A very intense journey: Sophie begings her journey in Hanoi (a town of 3 millions of inhabitants in 2008): her guide, Nguyen Manh Ha will show her the Hanoi of the youth: breakdance, rock bands, modern ppainters (in the Maison des Arts): they speak also about the demographic growth of Hanoi: every year about 200.000 persons from the countryside are arriving at Hanoi looking for a better future; a street vendor, Tuyet explains her daily life selling pancakes (Banh Cuon).
I enjoyed also the visit of the Temple of the Mountain, the street of the 36 corporations, the Temple of the Litterature (where the calligrapher Le Do Viet Son shows his calligraphy), the theater with the puppets on the water and the visit of a traditional Vietnamese house. From Hanoi Sophie and Ha go to Hoa Lu (the terrestrial Halong Bay), the capital of the Vietnamese kingdom: mountains, caves, rice fields. Then another excursion to Sapa: on the market place people of the local ethnic groups have come to sell their products, they show their nicest clothes (each ethnic minority has its own colours). In a small Hmong village Sophie and Ha can visit a primary school and know that that the Hmong have been evangelized and are now Catholics. Third travel to Hue, a town with a geat past; the historian Phan Thuan An explains the interest of the people of Hue for their history; they are familie of musicians, of founders and sculptors for exampleAt the night the people of Hue put floating candles in the river. Fourth excursion to the Ha Long Bay (Unesco World eritage site) , hundred of islands, floating villages, fishermen and the visit of the Cave of the Surprise on the Titov Island with the guide Pham Thi Nhung who explains the story of the cave.
I enjoyed very much these very different landscapes of Vietnam and the kindness of the Vietnamese people.