Michael Powell's Blog, page 26

The Twin Mountains of Tam Sơn

After arriving in Tam Sơn on the first day of our tour around Ha Giang, and before settling into our homestay, we took a trip to a nearby village famed for its linen making. Along the way, we traveled through a valley of stunning beauty, past a pair of hills known as the Twin Mountains.

After parking our motorbikes, we ran up a hundred stairs to reach the viewpoint for the Twin Mountains. And I do mean “ran”. This was a cloudy day, and although the sun was shining when we got off our bikes,...

Our First Day in Ha Giang

As soon as our four-day tour of the Ha Giang province began, we knew that the trip was going to be special. From far-flung villages and colorful local markets, to rice workers and buffalo boys, we saw so many amazing sights just on the first day, that it was almost overwhelming.

The bus from Hanoi to Ha Giang took eight hours, and we arrived in the evening. Our tour would be starting in the morning, and we were immediately sorry to have not scheduled more time in the town of Ha Giang itself....

The Ha Giang Loop … with Chu Chu

Our final adventure in Vietnam would be a four-day loop around the northern province of Ha Giang. This is one of the least-populated and least-visited areas in the country, so we thought it would be best to hire a guide. After doing a ton of research, we decided upon a Ha Giang local named Chu Chu … and we couldn’t have made a better choice.

Chu Chu hails from a small village near Ha Giang, and his people are the Tày, one of Vietnam’s many ethnic minorities. We hired him directly, without us...

The Bát Tràng Pottery Village

Just to the southwest of the city center lies Bát Tràng, a village which has been making ceramics for centuries. We spent a day here, touring a factory and admiring the ceramics being sold in just about every store in town.

Before arriving in Vietnam, the idea that an entire village might produce specific items was bizarre to us. But Hanoi is surrounded by hundreds of craft villages, each of which is historically responsible for a specific craft. The most well-known product in my home town o...

A Downtown Waterfall in Tam Đảo

We had already finished with Tam Đảo, and were actually on the way back to our hotel to pack up, when we walked right past the entrance to the Thác Bạc waterfall. Oh, that’s right! The town’s most popular attraction, and we had almost forgotten about it entirely. Looks like we weren’t finished with Tam Đảo quite yet…

If it hadn’t been for the large number of people passing through the gate to the Thác Bạc waterfall, we’d have walked right by. But we followed the crowds down a steep flight of...

A Walk Through Bamboo Forests to Tam Đảo’s Mountain and Temple

The best (and only?) reason to visit a place like Tam Đảo is the opportunity to immerse yourself in nature. Get some exercise, breathe fresh air, and shrug off the stress of the big city. To this end, we took a walk through a bamboo forest along a challenging path, and also visited the town’s main temple.

Tam Đảo is a cute little town, and friendly enough, but it’s rather hard to come by information. We asked a few people how to ascend the mountain, but received just silent smiles in respons...

A Trip to Tam Đảo

Founded by the French in 1907 as a retreat from the summer heat of Hanoi, the little town of Tam Đảo is found high in the hills, near a national park which shares its name. Today, it’s a popular place for Hanoians to cool off and enjoy some nature. We decided to hop on a bus, and spend the night in town.

Tam Đảo reminded us of Dalat, in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, and it has a similar history. Both were built as retreats by the French, who were unaccustomed to the tropical heat of their new...

Hanoi Creative City

A building dedicated to hip clothing shops, internet startups, art projects, and international cuisine, Hanoi Creative City (or HCC) is a unique addition to the capital’s cultural scene. We spent a few hours there, trying to fit in with the ambitious young entrepreneurs and artists.

We didn’t know much about Creative City before arriving, but were drawn by the name and the concept. A huge 20-story high-rise completely given over to the arts and creative ventures, it sounded like something th...

Backstage at a Water Puppet Show

Our trip to Ha Long Bay included a Water Puppet performance on the way back to Hanoi. Jürgen and I had

While watching the show in Saigon at the Golden Dragon theater, we had wondered about the mechanics of water puppetry. The basic concept was simple enough: puppets attached to long bamboo poles, manipulated from behind a screen by a group of men and...

The Fish Market of Ha Long

We were really just looking for breakfast. After a horrible night of sleep in the City Palace Hotel (which we can’t recommend), we stumbled out onto the streets of Ha Long, hoping to find a quick bánh mì and get a couple hours of work in, before our trip back to Hanoi. But then, we came upon the wharves and the fish market of Ha Long. Breakfast could wait.

Before entering the market hall, we had to get past its two beefy door guards. These guys were sitting on stools facing each other, with...