(click on pictures to see larger images)
We visited North Vietnam in December 2002 for a short 8-day holiday. First we got onto a houseboat to spend a few days touring the scenic Halong Bay and visited the island of Catba. The waters of the bay are so tranquil you might be forgiven for thinking that you are on a lake. We then took an overnight train from Hanoi up north towards the Chinese border town of Lao Cai and then by bus up to the hill resort of Sapa. At Sapa and the surrounding countryside, we visited the Sunday markets and had the great experience of mingling with the various colorful hill-tribes of Vietnam. Go before things get too commercialised.
I leave you to enjoy the few pictures that I have selected from among my large number of digital photos taken on this trip. I have begun to use a digital camera for some of my trips - save a lot of effort of converting 35mm slides to digital format.
Houseboat - Very comfortable boats with full board provided. Bedrooms are below deck. Each boat can take about 24 guests although our group had only 7 people and we had plenty of space.
Houseboat
2 - The dining area
Catba
Island - a fishing village in the bay. We spent a night here.The seafood is
great and very cheap!!.
The
peaceful and tranquil Halong Bay which has been designated a World Heritage
Site. Notice the large number of houseboats
Living
quarters for the fisherman on Halong Bay.
Bamboo Sapa Hotel. Very clean, comfortable and modern. The staff are very friendly too. Very misty weather when this photo was taken - like we are in the clouds and pretty cool in the evening - you will need to have a sweater.
The colorful attire of the hill tribes of Northern Vietnam. They are totally cut-off from the rest of the world. For these young ladies, it was their first encounter with a digital camera and they were amazed that they could see their own images on a little screen moments after I had taken the pictures.
Having
a cheap lunch at a road-side stall in Hanoi - guess what, the meal cost S$1.20
(about US 70 cents) per head only and we had 7 or 8 dishes.