Temples at Hoa Lu and Tam Coc

Bridge to the Temples at Hoa Lu

Water Puppet Show

Cycling to Tam Coc

SATURDAY 16 JULY 2011

I was picked up at my hotel about 8.30 a.m. by mini van and we drove for about 2 hours to the temples at Hoa Lu, which is the site of the 10th century capital. The temples are 17th century copies of the 11th century originals and are in honour of the Dinh and Le Kings whose statues of both kings are in the temples. Offerings are placed in front of the statues, bananas in one and an arrangement of coca cola in the other!

Some of us chose to cycle the 10 kilometres to Tam Coc where we passed through small villages and between paddy fields. The rice had recently been harvested in some areas and rotting material was strewn across the path, making cycling difficult in places. We met up with the others at Tam Coc for lunch and I chatted to the two Vietnamese boys I had cycled with. One of them was 18 and had been adopted when he was a year old by a Belgium family. He was here with his Godfather, who had arranged the adoption, to meet his brother and mother – he hadn’t seen them for 17 years!

We then went on a sampon, two to a boat, to go up the river and the girl steered with her feet. I shared with a German man who had lived in Hanoi for 5 years. The scenery was like a moving picture postcard as we passed small fishing shacks, conical-hatted Vietnamese families fishing and looking for shellfish, buffalo, mountain goats – all against a backdrop of almost vertical limestone crags – it is easy to see why this area is known as Ha Long on land. We went through three tunnel caves where it was so low we had to duck our heads in places. After rowing back to Tam Coc, we had time for a drink before getting the mini bus back to Hanoi.

I had rung during the day to check if I was on the night train to Sa Pa, but when I got back to the hotel I was told I would be going the next day. After a shower and some dinner, I went to a Water Puppet Show, which, surprisingly, is a puppet show on water. The puppets are skilfully manipulated by the hidden puppeteers and the themes mostly revolve around Vietnamese rural life.