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A couple days ago, a reader wondered about the absence of turtles at Hoàn Kiếm lake. Here’s a shot of baby turtles at the bigger West Lake only a few kilometers away. The turtles were being sold so that they could be released and set free, a common practice called “life release” in Buddhism.
Meanwhile, Hoàn Kiếm lake had many spots where people from all over the world came to take or have their pictures taken. In the following shot, the two young ladies were wearing the traditional long tunic (áo dài). The tunic is not often seen these days, except at weddings and other formal occasions. They are pretty, flattering, but not too convenient for riding motorbikes.
As we were sitting on a bench admiring the lake, a bridal party made its way to a photo shoot.
I think the bride was wearing a white áo dài, but I wasn’t fast enough to get a good shot of her.
After a few minutes, the following couple also showed up. The young soldier was apparently overdressed for the heat.
A curious balloon vendor watched them for a short while.
On a side street, a flower vendor nodded as she took a brief afternoon nap, but other vendors did not.

Fruit and vegetables vendor in Old Quarter. Perhaps she was thinking whether she would make enough money that day as she had hoped.
The sky, which had been cloudy for several days, cleared up a little allowing me to take a good shot of the red bridge leading to Jade Mountain (Ngọc Sơn) Temple.
Finally I tried to take the following night shot of traffic around Hoàn Kiếm lake. I don’t know what happened, but it turned out much different from what I expected. Maybe it is an apt illustration of the chaotic traffic in Hà Nội, and in the larger cities of Việt Nam.
Your Saigon photos are so different from my memories of the city in 1968, especially the war damage in Cholon. Was your old home still there?
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No, Peter. They took it over, demolished the whole block of row houses and now there is a multi-story bank where my house used to be.
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Enjoyed the photos and smiled at the traffic chaos 🙂
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Thank you Tiny!
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Beautiful images!
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Thank you Anil!
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Welcome!
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Traffic at night : Amazing shot
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Thanks Anh Nhi!
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Another batch of great photos that show a lot about everyday life there. I had heard that Asian countries were very colorful, but I don’t think that I’ve ever seen just how colorful before.
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Thanks Jerry. During the war things were pretty drab. But now everything brightens up and becomes more colorful.
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Great photos! I noticed how green the water is there. I appreciate you sharing these photos of Vietnam. It is great to see it through the eyes of someone who used to live there.
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I am glad you are enjoying these posts. Thanks Katelon!
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