Greetings From Vietnam

A wonderful pictorial travelogue from clients of Linda's at House of Travel , Parnell

The Phua Family in Vietnam :

Vietnam to me has become a familiar country, or so I thought, even after several trips in 12 months. But the answer cannot be further from the truth as I was about to find out with my family as we journey through the length and breadth of this fascinating country. The Phua family has now concluded their holiday in this country and we have done so many things and been to so many places in Vietnam that it would be difficult for me to describe it all in one email. However, I shall try my best to be as brief or succinct as possible.
Allow me to digress first.

Read more here

The Lotus Flower The flower has many symbolisms in Buddhism and I quote here from the internet: 'Many, many meanings. The lotus flower is one of the most ancient and deepest symbols of our planet. The lotus flower grows in muddy water and rises above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty. At night the flower closes and sinks underwater, at dawn it rises and opens again. Untouched by the impurity, lotus symbolizes the purity of heart and mind.

The roots of a lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water, and the heavily scented flower lies pristinely above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment.

My observations: The lotus flower is Vietnam’s national flower and symbol as can be seen in its currency notes and national airline, to name but a few.

It can be found in many places, in ponds and in little pots in hotels and parks or homes. In the markets the fresh green lotus pods are sold (I think they are edible, although I have never tried it myself). The lotus root is believed to have medicinal properties and cooked in soups or preserved in dried form. Cut lotus flowers are not so common, maybe because they don’t last very long once cut.

Our Pictorial Journey of the very essence of Vietnam - the people, colours, sights, and sounds.  It's Food, smells and religions.

I have been to the two major cities of Ha Noi (Capital city with approx 8m people) and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly called Saigon, main commercial city, approx 10m people),so many times. But both cities are so different from the rest of Vietnam, with a total population of approx 84m and land area roughly 20% larger than NZ’s. It is indeed a very crowded country mainly consisting of flatlands and the Central Highlands mountainous region.

You are invited to enjoy this pictorial journey with us as we sample the very essence of Vietnam with its people and colours, sights and sounds, its foods and smells and religions.

Ho Chi Minh City:

Ben Thanh market (great shopping but you have to haggle aggressively)	Uncle Ho (Chi Minh) the venerated founder of modern Vietnam	Stir-fried river snake dish
Millions of motorbikes making life a bit unpleasant with their noise and exhaust fumes.	Lunching at my favourite seafood noodle restaurant in Ben Thanh area.	Numerous florists and fresh fruit vendors
Common side lanes	The HCMC Opera House	Birdseye view of a street vendor
A Hindu temple	Notre Dame Cathedral	The General Post Office building

The Mekong Delta:

Coconut candy manufacturing	Scorpion and snake liqueur	A Buddhist temple
A Mosque	Our floating hotel at Chau Doc

Mui Ne – seaside town

Dalat – 1500 metres above sea level : strong French influence

Exquisite embroidery work

Nha Trang – seaside resort on the South China Sea coast

A slimy mud bath!	A floating bar on the sea

Hoi An – Ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage City

My Son – Vietnam’s Cham Ruins

Hue – Former Capital of Vietnam - Photos of Nguyen Emperors’ tombs

Pond full of Koi fish

  Hanoi on Christmas day

Magnificent Ha Long Bay Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum

	Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum

goodbye from ho hoan kiem on a misty winter's  morning december 2010