Generals of Vietnam

Whilst the boys were admiring weaponry at the War Museum in Hanoi I was intrigued with these "bronze fellas."

                            I was literally mesmerised by their definitive features.
                            I wondered what their presence would feel like.

Maybe I will find out one day?

                     This man reminded me of my grandpa. Such strength with a hint of tenderness.

                            And this man was in a separate section to the others. He was a musician.

Wooden Stamps

The Rudster was out one afternoon in Hanoi with the kids and came across this local artist who carved the loveliest stamps and had one made for each of us.

My lovely "Y"

These were 30cm x 30cm and quite intricate in design

Hoi An

Hoi is best known as the "town of tailors." My boys had 5 suits made here between them and the choice of fabrics was "to die for." They ended up getting their suits made in various styles and colours and chose wool cashmere as it's such a gorgeous weight and is great for all seasons. Apart from this precious commodity it also has the most mesmerising architecture with it's beautiful facades of muted colours. It's an Ancient Town, very mysterious and steeped in not only Vietnamese culture but also the French and Japanese influence is ever so present which is a delight to the senses!

My journey through the splendrous Vietnam

Our overnight graveyard flight into Darwin saw us arriving at 2am in the morning so we opted for a short bus trip into the CBD and a few hours sleep at the backpackers before we headed out for breakfast and coffee. We were a-buzz with excitement and it was topped off with drinks at the local watering hole.

The Rudster, Jude, Ben  and my boy, Ky

We landed in Saigon late in the evening. The air was thick, humid and very electric. There was a height of activity and we sensed this was not the kind of place that "sleeps." 

Cruising on the Mekong on a sampan

Our first day in Saigon we took a trip out to the Mekong Delta which is about 3 hours south of Saigon. It was a great introduction to Vietnam as we saw the landscape changing quickly with many rice paddies. For our first meal we had deep fried Elephant fish, rice noodles and greens.



Medicinal herbs drying in the sun

Jackfruit

We also visited an amazing marble factory where they make these incredible tubs for bathing. Each one was distinctively exquisite.

Brave girl or crazy girl?!

Our ride

Canna Lilies

Cruising across The Mekong

I loved the idea of how they placed all of their herbs in big pots all in a row.