Vietnam (North & Central)

VG: Ca y est ! Vous allez enfin pouvoir nous voir dans la grisaille et la pluie ! Dans le Nord du Vietnam il fait frais et c'est couvert. L'arrivee a Hanoi, ca a ete un peu le choc ! Ville surpeuplee ou tout le monde circule en scooter dans tous les sens et en klaxonant tout le temps ! Impossible de marcher sur les trottoirs a cause des scooters gares et des gens qui cuisinent par terre ! Il faut le voir (et l'entendre) pour le croire: c'est pour ca qu'on innove avec un petit film. Nous avons pris le train du Nord au Sud pour voir Hue (citadelle avec l'ancienne cite interdite et tombeaux imperiaux) puis Hoi An ou on s'est fait faire des vetements sur mesure. C'est genial: on arrive, on choisit un modele, un tissu, ils prennent nos mesures et quelques heures plus tard, c'est pret a porter !!! Evidemment on mange tres tres bien et on adore rencontrer les Vietnamiens en dehors des sites touristiques (voir les photos des enfants en particulier!). La ou il y a beaucoup de touristes, les gens sont beaucoup moins sympas... Snif !
AC: Vietnam! We arrived into a cloudy and cold Hanoi and made our way south along the coast through the cities of Hue and Hoi An. Instead of writing just which towns we visited (you can see them in the photos), this time I'll try and paint you a picture of the life here. The streets of the big cities are just a dis-organised chaos of motorbikes, scooters and buses. To cross the road, you just simply begin walking, don't look left or right, just walk and the scooters magically dodge you (sometimes only by inches) as you get to the other side of the street! The old saying 'He who hesitates is lost' holds very true here in Vietnam. The trains are a good experience too - especially the sleeper cabins, with 6 beds in each - you become quite aware of all the noises some people make when they sleep!! The people are fantastic - especially the kids in the smaller towns - they just love to have their picture taken and then check it out on the digital camera. They smile constantly and even more so when you give them a couple of sweets (check out the photo of V being swamped by the kids in Hoi An). We have had tailored-suits done (that is an experience in itself!), eaten fantastic foods, met some friendly other travelers (thanks to Severine for the photos!) and been amazed by the countryside and scenery. A word of advice (reference to the first photo of me in Hanoi) - in the big cities, have very small change ready to 'pay' for photos, even when you didn't ask to have the fruit seller put her equipment on your shoulders!!! Next stops - Nha Trang, Saigon and the Mekong Delta.
:: View the photos from Hanoi
:: View the photos from Hue
:: View the photos from Hoi An

View & listen to a short video-clip of Hanoi traffic
[NB. It's probably quicker to "right click" on the link, and choose 'save as' to download to your PC to view] - (Filesize 19Mb, please be patient!! )