HK Independent Traveller Blog

Vietnam was ruled by China for a long period of time. Like China, Vietnam also has a lot of ethnic groups. The Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi offers to showcase the 54 different groups in a very interesting set up. It presents the 54 ethnic groups in seven ethnolinguistic groups: Viet-Muong , Tay-Thai , Kadai , Hmong-Yao , Sino-Tibetan , Mon-Khmer , and Austronesian . Each ethnic group maintains its own distinctive cultural features but also share some similarities. This creates a common culture of diversity and unity. The exhibits in the Ethnology Museum are shown both exterior and interior. Outside, full scale replica of houses of different tribes are displayed. Visitors can go inside the houses to experience and imagine the living of the various ethnic groups. We started the visit with the houses of different tribes. One of the most spectacular tribe houses is the Bahnar communal house . The height reaches 19 metres. The floor is 90m 2  and elevated 3m above the grou...

I craved to visit Halong Bay . The name means " descending dragon ".  Legend says a dragon and her children descended from heaven to defend the Viet people from invaders, spraying fire and emeralds or jade. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes. When under the sunshine, your eyes see thousand islands floating on emerald waters. The first business trip to Hanoi in 2007 was too short for a visit to the Bay. And so, 12 years later my dream was fulfilled. After doing some research, our ultimate choice of Halong Bay tour was Peony Cruise . It cost around USD500, 3D2N two persons. The boat was new which offered higher value than famous but aging boats. We patronized Best Price Travel . Thompson who took care of us was very attentive and responsive. The other good thing was application for VISA and complimentary foodie tour in Hanoi. We enjoyed the cruise, tour and service very much. We picked March for the cruise.  I...

Mua Cave is one of the key visiting spots in Trang An ( Halong Bay on the land) in the Ninh Binh province in Vietnam.  It is my most favourite place during my trip in Vietnam. The views up the 500 steps are stunning.  The sights over Tam Coc and the landscape of Ninh Binh are gorgeous. Green fields, river and mountains compose harmony and beauty. Everyone wants to stay longer. We joined a tour to Trang An. Sampan ride along the river with  spectacular  limestone karst  peaks was amazing. It is the key offer provided by various tour companies. Other options include a visit to Hao Lu (the ancient capital), Bai Dinh Temple and Mua Cave (Hang Mua). I made the best decision of taking the Mua Cave to the temple. The awesome views on the hill top rank much much higher than the temple. We arrived at Hang Mua in the late afternoon, one of the two best times (morning and evening). The biggest challenge was to climb up 500 steps. But believe...