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North Vietnam 2011

North Vietnam was enthralling. Fantastic food, beautiful scenery, and loads to do!

Hanoi

Our trip started with a couple of days in Hanoi, which proved to be a brilliant and very interesting city. We'd never seen anything like the Moped Mayhem here!

Tomb and Home of Ho Chi Minh

The Mausoleum and Home of Ho Chi Minh - he lived quite humbly, but is remembered at great expense!

The One Pillar Pagoda

The One Pillar Pagoda is regarded as one of Vietnam's two most iconic temples. The temple is built of wood on a single stone pillar 1.25 m in diameter, and is designed to resemble a lotus blossom.

Dragon Pagoda

A major Hanoi tourist attraction, Quan Thanh Pagoda is one of the Four Sacred Temples that were built in four directions to protect the capital from malevolent spirits. Quán Thánh protects from the North.

Tran Quoc Pagoda

The Trấn Quốc Pagoda is the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi, and is located on a small island near the southeastern shore of Hanoi's West Lake.

Museum Of Ethnology

Vietnam's Museum of Ethnology is both a research centre and a public museum exhibiting the ethnic groups of Vietnam. The mission of the Museum is scientific research, collection, documentation, conservation, exhibition and preserving the cultural and historic patrimony of the nation’s different ethnic groups.

Pedicab Ride in Hanoi

A Pedicab Ride in Hanoi - They sure know how to pressure you for money!  We wouldn't do this again.

The Road To Mai Chau

We made a road-trip to a village called Mai Chau. It urned out to be fascinating, showing us the Vietnamese people at work and life. The volume and variety of traffic on the road was just amazing.

Mai Chau

Mai Châu is a mountainous region located in Hòa Bình Province, approximately 135 km from Hanoi. We visited the tiny village of Mai Chau and shared a mid-day meal with friendly locals.

Coming Back From Mai Chau

The road back from Mai Chau was every bit as chaotic as the way there!

The Road to Halong Bay

The trip to the Halong Bay took us through numerous Vietnamese villages, and into the North.

Halong Bay

We spent a couple of nights on a Junk in Halong Bay - and wished it had been longer!

Sa Pa Hills

A really interesting overnight train trip from Hanoi took us into the spectacular Sa Pa Hills for a complete change of pace and scenery.

Ngo Quyen Temple

After returning to Hanoi, a day trip took us first to the Ngo Quyen Temple, which has remained untouched over centuries.

Duong Lam Village

Duong Lam is a village which remains firmly in the past, showing how previous generations of Vietnamese lived.