I can’t believe that we have lived in S. Korea for 6 months already! It is a beautiful country, and we are blessed to be a part of a strong community, which definitely is a positive aspect of our journey.

At the end of August, we traveled to Vietnam for vacation. It was an incredible trip! We immersed ourselves in the culture (it’s very hard not to), and had an enjoyable week.  We spent 1 day in the capitol of Vietnam, Hanoi. Then travelled by bus (pass the Dramamine) to Halong Bay. We stayed overnight there, then came back to Hanoi to finish out the day. We then flew south to Hue for a few days.

Here are a few “Ah-Ha” moments I learned about Vietnam:

• They serve Pho at all hours of the day, and it is especially delightful for breakfast.
• The French occupied the country until the 1950’s and left their mark on architecture, pastries, and coffee.
• It is a socialist country.
• The Vietnamese people are very proud of their history, and culture.
• Their roadways are shared by tour busses, vans, cars, and mopeds, and bikes. It is absolute chaos, with an added jay walker every few seconds, and magically (to my horror), it works.
• Food and beer are cheap! Cheap, cheap, like dinner for 2 with drinks was $11!!!
• The conversion of dollar to dong is roughly $1 to 20,000. Yep.

The pictures below are from our time in Hue, which is in the southern region of Vietnam. We spent a full day (at least 6 hours) walking to, from, and around the Imperial Palace on our own. The next day, we hired a driver, a guide, and an air conditioned car. We visited 2 tombs, in 2 hours, only spent $60. We learned WAY more in that time than we did the day before on our own. I highly recommend this route for exploring.

This last tomb was my favorite of what we visited. The style is very different, and much more modern comparatively speaking.  This tomb was constructed in 1920, and took 11 years to complete. It has European influences, and is made primarily of concrete.

    

The Pilgrim Village we stayed at in Hue was absolutely fabulous! We needed to rest our swollen feet after climbing all those stairs, and sweating buckets each day. The customer service, room design, and services offered are outstanding!