Travel Album - Vietnam



	Vietnam

Hoi An, 2019

In May 2019, Tino has his second overseas trip; this time to Hoi An, Vietnam, visiting 3 UNESCO sites all at once. Among which is the Hoi An old town.

Despite being his third/fourth flight ride, Tino still felt unease.

It's only an hour and a half journey, yet he slept in an hour of it.

This holiday spanned over grandpa's 60th birthday.

And also popo's birthday.

Dinner at Morning Glory overlooking Hoi An's signature landmark.

Covered Japanese Bridge (来远桥). The landmark of Hoi An UNESCO site.

Three-brothers - three types of rolls.

Hoi An traditional set.

We stayed at a resort at Hoi An old town with river view.

Tino enjoying his stay, yet we planned a packed visiting schedule.

Tino is yet to learn to swim...

Our villa for 4 nights.

Lazy boy, being tired from travelling.

The bridge links up the historical Chinese and Japanese communities.

The bridge dated back to the 16/17th century.

It also housed a temple for Taoist God of Weather.

Old quarter building.

View from Cargo Club Cafe.

We had yummy fusion of Vietnamese

and western (French influenced) food.

The old quarter is full of traditional buildings.

Quite many of them are meeting halls from different Chinese region.

Year of Pig lantern.

Local style lanterns.

Exploring the long strip of beach front of Vietnam.

Famous An Bang Beach.

The sun shine is quite severe.

Tino is hiding from the sun and beach.

Trying coconut juicy.

Exploring the water valley of Hoi An.

Here we tried the coconut boat.

Tino cried during most of the ride...

Despite being small, the ride is smooth.

Hue

Hue is the capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, mainly for the Nguyen Dynasty. This vast imperial palace is a UNESCO site, a 3 hours drive from Hoi An. The view in the picture is the sight from the King's legislation pavilion while all his officers line up at the foray.

PaPa, Tino, YeYe

PoPo and YiPo

The King's seat. The Vietnam war had destroyed much of the palace.

Most buildings in the palace are rebuilt. The rest of them are just ruins...

Interior of waiting hall.

Pond at King's grandma quarter.

East gate of the palace.

Gate of the King's mom quarter.

Long palace corridor.

The pagoda of Celestial Lady.

Y Thao Garden - the home of a famous scholar - turned into a restaurant.

The famous dish of spring rolls on peacock.

The garden is full of greenery. Peace and serenity.

Delicate piece of art, with chills turned into a flower.

My Son

Another UNESCO site of Hindu ruins constructed in the 4th-14th century in 1.5 hours ride away from Hoi An. The temples are dedicated to the worship of the God Shiva.

Over 70 temples constructed;

only 20 remained after the Vietnam War.

we arrived the site at 9am to escape the heat, but it's already too hot...

It's good to shelter inside some temple chamber.

Dance performance only in the morning.

Music with drum and string instruments.

Grandpa is the prime caretaking of Tino. Hope he has a memorable 60th birthday with family and grandson.

Tino has experienced quite allot and got excited (hyper) through out the trip. Definitely he is happy (and naughty).

We booked our car at hoiancars.com for most of our journey through whatsapp. Quite a good service and smooth ride.

We all got tired after the 5 days journey. Yet we all cherish this wonderful family memory. <3 <3 <3

Ha Long Bay (下龍灣) , 2024

This was my semi-work trip to visit my client's factory in Hai Duong (海陽). Afterwards, I embarked on a day trip to Ha Long Bay (下龍湾). The hill and rock formation resemble those in China’s Guilin, but situate on a bay. Then I spent a whole day cruising and relaxing on the sea.

It was September, so the weather was not too hot, and I could swim in this UNESCO natural destination. HaLong Bay means “descending dragon” in Vietnamese. According to legend, a family of dragons descended to help defend the Vietnamese people from invaders, and their emerald teeth scattered across the bay, forming thousands of limestone islands.

I stayed on this cruise for 6 hours. It cost around US$35, which included coach transport, the cruise itself, a buffet lunch, and three activities. Nice.

Here, I enjoyed the sunset out at sea. That one-hour journey was tranquil, and I got to listen to a few oldies like “Pensior Stupendo,” “当时的月亮,” and “但愿人长久.”

The first activity was exploring the Surprise Cave (Sung Sot Cave), which is the biggest cave at HaLong area.

The second activity was kayaking through a cave tunnel and relax on a bay. Ho Dong Tien Cave (仙湖洞).

Nice rock formation to appreciate.

The journey was 30 minutes, and it was so peaceful.

The third activity was to swim at the beach of Ti Top Island.

Relax on the cruise.

This cute couple from Korea were at my tour group.

Hanoi (河内)

In 2020, I assisted this company with its IPO in Hong Kong, but the project was halted due to stricter regulations. Now, I’m helping the firm secure funding for its expansion into Vietnam. Economic momentum is shifting toward Southeast Asia, so I am shifting focus on this region.

In just one year, the factory has grown to an operation with 200 labours. However, securing capital is ultra critical for growth.

Here is the logo for the capital city of Hanoi, inspired by the Temple of Literature.

The Temple of Literature (文廟國子監 - Văn Miếu Hà Nội) honors the history of education in Hanoi. In the second courtyard, former students' essays were once read at the red-roofed pavilion of Constellation. This structure is a symbol of Hanoi and is featured on the 100,000 Vietnamese Dong banknote.

The academy was dedicated to the Chinese philosopher Confucius.

The temple of built in 1070 and became Vietnam's first university in 1076.

These are three Vietnam emperors over three different dynasties devoting in the development of education in Vietnam.

Students would gather at this Courtyard of the Great Learning for lectures on Confucian texts.

The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long (昇龍皇城) dates back to 7th century and served as an active royal palace until 1945. After that, it suffered significant destruction.

The Flag Tower of Vietnam is located adjacent to the Imperial Citadel and is surrounded by numerous embassies.

The historic and tourist areas of Hanoi are quite walkable. The Old Quarter and the Imperial Area are just a 20-minute walk apart, with the famous Train Street dividing them. Only a handful of trains pass through this track each day.

The most popular time to see the train passing by is the 3:30pm one.

Hoan Kiem Lake (還劍湖) is located right beside the Old Quarter of Hanoi. The lake is peaceful and adorned with traditional Vietnamese architecture.

I am staying in the heart of the Old Quarter, just a two-minute walk from the lake. During my three nights in Hanoi, I strolled along the lake to unwind and enjoyed the slower pace of life with the locals.

Ngoc Son Temple is situated on a small island in the heart of Hoan Kiem Lake. This historic temple is dedicated to victories against foreign invaders.

Huc Bridge (旭桥 - Cầu Thê Húc) means bridge of "Rising Sun," reflecting the bridge’s role as a pathway to enlightenment.

Instead of visiting the temple myself, I dropped off my Water Dragon Pokémon at Ngoc Son Temple for the whole day.

Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square (東京義孰廣場) is the vibrant heart of the Old Quarter. This area has served as a central trading and merchandising hub for thousands of years. You can find a lively array of food, beer, and a bustling nightlife scene.

This is Hang Ma Street (aka. Lantern Street) which primarily sells a variety of lanterns. The street is vibrant and colorful.

I was there during the Mid-Autumn Festival, so the street was bustling with families and children celebrating this lively tradition.

Shops on the Clothes Street showcasing traditional Vietnamese ceremonial wedding attire.

I am enjoying my piece of mooncake at the Hoan Kiem Lake under the full moon.

Other areas of the Old Quarter, featuring busy tourist and shops.

This beer street houses some bars with erotic dancers too.

Yummy. Yet I gotta opt for non-sugar dessert. =P

Traditional flour doll.

St. Joseph’s Cathedral (聖若瑟主教座堂/河內大教堂) built in the 1886 was one of the first structure built by colonial government of French Indochina.

I visited the actual Business District of Hanoi, which is a 20-minute ride from the Old Quarter, to meet with a lawyer for a potential deal.

This is the hotel where I stayed for three days. The daily fruit and coffee kept my digestive system active and energized.

Tried some Vietnamese food. Dry rice noodle.

Pho 10 is a renowned eatery in Hanoi, under a Michelin guide, famous for its exceptional pho.

The rice noodles are made daily and are combined with high-quality beef and fresh vegetables, creating a delicious broth.

I also tried Vietnamese spring rolls and braised pork, both of which are famous dishes in Vietnam.

With all the fresh ingredients and the light use of oil and sugar, it’s no wonder that Vietnamese tend to be fit and healthy.

	2010 - The most valuable asset I gain from this Vietnam visit is the understanding of the history of the Vietnam war. The war was a result of the US effort in fighting communism and warning other countries no to do so. Is the US bad using force and ammunition meddling foreign countries' internal affair? There are so many questions in life which are tough to define right or wrong. I am not in position to judge the history but I do feel resentment on the acts and weapons adopted by the US army during the invasion...
		In March 1965, the US government sent troops to Vietnam. Each US soldier coming there received a booklet called "A new war style" stating that "We come here to help the people and conquer the South Vietnam. We come here to save the whole South East Asia from communist aggression and oppression. By that action, we can boost the security for the United States". But what the US soldiers had done were arresting and killing normal people, including children, women, seniors; destroying houses, schools, hospitals; spraying defoliants to devastate forests, crops..." The war lasted for 17 years and 2 months. The US had set 14.3 million tons of bombs. More than 58,000 died in this war...

		During the Vietnam war, between 1962 and 1971, the United States military sprayed 20 million gallons of chemical herbicides and defoliants in Vietnam, eastern Laos and parts of Cambodia. 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 people being killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth defects. The dioxin will remain in the gene for three generations. The decision to spray the defoliants was inhuman...
	The war museum.	Devastated forests

		Cu Chi Tunnel. (over 120 km) The tunnels were used by Viet Cong as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters. The role of the tunnel systems should not be underestimated in its importance to the Viet Cong in resisting American operations and eventually culminating in an American withdrawal. The tunnel I was in is thtop layer amongst three. It has been enlarged to cater tourists, but is unbearable to me, to move and breathe. I can't imagine what the condition was like during war and fighters lived here for years. War is horrible...
	Dozens type of booby traps inside the tunnels.	Ant-hole. Entrant to the tunnel system...

	What we enjoyed in Saigon is the Vietnamese food! They are natural and simple, and thus, very healthy. Not to mention that they are very cheap. Pho and coconut, what a good combination.

	Mekong Delta islands. Good to just chill at a local village.

	Met some new friends in a pub. My JJ-replacement who turns out to be cute model. Sweet couple, in Vietnamese bridal gown. ->
	HCMC is full of motorcycle. Traffic will become a hectic scene during rush hour.	Uncle Ho, in front of the city hall.
	Juxtaposition of renovated and original building at the heart of HCMC.	HCMC has quite some developments.

		This Bitexco Financial Tower is becoming a business center icon the Ho Chi Minh City. With its stylish architectural outlook, the building has redefine HCMC's skyline as a business center. However, the area surrounding the building is still less developed. My overall view of HCMC is that the city is dry... There isn't much that surprises me. Perhaps, I've seen quite lot from other cities. But it's good that I was spending good time with friends.