An amazing road/air journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, Vietnam

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       In October/November 2005 I made my 4th trip to Vietnam, another 30 days in that wonderful country. The first three trips I did solo, but on the 4th one I met up with a friend from Australia, Al, down in Ho Chi Minh City, where we started our journey, north to Hanoi.

  Al was there purely as a tourist, (it was his first time there) whereas I was mixing business with pleasure, sightseeing as well as looking for new products for our website, "Lanna Charm".
 
 Vietnam is a great place to go on a shopping safari, the place is oozing with beautiful fabrics, artworks, jewelry of all descriptions, ceramics and wood products, marble and jade carvings, and much, much more.

  After a couple of days in Ho Chi Minh City we travelled by car along the coast to Nha Trang. This was the third time I have done this trip, but I still enjoyed it. Following are some of the many photos I took along the way, along with some explanatory text, to let you know what is happening. We overnighted at Nha Trang, Quang Nhai, Hoi An, China Beach and Danang before flying to Hanoi from Danang. We also did a trip down to Halong Bay while we were in Hanoi, my second trip there, and we went up to Lang Son and Dong Dang on the Chinese border. Halong Bay deserves a Lens of it's own, so I will build one when this one is published Hope you enjoy it.
 

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Hoi An is one of my favorite places, anywhere in Asia. This was my third time here, and it still held the same attraction to me. A pretty little town on the banks of the Thu Bon River, Hoi An is dripping in history. Between the 17th and 19th centuries it was an important international trading port, catering to Japanese, Chinese, Dutch and Portuguese trading ships, as well as being a base for many Vietnamese ships. Cua Dai beach is only 5 km away, and well worth a visit. The "Cham" ruins at My Son are also worth a trip. But there is so much to see in and around Hoi An, and it is a great place to have clothes tailor made. You are measured up in the morning, and pick up your dress or suit in the evening. In all, Hoi An is a must see if you are lucky enough to visit Vietnam.  When you are looking for accomodation consider the An Phu Hotel,  in the main street of town.  One of the best value hotels I have stayed in anywhere.

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The first night at the guesthouse at China Beach was interesting, we were hit by a typhoon ! Luckily we only caught the effects of the edge of it, as it changed direction when it got to the coast and headed north, wreaking havoc all the way to Hanoi. I cannot believe the roof of our guesthouse weathered that storm, I was sure it was going to take off and land somewhere in another province. There was a lot of trees and powerlines down the next morning, but by lunchtime everything was cleaned up and back to normal.



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Hanoi is my favorite city, anywhere. I spent 4 months in Vietnam altogether, and 2 months of that time was in Hanoi. I never got tired of walking around the city, taking in the ever changing street scenes. I lost count how many times I did a lap of Hoan Kiem Lake, and the Old Quarter.
A must do while in Hanoi is to have a meal at Bobby Chinns, the famous landmark at the southern end of "the" lake. The food and the atmosphere are both world class, and Mr. Chinn himself is a great guy, treating each and every diner like someone special.
The best thing about Hanoi sightseeing is it can easily be done on foot. The city streets are mostly user friendly, except for a few areas in the Old Quarter, which is understandable, considering the age of the area. The hotel I stayed in, the Pacific Hotel in Cua Nam, was about 1 kilometer from Hoan Kiem Lake, and I rarely took a taxi. Everything worth seeing is within a kilometer radius of the city center.

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