On Saturday, a friend of mine arrived to travel one week together  in the north of vietnam. I want to sse the ethnicals minorities, those who leave in the mountains. Actually SAPA is a really famous place for that. Most of the travel agencies offer many tours there. I met lot of foreigners in hanoi, they told me how disapointed they was after this kind of tour. It was cheap but it s not private at all. A bus of tourist arrive in a village, you can imagine...there are more tourists than indigenous. MOreover SAPA is 1400 meter hight, so in winter it s usually rainy and foggy. So I decided to make a private tour in a different place, we rent a four while drive with driver...and a local guide. It pricey but the only mean to be independant with total self reliance. After having a night in the train, we reach lao cai (city at the chineese border). The first day we went to Si mai cai market, and we came back to Bac Ha, in the afternoon we trecked  in the mountains around the rice paddies. People there re not use to see white people.The second day we went in Coc ly market, really muddy, women wore the traditional clothes. Among the minorities, we can find 5 kinds of hmongs, thai minoroties,.... THey don t mix up, they have differents customs. Most of this minortities are from china , they moved in vietnam three centuries ago. We went to assist to a karaoke with your guide, the only entertainenent in the city, you rent a room and you can sing as loud, as long and as off key as you want. That really popular in asia to sing love songs. It s the main attraction on the top of all. On the background on the TV screen you can admire rainfall .They do it so seriously. Who say that france is the most romantic country?

The second night we stayed in homestay. We slept in the same home and same room that thai minorities. Interesting to see how they leave. 3 generations under the same roof. Actually even among them, they don t speak a lot, they don t say hello , bye bye, thanks you, its n t in their culture. They speak their own language. The third day we left Taunegdo village , we came back to hanoi by the night train.  WE left our guide ZIONG, this skimpy guide fussed over us for three days (good cooker , good cultural knowleges). We enjoyed this trip, the only place in vietnam where people approach you without materials morivations., just curious to see foreigners. Many People invited us to have a tea or a shot of happy water.

We carried on our trip by a two days tour in halong bay. Halong bay is the most touristic place in vietnam.... thoussand of stone peaks in the middle of the sea....We slept on the boat, nice athmosphere among the travelers. We made a kayak tour when sunsetting....wonderful. We played cards with the other fellows while drinking whisky. On the boat i take the opportunity to read my china guide book and to prepare my future trip. In halong bay we past a floating village. YOu can find a school in a boat. 

From Hue I went to NInh Binh, i took a night bus, in that bus you don t find seat, only beds.

I get off the bus its 5 oclocl in the morning. I m with an irish couple. we lloked for a cheap hotel till someone suggested us to follow him. i didn t want to take a room , i waited for the day, rent a motocycle. Cau doc (10 km from Ninh Binh) offer the same landscapes that Halong bay...exept that the rocky hills are surronded by rice paddies and rivers, not by the sea. In the afternnon, i m quiet freezing , i decided not to stay in that dirty old town (the pogues)...lets go to hanoi....

I got in hanoi at 5 pm, i took a motocycle taxi to get the guest house, after bargaining i got one room for 8 dollars, staff is groovy. They can make my chinesse visa, it gonna take one week. I spend half day in the clothes shop to buy a new pan, a jacket, socks. It s 10 degree outside (inside too). Hanoi is not so as crowded as HCMH but it s not quiet neither.

I stayed two days at the home of relatives to my brother in law Laurent, it was nice to see how a expat family live in a so crazy city as hanoi. I really apreciated their hospitability and to eat chocolate, sour cream, sweet breakfast, bread....(western food), i use to eat only local food in south east asia . Instead of attended a water puppet show (hanoi speciality), it was full , we went to the circus together.   

I m following my way, always eager to discover more.

I met Yerry a chinese boy, we visited the war museum together, by the way we realized the painfull american atocities against the vietnameses during the war. After we met Anni a friend of him. They are from sanghai, we assisted to the mew year fireworks together.

 Agter saigon, i went to Vung Tau by speed boat. It s plenty of off shore drilling oil there, and two lovely beaches. There re a russian community there, working in the offshore platforms to extract oil. Amazing to see a russian supermarcket in vietnam.

On wednesday (the 1st day of the year for asiatics) i walked around, people was gathered for familly meeting. two famillies invited me to have a beer (viewing that i was alone for the holy day), at last i met youngs people they invited me to join us to have the dinner, we ate  banchung, kind of steam rice boiled for 10 hours.

This week , vietnamese are burning false dollar note in the street, for luckyness.

I had the week end in Nga Trang, I had my first mud bath...i didn t notice any change in my skin after that....indeed there, you can find hot spring water.

I took a night bus to HUe (city situated more or less in the center of vietnam).   In hue I made a tour in motobike with an english boy Simon. He has been 6 months travelling. He gave me good tips. IN hue there re lot of historic  sightseeings (pagoda, a forbiden city like in Beejin, old briges,....).

Actually I ve been one month and half travelling with warm weather. Around 30 degrees. It s over. From Nga trang to Hue, we past from 30 degrees to 15. In HUe it s raining. I put it back my pull over, coat , scarf. Actually ifeverything goes weel , I plan to take it off (pull overm scarf,....) in the middle of april in russia.

Chuc mung nam moi means happy new year, this night millions of people are going to change of year (the TET). Vietnam gonna be have one week off. They gather for familly party. Amazing to see a whole fa;illy coming back from saigon to their family village in motocycles (fous peoples more the luggages)!!

As you see i m in vietnam, I ve been in Can THo biggest city on the delta Mekong. Now I stay in Saigon (secand nam e Ho chi MInh). I ve nerver seen so many motocycles in my life, it never stop, it s a forest of motocycles!!!. When you cross a road you hace to stop go stop go stop go stop...you cross a road in 6 or 7 steps.

I counted yesterday it s impossible to have a while of 20 second without hearing a bip.  In 1990 it was full of bycicles, in 2000 full of motocycles I can t imagine in 2010 the when it gonna be full of cars.

I m meeting good people too here. For instance, i asked in the bus where i had to get off to student, they didn t know english, they call a friend of them  and by phone i explained to me, when i get off he was there  to show me my way.

THat s the problem there , its like in France, most of the peole don t speak english (even the youngs).

In the reception of my hotel there was a aquarium full of snake. IT WAS SO awful ..good way to be hospitable!!!!I just hoped they didn t escaped fot the night.

I went in a VIP disco for the golden young, when you ve pee someone make you a back massage, when you move in the disco security guard show you your way, every 5 mn the waiter full up your glasses and when you leave you ve to shack the hand of the managers...

I notice that vietnamese people really love money...for instance....you re alone and you order a coffee...she askyou how many coffe do you want ( ussually i say ten , for  kidding) if you re alone you re supposed to order one!!!, after she suggest you to take some cookies at least two times. When you finish your coffee she ask you if you want another one. When it s time to pay she charge you two coffees .. i yell her and she tell me to shut up in order that the other vietname and foreigner don t notice that she is dishonest.