Saigon river and District 1

Leaf

Candlelit dinner

Rural produce

Jolly Date Beauty Spa

The sign says it all really

Brickworks

You can usually see brickworks all over the country, as the standard means of construction is the orange extruded brick. I like the fact there are a other signs of life (and death) around the site as well.

Motorbike accessories

Hats, helmets, gloves, face masks - everything a motorcyclist could want. And you do not even have to get off your bike to purchase

Road trip

Supplies required to get through the long trip home

Cargo boat upriver

You see these wooden boats all over Vietnam ferrying all manner of goods. Most that I notice seem to be carrying building supplies such as sand, bricks and steel reinforcing. Not many go to the length that this one has with a tarp over the top, suggesting that it is carrying something in need of protection from the weather

Dinner in swimming position

I usually do not post about food options in HCMC as so many other blogs do it better (Sticky Rice and Gastronomy for example). But am always a fan of the impressive looking deep fried perch dish that is popular in the south. It also tastes pretty decent too

Renaissance Riverside Hotel

The Renaissance hotel easily has the best views out over the Saigon river, provided of course, that you are in a room on that side of the hotel

Streetlight reflection

Kids without helmets

Something that is particularly frustrating about the new helmet laws is that they do not apply to children. I always find it amazing that the parents will grudgingly comply with the law, but leave the child unprotected when traveling on Vietnam's major highways

Haves as opposed to Have Nots

The writing is supposed to say nhà vệ sinh nam, or male toilet, but with letters falling away it now reads haves. Not sure if the English gag is intentional or not

Aquaculture and a place to live

Dusk over the Saigon river

Riding home for lunch

Possibly one of the coolest school uniforms in the world. I am always impressed at how these rural school girls can keep their áo dài so clean when riding to and from school

Ducks going for a drive

One of everyone's favourite views of Vietnam is the motorbike loaded with produce for market. If the produce is still alive even better. Ducks, pigs and chickens are common sights, I have even seen live prawns with an oxygenator running to keep the water bubbling away. Just need to have the camera at the ready more often. Reptiles, especially snakes are another I would not mind getting a photo of. Chris of Charvey in Vietnam fame has a great shot of a massive one parked outside Bến Thành market

River cruising for dinner

Shenanigans outside Hotel 69

I did not realise it has been over one year since I first came across the Hotel 69, and for those who queried last time, it gets its name from being located at 69 Hai Bà Trưng st, District 1

Rice field patchwork

Cần Thơ bridge construction

The Cần Thơ bridge is still under construction, but apparently will be completed by years end. Construction was delayed by many months when a section of the bridge collapsed in October 2007, killing 59 workers

Riverside advertising in Cần Thơ

Shoe trolley crossing Đồng Khởi St

Hay on the move

I love these types of sights around rural Vietnam. The overloaded tractor carting rice straw that is wider than half the road is one of the more common sights around during harvest time.

Old Citroën car outside Hoa Viên Brauhaus

Well, I think it is a Citroën. I have no idea really

Birdcages

Honda chalay

The Honda chalay is a very little motorbike that seems more popular in places like Cambodia than here in Vietnam. Apparently they started rolling of the assembly line in the late 1960s and have been popular every since. One of the favourite things to do with a chalay is to modify them into all sorts of shapes and sizes. The one above however is just a standard crusty old chalay

Duck butter

Rainbow

The sky here is usually very polluted, and this picture is no exception. Hazy, almost grainy, with limited differentiation between the colours is standard for our rainbows. It also means the wet season is among us.

May Theme Day - Shadows

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

This photo was taken from a plane as we were about to descend into the clouds. I was tracking the shadow as it appeared on the clouds but it seemed destined to remain too small right up until we entered the clouds. With a lot of crud on the window it is not the cleanest photo, but the sun's reflection makes it a little more interesting