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Travel Pictures - NORTH VIETNAM -
September 2001 |
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| All images © Ron Miller |
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This colorful rooftop view of red
tiles and balconies reveals the strong French influence on the city's architecture -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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Another view of the rooftops of
the old city -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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Hanoi is much quieter, greener,
and slower-paced than Saigon;
these narrow streets only cater to pedestrians, bicycles, and motorbikes -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum is where the
former dictator's embalmed body
is on display in a glass sarcophagus (despite his stated desire to be
cremated) -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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The Vietnamese revolutionary
leader was president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 1946 until
his death in 1969.
He never saw his dream of reunification between the north and the south
(nor did the hundreds of thousands of landlords
his "democratic" government had executed, tortured, or starved to
death in prison) -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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Although the communist dictator's
economic policies have long been abandoned,
"Uncle Ho" is revered by many Vietnamese and is said to have a
god-like status within the communist party -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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Just down the street from the
mausoleum, the Presidential Palace was completed in 1906 to house the
French Governor-General of Indochina -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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A troop of Vietnamese soldiers practicing
their formations in front of Lenin's statue -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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This image strongly contrasts
with Vietnam's new economic openness and, hopefully, it will continue to be
a mere reflection of the past -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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The Hanoi Opera House was
completed by the French colonists in 1911 -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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This Vietnamese woman looks
rather stylish in her traditional Au Di wardrobe as she negotiates the
roundabout fronting
the Opera House and the Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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For obvious reasons, this
structure (completed in 1999) was NOT named the Hanoi Hilton; actually, it
was the much older Vietnamese prison
located a few blocks away that became famously known as the Hanoi Hilton because
of the brutal treatment inflicted upon its American captives -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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In the middle of Hanoi is the
tranquil Hoan Kiem Lake with the landmark Tortoise Tower located on the islet -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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Children returning home from
school in the early evening; the people freely strolling about, including
women and children,
created a feeling of safety and security within the city center - perhaps
a positive legacy of the communist dictatorship -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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A love of ice cream seems to
cross all cultural boundaries -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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The streets of Hanoi, lacking the
chaos of Saigon, were a pleasure to move about -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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Utilizing this method, small
women can carry incredible loads nearly equal to their own body weight;
the resilient, springy bamboo is thought to minimize the peak impact to
the legs and shoulder when walking -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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Well, at least both hands are
free when utilizing this method -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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The vendors in the developing world
always seem to move their
merchandise out into the sidewalk -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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The streets in the old quarter
are ideal for bikes; this woman is transporting the infamous durian fruit
which is banned
from many hotels and public transportation because of its strong odor that
some consider fragrant and others repugnant -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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Although Hanoi was not as busy as
Saigon, eyes in the back of your head would still be useful to cross
those streets containing a dozen lanes of traffic many of which travel in opposing
directions -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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If you look closely, you will see
that these two men are transporting
two large panes of glass! -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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The simple elegance of the One
Pillar Pagoda proves that size doesn't always matter -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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The entire temple is constructed
on a single 1.25-meter-diameter stone pillar. One of the last acts
of the departing French in 1954 was to destroy the original structure that
was built in 1049 -
Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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Peasants working the fields the
hard way just
outside the capital city -
east of Hanoi, North Vietnam |
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This “green” Irish tourist, having just
arrived in Vietnam, is barraged by peddlers of all ages -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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Entering into the magnificent
karst topography by boat -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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Most of the boats transporting
tourists are rowed by a single, tiny Vietnamese woman.
I volunteered to row and, in spite of my whitewater canoeing experience, found
it rather difficult
to move our tourist-laden boat - especially since the oars are "pushed"
rather than "pulled" -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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The boat carrying the
sun-burnt, Irish tourists has both a
forward-facing rower and a poler -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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The red boat, moving to the
right, shows that the rower is seated facing forward - opposite to the traditional method -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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The watery landscape is used to
farm and trap fish -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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Here the nets are being tended by
a young woman in a traditional boat -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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The flat terrain, nestled between the dramatic limestone formations, can be negotiated by land and
water -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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The elbow-length gloves, like the
face scarves, are worn for protection from the sun -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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The watery channels pass between
and even through the limestone pinnacles -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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Vendors paddle along with the
tourists and tempt the sun-weary visitors with fresh fruits and cold drinks
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Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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Perhaps even more difficult to
believe than rowing backwards is rowing with the feet! -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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This young lady is rowing her
traditional craft made of bamboo strips and tar - and using only her feet!
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Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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Somehow, with the oars balanced and affixed to
the boat, they manage to move swiftly using only their legs and feet -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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Even today much of the labor -
such as this pond excavation - is conducted by hand -
Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong), North Vietnam |
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These dramatic limestone
pinnacles lie just offshore from the mainland; Halong Bay consists of more
than 3,000 islands in the Gulf of Tonkin -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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One of the modern boats used
to transport tourists amid the spectacular scenery -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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There is not much flat land for
farming so most residents make their living from the sea (and from the tourists) -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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There are numerous, picturesque
beaches tucked in between the pinnacles -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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Cat Ba Town caters to tourists
who visit Cat Ba Island, by far the largest island in Halong Bay -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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A close-up of the tourist hotels
and Cat Ba Harbor -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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These traditional boats float in
striking contrast to the newly-constructed tourist hotels -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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These traditional boats,
constructed of bamboo and tar, are used to eke out a living from the sea -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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This boat appears to double as
both fishing vessel and residence -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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The children take on a lot of responsibility
while floating around the bay in their tiny watercraft -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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Here they are paddling backwards,
again! -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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A traditional boat with the top up! -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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Going for a spin with the top
down -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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Top view of a traditional boat
from the tourist vessel -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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The local fishermen often cruise alongside the tourist boats
to sell fresh seafood -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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Quite a variety of sea critters -
all tasty and edible according to our Chinese passengers -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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The two tourists (Upper Left)
from south China could not pass up the opportunity for fresh seafood -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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Sunset in a magical part of the
world -
Halong Bay, North Vietnam |
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All images © Ron Miller
For authorized use of these photos, please contact Ron Miller at TheHappyCannibal@gmail.com |
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