Hoi An

Hoi An is a great town near a great beach. I spent 4 days here swimming, drinking, and eating. Fun.

The beach: The river:

Free shower in rural Viet Nam: Part of the actual Ho Chi Mihn trail:

Rice terraces:

Local farmers often cultivate tapioca in the hills. Local bridges help with transportation of the goods:
This local tribe considered the water buffalo to be a sacred animal. Their long house is made to look like one (note the horns on the top):

I made for a good communist:

Local school kids:

More traditional buildings:

A local family uses a machine to strip corn off the cob:

The bridge into Buou Ma Thuot (BMT). Teh river below was a vital supply line for the North during the war:

Biggest waterfall in Viet Nam:

Locals use a thrashing machine to seperate rice from the chaff:

Elephant ride - we went into the lake where he tried to submerge, taking me and the driver with him:

Da Lat to Hoi An by motor bike

I decided to take a 5 day trip from Da Lat to Hoi An (on the coast about half way up Viet Nam) on the back of a motorbike. My driver, Mui, also acted as a guide. This was a fantastic experience as I got to see the Viet Nam that sometimes gets missed by travellers. We met all sorts of people, including many from the hill tribes who still live a traditional life. I did not see another westerner for the whole trip.

Here are some photos from those 5 days, in no particular order.

The Mynong people still live a traditional lifestyle. Houses are built off the ground so animals can sleep below:

Mynong house under construction. Traditional methods and design are still used, even if the materials are modern (concrete and sheet iron are common):

The Mynong use long boats to travers the lake and get to fishing spots. This one had seen better days:

Rice drying on the road:

Farmer's house:

Road works:

Main street of a rural town:

My guide, Mui, with a rice wine distiller:

Me with traditional basket and blade. There are many hundreds of different hill tribes, but they all use the same basic tool. Their skill was used by the North during the war - it was this simple blade that was used to cut much of the Ho Chi Minh trail:

Elephant falls (named because the rocks look like elephant skin)

Labour intensive silk factory:

Da Lat

Da Lat is in the central highlands of Viet Nam - north of Saigon and in the middle (but a bit closer to Laos). It is pretty much the swiss alps of Viet Nam. Many of the buildings are French (from when they were here), and it was complelty avoided by both sides in the war. It was pretty cold up in the hills, and I was forced to wear jeans and a hoodie for the first time in 3 weeks. I took a one day motorbike tour of Dalat and the surrounds:

Some waterfall:


Choice pagoda where monks still live:

Incects in Viet Nam are enormous. Don't get one of these in your pants:

Hard yakka. Show your gran next time she complains about having to work...

'Crazy house'. When the North took over, the new community party leader's daughter fell in love with an American. This was not a good look for the party, and so she was sent away to Russia to study. Pans out being away from her love drove her a bit mad. When she got back to Viet Nam, she moved to Da Lat and built a wacko guest house called 'Crazy House'. The place is a maze of walkways and corridors, and each room has a different theme (the eagle room, bear room, crocodile room etc):

Da Lat is the vegetable basket of Viet Nam. Traditionally food is sent south to the Saigon to be traded for rice (from the mekong). Much of the land has been given out in small blocks by the government to families from the north, hence the patchwork effect:

The Vietnamese believe that they decend from the phoenix and the dragon. The tortise and the unicorn are also important, but I did not get good photos of them...

Mekong Delta

From Saigon I did a one day tour of the Mekong Delta. The delta is in south Viet Nam and produces most of the country's rice. Trip was a tad boring, and it pissed with rain. Class. Did meet some nice French people though, and bought some coconut candy (a speciality of Ben Tre, one of the provinces in the Mekong).

Passed out french person:

Awesome Japanese garden:

Canals near Ben Tre. The palm fronds cover the canal completely:

Honey tea on Tortise island. Chin chin.

Our boat...