Photo Album
North Vietnam - 2009
Entrance to the Temple of Literature in Hanoi
Looking back at the entrance from inside the Temple of Literature grounds.
Temple of Literature, Hanoi
Temple of Literature, Hanoi
Temple of Literature, Hanoi
Temple of Literature, Hanoi
Temple of Literature, the names of those who completed final examinations here are carved on steles on the backs of stone turtles.
Temple of Literature, Hanoi
Temple of Literature, Hanoi
Temple of Literature, Hanoi
One Pillar Pagoda, Hanoi
One Pillar Pagoda, dedicated to the goddess of Mercy, Quan Am. A prayer offered here is said to invoke well-being and fertility.
One Pillar Pagoda, Hanoi
Presidential Palace built between 1900 - 1906 for the French Governor General of Indochina.
Presidential Palace, Hanoi
On the grounds of the Presidential Palace, looking across the carp pond at the traditional Vietnamese stilt house where Ho Chi Minh actually lived.
Carp pond on the grounds of the Presidential Palace in Hanoi.
Ho Chi Minh's tomb
Ho Chi Minh's tomb, Hanoi
Random street scene taken during my cyclo tour of the Hanoi Old Quarter.
Random street scene taken during my cyclo tour of the Hanoi Old Quarter.
Random street scene taken during my cyclo tour of the Hanoi Old Quarter.
Random street scene taken during my cyclo tour of the Hanoi Old Quarter.
409 days till the 1000-year anniversary of Hanoi being the capital of Vietnam.
Entrance to Tran Quoc, Ngoc Son Temple at Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi
Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi
Tran Quoc, Ngoc Son Temple at Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi
Tran Quoc, Ngoc Son Temple at Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi
Me at Tran Quoc, Ngoc Son Temple at Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi
The singers that treated us to traditional Vietnamese songs during dinner in Hanoi.
The band, on traditional Vietnamese instruments.
In Ninh Binh, visiting the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Dinh & Le temples
In Ninh Binh, visiting the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Dinh & Le temples
In Ninh Binh, visiting the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Dinh & Le temples
Water Buffalo?
In Ninh Binh, visiting the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Dinh & Le temples
In Ninh Binh, visiting the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Dinh & Le temples
In Ninh Binh, visiting the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Dinh & Le temples
In Ninh Binh, visiting the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Dinh & Le temples
In Ninh Binh, visiting the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Dinh & Le temples
In Ninh Binh, visiting the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Dinh & Le temples
In Ninh Binh, visiting the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Dinh & Le temples
In Ninh Binh, visiting the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Dinh & Le temples
Me in Ninh Binh, visiting the ancient capital Hoa Lu, Dinh & Le temples
Starting my sampan ride to visit Tam Coc Caves. This is the so-called Dry Ha Long Bay...
Random picture during boat ride
Workers harvesting seaweed
This guy is paddling my boat with his feet!
First cave coming up
Local Vietnamese with boats piled full of things to sell to tourists
Inside one of the caves
A view through one of the caves
Coming out of the cave
Next cave in the distance. There is a lot of rock above these
A closer view of the cave from the previous long shot
Inside the cave
A water puppet show back in Hanoi to finish the day
A water puppet show back in Hanoi
Leaving the dock to start our overnight cruise aboard a junk on Ha Long Bay.
Me with some of my tour group having our welcome aboard drink on the junk.
Ha Long Bay
Ha Long Bay
Ha Long Bay... This place is so beautiful, everywhere you look is a picture begging to be taken
Ha Long Bay
Long shot of the cave we are touring this afternoon
A closer view of the cave entrance
Inside Sung Sot Cave
Symbology inside Sung Sot Cave, this rock is supposed to resemble a turtle and touching its head is supposed to bring you good luck.
Inside Sung Sot Cave
The view from the exit of Sung Sot Cave.
Other junks (deluxe boats) on Ha Long Bay.
Evening on Ha Long Bay
Ha long Bay
Ha long Bay
I usually don't do food photos, but they did so much work making the veggie flowers as part of the dinner presentation I could not resist.
Morning on Ha Long Bay
Some of my group went kayaking, but I decided to pass given that our next stop involved climbing a big rock.
That is Titop beach in the distance and we are climbing up to that shelter on the top of the rock to see the view.
Titop beach
The view from above the beach
A view of Ha Long bay from high above Titop beach
A view of Ha Long bay from high above Titop beach
A view of Ha Long bay from high above Titop beach
A view of Ha Long bay from high above Titop beach
Me at the lookout above Titop beach with Ha Long Bay in the background.
Me at the lookout above Ha Long Bay. Yes, I know the Vegas shirt is tourist tacky but it was the lightest top I had for a swimwear coverup and I did have to climb up this rock in the heat & humidity.
The sign at Titop beach. Supposedly this was named by a Russian fighter pilot during the war.
This is the junk I was on at the dock.
Nothing special about this house really. But there are a lot of these long skinny houses along the roads and I just thought it was interesting. It is like a row house in Europe that has no neighbors.
While this picture also illustrates somewhat different traffic safety rules than we have in the US, that bridge in the background was also done by the same person as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
View from the window of my hotel room in Hanoi
View from the window of my hotel room in Hanoi
National Museum of Vietnamese History in Hanoi
A view of the National History Museum grounds
An exhibit on evolution at the National History Museum
The Opera house in downtown Hanoi
A Vietnamese wedding party at the Opera House
Entrance to Hoa Lo Prison (the Hanoi Hilton).
An exhibit on prison life at Hoa Lo.
The Hoa Lo prison uniform
A French guillotine historically used at Hoa Lo prison.
An exhibit of John McCain's fight suit and parachute from when he was captured and sent to the Hanoi Hilton.
An exhibition of photos on the solidarity of the American people with the Vietnamese during their struggle for independence (ie: anti-war protests in the US)
Where I had lunch my last day in Hanoi, at Hoan Kiem Lake.
The view from our lunch cafe table.
Cobras preserved in some type of alcohol apparently. I think every guy in our tour group bought one of these. Would guys really try to drink this stuff?