We took a small guided boat tour of a local fishing village. All of the homes in the village float on the water and people have adapted their lifestyle to live in this environment. The families all have boats and travel to a local town to do periodic shopping. In addition, there is a small market boat that brings various items to the village to sell.
Ti Top Island is named for a Russian cosmonaut who went with Ho Chi Minh to the island in 1962.
There is a pagoda at the top of the island that provides a breathtaking 360 degree view of the bay. We climbed 427 steps up, enjoyed the view, and then 427 steps back down.
There are many different kinds of small fishing boats on Ha Long Bay. The most impressive, however, was piloted by a young man who sat reclining in his boat and did all of his rowing with his feet.
As we drove from Ha Long Bay back to the city, we made an interesting stop in a pottery village. The people working here are artisans who produce the pottery primarily with hand tools. They start with large blocks of clay and end up with pots in a variety of sizes and shapes.
Each shop seemed to specialize in a slightly different type of pottery. One artisan made wall tiles that assembled into a picture. Some were as large as 50 tiles. Each one is made by hand.
Our next stop was Danang, where we stayed at the Nam Hai Hotel.
Just outside of Danang, there is a quaint village called Hoi An. We spent most of the day exploring the village, starting with the Hoi An market.
This market was much larger than most of the others we had seen and it had some very unique items. As you watch the video, you will notice how you can be sure when you ask for a rump roast, you get the cut of meat you are asking for. You will also notice how one butcher makes sure your pork leg has a real "smoky" flavor.
This assembly hall was originally built in 1690 to facilitate social gatherings. Over time, the building was transformed into a temple dedicated to the goddess of the sea.
This house was built over 150 years ago by sea captain Quan Thang. His descendants still live in the home and have maintained as much of the original design as possible.
The silk shop we visited in Hoi An raised silk worms then boiled the cocoons and spun the thread to make silk. They used the thread to make beautifully embroidered pictures.
