Ha Long Bay - a must see.

The drive to Ha Long Bay is as interesting as any other drive in Vietnam. It is over three hours, so you hope the bay is not so foggy that the boats are not permittd to sail. That happened on the day before our trip.
We took the over-nighter, but you can do a one-day trip - not recommended - or a two-night, three-day trip which would also be great. Our boat had only 19 passengers which we enjoyed.
This is my final post for this trip. I have enjoyed sharing our ingredible journey with you. I hope others will allow us to travel with them by blogging their trips.

Some of the boats.
Some of the 1000 islands.
The local supermarket.

Still smiling after five months.

The Grand Cave.


Peter in the cave.

Learning to row.


The floating school.

Aren't you glad you don't live here?

The lagoon.

You can swim through this island at low tide.

Beautiful reflection of the island, the bay, and the trip.

Ha Noi - Ho An Kiem Lake

Ho An Kiem lake is in the centre of Old Town.

The entrances to the island on Ho An Kiem lake.

The bridge to the island

The authorities attempted to catch a sick turtle in the lake but were unsuccessful. They probably couldn't see it!

Wedding pictures are taken here.

The flowers get lots of nutrients.

Pagoda in the lake.

Ha Noi - Around the town on our walks

Historic features:
An archway through the Old City wall.
There are always three doors - the centre on for the Royalty only.

We think we have a history.

There are some lovely buildings built on the French style.

Signs:

The drivers don't understand this one.

I think they need an editor.

Construction:

Holding back the neighbours.

It's a safety measure to wrap the building.

Transportation:

The bike with the big baskets are not heavy.

The back-view guy looks like a heavy load.

The front-view guy I counted and he has 40 boxes of car wax.

Ha Noi - Statues etc.

The beautiful lady statue in a pagoda.
Water buffalo in the park.
To the freedom fighters.
A couple of the many historic pagodas.

Ha Noi - A wedding reception.

The outside of the reception.
The little girl is collecting confetti.
The wedding vehicles.
The attendants with the couple.

Ha Noi - Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton)

The French built the prison and held and killed political prisoners here.
The Vietnamese were "very nice" to the American prisoners of war! Yeah.
The entrance door.
Display of Vietnamese political prisoners.
Display of escape.
Display of female political prisoners.
The French chopping block.
Part of a Memorial wall.

Ha Noi - The Market

Inside the three-level mostly wholesale market.
The new escalator being installed. The guys play cards on their break.
Peter finds a kitten - not for sale.