Return to Vietnam 2006 (image-intensive!)

[Azure]

A return to the country I once loved so much for its warm people. This time around, I had planned for a nice long break from work, and a chance to unwind. And I've managed to rekindle many friendships left forgotten for the last 10 years.

While the trip did have a number of ups and downs, hits and misses, I'd rather concentrate on the fun we've had, the nicer moments, the places we've seen. On hindsight, I should have provided for a slightly longer trip, so that we would not be limited to so many shots from within a moving vehicle.

Then again, I am planning to make a return to the country in the next 12 months., so perhaps an AG-Vn then? Options are still open.

Well, on to the pictures. I never thought I'd get to feel so relaxed shooting (hey, it isn't work!).

# Wait... let me add - these photos are out-of-camera. I'm too lazy to post-process or HDR them. All of them (unless otherwise mentioned), are taken as-is, using a Fujifilm S3 Pro and Nikon-mount lenses. I did not use any ND/polariser/Tian Ya filters whatsoever whilst on this trip.

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Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon is a place where the motorcycle population rules (4.5 million bikes!).


And crossing the road can be quite an exercise of skill and hastened heartbeats


The people do seem, however, relaxed enough...


Our first stop was An Dong market


An aging throwback to Peoples' Park of the 70's

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Within you'd find all sorts of goods


And hats/caps... yup, that is part of their fashion


This marred the view, though. Even the location was kind of dumb.
(I never believed our STB to have any brains in the first place)


Then we stopped for a bowl of hu tieu and drinks at this street-side stall

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Before visiting the nearby Taoist temples. The nice thing about the Chinese-Vietnamese in this part of Saigon is how I can happily converse with them, not in Vietnamese!


We spotted some local kids after their martial arts class...


Traffic lights are so odd in the city, but the traffic is really terrible!


Our final spot of interest was the Notre Dame Catherdral of HCMC





The most beautiful things the Europeans left behind are the Notre Dame churches and the amazing boulevards, you know. And it helps that our trip (there were only 3 of us) was pre-planned way in advance. Can't expect less from one who plans his AG Outings 6-8 weeks ahead, right? Haha. But after this we called it a day and had dinner/return to hotel.

Speaking of hotels, we spent an average of S$25 per room for 3 pax throughout our trip. That helped to save quite some. And our meals were really non-tourist stuff, so we actually got quite a decent flavour of what the local Vietnamese eat/do/had.
(Yea! That is so AG-styled! .... so commented one of our group)

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Next morning we decided to have the local submarine sandwich for breakfast.
(you can get a similar-but-not-as-great version at Raffles City basement, at S$5.60, over there, this one was just $0.50)


We stopped at this provincial township


A charming place, slower, friendlier than HCMC


Where we met our guide's Mom at her provision store

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We also saw the banana lady and various stalls in the busy little market. This place was all on even earth (no hard apron or floorboards, just the earth), so different from Singapore.

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Outside of town...


A reverse-panned motorbike (yes shot from our moving minivan)


Further on, we visited a dragonfruit farm


Flower of the plant


Unripe dragonfruits

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We arrived in Phan Thiet for lunch, this was a less busy place than HCMC




And deformed traffic lights


The riverside was a beautiful spot for photos too!

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After lunch we adjourned to our first Cham towers...

Now the Cham are a fascinating civilisation of ancient Vietnam. The bulk of their worship seemed to focus on fertility of the land and the people, with a fair amount of Hindu and Buddhist influences. Almost all their temples we'd visit during our trip we'd see symbols of the male and female genitalia and at one place I was given to understand that even today some Vietnamese still go to the towers to pray for childbirth and for children (along with milkfruits, another symbol of feminine fertility).

Here you will see the pictures of the Po Shanu Cham tower, a relatively less "restored/upgraded" and much more authentic, IMHO, version of what it is. There are very few visitors to this place, and the attendants seem rather flustered to have us "tourists" arrive.

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After that we continued to Mui Ne and Hon Rom (where we'd stay the night). Along the way we stopped by the beaches...

The beach with all the boats


Those round boats for catching cuttlefish


Turned right to see...


This guy was repairing his boat, applying pitch to seal possible leaks


Look closely and see what she is doing? That stuff is hei bi...

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Sometimes I wonder how I could have forgotten to switch on the F2 Velvia mode on my S3 Pro. Sigh, I was shooting with plain-vanilla mode for almost my entire trip... bang-head!

Well, we headed for the Sand Dunes of Mui Ne. Lucky for me, the weather was very obliging, giving us great skies and nice clouds. But the wind blowing gusts of sand everywhere was something else altogether. Next time, I'll remember to where slippers or boots here. And NOT bring a dSLR.

The renowned sand dunes of Mui Ne, here ya go.

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My other self, my shadowy side...


That's one of my friends with another ang-moh chap on the next crest


Our Dune/Mau'dib worshippers


Okay this one I did some PS to bring out the shadows... that's trying to grab the sun!

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The next morning saw us heading to Bau Sen to catch the sunrise. Mind you, this place is beautiful! ...I'll let the pictures do the talking.








The X-wing squadron I met


And the bullock versus motorbike

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And after Bau Sen, we continued on the road to find breakfast. Our first encounter, however, was the bo before.


And this was after... my pho bo (bo=beef/cow), yep freshly slaughtered, yumz, hahah.


After which, it was back on the road, but we stopped to shoot a bit at Ca Na.
(because the guide had to go toilet)






Ca Na is a rocky place, nothing much, but the rocks can offer some pretty stunning landscape ideas.

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Then we proceeded to Cam Ranh Bay. Another gorgeous spot.







En route to Nha Trang....

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We reached Nha Trang and checked in. Wow! great view from the hotel balcony, and G gets to puff there too!


After that, our next stop would be the Cham temple of Po Garai, one of the larger touristy ones around.

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And inside one of the towers, that's how they look like within


Exterior extrance is grand


And a close-up of some of their ornate carvings


An overall fisheye of the place


It was at this touristy Cham temple that I saw how much decadence has set in. A group of schoolboys (we were at the temple at 5pm) picked up one of the temple's altar lamps and used it to light their cigarettes. Much later, an old friend shared with me that it is a growing societal problem in the more urbanised and commericalised parts of the country. Though it is not something visitors often get to see.

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And a causeway bridge in Nha Trang (read as "Nia Chang" for us Chinese...)


And the scenics you get to see from the bridge


Some street sights of Nha Trang taken from our moving van...

[bahibo]

Very nice photo Azure, i like ur 11# ,12# and 13# post . My favourite are the man on the boat , the cow and the beach. THe first photo, if you walk to the left you will see a big school which the building was build by France , like the church,very old and nice --> my high school

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We also visit Long San pagoda and couple of other spots along the way, but not to bore you with the more common stuff, and to put a cap on the already very image-intensive thread....

The next morning, I was lucky enough to wake up to dawn at Nha Trang


And our driver getting an early edition


Even as schoolgirls rush to school, the elders grouse of the changed attitudes

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We went to the harbour to see sleepy locals


And a occasional paddler


As well grumpy chaps


And a woman bringing her wares to the islands