The beautiful greens around the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

Lori continued to acquit herself admirably at cooking session 2 and following yet another feast we wandered through the village, visiting the famous Japanese covered bridge which was replete with tourists not interested in vacating the site to enable Lori an unobstructed view. I pulled a 20,000 Dong note out of my pocket that displayed..

Our final Hoi An day was fairly tranquil and without significant incident. One of the most important axioms that I’ve developed as a traveler relates to the two overriding elements which significantly affect one’s perception of the visited place. Enjoyment is directly related to the people that you meet in any particular venue and by..

Our stay in Hue was a two night affair, which involved one full day of touring. Hue, the original capital of Vietnam, has a deep and colorful past and is centered around the Perfume River, named for a particular type of aromatic flower that used to grow on its banks prior to being herbicided into..

Hau, our tour guide, picked us up bright and early the next morning; well, not so early, around 9:00, and we headed south to Da Nang. The drive along a large lagoon was inspiring as we got to see how the locals have created an industry raising oysters in the shallows. As we left Hue..

The hillside location took 13 yers to find. The king sent out a small army of geographers seeking the appropriate spot. It ended up being about 10 kilometers out of town and had a view to die for. Construction began 5 years prior to his death and took 7 years of keeping him on ice..

We visited the floating market, where purveyors of all kinds of foodstuffs gather together daily, selling their wares (wholesale) to shop owners who come down from as far away as Saigon to pick up a truck full of pumpkins, coconuts, and turnips and drive back to sell them at their roadside stands. Next stop for..

Our host organization in Vietnam, Wildlife At Risk, offers the opportunity to become a lifelong sponsor for any animal currently under its protection. Adopting the animal requires a one time fee and results in a plaque with a picture of the animal, the name that you’ve chosen for it as well as the name of..