Return to Vietnam 2006 (image-intensive!)
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After which we came to Dai Linh, for a view to kill for
And a bit of shooting of waves... (1/3sec handheld)
We finally reached Quy Nhon where we checked-in the the bestest room we got on the trip.
Really, all the way we had comfy beds, hot water baths/showers, cable TV (HBO/Cinemax/StarMovies/Animax/etc)... woot!
And a bit of shooting of waves... (1/3sec handheld)
We finally reached Quy Nhon where we checked-in the the bestest room we got on the trip.
Really, all the way we had comfy beds, hot water baths/showers, cable TV (HBO/Cinemax/StarMovies/Animax/etc)... woot!
My Son, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to ruins of the temples/towers of the Champa kingdom of ancient Vietnam. They are a fascination bunch of people, for whom fertility seemed to be the main focus (gotta do more research into them) of their society. Fertility of the land, the people (man and woman)... and hence their lingua or altars so freakishly resemble the male penis and the female vagina.
At My Son (read "Mee Sung"), most of these temples and towers are in ruins or overgrown or both. I felt pained by the treatment the place got from some visitors, especially a family-group of sickening fellow-Singaporeans.
Well, let's enjoy the pictures, shall we.
At My Son (read "Mee Sung"), most of these temples and towers are in ruins or overgrown or both. I felt pained by the treatment the place got from some visitors, especially a family-group of sickening fellow-Singaporeans.
Well, let's enjoy the pictures, shall we.
When we left My Son for Hoi An, I felt a lingering sadness. This was a culture that, like many things Singaporean, may soon become forgotten. Even as their people and economy progresses forward, the beauty of their heritage will soon be forgotten.
As the sun sets, will it herald a better, brighter dawn?
The next day, we continue toward Danang. Along the way, we spotted these old US Air Force revetments.
(Danang was a major US Forces base during the Vietnam War)
Later, we came to Hai Van Pass (read Hai Yun Guan / Sea Cloud Pass)
Glorious sky and breath-taking views...
As the sun sets, will it herald a better, brighter dawn?
The next day, we continue toward Danang. Along the way, we spotted these old US Air Force revetments.
(Danang was a major US Forces base during the Vietnam War)
Later, we came to Hai Van Pass (read Hai Yun Guan / Sea Cloud Pass)
Glorious sky and breath-taking views...
Along the way, we'd stopped at Hoi An, and a host of other places. But to post that amount of photos will certainty crash some PCs trying to view. I'll be nice and just post a very very abbreviated selection (... been doing that so far).
Once again, for those who read some but not the rest - these photos are all shown to you without PhotoShopping or any post-process. Nor were ND filters or polarisers used for any of them.
Back to the story.... we proceeded to Hue, the ancient capital of the central Vietnamese kingdom(s). In more ways than one, here is where we'd see a culture that is so Chinese that you may think you were in Chang An or Cheng Du or something like that. We visited the Citadel of Hue, and the Thien Mu Pagoda, the latter which was, unfortunately, under re-construction. Here are some shots taken within the Citadel, where we spent a whole morning
(given my speed of exploration and for me to clock almost 200 shutters... that is a lot!)
(the pond of carp at the Citadel entrance)
Once again, for those who read some but not the rest - these photos are all shown to you without PhotoShopping or any post-process. Nor were ND filters or polarisers used for any of them.
Back to the story.... we proceeded to Hue, the ancient capital of the central Vietnamese kingdom(s). In more ways than one, here is where we'd see a culture that is so Chinese that you may think you were in Chang An or Cheng Du or something like that. We visited the Citadel of Hue, and the Thien Mu Pagoda, the latter which was, unfortunately, under re-construction. Here are some shots taken within the Citadel, where we spent a whole morning
(given my speed of exploration and for me to clock almost 200 shutters... that is a lot!)
(the pond of carp at the Citadel entrance)
After Hue, it was a journey back to the south.
This was before we settled down for the night at Tam Quan
Morning in the sleepy town of Tam Quan, the youngsters go to school
Others work the padi fields
And "baaaaa...."
I didn't take much photos then, not only because we were in a moving vehicle most of the time, but also because I kind of had photo fatigue? Hmmmm... that wasn't so good.
Later, when we arrived in Binh Duong province. This is the place where the VSIP (Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park) is located. Amazingly unlike the place I had left 10 years ago, Binh Duong (it was called Song Be back then...) is now so developed, with bustling crowds and big buildings along Highway 13, itself a major highway that appeared to be wider and greater than 1A, the North-South Highway that linked HCMC to Hanoi. Wow!
A pic of the busy life along Highway 13
This was before we settled down for the night at Tam Quan
Morning in the sleepy town of Tam Quan, the youngsters go to school
Others work the padi fields
And "baaaaa...."
I didn't take much photos then, not only because we were in a moving vehicle most of the time, but also because I kind of had photo fatigue? Hmmmm... that wasn't so good.
Later, when we arrived in Binh Duong province. This is the place where the VSIP (Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park) is located. Amazingly unlike the place I had left 10 years ago, Binh Duong (it was called Song Be back then...) is now so developed, with bustling crowds and big buildings along Highway 13, itself a major highway that appeared to be wider and greater than 1A, the North-South Highway that linked HCMC to Hanoi. Wow!
A pic of the busy life along Highway 13
Cao Dai - the "cult" religion that I had been hearing about since 1994 when I first stepped on Vietnam soil. And now I finally get a chance to see it up close (relatively speaking). A faith that embraces tenets of Judaism, a touch of Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucian teachings, Taoism and a hodge-podge of things from east and west.
Here is their women-only temple
And the temple for men only
The priests and the worshippers after morning prayer (visitors are not allowed to view)
BTW, the 3 coloured robes represent priests of the 3 major sub-faiths - Buddhism, Christianity and Taoism.
The main temple hall
Here is their women-only temple
And the temple for men only
The priests and the worshippers after morning prayer (visitors are not allowed to view)
BTW, the 3 coloured robes represent priests of the 3 major sub-faiths - Buddhism, Christianity and Taoism.
The main temple hall
Look closely at their "deities"...
You have this Nativity figure
Following this figure
To this tower. Go figure.
We were lucky to have one of the elders of the temple share with us about the faith and their temples. An eye-opener considering how their faith actually embraces across all the major common religions. A later correspondence with a local friend revealed even more - their prayer times is something adapted from Islam. Okay, that'd really make this one stop worth going to.
(note : I'd researched a lot into Cao Dai before making this trip, and even after the trip, as this is something which I personally wanted to see.)
You have this Nativity figure
Following this figure
To this tower. Go figure.
We were lucky to have one of the elders of the temple share with us about the faith and their temples. An eye-opener considering how their faith actually embraces across all the major common religions. A later correspondence with a local friend revealed even more - their prayer times is something adapted from Islam. Okay, that'd really make this one stop worth going to.
(note : I'd researched a lot into Cao Dai before making this trip, and even after the trip, as this is something which I personally wanted to see.)
Time to grab a decent breakfast along the way. We got that in the form of Trang Bang Bun Bo... A different interpretation of the bun bo we tasted elsewhere.
After that we continued to Vinh Long to board the RPL for our river crossing to Can Tho. Vehicles and people would cross on such a ferry.
The view from our room balcony, of our hotel in Can Tho, which happens to be just a 5-min stroll from the River.
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.
.
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And our air-con which you press the button which says "Mightiness" and the funny icon you see appear.
What it does, I have no idea. We had a good time laughing at our interpretations though.
After that we continued to Vinh Long to board the RPL for our river crossing to Can Tho. Vehicles and people would cross on such a ferry.
The view from our room balcony, of our hotel in Can Tho, which happens to be just a 5-min stroll from the River.
.
.
.
.
And our air-con which you press the button which says "Mightiness" and the funny icon you see appear.
What it does, I have no idea. We had a good time laughing at our interpretations though.
It's late. I'll be leaving for work first, and shall continue to post the rest tonight.
Meanwhile, enjoy the photos.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Great thank you for sharing.
MichaelLee
Senior Member
great pic and good write up, it inspire me to visit Vietnam again. thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:
Stoned
Senior Member
Thank you for viewing and the kind comments.
Stoned & bonboncat - patience, more to come.
wong_se & asterixsg - I do intend to return to Vietnam for another visit, hopefully within the next 12 months. It will be a similar, albeit shorter route, as there are places off the beaten track I wish to visit next time around.
Just a bit of off-topic here - for a 13-day trip, I did close to 2,400 shutters, with 75% of them being double-shots off the same scene/framing. Though that may seem ridiculously little for some, it is a lot for me. I told myself not to consume beyond my CF cards on hand, even though one of our group had a Digimate 60Gb. All my shots were taken in Fine-Jpeg, no post-processing except for the one picture indicated.
* * * * * * * * *
Back to the pix -
Finally, we got to the part of our trip where I enjoyed myself the most, the Song Me Cong, a.k.a. Mekong River. At 6.00am we headed to the river bank for our ride...
Really, starting out as the sun rises...
We get to see the waking sights of people by the docks...
Leaving for a shoot now, shall add more later this weekend.
Stoned & bonboncat - patience, more to come.
wong_se & asterixsg - I do intend to return to Vietnam for another visit, hopefully within the next 12 months. It will be a similar, albeit shorter route, as there are places off the beaten track I wish to visit next time around.
Just a bit of off-topic here - for a 13-day trip, I did close to 2,400 shutters, with 75% of them being double-shots off the same scene/framing. Though that may seem ridiculously little for some, it is a lot for me. I told myself not to consume beyond my CF cards on hand, even though one of our group had a Digimate 60Gb. All my shots were taken in Fine-Jpeg, no post-processing except for the one picture indicated.
* * * * * * * * *
Back to the pix -
Finally, we got to the part of our trip where I enjoyed myself the most, the Song Me Cong, a.k.a. Mekong River. At 6.00am we headed to the river bank for our ride...
Really, starting out as the sun rises...
We get to see the waking sights of people by the docks...
Leaving for a shoot now, shall add more later this weekend.
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