Visiting Hanoi

Over the years, I have visited Vietnam quite a few times.  it's a country with a bit of everything - history, scenery, exciting cities, sunny beaches and restful resorts.  Yummy food and good shopping.  In short, it ticks all my boxes!

This year, I re-visited Hanoi in February (yes, this post is a little late).   The last time I was here, our stay was rather short as we had visited Ha Long Bay as well for an unforgettable boat ride amongst the karst landscape.  This time round, we spent the time solely in Hanoi.

The key highlight of this visit was, for me, undoubtedly the visit to the ancient imperial citadel of Thang Long.  Abandoned when the Emperor moved the capital to Hue, most of the citadel was destroyed and the site and remaining buildings were occupied by the French military and thereafter, the ministry of defence of independent Vietnam.  It was finally re-opened to the public as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010, to mark the 1000th anniversary of Hanoi.  So, it would not have been open during my last visit to Hanoi.

The Doan Mon Gate

Most of the citadel was destroyed, and newer buildings built over them (excavation works are in progress, revealing the older ruins beneath).  But, some old buildings do remain such as Doan Mon (the main gate), the flag tower, the women's quarters etc.  I was amused to see the ladies' quarters had no windows on the ground floor!  Just goes to show the attitudes towards women in those days.  

It was also nice to see the student groups coming to the Citadel to take their graduation photos.  The girls were dressed in their beautiful flowing ao dais, just as they would have done throughout the years...

Students - ladies in Ao Dai

We also spent some time visiting Hoan Kiem lake.  I'd been there before but somehow the lake, in the centre of the Old Quarter, exercises a magnetic pull, bringing everyone to it.  The last time I was here, I spent just one night in the Old Quarter and this time I took care to make sure that we were in the heart of it.  It was certainly more handy to get to the food, the night life and the spas in the area!  The Old Quarter is partially pedestrianised weekend nights and so everyone spills out of the shops and eateries onto the streets.  Right in front of our hotel too!  

Vibrant street scene in the Old Quarter, Hanoi

We also had rather nice meals, including a fancy French dinner at La Badiane (named after the humble star anise). 

Our degustation meal at La Badiane

As I said earlier, Vietnam is one country with a bit of everything.  Hanoi's Old Quarter, in particular, really has that historical charm and character which I like so much.  So here's to my next visit to Vietnam....

An Ancient Imperial City

Main Entrance into the Imperial City

For over a hundred years, Hue was the capital city of Vietnam under the Emperors of the Nguyen dynasty. The Imperial City was their seat of power.  Here at this site by the Perfumed River, they built strong, high walls around their throne hall, the administrative offices of their mandarins and the Forbidden Purple City, a citadel within a citadel where only the Emperor and his inner household (read wife, concubine and eunuchs) could step foot.

Our resort provided a free shuttle bus to the citadel, but it left at 10am and by the time it reached Hue around noon, the sun was blazing.  So, sunglasses, hat and scarf were in order.  And sunblock too, on the face and arms.  I could see why the locals wore long sleeved, loose clothing - the traditional aodai perfectly suits the climate!

There are many perfectly good sites describing the Imperial City, such as this, and this virtual walking tour of

Ruins of the Purple Forbidden City, from a newly restored corridor

the Citadel.  So I will not reproduce my route but instead go into the details which held more interest for me.  Sadly, in any case, much of the Imperial City was bombed during the Vietnam War and was destroyed, in particular most of the Forbidden Purple City.  Whilst restoration (or maybe re-creation) work is being done, there is still much to go.

From what I understand from Vietnamese history, the Nguyen Emperors were the last to rule Vietnam.  After WWII, the line of the Emperors stopped as Vietnam became torn in two between Ho Chi Minh and the communists in the north and the republicans in the South.  Eventually, of course, the communists won the day.  One would have supposed that they would have totally repudiated the legacy of the monarchy.  And they did, except for one detail.

The To Temple with Dynastic Urn

Peacock on Dynastic Urn

For whatever else they did, the Vietnamese Emperors had sent their ships out into the surrounding waters, out into the South China Sea where they laid claim to the islands in the area - such as the Spratlys and the Paracels.  In other words the two hottest properties in South East Asia today!

These activities were recorded, on the maps of the time and on the nine dynastic urns that one of the Nguyen Emperors commissioned.  The urns stand outside the Hian Lam Pavilion, across from the The To Mieu  Temple - where most of the Emperors of the Nguyen dynasty are commemorated.  The urns depict, amongst other things, scenes of the countryside and of the sea, of flowers and birds and beasts (including one peacock).

The accompanying commentary and description of the urns in the Hian Lam pavillion points out that they also record the "East Sea" (I could not find this though - but searching for individual decorations on nine gigantic urns in the hot sun is not easy, it is not unexpected that we miss things), presumably east of Vietnam, which would be the South China Sea.    So this is "evidence", at least from Vietnam's perspective, of the country's historic claims to the Spratlys and Paracels.

Map Detail

These claims are further reinforced by the maps.  Behind the great audience chamber of the Thai Hoa Palace - where sits the Imperial Throne - there is a smaller hall which contains maps of the South China Sea, again with the Spratlys and Paracels demarcated as being in Vietnamese territory.  There is a map in French - ie the French also recognised these historic boundaries.  

The competing claims of the various parties contending for ownership of the Spratlys and Paracels will take much time to go into.  Other countries will have their own evidence.  I am no expert, and putting this up on my blog does not indicate I am taking sides one way or another; it is purely to indicate the interesting point that the present day communist leaders of Vietnam are using the records of the Imperial administration to support their claims.

Detail - Thai Binh Pavilion

The other highlight of the Imperial City was, to me, the Emperor's little reading pavilion, Thai Binh Pavilion.  Situated deep into the Forbidden Purple City, it is one of the few buildings not destroyed by the bombing.  Ornate mosaic decorations adorn the roof and walls of this charming little building.  The Emperor's reading room faces a pond with rock garden in the middle so that he can rest his eyes on this peaceful scene when he wants to take a break.

After our visit, we took a cyclo to the French Boulangerie, a small little cafe which we located in (I believe) Lonely Planet.  This little cafe is a social enterprise, set up to train disadvantaged youth to be bakers.  The food itself was simple - we had a "Baguette Brest" which is essentially bread topped with cheese, ham, onions, tomato paste etc.  There was also a very welcome ice cream for dessert.  Not quite an "Imperial" meal, but warm and tasty nonetheless.

This is my fourth visit to Vietnam and I find that the more I visit, the more I find of interest.  In Hanoi we explored the ancient capital and the beautiful Ha Long Bay.  In Central Vietnam, the old town of Hoi An and the Imperial Capital at Hue.  In Ho Chi Minh City, I learnt more about the Vietnam war and visited the Mekong Delta.  And still so much more to see.....

More Hue photos found here.

Resort Living in Lang Co, Vietnam

Our Resort - Angsana Lang Co

Vietnam is a great place to visit.  Good food, historic buildings, beautiful scenery, lovely resorts.  This time round we got to sample all of them.

We stayed at Angsana Lang Co, the "low cost" version of Banyan Tree.  Not that we were complaining though - the resort itself was perfectly situated just next to its more "atas" sibling and shared the same beautiful sandy beach.

And, I can't complain about having a suite with a big balcony and well-appointed bathrom.  See pictures of the resort here.

It was hot though - really hot.  In early June, the dawn comes around 4am and twilight at 7pm.   I suppose this is what is the norm for farming communities,so that the farmers wake up and work in the cool of the day.  We learnt, pretty quickly, that we too needed to wake up early in the morning if we wanted to have a swim in the cool of the morning.  From 10am to 3pm, all we wanted to do was laze in our room or in the spa.

The bay area 

Lang Co is a village about 1 hour north from Danang, and is supposedly one of the most beautiful bays in Vietnam (see this link).... I guess I will need to visit more bays to make a more educated assessment!  But it is indeed a beautiful place - the drive takes us along the coast with absolutely stunning views of misty mountains and clear waters.  We would travel this route repeatedly, to visit Hoi An and Hue.

I have of course visited Hoi An before - see my post on my previous trip.  But it was a pleasure indeed to revisit this charming little town.(See the photos of this trip on my Flickr page). In particular, I like walking around in the evening, when the the air is cool and the glow of the lanterns light the streets.

Nu's eatery

Re-reading the post, I remember now that I was not too thrilled about the food.  But this time round, we took our chances at a little restaurant further away from the main tourist strip.  And we were rewarded indeed, by a truly yummy meal of Vietnamese style kong bak pau (!), pomelo salad and a yummy Hue style noodle in a pork ragu with rice cracker strips on top. We finished off with ice cream - when I tried chilli ice cream for the first time.  Believe me, it has a kick to it.

So if you are in Hoi An, try it out. Nu's Eatery is at 10A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai.

Near the River's End

Catholic church at Vinh Long

The Mekong River is one of the great rivers of the world, travelling through no less than six countries as it makes its way from Tibet and Yunnan in China, past Myanmar, then through Laos' ancient capital Luang Prabang.  The Mekong forms the border between Laos and Thailand and then passes into Cambodia before ending up in Vietnam.  In Laos, I stood on the river bank in Vientiane and looked into Thailand on the other side, and watched the river flow by the golden temples in Luang Prabang.  In Cambodia, I took a boat trip on the Tonle Sap, the lake swollen with the water from the Mekong in full flow.  And here in Vietnam, we visited the little town of Vinh Long in the middle of the Mekong Delta.

The Mekong delta is best done as an overnight trip (at least) from Ho Chi Minh City, rather than the day trip which we took (lazy to pack up lah).  The intent of the trip was to provide a sense of life on the river, but sadly late morning is not the best time to see the floating market of Cai Be.  And whilst I don't mind seeing how local snacks are made (food is always of interest), I have learnt through experience that no one really eats "local" snacks - my office colleagues' favourite is the the mini-Kit Kats, Twix and Aeros which I brought back from the UK one year.  We did however have a perfectly pleasant lunch followed by a short trip being rowed up the river.

Our tour group was all-Asian this time round.  A family group from Malaysia (two sisters, one son, one friend), ourselves and one gentleman from Pakistan (in HCMC on business, taking a day off before his trip back) made up our group.  Needless to say, we got on very well, in particular with one of the ladies from Malaysia with whom we chatted about shopping opportunities in HCMC, compared notes on our hotels etc etc. 

Boats at the market.  

We left the hotel early in the morning and finally arrived in the Mekong delta where we got on the boat which was to take us on our river journey.  The floating market was deserted, except for the "market boats" themselves.  We learnt that this was a wholesale market - the boats came from other branches of the river, bringing their different crops - potatoes, vegetables, fruit, etc - with them.  So the boats will stay there for a while, until their produce is all sold.  The buyers come to the boats to pick up what they want.  To make it easier to see what each boat sells, a sample of the goods is tied to the top of a tall pole on each boat.  So for a boat selling, say, pineapples, a pineapple will be tied to the pole.  Sometimes it is the boat which is for sale, in which case I think it is an oar which is tied to the pole.  In the mornings, when the buyers come by in their own little boats, it must indeed be a bustling, exciting place.

Elephant ear fish

After visiting a few small shops and seeing how some local snacks are made, we chugged across the river and made our way through a maze of islands and rivulets to our lunch venue. Now, one of the specialities of the Mekong delta is the Elephant ear fish, which is deep fried, then eaten tucked into a rice paper roll.  It so happened at one of the little tourist shop stops, there was a tank with a few of these fish inside, where I took the photo you see on your left. You'll be glad to know that (i) the fish I eventually ate was not this fish; it was in a totally different place on the river - at an eco-hostel restaurant some distance away and (ii) it was indeed a rather nice river fish - nicely fried, light and delicate flesh.

After lunch, we were supposed to go to an "ancient house" and hear some traditional music. However, due to time constraint (at least that's the reason given), the guides said that we would do a river boat ride instead, through the narrow channels created at this part of the river.  Actually, I believe that the tide was low and the larger boat we were on needed to be lightened in order for us to get through that portion of the river.  But the trip was enjoyable, and enabled us to have a better glimpse of the activities going on beside and along the river.    Boys continue to swim in the river, boats (containing tourists), manouvre up and down the narrow waterways, people continue to grow their crops and fish and live on the islands.  The old life, and the new, meld together in this warm, watery world.

For more photos of the delta, click here.

Streets of Saigon

The Cathedral of Notre Dame

Saigon, the Paris of the East!  Today, the French influence still remains in the elegant boulevards, stately colonial buildings; the coffee (ca phe) houses and the French restaurants; the Notre Dame de Saigon; the thriving gallery and art scene; the shopping!

After the fall of the South Vietnamese government, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).  But Saigon still remains, as a district of HCMC, which expands beyond Saigon to the surrounding areas.  We stayed at the Majestic Hotel, an old hotel right by the river.  It is a charming old hotel (with good deals on suites) on Dong Koi avenue, a short walk to the City Centre.

Dong Koi itself is a pleasant, tree-lined street with charming little shops and art galleries.  The souvenir shops are reasonably priced, and the tailoring shops guarantee 24 hour turn-around time.  Art galleries can be found up and down the street - a tour of the Vietnamese art scene all on their own. There the more expensive and upmarket galleries, with more well-known artists, but we also found one which featured the "unknowns" - original pieces selling for about US$150 rather than US$1,500. 

 

Technology introduced in the cathedral

We walked down Dong Koi to the Cathedral of Notre Dame for Sunday mass.  The building itself would not have been out-of-place in any European city.  The stained glass and little plaques on the walls reminded me of churches in France.  But the Cathedral had its modern touches, the screens at the columns helping us follow the mass. And as choir was singing the hymns in Vietnamese (only the responses were sung in English), it was clear that we were indeed in Vietnam.  And, of course, the priest was Vietnamese :-)  

ATMs replace phone booths

The imposing building next to the Cathedral turned out to be the Post Office. It is still a working Post Office, although half the phone booths at the walls are used as ATMs.  There are souvenir shops in one corner, quite reasonably priced ones too.  Indeed, many of these old colonial buildings dot the city.  The Opera House, the City Hall, other beautiful old Hotels, museums.  In between, newer buildings emerge - sleek office blocks, glitzy shopping centres.  But, the streets are chaotic - full of motorcycles going in all directions.  The air tends to be polluted (or at least that's how I felt before I encountered the haze).

Viet Ca Phe

Coffee houses too are everywhere.  I had a cup of potent Vietnamese coffee in one of the famous Trung Nguyen coffee chain outlets.  It is said, that Trung Nguyen reacted to Starbucks setting up shop in HCMC by opening an outlet in Seattle!  I can well imagine that the robust brews of the Vietnamese can indeed give the tepid and dilute American-style coffee a good run for their money.

The food scene in HCMC left us spoilt for choice.  We dined at old Vietnamese restaurants, in small coffee shops and one night in La Villa, Tripadvisor's top rated restaurant - a place well deserving of its top billing.  Another night was spent at a small pho eatery, which was famous for its spicy beef pho (although it appeared to be priced at a premium for the poor tourist).

Motorcycles streaming past the Opera House

All in all, HCMC is indeed an exciting and vibrant mix of old and new, of east and west. Indeed, a city of developing Asia, rising above the trials of the recent past but still working through the challenges of rapid growth.

More photos of my visit can be found here, together with the record of earlier trips to Vietnam.

Re-unification of Vietnam

Helicopter at the Reunification Palace Helipad

For me, one icon of the Vietnam War is the helicopter - yes, I'm thinking of the one in Miss Saigon with the American G.I. waiting beside it, to take the heroine to the US.  Of course, she never shows up... ... and he is forced to fly off without her.  Saigon, more than 30 years after the end of the Vietnam War, is a completely different city.

The Reunification Palace is however one place where time has stood still.  In itself a result of the strife in Vietnam after WWII, the Palace was completed in 1966 after the previous Presidential Palace (the Independence Palace) was bombed and partially destroyed by two pilots who rebelled and bombed the Palace instead of the Viet Cong.  The Palace was too badly damaged to be repaired and was instead rebuilt.  However, it did not last long as the seat of power.  On 30 Apr 1975, North Vietnamese tanks rolled through the main gates of the Palace, culminating in  the dramatic "handover" of power to the North Vietnamese government.

Mahjong, anyone?

Today, the Palace remains more or less untouched from these last days.  The upper floors contain the formal reception rooms and meeting areas, including an auditorium and the Cabinet meeting room.  On the top floor, however, things get a little more interesting with the addition of a mini cinema and a gambling room.  The mahjong table is still on display.  

But what makes the Palace truly interesting is the basement, fitted out with the communications equipment and maps required for the President to keep a handle on the progress of the war.  The mood is sombre, and heavy.  A place and a government which history has left in the dust; events have moved elsewhere and the palace remains today as a museum and tourist attraction.  

A small exhibition in the basement of the Palace gives a brief pictorial history of Vietnam in the 1960s to recent days.  The events leading up to the war, the protests against the previous government are all covered.  There are still some hardware around to be seen - a helicopter rests on the helipad; replicas of the tanks which went through the gates of the Palace sit near the exit.

But the Reunification Palace as a whole is a calm and serene looking building.  No longer a seat of power, it is now a memorial to moment in time where the fate of Vietnam was decided.  Hopefully, its days of turmoil and strife, of bitter battles and last stands, are finally over.

Reunification Palace

More photos here.

Re-visiting Vietnam's Tumultuous Past : Cu Chi Tunnels

The decades following WWII were tumultuous ones for South East Asia.  It was a time when the colonial powers - the British, French and Dutch - were slowly withdrawing from their colonies in South East Asia.  A time when Communism found fertile ground amidst a people who were fired with a new nationalism, and a burning desire  for Independence.  We were fortunate in Singapore and Malaysia, where the new democracies were able to withstand the Communist threat.  But the countries of IndoChina - Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, went through many  years of turmoil, war, and hardship.  The legacy of the Vietnam War was not so apparent in Hanoi, or Danang/Hoi Ann - the only other places in Vietnam I had been to previously - but here in Ho Chi Minh City, the memories and reminders of the War are still very much all around.  We visited both the Reunification Palace, and the Cu Chi Tunnels - both must see sights for visitors to HCM City.

Emerging from the tunnel

We went to Cu Chi Tunnels in a small tour group, comprising a British family (of three), a solitary Brit and three male Aussies. I did think that it would be a leetle awkward if there was an American tourist on this particular tour!  Our guide, Son, was a young man at the time of the pivotal events which led to the successful capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese forces and the reunification of Vietnam.  Now 62 years old, Son gave an authoritative tour of the tunnel system, and of how the tunnels were used.  He punctuated his narrative with warnings of potential dangers facing unwary tourists and reminded us that our task was to follow him, as he certainly would not be following us.

What do we see of the tunnels? The site itself has changed, we were informed, as during the war there were no trees or greenery covering the site.  These would have been bombed to smithereens or killed by chemical agents, by the American forces who were trying to clear the Viet Cong from the area.  Today, there are youngish trees covering the site.  Bomb craters still remain, here and there. Tunnel entrances dot the place. From their positioning, and distance from each other, we do get an impression of the labyrinth beneath our feet.  There are a few types of tunnels, we are told, ranging from the small, narrow "one-star" tunnels which presumably were just meant for the Viet Cong fighters to sneak out to attack the enemy, up to the "five-star tunnels" which were used as living quarters, and even had electricity!  A "soldier" showed us how the fighters emerged and returned into the "one-star tunnels" - indeed, with the leaves covering the earthen "lid" of the tunnel entrance, it would be difficult for any casual observer to spot the entrance.  Our guide also showed us how people lived in the tunnels. Every now and there, there were big bunkers - which formed eating/cooking/sleeping spaces.  Smoke was channeled from the bunker itself to a point some distance away, to misdirect watchers from guessing where the bunker really was. What did they eat or drink?  Obviously food was scarce.  We sampled some - tea made from pandan leaves and steamed tapioca.

Visitors also watch a documentary at the site..  Although obviously propaganda, the hardships

Visitor exploring the damaged tank

faced by the civilian population do come across clearly.  The short film includes short portrayals of the heroes and heroines of the fighting, including a farmer whose mine-laying capabilities took out numerous enemy tanks/soldiers, and a young girl who fought as fiercely as any man.   Using explosives taken from the enemy, the Viet Cong made their own mines - and used them to deadly effect.   The site also shows examples of the traps used to capture/maim the enemy.

Did we go down into the tunnels?  The answer is yes- there are a few tunnels open to visitors.  These have been widened and strengthened for the purpose.  Nonetheless, they are still quite cramped especially for larger visitors.  Small Asian girls like me, can squeeze through with ease (even though I still had to go through doubled up).  Unfortunately, I suspect that the guide leading us through got a little fed up with the bunch of tourists behind him who were complaining about hitting their heads and apparently brought us up to the surface before the trickier portion of that particular tunnel was reached.  Hmmf.  But out of the group of 9 tourists, only four (including us two Asian girls) even made it to the halfway mark.

All in all, the Cu Chi tunnels certainly served their purpose of enabling the Viet Cong to hold the land, even though the South Vietnamese and America forces may still have held the cities and towns.  But as Son reminded us at the end of the tour, war is a terrible thing. Today, the Vietnamese people want to live in peace and harmony with all.

More photos found here.

Hoi An

Hoi An! The ancient port town of central Vietnam for many years before being displaced by Danang, it is a UNESCO heritage site. Our first visit was made under the guidance of a local guide, who was evidently a little disgruntled at our lack of purchases at the shops he took us too, and was reluctant to let us browse/shop around in the town. But he was knowledgeable about the town and its history, revealing to us the cosmopolitan character of this small Vietnamese port. 

The area was originally settled by people from the Riau archipelago (apparently some tools and other relics were found in burial jars), who became known as the Cham people.  Their ancient town was a short distance away - but we did not make the trip.  Many years later, Hoi An was settled, attracting traders from China, and Japan. The Japanese bridge across a small branch of the river apparently linked the Chinese and Japanese settlements in the area.

The Chinese certainly left their mark here. Coming from all over China, they built their clan association buildings (reminding me of Malacca and Singapore) which served both as temple as well as a gathering place for the community. Amongst other things, we visited the Fujian and Cantonese assembly halls, which were still very much in daily use – as could be seen from the large spirals of incense hanging from the ceiling, each bearing the name of the donor and each releasing, slowly, wisps of incense into the air (and dropping every now and then a short tube of ash onto the unwary tourists beneath). 

The town itself reminded me very much of the old towns in other parts of Southeast Asia - buildings include wooden frame houses with a little balcony in front, similar to what I saw in Laos, others like the old shophouses in Singapore/Malacca/Penang, with a small shopfront and the family living behind and/or above the shop.  We visited one old house which was said to have assimilated Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese architectural styles.  The guide was pretty lackadaisical but she did point out to us the use of a Japanese style roof above the big airwell in the middle of the house....

We went off far too soon, but we decided to come back that evening (this time via the complimentary resort shuttle which we had not known about earlier) to explore the place further. And it was well we did, for Hoi Ann by night comes truly alive, when tourists and townsfolk wander through its streets comfortably, freed from the baking heat of the morning. We wandered around, stepping into whichever shop took our fancy, and were enraptured by the beautiful, jewel-toned lanterns which are such a feature of this old town.

Dinner was at one of the guidebook’s recommendations – The Cargo Club. It is relatively large establishment, with a patisserie and a bar/lounge on the ground floor and a restaurant on top. The restaurant terrace overlooks the river, and gives a good view of the brightly lit establishments across the river.  The restaurant patrons are largely tourists, which is not necessarily a recommendation but the meal was nonetheless pretty decent.  In general, however, I think that food in Hanoi is of a higher standard than this little port town.

At 9.30pm, the lights of Hoi An start going off, one by one.  We caught the shuttle back to the resort. 

Reading some guidebooks, people comment that Hoi An is now very commercialised - but in a way, the tourist trade supports the people in the area, and allows the charming old town to be preserved.   I have also seen for myself, in visiting Malacca both before and after it gained its UNESCO Heritage site status, how the additional visitorship and funding can really make a difference in revitalising old parts of the city, allowing old homes to be restored either by the existing owners or by new businesses.

More Hoi An pix here.

A Quiet Little Getaway

I was looking down at a single gerbera, floating in water, whilst my legs and back were being actively pummelled and pulled by an exponent of Thai massage. Grimacing slightly in pain, I reminded myself to relax.

I have spent the last 4 days in Fusion Maia resort on China Beach in Danang.

The resort was pretty much idyllic – a lovely beach with waves breaking on white, soft sand, mountains in the distance and an infinity pool aimed straight at the horizon. Graceful palm/coconut trees provide much-needed shade for the deck chairs and day beds scattered around. And the spa (opening comment notwithstanding) had a lovely spa pool surrounded by abundant greenery (see photo). We camped out in one of the two pavilions on either end of the pool, and in this shady nook, read and napped the mornings away. We enjoyed our two treatments per day (and worked our way through the spa menu) and chatted to the receptionist, a university student practicing her English. Our accommodation – I have really nothing to complain about. We had our private pool villa room (with its own little swimming pool and outdoor patio) but spent more time out by the spa pool (with its waterfall) or out by the beach, watching the other resort dwellers go by. Not that there were that many – we were visiting mid-week and it was obviously the lull period.

Our resort, it turned out, was fairly new, having opened the previous year. Next door, a new, large scale resort is still under construction; two doors down a glitzy casino (or should I say, integrated resort) has opened its doors, even whilst one wing of the hotel has still men working on it. I guess I know where some of the resort guests went at night (there were certainly far fewer people appearing at lunch and at dinner, than there were at breakfast). So in a way, perhaps we had paid our visit at a good time – when the resort was still the first mover on the strip, when its far larger neighbours are still putting their buildings up and getting their act together. A year or two more, and maybe the beach will not be as pristine, and the waters beyond busy with jet skiers and the like.

Indeed, a restful and welcome break from the office (although I received quite a few SMSes the first day I was there and spent every evening clearing email).  (For more idyllic photos, check here.

Houses by a Lotus Pond

I have always liked Vietnamese art.  A few years ago, I bought one piece by Le Thiet Cuong.  And last year, when I visited Hanoi for the first time, I bought another piece. But where the first piece was an original, this was a work in the style of Minh Son, and similar to some of his paintings (a sort of impressionistic, water liles-like foreground, with a more delicate background.  Hanoi has a number of little reproduction shops which churn out copies of more famous works, or paintings in the style of a famous artist.

The original would probably have cost me upwards of US$600. But I was not comfortable carrying such an expensive piece back to Singapore.  My copy, on the other hand, cost me all of US$35.  I carried it from Hanoi to Halong Bay, all rolled up.  I had to get it reframed once back in Singapore and after some procrastination, finally hung it up on my bedroom wall today.  I should say, that the original work was more refined and more "finished", altogether.  But I hope you like it, as I do.

Visiting Vietnam

Oh, also recently went to Hanoi and Halong Bay, Vietnam. Photos have been appearing in the Flickr badge on the left column of this blog. But if you want to see and find out more, here is the link: Vietnam photos.

(I've decided that it is not necessary to write about every single holiday I take. In fact, it's rather a nice break not to feel compelled to do so.)