In Hoi An town at full moon the town celebrates. All the electric lights are switched off and softly coloured lanterns cast magical shadows in the narrow streets. Candles are lit and cast into the river along with wishes and prayers and set sail into the night flickering in their small paper cups. A gentle … Continue reading »
Just before dawn, as we drive from Noi Bai airport on the main road to Hanoi, we are surrounded by a stream of vibrating traffic; it’s like being in the middle of a swarm of bees – and it’s where the Hanoi buzz begins. Scooters and bicycles piled to toppling with wares to sell in … Continue reading »
A typical sight in rural villages all over Vietnam is a person wearing a traditional conical nón lá hat (leaf hat). Worn to protect the wearer from both the sun and rain they are hand-made from palm leaves. There are other Asian versions of the hat but the Vietnamese forms the most perfectly circular cone … Continue reading »
Ha Long Bay in Vietnam translates to Bay of the Descending Dragon and has recently become one of the new seven natural wonders of the world. And truly wonderous it is – a mystical landscape where thousands of limestone karsts burst breathtakingly skywards from the depths of the sparkling, emerald-green South China Seas. We spent … Continue reading »
Hue, once home to Emperors, courtiers and concubines, is the place to discover the ancient heart and soul of Vietnam. Located at the mouth of the Perfume River, Hue was the imperial capital of Vietnam’s Nguyen dynasty between 1802 and 1945. We spent two days in the city visiting the Citadel and tomb-hopping our way … Continue reading »
Being a bit of a foodie meant that a big part of our trip to Vietnam was for the cuisine. Fresh, zingy flavours bursting onto the taste-buds combined with mouth-watering herbs and the warmth of South East Asian spices was such a lure. The Red Bridge Cooking School kept cropping up during our research so … Continue reading »
After spending the first two nights of our Vietnam tour in Hanoi, and another in Halong Bay, we travelled south – half way down Vietnam’s coast to our third destination; the hippest heritage town on the Vietnam trail – Hoi An. Continue reading »
I took this shot in Hoi An, Vietnam where many of the buildings are painted ochre yellow. The walls are still damp from the rain but the colours make it feel like the sun is shining. Continue reading »
There are over two million scooters teeming through the streets of Vietnam’s largest City, and they are an attraction in their own right. Totally mesmerizing to watch, they buzz about their business, inches apart; streaming down avenues, weaving, wending, intertwining their way across town and performing hair’s breadth manoeuvres at every cross-road. Young women wearing … Continue reading »
This year I saw in the New Year in Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) as it’s officially known. We weren’t sure what to expect of an Asian New Year’s Eve – we knew that the lunar New Year, Tet, is widely celebrated towards the end of January, but would the Western New Year … Continue reading »
