Part II of my Vietnam trip report starts in Hoi An. Hoi An is best known for its Ancient Town, now filled with a mix of old and new. It is a street photographers dream come true. We walked the local market shooting everything from fish to bananas, we took candid shots of people tending to their goods, sweeping their stoops, drying their herbs, and even posing for the camera. At night we photographed the boats on the canal with illuminated lanterns; we watched as they cruised the waterway. We stopped to put a cold tiger in our tank (Tiger beer to be exact!) on more than one occasion.
I adore this quaint town and enjoyed my time there as much this year as my last visit. My group took a short boat ride out to the large fishing nets and watched as one fisherman raised and lowered these big nets.
Next stop Hanoi…after a short domestic flight we landed in Hanoi where we met our new driver. We headed north to Sapa and stopped along the way for lunch. The weather was cooler than in Hoi An and believe me it was a welcomed change. I’m happy that our vans and hotels have all been air conditioned. The weather has been warmer than usual, and the humidity makes it feel even hotter. It’s a very tropical climate.
Speaking of hotels, most of the places that we have stayed in have been extremely nice. Many of them are the same as on my last trip. My one hotel room had a giant bathtub right near the window so you could look out over the city while enjoying a relaxing bath.
A woman from the Red Dao tribe working on a hand woven fabric.
We visited with the Red Dao tribe aka Red Dzao tribe while in Sapa. The tribal women were extremely friendly and welcoming. Many even spoke good English. They demonstrated their home life within their meager kitchens and laundry areas as we photographed them. We had the chance to see them dressed in their traditional clothing that is all hand woven.
While in Sapa we also photographed the countless numbers of rice terraces that lace the countryside. There, we also saw workers in the fields, tending to the rice terraces as they need mending from time to time. Water Buffalo and children were seen walking the roadways. We had a lot of fog so going up and down the narrow, winding roads was an adventure.
Next, we went to a Black Hmong village to learn about their culture. We were invited inside their homes to see the women make cloth from hemp. Their main agriculture in Vietnam is rice so just about every square inch is planted and harvested. They live without many of the creature comforts that many of us have but they have the essentials.
A child from the Black Hmong tribe.
Many dogs roamed the village streets free while others were chained or caged…so sad.
After leaving the north we headed back to Hanoi. There we visited a small village famous for making rice paper aka “bang da” or in the US known as a crispy rice pancake. Each one of these are made by hand and the assembly line is a one-man job. The streets, rooftops and just about any spare inch including the cemetery is used to stand the long, narrow bamboo racks covered with rice paper, in order for them to dry.
It’s very common to see motorbikes, people, dogs and even children on bicycles going through the maze of racks. It’s amazing that none of them are knocked over, given the amount of traffic in the narrow alleyways.
We were allowed to watch and photograph as one family made bang da adorned with peanuts and coconut. First, the woman had to press the batter on a small machine that she operated by hand. The steam from the machine cooked the rice patties after she scooped the batter onto the flat surface.
Next, she placed them on the bamboo racks to dry. Her husband carried the racks to the rooftop to dry in the sun. After that she lit a coal fire and created an extremely high temperature fire in which to cook the patties into crunchy treats. It was fascinating to watch how much work goes into producing these rice products.
After a delicious lunch and a short rest, we went to a different village where we had a private photo shoot watching three elderly women weave the old-time fishing baskets— these baskets are still used today.
It was incredible to see how fast and nimble these women were in creating these perfectly shaped baskets. I want some to hang in my house as lanterns!
Later that evening we went to photograph the Long Bien bridge that was originally built by the French but had been bombed by the US and subsequently repaired several times. It’s a beautiful bridge that is used for trains, but motorbikes and pedestrians still use it.
The Long Bien Bridge
Dinner and bedtime followed by a 7:30 breakfast then a drive to Halong Bay to spend the night aboard a private cruise boat.
Once we arrived at Halong Bay we cruised to a small fishing village, we got into small row boats. We were rowed past each of the floating houses to see how they lived and prepared for the night’s fishing excursions.
We watched these people mending nets, tending to their fishing farms, washing clothes, fixing their boats, smoking pipes, etc... We also watched as boats filled with groceries went around the small village selling their goods.
Most of the floating houses had dogs faithfully patrolling their docks, keeping the children and goods safe from intruders. We were told by our local guides that when the parents go out to fish, they often leave the children home alone.
The village has been under resettlement from the government for a few years. At one time there were about 2000 fishermen and now since COVID (many took the governments offer to resettle) the numbers have plummeted to about 300.
During our time in Halong Bay we stopped at a nearby cave and photographed a few of the rock stacks from the cave, using the cave to frame the scene.
After leaving Halong Bay we headed back to Hanoi for a “rickshaw” ride around the city, followed by a reflection, night scene.
Well, I am pooped! This has been a whirlwind of a trip. We experienced and photographed so many things in the last two weeks. Overall, the people were very friendly towards us, the food was fantastic and so were our accommodations.
Donna Bourdon who was on this trip with me is anxious to take the reins on this one. Donna’s father was in the Vietnam war, and he truly embraced the country and the people. He volunteered at orphanages and schools during his time off while in Vietnam. When he came home, he brought some of that culture home with him. It has been a life’s dream of hers to see for herself this special place her father held so dear.
Donna will be leading the tour next year with my main guide from Vietnam. The two of them got along great and Donna’s enthusiasm for the photo shoots, the people and the food makes her a perfect choice to lead this trip!
I have lots and lots of images to sort through, but I wanted to share some now, as well as my trip report while it was still fresh on my mind.
I just got word that the CDC lifted the re-entry COVID testing for folks coming into the US. That is great news, and it will make my life a bit easier moving forward.
One of the many cruise ships in Halong Bay. I used a slow shutter speed and my Live Comp feature on my Olympus to create this happy accident.