Karst Mountains of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

In Thien Cung Cave, Halong Bay, Vietnam

                                                                                       Vietnam

Vietnam has grown tremendously since the last time I was here ten years ago. Its population has burgeoned, construction has boomed, and it feels like a different country.

Our first top was at a commercial port about an hour and a half away from Saigon. I decided to visit the countryside that day as I had visited the city before. My tour was advertised as seeing the countryside, but the countryside didn’t exist. There were businesses and houses and small towns everywhere – occasionally one could see a rice field but that’s all.

We then traveled midway up the coast to the city of Da Nang. Once again, I did not recognize the city I had visited 10 years ago. The whole waterfront was built up with huge hotels. While there, we took a rickshaw ride in the heavy traffic and passed by a beautiful new “dragon bridge.” Then we visited the beach where the US marines first came ashore during the Vietnam war. We finished our tour at a temple with a huge Guanyin statue (a female buddha).

Our final stop in Vietnam was Halong Bay. The weather was quite hazy, but the karst mountains were beautiful. We cruised through the bay and stopped at a huge cave that we hiked through.

Ever since Australia, the weather has been extremely hot and humid. We are now traveling north where it should be more comfortable.