Andrew's Family in Saigon - Vietnam - June 2023

 Andrew, Jen, Carter and Sawyer arrived at Tan Son Nhut airport the evening of June 14. We are very happy that they made it to Vietnam. It has been a long-time awaiting trip. Carter and Sawyer can finally see Saigon where their grandma came from and some part of the country as well.

Midnight arrival in Tan Son Nhut, Saigon

Our favorite 24/7 cafe on first floor of our hotel.

Heading out to Ben Thanh Market for breakfast.

Breakfast in the food court.

The central post office

The Notre Dame Cathedral under renovation

Popular circle at Le Duan Boulevard which connects the former Presidential Palace and the zoo.

The US Consulate General on Le Duan Boulevard, the former US Embassy before April 30, 1975.


At one of the corner where our hotel is located, the busy intersection of 6 boulevards. 

Good location at the intersection for photo op.


That's what we see at night.




Guess who was there on the street?

It was quite hot and humid this time of year in Saigon. But, we want to take a walk one afternoon to my old neighborhood on Co Giang street despite the summer heat. 


Linh Son temple is still here. I used to pass this temple on the way to the market or to school.


The Buddha in the front of Linh Son Temple was very famous once in early in the 1960s. It was believed that the Buddha shed some tears during the monks' protests.


The alley next to Linh Son Temple is very bright, clean and neat with nicel artwork on the wall.


An alley near my old house.


A new construction at my old house, 195 Co Giang Street, district 1, Saigon.

Pictured with Cuc, my favorite childhood friend. Cuc is still living in the house she's growing up. The address is: 210 Co Giang Street, across from my old house. I stop by to see her every time I come to Saigon.

Ba Be Lake, Bac Kan Province - Vietnam - June 2023

 Ba Be Lake is our last stop before returning to Ha Noi. It was a very pleasant day and Ba Be Lake was not too far from the hotel. 

Ba Be means Three Oceans. Thus, it is appropriate to call this largest natural lake in Vietnam Ba Be (Lake).  The lake is in Ba Be National Park, home of the Tay, the Dao and the Hmong ethnic minorities. The park, a national heritage site, considered by many, the best trekking areas in the north of Vietnam and still much protected from mass tourism. The variety of scenery is impressive with rich vegetation, fertile rice fields, towering mountains and the spectacular Ba Be Lake. The best way to explore the breathtaking beauty of Ba Be Lake is by small boat. We can get up close to the karst mountains and slip into small caves. 

With a Tay villager

Ba Be Lake entrance

The pier at Ba Be Lake where we caught a boat for lake sightseeing.

Small cave 

A shrine on an island we visited

We were back to Ha Noi the same evening. The next day was our last day in Ha Noi before leaving for Saigon . 

One of my favorite breakfast, Thanh Tri rice rolls

Paul's favorite breakfast, Pho.

 

A fruit peddler in front of our hotel 

Hang Hanh street. Our hotel on the left.

In front of the hotel. We stayed on the 7th floor. the first floor is an optical shop.

The front of our hotel and Hang Hanh street had a different sight in the early morning the day we left Ha Noi. The Spa unit, second door to our right had an electrical fire around 3:00am. We were evacuated from our building. 

 

Fire trucks to the rescue!

Ha Noi domestic airport. 

It was a short flight back to Saigon from Ha Noi. We had a nice visit to Ha Noi and to see many changes in the last fifteen years. We also enjoyed the trips to Ninh Binh, Cao Bang and Bac Can for the first time. We picked the right place to spend some time before Andrerw and family arrived. 

Ban Gioc Waterfall, Nguom Ngao Cave - Cao Bang, Vietnam - June 2023

 On the second day, we headed to the two main attractions of the tour: Ban Gioc Waterfall (Detian Falls) and Nguom Ngao Cave.

We started our day with a tradition hearty breakfast of Cao Bang shortly after we left the hotel.

Banh Cuon Cao Bang (Rice roll): egg and mince meat wrapped in a rice crepe.

Ban Gioc or Detian Falls is a collective name for two waterfalls on the Quay Son River which straddles the border between China (Chongzuo Province) and Vietnam (Cao Bang Province). It is currently the 4th largest waterfall along a national border, after Iguazu Falls, Victoria Falls and Niagara Falls. 

Monument at the falls in Vietnam 

Chinese skywalk over the falls - not yet in operation

The upper fall usually has more water in the afternoon after the water is released.

 Detian's lower fall

The waterfalls in the background from our boat ride.

Our boat captain

Chinese side of the falls

Nguom Ngao Cave is about 15 minute drive from Ban Gioc falls, in a remote area. Even though the Nguom Ngao cave complex covers about 3 km of caves, the tour takes less than an hour to cover about 900 meters. Vietnam is famous for its cave systems with Phong Nha and Thien Duong caves leading the list. We enjoyed exploring these magnificent caves in 2016. This time we are glad to discover one of the most beautiful caves in northern Vietnam called Nguom Ngao while visiting Ban Gioc waterfalls. 

The cave entrance

It is very hot and humid in Vietnam in June. The cave definitely provided a pleasant shelter from the hot sun. Afterwards, we headed to our hotel for the last night of the tour.