Hanoi, Halong Bay and Saigon, Vietnam

A few weeks ago I had an amazing 8 days in Vietnam. The people, food, sites andexperiences made it one my favourite trips ever.

Highlights included:
– After 3 flights including a couple of delays, finally making it to Jaspas in Hanoi for the last minute of Port’s win against Freo; also saw Port’s epic loss against Hawthorn at Game On in Saigon
– The Indochina Junk cruise of Halong Bay in the Dragon’s Pearl boat; the food, crew, fellow passengers and sites were all first class
– Wonderful conversations with Nga, Lan and Isabell
– The massages given by blind/visually impaired at Omamori Spa, Hanoi
– The hospitality provided by the staff at the Paradise Boutique Hotel, Hanoi
– Catching up with Flic and Min in Saigon
– The acrobatics and rhythm of the A O Circus, Saigon

Here are some photos of the trip:

crossing_the_road_in_Hanoi

Crossing the road in Hanoi

The view from my room on the Dragon's Pearl boat

The view from my room on the Dragon’s Pearl boat, Halong Bay

The Dragon's Pearl Junk, Halong Bay

The Dragon’s Pearl Junk, Halong Bay

Sunset, Halong Bay

Sunset, Halong Bay

Fruit and vegetable carvings and a crab, Dragon's Pearl Junk, Ha Long Bay

Fruit and vegetable carvings and a crab, Dragon’s Pearl Junk, Ha Long Bay

Getting rowed around the bay, Ha Long Bay

Getting rowed around the bay, Ha Long Bay

A lady using her bike as a fruit cart, Hanoi

A lady using her bike as a fruit cart, Hanoi. The Women’s Museum in Hanoi had a video documenting how hard many women work to support their families.

Sanest, Hanoi

Unsure what makes this brand saner than the others, Hanoi

Chat and Date Cafe, Hanoi

Chat and Date Cafe is near the Temple of Literature in Hanoi. I hypothesise that there wouldn’t be a cafe named “Chat and Date” in Vietnamese because it wouldn’t appeal as much to the local hipsters.

Saigon Grill

Was great to catch up with fellow AIESEC alumnus from Perth, Min at Saigon Grill

Game On, Saigon

Game On sports bar, Saigon, prior to the Port-Hawks preliminary final bounce down

Port Scarf, Game On, Saigon

I didn’t see any other people with Port gear at the preliminary final, Game On sports bar, Saigon

 

A O Circus, Opera House, Saigon

With Flic and her friend at the brilliant A O Circus, Opera House, Saigon

 

Night bar, Saigon

With Flic at one of the night bars, Saigon. This one served just about every type of offal. I ordered “Frog Stomach (Burned with Garlic, Fried with Sour Cabbage)”.