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Vietnam

Sometimes, business travels can be really good, but sometimes not.

My last trip to Hanoi was one of good ones. I had a fully furnished studio apartment to myself for almost 2 months. It comes with 42″ LCD with 60+ channels (even they have RTM1), 24/7 Wifi high speed internet, a fully equipped kitchen, washing machine & dryer and daily room cleaning!

They even have a indoor swimming pool, sauna, jacuzzi and a almost perfect gym. The thread mills even have a 15″ LCD attached to it so I can watch ESPN while running. Doesn’t seem to bad eh?

I guess there’s nothing much I could complain or request .

My Studio Apartment at Somerset Hoa Binh

My Studio Apartment at Somerset Hoa Binh

A Fully Equipped Kitchen

A Fully Equipped Kitchen

The Work Desk

The Work Desk

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If you talk to the local tour guides, they will tell you there are actually 2 Halong Bays in Vietnam. The real Halong Bay is the one we always see on postcards; wooden junks with a background of karst stones jotting out from the sea.

Now, there’s the other Halong Bay. They call it Halong Bay, on land.

Hoa Lu is in Ninh Binh province. It is the first ancient capital of Vietnam which dates back to 1010. That makes Vietnam 1000 years old next year!

Since Hoa Lu is abou t 100 kilometres away from Hanoi, a 1 day trip there makes perfect sense.

The best way to enjoy the karst stone scenery is not by  foot, nor by car. It’s too far to walk and also, you could see nothing from the car really. The best way is to either rent a bicycle or motorcycle and ride along the roads and through the villages.

Hoa Lu - The 'Halong Bay' On Land

Hoa Lu - The 'Halong Bay' On Land

Rice Paddies In A Karst Landscape

Rice Paddies In A Karst Landscape

Landscapes of Hoa Lu

Landscapes of Hoa Lu

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Sunset over West Lake

Sunset over West Lake

It has been pretty hard to catch a sunset here in Hanoi since my first day here 6 weeks ago. The sun would have set by 6pm when I was just about to leave office. And most of the days, the sky would be overcast which leads to no sunset.

Last Monday was an exception. It was a local public holiday and the sun was out for the whole afternoon. So I thought this would be the chance (probably the only) chance to catch a sunset in Hanoi.

And where else could it be if it’s not at West Lake. West Lake is the biggest lake among the 18 lakes in Hanoi. It’s about 3km from one end to another end of the lake, and on certain parts it looks like a sea, not a lake.

It’s probably the place to go on a good evening. You can find locals fishing there, young couples dating while watching the sunset, kids running around, people exercising and foreigners sipping the local Vietnamese coffee enjoying the sunset.

So, I got my sunset, finally.

Sunset over West Lake

Sunset over West Lake

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It was almost 2pm and we were really hungry after walking around Hanoi since early in the morning. The Temple of Literature was our last stop and the nearest restaurant I can think of is, again, Quan An Ngon. It’s probably about 700 metres away.

So, I was back there again.

We ordered something different this time and they amounted to 320,000 VND (approximately 19USD) which to me was really reasonable for 3 persons (beers included).

Fishballs to be Wrapped Into Spring Rolls

Fishballs to be Wrapped Into Spring Rolls - © Bernard Loke

Shrimp Spring Rolls

Shrimp Spring Rolls - © Bernard Loke

Vietnamese Pancake

Vietnamese Pancake - © Bernard Loke

Bun Cha - Fried Pork Served With Rice Noodles

Bun Cha - Fried Pork Served With Rice Noodles - © Bernard Loke

Fish Rice Soup (Porridge)

Fish Rice Soup (Porridge)- © Bernard Loke

Che - A Local Type of Dessert

Che - A Local Type of Dessert - © Bernard Loke

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Quan An Ngon - Hanoi

Quan An Ngon - Hanoi - © Bernard Loke

Quan An Ngon – Ask anyone where you can have all the best street food under one roof in Hanoi, and you’ll mostly likely be told to head to Quan An Ngon at 18, Phan Boi Chau in Central Hanoi.

It is my favorite  dining place since I arrived in Hanoi a month ago. I would go there at least once a week; trying out different kinds of local food for each visit.

The reason why Quan An Ngon is so famous among both tourists and locals is that it brings all the best street food available in the whole of Vietnam under one roof, and with reasonable pricing. There are lots of varieties on the the menu that sometimes I don’t even know what to order!

But, the good thing is, I don’t even need to know what’s written on the menu anyway.

I’ll just ask the waitress to come along with me to walk around the restaurant compound where they prepare all the food, like how they used to be on the streets. If there’s anything that looks nice or interesting, I’ll just need to let her know and she’ll take down the order. That’s how easy it is (who needs the menu?)!

The Spacious Compound of Quan An Ngon

The Spacious Compound of Quan An Ngon - © Bernard Loke

Lots of Local Varieties Available At Quan An Ngon

Lots of Local Varieties Available At Quan An Ngon - © Bernard Loke

BBQ Beef

BBQ Beef - © Bernard Loke

Fried Springrolls - A Typical Vietnamese Food

Fried Springrolls - A Typical Vietnamese Food - © Bernard Loke

Dried Papaya with Drief Beed Salad

Dried Papaya with Drief Beed Salad - © Bernard Loke

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Sunrise over Sapa Town

Sunrise over Sapa Town

We were scheduled to go to Bac Ha market in the morning, some 100km away from Sapa town on the other side of the hills. The selling point for this trip is that all the different minority people dressed in in colorful costumes would converge at this very big market on Sunday mornings selling handicrafts and souvenirs they handmade at home.

Well, It sounded like an interesting place to go. I decided to skip the second day of trekking to other villages and see something different. But, the thing is..the market is 100km away from Sapa! How these minority people who are living near sapa find their way there still puzzled me all along the journey there.

It took 2.5 hours of bus ride, driving through long winding uphill roads, and sometimes driving on the very edge of the hills, without any barriers. It seemed pretty scary at first ant it’s definitely not for the faint hearted. Some very chatty people in our group just kept quiet when we’re just off the edge. That shows how nervous they were. Myself included.

But, the beautiful sceneries of the valley slowly took over my nervousness and without realizing it, we’re already at Bac Ha town, some 900m above sea level. We arrived there at 10am.

Spent some time shopping around Bac Ha market.

The front part of the market was mainly selling souvenirs. They sell silk cushion covers, silk clothings, hats, small and big bags, dolls, mats, colorful costumes, ear rings, pendants and lots more. I’m sure everyone definitely would want to get something from here back as a souvenir. We bought some cushion covers as souvenirs.

Walking deeper into the market, that’s where all the interesting sights are.  It was at an crowded open air space. All sorts of goods were sold here. Some of them I could not have even imagined!

They sell the usual stuffs; from groceries, dried food, fruits, meat, vegetables, herbs, fishes, household accessories, home utensils to farming tools.

You can easily find live pigs, cows, chickens, ducks and dogs for sale, and..water buffalo (for about USD450!).

Black H'mong People at Bac Ha Market

Black H'mong People at Bac Ha Market

Stalls at Bac Ha Market

Stalls at Bac Ha Market

Handmade Silk Cushion Covers

Handmade Silk Cushion Covers

Getting Your Hair Cut at Bac Ha Market

Getting Your Hair Cut at Bac Ha Market

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Rice Paddy Fields in Lao Cai Village, Sapa

Rice Paddy Fields in Lao Cai Village, Sapa

I’ve always heard how beautiful the sceneries are in Sapa.

I saw plenty of photos of Sapa on the Internet. Rice paddy fields on the on hill slopes, sunrise and sunsets over the hills near and far away. Not forgetting also that you can find plenty of minority people dressed in their traditional costumes everywhere.

Somehow, I was tempted to go there.

And I did, last weekend.

Train Ticket to Lao Cai

Train Ticket to Lao Cai

The best way to get to Sapa from Hanoi is the overnight train. It’s a 8 hour journey to Lao Cai town. The sleeper cabins were surprisingly good with air conditioning and proper beds and toilets.

It was 5am when I arrived in Lao Cai train station. The sun was about to rise.

From there, it was another 1.5 hours bus ride uphill towards Sapa town which is at 1600m above sea level. Upon arriving at the hotel, there were so many black H’mong women at the front of the hotel. Everyone was waiting to greet and welcome us.

I was greeted with the typical tourist line,

Hey how are you? Where are you from? What’s your name?

What really surprises me is that you can actually start a conversation with them!

You’d be surprised that their English is much better than the people on the streets in Hanoi (I found out from our tour guide that almost all H’mong people understand English, both young and old).

Sapa Town from Distance

Sapa Town from Distance

After a short breakfast and rest, it was time to go for village trekking and discover more about Sapa. We trekked for about 7km from Sapa town to Lao Cai village where the H’mong people live.

Trekked up and down the hills, passed through small villages and paddy fields with our guide. There were a few H’mong women escorting our group back to their village hoping that we would buy something from them later.

Before reaching Lao Cai village, we passed through a suspension bridge suspended over Hoa Muaong river, which also indicates the border of this village.

Muong Hoa River at Lao Cai Village

Muong Hoa River at Lao Cai Village

Had a quick lunch at Lao Cai village. Once were done with lunch, we were swamped with tens of H’mong women, each one of them trying to sell us the same thing. They have hand made wallets, small and big bags, ear rings and pendants.

The funny thing was when I told them I’ve bought this and that, they replied, But you haven’t buy from me yet!

Duhhh.

I just smiled and walked away.

Next up was Ta Van where the Giay people live. It’s about 30 minutes of trekking away from Lao Cai village. There weren’t many people around in the village at that time so there’s nothing much to see really.

By then, it was already 2pm and the sun was right above our head. It was shining down on us with very little or no clouds at all.

But the good thing was, we’re almost at the end of our trek and the bus was waiting to bring us back to the hotel.

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