220 stories
As we entered the central government complex, I had to turn my phone off. I will do my best to describe its majesty here. I was later allowed to photograph from a...
We stepped into a taxi and headed to the central government parade ground. A jungle set scene reminiscent of the former communist headquarters of Red Square. As we...
I again met Diem on the rooftop for breakfast. No soup this morning. All cold offerings. This was fine with me as it was all delicious. A cold noodle “salad”, apples,...
I awoke around 6:30 in the morning feeling very refreshed. Dinner had been uneventful last night except for the food. It was almost inedible for the first time since I...
I will take this time to let my readers know a little about my traveling companion and guide for the duration of my trip. As I discussed in an earlier blog, Tina and the...
As I reached the hotel, I went into my room and put on some more appropriate clothing. I sat on my bed, pulled out my computer, and started doing some work. In my...
We walked out of the hotel into the streets of Hanoi and headed for St. Joseph's Cathedral. We wandered past shop stalls serving their steaming breakfast bowls, lines of...
I opened my eyes and looked at my watch. It was dead. My phone was lying on the bed, not plugged up, and my portable charger was also lifeless. At the painful conclusion...
I was not prepared for the pollution that seemed to smother the city. It was like looking through a gray, dingy pair of goggles. We drove for a while before crossing the...
At 2:45, over two hours after our original scheduled departure time, Vietjet flight VJ512 for the ancient capital city of Hanoi was called for boarding. Hanoi has been a...
I was pulled back to reality by a gentle hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Diem’s face as she explained that it was time to check in for our flight. There was...
It was 06:30 when the low light of the jungle sun crept into my hotel window. I rose from the bed, threw some clothes on, and headed downstairs to see if they still had...
