warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
And here's our fearless captain
[RD] Backpacking Việt Nam (2019)
- Thread starter warpus
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warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Most of it was figured out and booked on the go, although the decision to start in Hanoi (in the north) and fly home from Ho Chi Minh City (in the south) limited my options along the way. I also had a beach hut booked to relax in closer to the end of the trip, but other than that (and the accommodations in Hanoi), everything was booked on the go.
I usually do lots of research ahead of time, so when I was in Hanoi I knew that I would probably want to visit Ha Long Bay next and then make my way south.. but I hadn't yet worked out any of the details.. I also did not have Ninh Binh on my radar at the time and figured I would probably jump on a bus to Hue (or Hoi An) after returning from Ha Long Bay, or maybe go on a side trip to Sa Pa. Instead I found out about Ninh Binh and got a recommendation to take a bus there from the Ha Long Bay City harbour. So I spent some time reading about Ninh Binh and what to do/see there and figured out the optimal part of the city to stay in. I booked my Ninh Binh accommodation right from the cruise, that part was always super easy in Vietnam. I stuck to the Booking.com app for the most part and had no problems booking central last minute accommodations (usually for less than $20 CAD a night)
Once I arrived in Ninh Binh I found my homestay hosts to be very helpful and accommodating. After getting settled I went downstairs to get some advice, which is when I found out that it would probably be optimal to pay their cousin (and/or friend) to drive me around to see the top sights the next day. We looked at a map beforehand (and with the driver the next day as well) just to make sure we were on the same page.. The route was probably fairly standard to be honest.
Figuring out what to do in a city like Hue was a bit more obvious, as the Imperial City is the main draw there. I enjoy walking quite a bit, so it was a sort of no brainer that I would spend my first day in Hue walking around the Imperial City. Elsewhere it was a matter of putting potential points of interest on a map (ahead of time) to then easily look up on the road, when deciding where to go next. I also always asked my homestay hosts for tips, as that usually meant a bunch of random pamphlets for me to look through, restaurant advice, and sometimes lazy day dragon boat tour ideas.
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warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Pagoda of the Celestial Lady
Chùa Thiên Mụ
This iconic seven-story pagoda was built in 1601 and is regarded as the unofficial symbol of Huế. It's located on the northern bank of the Perfume River at the very western edge of the city, about 6km west of the Imperial City.
The legend associated with this pagoda speaks of a "Celestial Lady" dressed in red and blue, who sat at the site and predicted the construction of the pagoda, later disappearing. The site now contains a set of temples and other Buddhist structures that have been built and expanded over the years.
Chùa Thiên Mụ
This iconic seven-story pagoda was built in 1601 and is regarded as the unofficial symbol of Huế. It's located on the northern bank of the Perfume River at the very western edge of the city, about 6km west of the Imperial City.
The legend associated with this pagoda speaks of a "Celestial Lady" dressed in red and blue, who sat at the site and predicted the construction of the pagoda, later disappearing. The site now contains a set of temples and other Buddhist structures that have been built and expanded over the years.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
The Self-immolation of Thích Quảng Đức
Walking around the Celestial Lady Pagoda & Temple grounds I came across a very interesting piece of history - the car that Thích Quảng Đức used to travel from Hue to Ho Chi Minh City in 1963 to protest against the oppression of Buddhists in the country.
The photograph of Thích Quảng Đức's subsequent self-immolation with the car in the background sent chills down my spine, as I stood there staring at the car. I've seen that photograph so many times before.. and the car was always there, and yet it was easy to not really notice or think about it. Now it was standing right in front of me.. It made the other aspects of the photograph feel a lot more real as well.
At the time Vietnam was undergoing a period of instability known as The Buddhist Crisis. Roman Catholic president Ngô Đình Diệm and his government had passed several repressive measures such as the banning of the Buddhist flag, leading to periods of civil unrest (led mainly by Buddhist monks).
The spark for the crisis was the shooting and death of nine unarmed civilians in Huế, who were protesting against the government's anti-Buddhist measures. About a month later Thích Quảng Đức had made his way to Ho Chi Minh City in the above Austin Westminster sedan. He got out of the car a few blocks southwest of the Presidential Palace along with two other monks, who helped him get seated on a cushion on the road. One of the monks took a five-gallon petrol can out of the trunk and poured it over Quảng Đức's head, as he sat on the cushion in a traditional meditative lotus position. Quảng Đức rotated a string of wooden prayer beads, recited the Homage to Amitābha Buddha, then struck a match and dropped it on himself.
Thích Quảng Đức's last words were written down in a letter he had left:
"Before closing my eyes and moving towards the vision of the Buddha, I respectfully plead to President Ngô Đình Diệm to take a mind of compassion towards the people of the nation and implement religious equality to maintain the strength of the homeland eternally. I call the venerables, reverends, members of the sangha and the lay Buddhists to organize in solidarity to make sacrifices to protect Buddhism."
This act increased international pressure on the South Vietnamese government and President Ngô Đình Diệm did go on to make a national radio broadcast later that evening.. but in the end promised reforms were not implemented and the crisis continued. Five more Buddhist monks self-immolated before the year was over.
President Ngô Đình Diệm was deposed and assassinated during a military coup before the year was over as well. This put an end to the Buddhist Crisis, at least on paper.
Walking around the Celestial Lady Pagoda & Temple grounds I came across a very interesting piece of history - the car that Thích Quảng Đức used to travel from Hue to Ho Chi Minh City in 1963 to protest against the oppression of Buddhists in the country.
The photograph of Thích Quảng Đức's subsequent self-immolation with the car in the background sent chills down my spine, as I stood there staring at the car. I've seen that photograph so many times before.. and the car was always there, and yet it was easy to not really notice or think about it. Now it was standing right in front of me.. It made the other aspects of the photograph feel a lot more real as well.
At the time Vietnam was undergoing a period of instability known as The Buddhist Crisis. Roman Catholic president Ngô Đình Diệm and his government had passed several repressive measures such as the banning of the Buddhist flag, leading to periods of civil unrest (led mainly by Buddhist monks).
The spark for the crisis was the shooting and death of nine unarmed civilians in Huế, who were protesting against the government's anti-Buddhist measures. About a month later Thích Quảng Đức had made his way to Ho Chi Minh City in the above Austin Westminster sedan. He got out of the car a few blocks southwest of the Presidential Palace along with two other monks, who helped him get seated on a cushion on the road. One of the monks took a five-gallon petrol can out of the trunk and poured it over Quảng Đức's head, as he sat on the cushion in a traditional meditative lotus position. Quảng Đức rotated a string of wooden prayer beads, recited the Homage to Amitābha Buddha, then struck a match and dropped it on himself.
Thích Quảng Đức's last words were written down in a letter he had left:
"Before closing my eyes and moving towards the vision of the Buddha, I respectfully plead to President Ngô Đình Diệm to take a mind of compassion towards the people of the nation and implement religious equality to maintain the strength of the homeland eternally. I call the venerables, reverends, members of the sangha and the lay Buddhists to organize in solidarity to make sacrifices to protect Buddhism."
This act increased international pressure on the South Vietnamese government and President Ngô Đình Diệm did go on to make a national radio broadcast later that evening.. but in the end promised reforms were not implemented and the crisis continued. Five more Buddhist monks self-immolated before the year was over.
President Ngô Đình Diệm was deposed and assassinated during a military coup before the year was over as well. This put an end to the Buddhist Crisis, at least on paper.
FriendlyFire
Codex WMDicanious
This was a perfect time for the US to step in with a removal of the military government and installation of a competent Democratic system. I say this with the benefit of hindsight of course
Essentially there was a huge failure by the US to understand the country, culture and type of war
Essentially there was a huge failure by the US to understand the country, culture and type of war
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
I did read that the military coup was backed by the CIA, but didn't really know enough to comment on that. It seems that the coup was backed by the U.S. because the anti-Buddhist measures were not very popular in the west, but I suspected that there were other reasons as well and did not want to speculate.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mạng
Minh Mạng was the second emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, ruling from 1820 until 1841. He was known for his opposition to French involvement and colonization efforts in Vietnam, as well as being a strict follower of orthodox Confucianism. He banned foreign missionaries from entering Vietnam in 1825 and in later years even had some French Catholic missionaries sentenced to death.
The mausoleum is well outside of city limits; the boat ride there took us about 15 km upstream. The site is marked with an (8) on the following map.
The mausoleum contains many structures, including temples, pavilions, and palaces. Above you can see the Minh Lau Pavilion, which translates to Pavilion of Light.
The above is not my photo, but it shows you what all of this looks like from above. In the background you you can see the Perfume river.
Minh Mạng was the second emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, ruling from 1820 until 1841. He was known for his opposition to French involvement and colonization efforts in Vietnam, as well as being a strict follower of orthodox Confucianism. He banned foreign missionaries from entering Vietnam in 1825 and in later years even had some French Catholic missionaries sentenced to death.
The mausoleum is well outside of city limits; the boat ride there took us about 15 km upstream. The site is marked with an (8) on the following map.
The mausoleum contains many structures, including temples, pavilions, and palaces. Above you can see the Minh Lau Pavilion, which translates to Pavilion of Light.
The above is not my photo, but it shows you what all of this looks like from above. In the background you you can see the Perfume river.
FriendlyFire
Codex WMDicanious
The US government prefer the stability of an existing Military dictatorship government. The issues with the existing government with corruption, unpopularity, incompetence which essentially the US had been trying to correct was in the end never able to fix
A popular civil uprising and peaceful removal of the Military dictatorship (with US pressure / bribes) would have been the right move to make. Instead the US stood by while the Military crushed the movement
Again thats with the benefit of hindsight
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Minh Mạng Mausoleum
The tomb of the emperor is located somewhere behind this gate. From what I remember it is never opened, at least to tourists.
Here's a couple more photos from the mausoleum grounds:
The tomb of the emperor is located somewhere behind this gate. From what I remember it is never opened, at least to tourists.
Here's a couple more photos from the mausoleum grounds:
CGI makes it easy....
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
They were fairly tall but it seems tough to find any information on them. Here's a google street view that will give you a better sense of scale.
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warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Kinh Vạn An
Kinh Vạn An is a traditional Vietnamese martial art that used to be practiced by royal guards of the Nguyễn dynasty. One of the stops on the dragon boat tour was a Kinh Vạn An school for orphans that puts on regular performances for tourists. From what I understand the dojo at the school (Trương Quang Kim) is well known and respected for not only being a master of the craft, but also for providing orphans with such an opportunity.
The photo behind the performers is of Trương Quang Kim, the dojo.
Kinh Vạn An is a traditional Vietnamese martial art that used to be practiced by royal guards of the Nguyễn dynasty. One of the stops on the dragon boat tour was a Kinh Vạn An school for orphans that puts on regular performances for tourists. From what I understand the dojo at the school (Trương Quang Kim) is well known and respected for not only being a master of the craft, but also for providing orphans with such an opportunity.
The photo behind the performers is of Trương Quang Kim, the dojo.
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warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
There were individual performances, as well as mock bouts involving various weapons, the breaking of bricks and other objects, and an interesting demonstration involving a spear.
The metal tip of a spear was presented to the audience so that some of us could verify that the metal tip was the real deal. As far as I could tell it was.
The spear tip was then placed on the throat of one of the performers and pushed up against it until the spear bent. There were gasps from the audience throughout the performance. I could not really stand to watch the whole thing, although I knew that this has probably been done here countless of times without an incident. I suspect the spear is placed strategically against a bone, but to be honest I do not really know how this was done. After the performance we were able to see the mark on his throat where the spear was placed, and from what I remember it was close to his adam's apple. It was on one of those things I couldn't really watch without flinching a bit, so I'm putting the image behind a spoiler, even though there isn't really anything graphic there.
The metal tip of a spear was presented to the audience so that some of us could verify that the metal tip was the real deal. As far as I could tell it was.
The spear tip was then placed on the throat of one of the performers and pushed up against it until the spear bent. There were gasps from the audience throughout the performance. I could not really stand to watch the whole thing, although I knew that this has probably been done here countless of times without an incident. I suspect the spear is placed strategically against a bone, but to be honest I do not really know how this was done. After the performance we were able to see the mark on his throat where the spear was placed, and from what I remember it was close to his adam's apple. It was on one of those things I couldn't really watch without flinching a bit, so I'm putting the image behind a spoiler, even though there isn't really anything graphic there.
Spoiler :
warpus
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The Tomb of Khải Định
Khải Định was the 12th Nguyễn Emperor, reigning from 1916 to 1925. He was quite unpopular in Vietnam since he was viewed as being nothing more than a salaried employee of the French government.
Before his death the emperor travelled to France and was likely influenced by the architecture and culture there, which is why the tomb complex contains a mix of western and eastern architecture styles. Wikipedia lists the tomb as having a mix of Roman, Gothique, Buddhist, and Hindu architecture styles.
This was the next stop on our dragon boat tour of the Perfume river.
Khải Định was the 12th Nguyễn Emperor, reigning from 1916 to 1925. He was quite unpopular in Vietnam since he was viewed as being nothing more than a salaried employee of the French government.
Before his death the emperor travelled to France and was likely influenced by the architecture and culture there, which is why the tomb complex contains a mix of western and eastern architecture styles. Wikipedia lists the tomb as having a mix of Roman, Gothique, Buddhist, and Hindu architecture styles.
This was the next stop on our dragon boat tour of the Perfume river.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Khải Thành Palace is the structure that contains Khải Định's grave as well as a statue of his likeness that was cast in Marseilles. Glass and porcelain decorations adorn the ceiling and walls.
This tomb and all the associated structures do not take up nearly as much space as the tombs of past Vietnamese emperors. Everything seems so intricate and detailed though, it was a really interesting site to see.
This tomb and all the associated structures do not take up nearly as much space as the tombs of past Vietnamese emperors. Everything seems so intricate and detailed though, it was a really interesting site to see.
FriendlyFire
Codex WMDicanious
I spy Adidas shoes lol
Vietnam is a pretty small country, could you have rented a car and driven from north to south?
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