A Dyeing Art

The making of H’mong batik Up in the misty mountains of the Lao Cai district in northern Vietnam, H’mong women in the Sapa area have perfected a technique for making deep, rich, blue hemp textiles decorated with intricate designs. These fabrics have been produced for generations and the first time you see them, they are fascinating for … Read more

Surprising Sapa

Around every corner is something that you have never seen or maybe never experienced before. To visit Sapa or the surrounding districts is to step into another world. Sometimes, it doesn’t even feel like you are still in Vietnam. Elevated, ethereal, energizing, exotic, Sapa took me by surprise. I imagined some kind of French style, … Read more

Joie de Vivre!

A little corner of Paris in Hanoi. “Let’s meet outside the ‘big church’ near the lake,” I said. What a surprise I received when I arrived. On previous visits to Hanoi I had somehow managed to miss St. Joseph’s Cathedral. I must have been too busy being dragged around the ‘big’ tourist spots or losing my … Read more

A Dragon, a Turtle and a Carp

Folklore immortalized in broken pottery. There is a wonderful piece of mythological sculpture in a temple garden in Hoi An that I visit every time I go to the Old Town. It stands in the forecourt of the Quang Trieu Assembly Hall and is truly one of the finest examples of folk mosaic I have … Read more

Big Sky Vietnam

She walks around all day with her head in the clouds Walking along the thronging streets of Saigon we are always assaulted by the myriad of sights, sounds and smells of street life. The social gatherings spilling out of cafes, wonderstruck tourists grouped to check maps or take photos, food vendors, shoppers, office workers, traffic police, shoe repairers and lottery ticket touts. As you … Read more