Both the chefs started laughing and we made a few more and then they showed us how we were supposed to eat it.

    You use the greens to wrap it in and make a little roll then dip it in the sauce. Oh well both ways worked for us.

    There was still plenty left and a few of the other guests had a go as well.    Meer informatie

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    Boat ride around the delta.

    2 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    We didn’t have anything booked this afternoon. So after our cooking class we asked reception if they could organise a boat trip for us.
    We had a lovely older man driving the boat, he didn’t have any English so no description about anything, just enjoy the scenery.

    He took us along the river a little way and then down some of the smaller canals. We passed plenty of boats of course, quite a few stilt houses, lots of fisherman, palm galore and so many orchards. There was plenty of things to look at.

    There is quite a lot of Hyacinth in the water and also a lot of plastic bags. It’s such a shame because obviously this river is the lifeblood of the Mekong community. The boats motor got caught up with plastic bags a few times and the Hyacinth gets so thick it stops the boats from getting through.

    We stopped at a coffee shop along the way which I’m sure must have been his granddaughters. We had a coconut drink and old mate had a coffee, all together a total of $3.50. Good for them may as well keep it in the family.

    Funny when we left the boat, we thanked him, he bowed a couple of times and we headed up the street to the Home-stay. He followed us all the way, just nodding at us every now and then. Must have been under strict orders to get us home safe.

    No rain today but boy is it humid. We went for a quick swim and then headed down for some cocktails before dinner. A couple of Daiquiris for me and Long Island Iced Tea for Graham. Nice dinner of Snails and Pork Spare Ribs followed by some Cointreau shots and a Chocolate Cocktail the bar staff invented for me.    Meer informatie

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    Floating Market

    3 september, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    Early call at 5.30 to go to the floating markets. They are the oldest and biggest floating markets in Vietnam.
    It was different when the river was the only form of transport but now cars and trucks go everywhere and the market is shrinking year by year.
    I imagine it is quite a hard life too and the younger generations is getting education in other areas so they are moving away from the life in the water.    Meer informatie

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    Rice noodles.

    3 september, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After the floating markets we went to visit a family who make rice noodles. They make all the noodles by hand first thing in the morning when it is still cool and then dry them in the sun for a few hours before putting the flat cakes through a noodle press.

    Hot work over an open fire and then out in the sun. A lot are factory made now but this family still do it the traditional way. We had a turn of laying the noodle cake on the wicker racks. Not as easy as they make it look but we got there.

    A quick trip to a orchard for a fruit platter on the way home. So many orchards and veggie gardens in this area. The Vietnamese sure know how to feed a nation.    Meer informatie

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  • Karen LongPostcards From VietnamReiziger
    Corner stall
    Snails and something chickenishThese were deliciousRed flags galoreThe bridge so pretty at nightOur street.Early morning at the lake.Little pagoda in the middle of the lake.Flowers everywhere.Quite a few people mediatingWe definitely weren't alone.

    Up to Hanoi

    3 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    This afternoon we flew up to Hanoi for the next part of our journey. Vietnam airlines are so good, on time, nice seats, a drink and a snack, even got the spare seat again.

    So glad we downloaded the Grab app it has been great. It’s about a 40 minute trip into the city from the airport and it cost $14. Hanoi is a huge city. And the old quarter is crazy! So many motorbikes everywhere. The city is decorated for National Day so there are red flags everywhere.

    It was after Five by the time we got to the hotel and booked in and we were ready for a drink and dinner so we headed out to explore the old quarter. We just got used to Ho Chi Ming traffic but this is next level. You just have to be brave and have faith they are going to go around you.

    We found beer street but it was a bit loud and too many hawkers for us so we found a little chicken place for some wings, weirdest wings we’ve ever had, it was like all the meat was taken off them first and then the coated them and cooked them.

    Just around the corner was a busy stall selling spring rolls and snails, looked good so we settled in for some of them, they were amazingly delicious. A couple of beers to go with them and then a walk down to the lake for a look at the lights and we headed back to the hotel for the night.    Meer informatie

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    Hanoi Old Quarter.

    4 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We are up early this morning , thought we’d beat the heat and the crowds and walk around the lake. The heat wasn’t too bad, but the crowds were already there. Vietnamese people get up early to exercise. They were out walking, running, biking, dancing, lifting, meditating you name it.

    It’s only a small lake on the edge of The Old Quarter but very pretty with flowers and plants all around, a pagoda in the middle and a nice red bridge at one end.

    After a quick breakfast we went off to find the original Egg Coffee Cafe. The coffee shop is down a little alley and then up some stairs. We weren’t holding out much hope that we’d like it but it was surprisingly good. Reminded me of licking the bowl of sponge cake.

    We wandered through the old quarter for a while. Lots of old building if you look up past the shops. There seems to be a street for everything here. Beer St, Kitchen St, Flower St, Hardware St, Toy St, Glasses St. Lantern St

    Of course we found more food. Sea Crab Spring. Rolls. One of the specialties of Hanoi. And another coffee, Salted and Iced this time.

    St Joseph’s Cathedral was our next stop. It’s a nice little photo stop and someone conveniently did a handstand in front of it for me and a group of high school girls obligingly took our photo.

    It was almost noon and getting very hot and sticky, plus we needed a rest from the constant horn blowing that goes on endlessly in the old quarter so we headed back to the hotel to recoup.    Meer informatie

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    Lan Ha Bay

    5 september, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    We’re getting picked up this morning for an overnight Lan Ha Bay cruise. We picked Lan Ha because it is supposed to be much less busy than Halong Bay. It’s just the next bay over so I’m assuming they are pretty similar.

    2 hour bus ride and we arrived. We leave from the same harbour as the Halong Bay cruises, wow there are so many boats, from quite small ones to massive luxury ones. Ours is about in the middle somewhere.

    They have the itinerary for these cruises down pat.
    Boarding, then lunch, little rest, kayaking and swimming. Happy hour drinks, cooking lesson, dinner, squid fishing or Karaoke. Off to bed.    Meer informatie

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    Day 2 Lan Ha Bay Cruise

    6 september, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    The next day up early for a fabulous sunrise and Taichi. Then breakfast and off to see the Dark and Light Cave. We got a special treat and saw the endangered monkeys at the cave entrance. A family group of about
    7 or 8 Back to the boat for a rest and pack up, early lunch and we are finished.

    It’s all been very well organised relaxing and enjoyable.

    We’re on the bus to Ninh Binh now about three hours to get there, there are no quick journeys in Vietnam.    Meer informatie

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    Mua Cave View Point.

    6 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    We’ve just arrived in Ninh Binh. We’re staying about 10 kms outside the city in a nice little rural area. I thought Ninh Binh would be a little country town but no, it’s a decent size city so I’m glad we opted for the rural accomodation.

    Thought we would climb up to Mua Cave view point while it was cooler. Hired a motorbike from the accomodation, so easy, no paperwork they just give you the keys and a couple of helmets and off you go. Didn’t have a clue where we were going but thanks to google maps and one wrong turn we made it.

    There are five hundred steps up to the view point. It’s still pretty busy here even at 5 pm. What nobody told me is there is actually two view points so halfway up you branch off into two mountains. One considerably higher than the other.

    We started with the smaller mountain, these steps are all pretty uneven, and slippery in places and definitely not made for short legs. Got to the first viewpoint after a few stops and it does give you a lovely view out over the lotus flower fields. No flowers here at this time of year though.

    Of course we had to scale the second mountain now. I was glad to see I wasn’t the only one struggling. Nearly everyone was pretty red faced and out of breath by the time we got to the top. It is a pretty challenging climb.

    Amazing views over the river from the top of the mountain, and a couple of friendly goats up there who took a liking to my salty legs. Lots of people waiting up there for sunset but I didn’t fancy climbing down in the dark so we climbed up to touch the dragon, which was a bit of a feat in itself and then headed down.

    Going down of course had its own challenges, the steps are quite big in a lot of places and uneven and slippery. Health and safety would have a field day with this mountain in Australia. We got down in one piece and headed back to our accomodation, luckily it’s only about six kms away. The lights on the bike don’t work too well, Graham has to hold his finger on the button the whole way home.

    We rounded the evening off with a nice dinner a few doors down.    Meer informatie

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  • Karen LongPostcards From VietnamReiziger
    Need some air
    Ready to go.Trang An Boat Ride.7.30 and the sun has some serious heat already.One of the temples.Another temple.Beautiful vistas everywhere.Helping to row.Lovely in the caves.More temples.Finally a photo without a life jacket.This cave was a big one.

    Trang An

    7 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    This morning we are going on a boat ride on Thang An. There are so many boat rides to do here. I’m sure they are all good, just have to pick one and Thang an is just down the road from us.

    It’s a big complex and they put four people in a boat and the poor boatmen and woman row them up and down the river for 2 or 3 hours. We decided to give our boat lady a break and pay for the whole boat, and then Graham couldn’t stand it and had to elf her row as well.

    It’s only 7.30 and it’s hot already in the sun, all the boat rowers and staff were these special airflow jackets, they have little fans built into them. It’s a lovely ride up and down the river, through a few caves and stopping at a few temples.

    The water has been high from all the rain, so there is only one route open today and it’s very popular even this early in the morning.

    Our boat lady was an older woman and she thought we were hilarious for some reason, and she loved Graham especially for helping. Some of the other boat ladies tried stealing him when we got back on after a temple stop.

    Graham is never cutting his hair after coming to Vietnam, he’s like a super star here, the kids love him, the young girls all want their photo taken with him, everyone keeps telling him how lovely his hair is. 😂😂😂 his head is getting bigger and bigger.    Meer informatie

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    Afternoon adventures.

    7 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    We left the boat ride after a recoup in the aircon cafe and decided to go see the floating village, it was about 19 kms away so took a bit to get there and then it was a bit of a wild goose chase. I put the wrong location in the maps so instead of taking us home we took a 20 klm detour. Go home with sunburnt feet and knees.

    Luckily our host made us a delicious lunch and had some cold beers for us when we did eventually get back.

    After a rest in the aircon and a nap we ventured out again to find the Bird Conservation Park. Nice ride on the bike through Tam Cox and along the rice fields.

    Nice gardens there and obviously a big venture, it was pretty quiet while we were there but they have the capacity for a lot of people. Lots of families there enjoying the cooler time of the day.

    We had another boat ride to see the birds. Lots of Herons, Black and white storks, Asian open billed stork, Spoonbills and lots of Egrets

    You’re supposed to be quiet on this trip but the Vietnamese people have no concept of that and luckily the birds didn’t really care, obviously used to them. Way more birds there than we were expecting, nesting quite close to the water.

    Then off to dinner in Ninh Binh. Like I said Ninh Binh is quite a bit bigger than I imagined but we found the restaurant our hostess recommended. Goat is the meat of choice here so we had to try it. Story fried and sweet and sour. The stir fry was the winner.

    All the lights are on down near the river and it’s really pretty. You’d think there would be lovely fancy restaurants with that view, but they were mostly take away places.    Meer informatie

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    Pu Luong

    8 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    We are picked up early for our trip down to Pu Luong this morning. After a couple of stops to get a few more passengers we head off.

    It’s about a two and a half hour trip going west from Ninh Binh through lots of little towns and villages. It was quite an interesting trip, our driver is good and he’s not a horn blower. Some of them are on the horn all the time.

    Wish I could take photos of all the things people manage to put on the back of motorbikes or pushbikes here, from bags and bags of coconuts, 3 air conditioners stacked up, a live pig, stacks of bamboo. Incredible.

    Arrived at Gateway Inn about 11 where they made us a coffee while we waited for the room to be ready. It is in a gorgeous location overlooking the valley and all the villages down there. All our meals are included here and wow they have been sensational so far. So simple really but delicious.

    Our room looks out over the same valley with a nice little verandah.    Meer informatie

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    Village Visit.

    8 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 35 °C

    Our guide picked us up about 2 for a walking visit to a couple of the local villages. We are half way up the mountain and the villages are down in the valley. It’s an incredibly steep road down to the valley but they all run up and down it several times a day on motorbikes or cars.

    There are rice fields all along the road on the way down so it’s a very pretty walk and luckily there is a bit of shade here and there, but it is incredibly hot.

    We stopped about halfway down for a drink at a local juice bar. I was just about to say I’m not walking any further down if we have to climb all this way back up when Tim said we have a car waiting at the bottom. Thank goodness because the road incredibly got even steeper.

    We visited a local weaver, a family renovating under their house, a local man cleaning out his fish pond for some topsoil for his veggies and the ethnic village of Lung Niem where there all lots of traditional weavers and Stilt houses.

    So glad there was a driver waiting for us. We passed a group of young things walking back up. I did feel bad but there were way too many to offer a lift to.

    Cocktails and dinner on the verandah was lovely.    Meer informatie

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    2

    Pu Luong with Easy Rider

    9 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Today we are doing a tour of Pu Luong with a couple of easy rider bikes. They picked us up at 9 and we set off for some panoramic views over the rice fields. Wow there are so many rice fields, up on the hills, down in the Valley. We stopped at a little cafe to admire their view and the lady there made us all green tea, the family were dragging a house post up the hill and Grandad came in for a cup of tea, and a hit on his bong. He and Graham mutually thought each other hilarious for some reason. He lives with the family but has his own house across the road, it’s much quieter apparently.

    He’d gone off home but when we were leaving the guide asked if we’d like to see his house, he has 7 pigs, numerous chooks, a fish farm with his pet fish and a large veggie patch. Another cup of tea with him up in his thatched cottage, it’s pretty basic, but he seems like he has everything he needs and it’s quite cool up there with the breeze coming up through the floor. He had been a soldier in the Vietnam war, there was a photo of him in his uniform looking very smart and service certificate was there too.

    Next we rode down to the Bat Cave. Wow that was a steep hill down there and plenty of steps down into the cave after that. Tim had the great idea to do the circular walk around the bottom of the cave. Bloody hell, my shoes are not cut out for this, let along my thigh muscles, finally after a bit of slipping and sliding we emerged back at the entrance mostly unscathed. Washed all the bat poo off our hands in the stream, and bought a new bottle of water from the girl at the entrance. All I can say is if you visit the Bat Cave and they offer you a motor bike ride down and back up take it, it is so steep, we passed several people struggling on the way up.

    It’s pretty hot and sweaty now and we are off to see the waterfall and have a swim. It’s amazing how cool the air coming off the river was as we got closer to the waterfall.
    Wow that waterfall was so refreshing. There is so much water coming off these mountains it’s incredible.

    They had lunch ready for us when we got out, so much food for 2 people, we insisted both the drivers eat with us and we still didn’t really make a dint in the food.
    Another walk to a different waterfall after lunch and a half hour ride back to our accomodation. What a great day.    Meer informatie

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    Last walk in Pu Luong

    10 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    This morning we have one more walk with Lee who up until now I’ve been calling Tim. A car picked us up and we drove down the mountain for 20 minutes or so. Walked across a bridge and rice field to a little farming village with some water wheels and an ancient stilt house. Tried our hand at rice hulling and grinding,

    Saw how the water wheels worked and had a cup of tea with the lady at the farm before following the river further down to have a ride on a bamboo raft. Graham helped the guy with the poles or we might still be there, it was hard work trying to pole that raft upstream after they’ve had some decent rain.    Meer informatie

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    Balcony room
    Hats anyoneBun ChaLantern StPretty Temple100 gram croissantsHow many hair accessories can she carryFlower cartTrying out the fruit lady's job.She was pretty happy with him.He does live a good doorOr gate.Not as good as he remembered.Found a perfect restaurant for lunch, air conditioned, cold beer and good food.Bought a pair of boy leg undiesShe's had a long day.Saving our feetOur rickshawAnd our driverTrain St againBring on the train.Here it is.Yep its flat

    Back to Hanoi

    11 september, Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    We came back to Hanoi on the Limousine Bus, had the craziest driver this time, honked continuously, passed everything in sight, even when it was pouring rain and the water was a foot deep, but thankfully managed to get us here in one piece.

    Limousine buses can be big or small and we’ve been on both now. They are just a more comfortable version of a bus with better seats. The best think is they drop and pick you up from your accomodation so no having to go to a bus depot or find your hotel at a new destination.

    Hanoi is as busy as usual when we arrive and after checking in we headed out for some dinner. Someone we met told us about this Bun Cha place so we went on the search for it. Turned out we’d been there before, but we hadn’t actually tried the bun Cha just the spring rolls. It’s been Michelin mentioned apparently, I have no clue what that means, but it’s really good.

    The next morning now and the plan today is just to wander and enjoy the city. We did a little shopping, found a few new sights, revisited some old ones, meet some more locals, ate some more of course. It’s a little overcast today which makes it much more pleasant for wandering.    Meer informatie

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    Hanoi Old Quarter

    12 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    We’ve spent the last two days in Hanoi just wandering the streets of the Old Quarter, checking out coffee shops and restaurants we happened upon. Doing a bit of retail therapy and generally enjoying the city.

    First coffee stop this morning was at the Hidden Gem. Another one that was down an alleyway and then up some stair, and more stairs. It a good example of up cycling lots of different things, windows, door, motorbikes, tractor bonnets etc.

    We had a bit of a list of things to shop for and we got most of them sorted before lunch. Went looking then for some air conditioning and found Old Viet Restaurant. Once again great food and great service and the best Crispy Roast Duck and the spring rolls weren’t bad either.

    Back to our new hotel for a rest, we had to change hotels for the last night which was a bit of a pain, but since we don’t have much luggage we’re pretty quick at packing up and the Bellboys moved it all for us as well.    Meer informatie

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  • Karen LongPostcards From VietnamReiziger
    1

    Temples and Pogadas.

    12 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    We thought we should see some more Vietnamese culture so we set off to find Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest and holiest Buddhist pagoda in Hanoi. The traffic was a bit hectic getting over there and I’d forgotten you had to have your shoulders covered so had to buy a scarf at the entrance. Of course there was a lady selling them there just for forgetful tourists. It’s a very pretty Pagoda with colourful temples around the outside.

    Considering the traffic on the way here we opted for a motorbike on the way back. Much faster but oh my goodness, I didn’t think we were going to make it a couple of times.
    Back now in the Old quarter we thought we should round of the tour with a visit to Ngoc Son Temple, which is just over the red bridge from our hotel. A Pagoda is Buddhist monument where a Temple is usually erected for a historical figure. This one is lovely and being so close yo the city quite a few people are over there among them a group of entertaining dancers.

    We spent our last night having cocktails on one of the roof top bars, it overlooks a very busy intersection so it was quite entertaining. And visiting the night market for some street food and a few souvenirs.    Meer informatie

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  • Karen LongPostcards From VietnamReiziger

    Hoian

    13 september, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    We left Hanoi this morning to fly to Da Nang and then a transfer to Hoian. First impressions are not that favourable. I thought this was going to be a cute little country town but after leaving the airport there was no country side to see at all before we arrived at the hotel.

    The receptionist gave us such a long list of activities we could do in Hoian it made our heads spin. We just want to light a lantern and look at the old building.

    Went looking for some lunch after check in and found Bahn Mi, just a little cafe but packed with people of all ages. Bread and I are not really friends anymore but I tried one and it was delicious and I can see why it’s the perfect lunch although I did pay for it later.

    After a rest in the hottest part of the day we headed off again to look at the river, got bombarded with lantern boat sellers before we even stepped on the walkway. It was exhausting. Finally we sat down to have a couple of drinks near the river after Graham told one of the boatmen we’d come over after a drink. He didn’t take his eyes off us the whole time.

    It was a bit kitschy, but a nice little 20 minute ride down the river, we lit a lantern and floated them off, mine took three goes to stay lit. It’s quite here at the moment apparently, can’t imagine what’s it like when it’s busy.

    There is a big French influence in Vietnam so we decided to try a French restaurant someone recommended to us. It’s a short grab ride away and was fabulous surprise.    Meer informatie

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