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At the weekend Sapa throngs with the indigenous peoples who live in the mountains. Here groups of Black H'mong girls chat as the walk along the street.

Gow, a twenty year old Black Hmong woman standing by the lake in Sapa.  Tami wearing the traditional dress of the Red Dzao chats to us about her daily life.

The road over the highest mountain pass in Vietnam, 1,900 metres above sea level.  Standing beside our Russian made 4×4 on the mountain road.

Sapa Town sparkling in the sunshine. In the background is Fanxipan the highest mountain in Vietnam. The mountain scenery around Sapa was exhilarating.  This is an excellent area for trekking and mountain climbing.

Margaret sitting in our comfortable two berth railway compartment.  Allan relaxing on the balcony of our hotel with the mountains in the background.

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Where we were:

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Halong Bay is probably the highlight of a visit to Vietnam in terms of wonderful scenery and an area of outstanding natural beauty.

There are estimated to be 1969 limestone towers or islands reaching vertically out of the greenish water.  When we visited the sky was clear and sunny giving us a magnificent view of the bay.

Vistors can travel out on a day boat. It is probably best however to spend at least one night on the bay in the many replica junks.  Some overnight boats offer nice accommodation whilst those at the cheaper end of the scale are dire.

Cruises are organised by almost every hotel and travel agency in Hanoi. However the cheaper back packer hotels may cheat travellers by booking them onto cheaper cruises than they intended. Be careful, it is better to book directly with the cruise line. 

Sunset on Halong Bay is an unforgetable experience.

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Where we were:

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The Perfume Pagoda, about 60km from Hamoi, is approached by boat up the beautiful Red River Valley.

The Pagoda is perched high up in a mountain cave reachable after a two hour hike up a rocky path or by using the cable car.