I am sure that the small market town of Sa Pa high in Vietnam’s northern hills was once a sleepy village where tourists could encounter the traditional outlying minority villages. Now the town is overrun by tourists, literally, and the town is swamped with minority women selling everything imaginable. We happen to arrive on a … More Journey of Sa Pa, Vietnam: Meeting minority women

Floating serenely through 2,000 bizarrely shaped limestone islands as they protrude sharply through the emerald Ha Long Bay is an experience not to be missed. Many people are not aware of this but Ha Long Bay UNESCO World Heritage Site is made up of 3 different bays and thousands of islands. Our cruise sailed through … More Journey of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam: Floating through limestone islands

Jon and I arrived in Hanoi on the night bus before dawn, the streets still eerily quiet and us in a daze from a drug induced sleep. Hanoi is Vietnam’s elegant 1,000 year-old capital and even though it has a population of 6 million people it is surprisingly low key. We stayed in the old … More Journey of Hanoi, Vietnam: Shop-house on fire

After all of that history Jon and I were in desperate need for some adventure and we picked the perfect place to fill up on some high-octane fun. This area is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site of 885 square kilometers of un-spoilt jungle and mountains. It is also home to the larges cave … More Journey of Phong Nha, Vietnam: Caving adventures

Hue (pronounced “we”) has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993 and was the city of the Nguyen emperors. The one magnificent Imperial City suffered extensive damage during the wars. Thankful some historical remained after the conflict. I started out he rainy day with a slow boat trip down the Perfume River, stopping at … More Journey of Hue, Vietnam: City filled with history

Hoi An was a magical town that had it all; historic buildings, 11th century ruins, rice paddies, beautiful beach, custom tailors, all wrapped up in a quaint town with romantic lantern lighting. The town of Hoi An was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 as a rich architectural fusion of Chinese, Japanese, … More Journey of Hoi An, Vietnam: History covered in romantic lighting

As soon as we entered Da Lat we felt like we were in a village in Europe somewhere. The city and it’s quaint streets lined with French Colonial buildings surrounding a pleasant lake in the hills a few hours north of HCMC. It was originally built for officers to get away from it all and … More Journey of Da Lat, Vietnam: Crickets and weasel poop coffee

Mui Ne, which started out as a small fishing village with a pristine beach, is now lined with budget accommodations and upmarket resorts filled with Russians. Fishing is still a primary source of income as can been seen from the scattering of blue bowl-like fishing boats sharing the waters with the tourists. Man fishing in … More Journey of Mui Ne, Vietnam: Fairy Springs and windsurfing

Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon depending on who you are talking to was a special place for me to visit. I had two uncles who fought here during the Vietnam war, one from my mother’s side and one from my fathers. One returned home to live with the effects of Agent Orange. The other … More Journey of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Moving moments

The Mekong Delta sits at the very bottom of Vietnam with the Gulf of Thailand on one side and the South China Sea on the other. Nine channels of Asia’s third largest river, the Mekong Delta, cross through the land making it the perfect destination for orchards and rice paddy fields. These waterways also serve … More Journey of Mekong Delta, Vietnam: Two days of mishaps