North Vietnam
Introduction
mountains, rice terraces, dramatic landscapes, rich culture, street food.
Foreword
Travel is always an adventure and this time I think the start is worth mentioning.
When we boarded the aircraft of Turkish Airlines to Hanoi via Istanbul we thought about a smooth start for the next 3 weeks in Vietnam. But: first we had more than 3 hours delay in Istanbul on short notice. Followed by the arrival without my luggage and the failure to identify its whereabouts. After claiming it which took some time, we finally met our future guide and driver and looked forward to arriving at the hotel. What a surprise as we were told the car had to stop some 150 away from the entrance as the road was closed for traffic the weekends and it was weekend. Getting to the hotel by walking we were told at check in that the aircon will be out for several hours due to a larger outage in the street. With this in combination we decided to look for another one which after 3 hours driving and evaluating, we finally found. It was a very decent one and we stayed 3 different times during the trip. My luggage finally came after the evening of the third day!
We thought that this was it but:
On the first day and with 2 days’ delay we finally left Hanoi and I told the driver to stop when there was an interesting scene to take photos. When I did ask, he stopped immediately without watching traffic which resulted in a motorbike crashing in the back and the biker falling into the street. After some 3-hour medical examination we were free as he was declared ok. About an hour later we were met by a police officer stopping us for an alcohol test. I must mention that Vietnam has a zero tolerance. Our driver was found with 0.02 which resulted in another delay and a fine equivalent to a monthly salary for him. Quite a start! An adventure!
The Places:
Hanoi capital of Vietnam rich history, lively streets, traditional architecture, and local food. The combination of ancient Vietnamese culture with French colonial influences gives the city a distinctive mix of temples, historic buildings, tree-lined boulevards, and modern city life. We stayed in the Old Quarter or narrow streets filled with shops, cafés, lots of scooters, and street-food stalls and the Hoàn Kiếm Lake. With a 2nd World War jeep, we did a city tour including the red river.
Đồng Văn is a mountainous town and district in Hà Giang Province close to the Chinese border. Dramatic limestone mountains, winding roads, deep valleys, and traditional ethnic-minority villages including the Mã Pí Lèng Pas and Hà Giang Loop made the driving an adventure. The Old Quarter and local markets are very attractive.
Cao Bằng still near the border with China made us follow the limestone mountains, green valleys, rivers. The Bản Giốc Waterfall, one of Vietnam’s largest and most impressive waterfalls and the Ngườm Ngao Cave have been some highlights.
Ba Bể National Park is a peaceful natural area. We stayed at the Ba Bể Lake, one of the country’s largest natural freshwater lakes.
Ninh Bình about 90 km south of Hanoi is called “Ha Long Bay on land” because of its huge limestone mountains rising above rivers and rice fields. We took a small local boat along the river where we had the luck to see Langurs playing at a mountain wall and spend some time at the Bái Đính Pagoda an impressive privately owned Buddhist temple complex. Should mention the Bich Dong Pagoda an ancient temple built into the Trang An limestone mountain range
Hạ Long Bay known for thousands of dramatic limestone islands and cliffs rising from emerald-green water. The local cruise ships and there plenty operate in a rather limited area and therefore do not present the expectations we had. ich Dong Pagoda is an ancient temple built into the Trang An limestone mountain range
We were surprised about the missing fauna or our entire trip. It seems to have been diminished substantially in the past and not recuperated.
