Hanoi. Once a war torn city that was subject to the fire and flames of war, now it is a commerce center for eastern Pacific Rim. This city is a thriving center for the country of Vietnam, full of surprises, cultural heritage, and exotic landscapes. It is amazing how the resiliency of humanity shows itself. Often bombed during the Vietnam war, the infrastructure of Hanoi was completely destroyed. But this city has survived worse.
Hanoi has the imprints of a town which has been ruled by many, and each ruler has left a foot print on the town. Beginning with Ly Thai To, the 1st Ruler of the Ly Dynasty, Hanoi has been renamed and reconstructed many times. In 1408, the Chinese from the Ming Dynasty attacked, and brought with them many of the advances the Chinese had, as well as some of the culture the Chinese have been observed for. Following the Chinese example, other Dynasties attacked and slipped, the Jap attacked, the French occupied the city, and lastly the United States tried to destroy it. Each of these foreign powers left its mark on this remarkable town. Some left Pagodas. Some left Statues. Some left architectural styles. Each one of them give a unique flavour to the city of Hanoi.
Vietnam travel is a rising industry in the country. Tourism is rising because people are starting to notice the wonderful thing about a nation that has lain undiscovered for so long. One of the most stunning of these locations, Ha Long Bay, is a wonderous sight of limestone wonder. Towers of rock stand as many sentinels for a bay of human inhabitants. The water inside the bay is phenomenally calm, the unsettled sea buffered by the towers of limestone that stand tall in the sea. The formation of this geographical marvel is an intriguing one. The towers are made from limestone, a rock that is easily eroded by water. Vietnam is a particularly wet area, during monsoon season, with top rainfall reaching thirteen inches in the month of July. This immense amount of rain causes rapid run off and assimilation into the ground. The water filters through the ground into underground aquifers that run through much of Vietnam's underground, and is carried by the aquifers out to the sea. What's engaging though is the run off in the run off in the underground caverns takes some of the limestone on the walls with it. This erosion process slowly whittles down the support for the roofs of these aquifers, and eventually the ground above the underground streams collapses into sink holes. When many of these sink holes are made near one another, they can become crammed with water and become lakes. These lakes can at last connect to the ocean, and when this occurs you get strange rock formations, with massive towers surrounding lakes that were once sink holes.
Vietnam travel can be exceptionally rewarding for those that take the time to do their research. You get in what you get out, or so the saying goes. Those that put in the time to get a great Vietnam travel trip may not be disappointed. Vietnam is a beautiful, maybe quixotic landscape, with a folks who know the importance of treating holiday makers well. After being under an embargo from the US and much of Europe for many years, Vietnam knows what its like to be isolated. To travel there now and see what takes place when capitalism is let in and then left alone, it's actually a fantastic experience. This once backward country is now on the upward swing, with manufacturing and trade up more now than ever. Vietnam travel is an amazing education experience. I would not miss it.
