Our whirlwind trip through the northern countryside of Vietnam continued with a stop in the town of Dong Van. After a day filled with a week’s worth of sights and memories we shared a relaxing dinner with our guide and driver, and a driver from another group.
^Accommodations in Ba Be in a newly-built hotel…not too shabby.
^Dinner at a local place with our guide, driver, and a driver from another group.
The next morning we were on the road again, heading up the mountain and eventually to Ba Be National Park.
^A family harvesting rice.
I came across this travel article from 2010 recently, and so much of it still seems true and current to me about this region:
“In an ever-shrinking world, Ha Giang, with its uniquely preserved tribal culture (nearly 90 percIent of the population is ethnic minorities), is one of those rare places that hasn’t been corralled by modernity or prepackaged for visitors. At least, not yet. During the past two decades, as Vietnam’s lowlands and urban centers have teetered on tracks of globalization and economic development, much of this distant 5,000-square-mile province has remained detached and frozen in the past.” –Jennifer Bleyer, New York Times, 2010
^Snake-infused rice wine! The 3rd jar from the left is some kind of animal stomach. One jar had scorpions. What’s your favorite flavor?
I love all these snapshots from the road! I am finally winding down what I have chosen to share…all that’s left is the Ma Pi Leng Pass–one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen–and Ba Be National Park, where we took a long boat ride and went into a cave with bats and I freaked out a lot just a tiny bit. And then I’m hoping to wrap up my photo journal from Vietnam with some thoughts about our last day in Hanoi, which had the perfect ending.
See all the posts from our trip>>> here.
