Vietnam 2016

The temples and their cultures hold a great fascination for me. The Tam Thai Pagoda was built in 1630 and is a Buddhist pagoda in Chinese architectural style ,it is considered the oldest pagoda in Da Nang, it has witnessed many ups and downs of the country , The pagoda is considered a famous ancient and pure spiritual destination, for many Buddhists and tourists . In the 20th century, the pagoda underwent some restorations. Despite all the ups and downs, the pagoda still retains its majesty. According to a legend, rubbing the Buddha's belly in front of this temple brings people good luck in life.

Ton Tam Pagoda/ A monk monastery The Ton Tam Pagoda consists of three buildings, one building for monks and novices, two buildings serve as temples, we met very nice monks and a novice, unfortunately none of them could speak English, but they still tried to tell us something about Buddha. PiP 3: At the monks' building there is a shelter with a large bell, here the novices strike the bell every hour in a certain rite and with a given chant. We were not allowed to photograph the monks or novices!

The monks and their novices have a beautiful garden around their home and temples with many different flowers which they lovingly cultivate. Flowers are an important part of Vietnamese culture. People in Vietnam like it colourful, happy and friendly.

On an unofficial path, a monk accompanies us to a burial site and down into the valley. Water solidifies into ice; ice melts into water. What is born dies again; what has died lives again. Water and ice are ultimately one. Life and death, both are good. Buddhist wisdom

Our last pictures of the Marble Mountains are dedicated to a craft that is booming here. Around the Marble Mountains, stonemasons have settled, offering every imaginable variety of marble sculptures.

Today the journey continues by train to Huế. Da Nang station is easy to find, just look for the old steam locomotive standing in front of the entrance. Da Nang railway station is one of the most important stations in central Vietnam along the historic North-South Reunification Line. Trains arrive and depart here daily from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hue and other national hubs. The station is modern and clean even by our standards, waiting area with air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, various shops and food options .

Travelling by train in Vietnam is one way to discover the country's enormous beauty. The Vietnamese trains are not the most modern, they do not offer the ride or seating comfort that most of us are used to, but they are still quite comfortable and most are air-conditioned. The pictures were taken through the dirty carriage windows, in the air-conditioned carriages there is no window to open!

The facilities on board air-conditioned coaches, are perfectly acceptable and also reasonably comfortable. Travelling by train is a great way to travel with the locals and be out of the backpacker and tourist scene. It is also quite a cheap and convenient way to reach destinations that do not have an airport, such as Hue. If you have your own food with you or want to eat on board, no problem. Because food and drinks were served on our train, the catering is not quite at the level we are used to, but the food was all sold within a short time.

After arriving in Hue by train, we set off to shorten the hours until our departure for Hanoi with a visit to the Imperial Citadel and the Forbidden City, which are considered the highlights of Hue. The palace complex was home to the Vietnamese emperors from 1802 to 1945. Built on the model of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Much adversity such as fire, typhoons, bombardments and wars have left little of the palace's ancient splendour, but thanks to extensive restoration, one can get an idea of how it might have looked in the past. Since 1993, the citadel has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The size of the square citadel is gigantic, with an approximately 10 kilometre long, 6 metre high fortification wall and a 4 metre deep, more than 20 metre wide moat surrounding the site and the existing buildings.

A tour through the citadel of Hue, surprises again and again with magnificent buildings, ornate figures and great ornaments on the buildings.

On the way through the complex you reach the area of the forbidden or purple city. Here, all the buildings are symmetrically arranged, just like the model in Beijing, and they are exactly alike. The dimensions here are also impressive and overwhelming.

Continue through a next gate / passageway PiP1: Into this absolutely fascinating arcade, built with wood without nails only interlocked, an example of the very highest carpenter's art . PiP2: for all people who like to dress up, here is the possibility to feel like in emperors times ;-)

there are almost endless arcades here which invite you to take a stroll, in fine weather a visit to the various garden pavilions is not to be sneezed at, I could imagine that the imperial ladies often stayed there;-)

Many of the buildings are still being rebuilt or renovated and we see the results in the two PiP's, the buildings are being restored true to the original, as you can see the work is magnificently done by all the local craftsmen.

If I understand correctly, these copper containers, which can be found all over the site near buildings, are filled with water and served as fire extinguishing posts.

The exploration of the citadel is complete and we head off to visit the Hue War Museum, an area dedicated to the war between the North Vietnamese Army and the Vietcong against the Americans and South Vietnamese. The war between the North Vietnamese army and the Vietcong who fought the Americans and South Vietnamese, a war that lasted almost 20 years. Tanks, guns, flak - all the war material that the Americans and South Vietnamese had to leave behind. PiP 1 : An American Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter also known as a Huey PiP 2: A MiG-19 from the North Vietnamese Army Even in the museum, the war equipment does not lose its threatening impression

Dragon boating along the Perfume River A dragon boat trip on the Perfume River was not to be missed. The boats offer space for 10-12 tourists, and they also serve as homes for many families. Four of us took a trip until darkness fell to experience the colourful light show of the Dragon Bridge.