Northern Vietnam Gal 1

Perhaps the essence of Vietnam lies in the north. The cool climate and the relaxed pace of life are in stark contrast to the the warm weather and hurried life in the South. While the the bourgeois class in the south are quick to embrace capitalism, people in the north still cling on to certain tenets of communism.

		Local kids posing in front of a paddy field at Tam Coc, near Ninh Binh, south of Hanoi. The scenery here resembles Guilin in China.

		Curious stare ....from a girl at a paddy field at Tam Coc

		A fishing basket at Tam Coc.

		Light at the end of the tunnel....taken from inside a cave while on a row boat at Tam Coc.

		Breathtaking view of Hoa Lu, near Ninh Binh

		Cruising...an old man on a row boat at Kenh Ga Floating Village.

		My boatwoman taking me round the canal at Kenh Ga Floating Village.

		A view of the famous Halong Bay, east of Hanoi. Unlike Tam Coc and Hua Lu which have rocks jutting out of paddy fields, the ones here jut out from the sea (the Gulf of Tonkin to be specific).

		Central Vietnam Gal 2 Northern Vietnam Gal 2