1993
Hanoi and Environs
Hanoi
Hanoi is characterized by narrow, busy streets, particularly in the Old Quarter.
Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum
Despite his request to be cremated, the final resting place
of Ho Chi Minh is a glass sarcophagus deep
inside the mausoleum, built between 1973 and 1975 of native materials gathered
from all over Vietnam.
The roof and peristyle are said to evoke either a traditional communal house or
a lotus flower.
Water Puppets
It is thought that water puppetry developed when determined
puppeteers in
the Red River Delta managed to carry on with the show despite flooding.
En Route to Halong Bay
Halong Bay is a four hour trip from Hanoi.
Halong Bay
Reminiscent of Guilin in
China, Halong Bay consists of about three thousand islands rising from the
clear, emerald waters of the
Gulf of Tonkin. The name "Ha Long" means "where the dragon
descends into the sea." Legend has it that the islands were created
by a great dragon who lived in the mountains. As he ran towards the coast,
his flailing tail gouged out valleys and crevasses; as
he plunged into the sea, the areas dug out by his tail filled up with water,
leaving only bits of high land visible.
Central Vietnam
Hué: Thai Hoa Palace
Thai Hoa Palace (the Palace of Supreme Peace), built in 1803,
moved to its present site in 1833. The palace
is part of the Citadel (Kinh Thanh), whose perimeter is 10 kilometers, and which
begun in 1804 by
Emperor Gia Longon a site chosen by geomancers. The palace was used for
the emperor's official
receptions and other important court ceremonies, such as anniversaries and
coronations.
My Son
During the centuries when Simhapura (Tra Kieu) served as the
political capital of Champa, My Son was the site of
the most important Cham intellectual and religious center and may also have
served as a burial place for Cham
monarchs. My Son is considered to be Champa's counterpart to the grand
cities of Southeast Asia's other
Indian-influenced civilizations: Angkor
(Cambodia), Pagan (Burma), Ayuthaya (Thailand)
and Borobudur (Java).
China Beach
Made famous by the eponymous US TV
serial, China Beach
stretches many kilometers north and south of the
Marble Mountains. During the Vietnam
War, American soldiers were airlifted
here for "rest and relaxation"
(often including a picnic at the beach) before being returned by helicopter to
combat.
Saigon and Environs
Nôtre Dame Cathedral
Built between 1877 and 1883, the cathedral's neo-Romanesque
form and two
forty meter high square towers, tipped with iron spires, dominate the city's
skyline.
Cyclo Driver
Cyclos are the main form of transportation.
Flower Market
One of Saigon's many markets.
Mekong Delta
The Mekong River, is known to the Vietnamese as Song Cuu
Long, "River of the Nine Dragons." The river originates
high in the Tibetan plateau, flowing 4,500 kilometers
through China, between Burma and
Laos, through Laos, along
the Lao-Thai border, and through Cambodia
and Vietnam on its way to the South China Sea.