vietnam

Hue: A City Echoing Vietnam’s Imperial Past

May 25, 2013 by Bino 6 Comments

Deep in the heart of Vietnam lies Hue, a city that’s a bit out of the way for most travelers (which may actually be a good thing) but is a treasure trove of cultural attractions. Hue was the imperial capital of Vietnam in the 1800’s, during a time when the country practiced a dynastic form of government with emperors at the helm. Imperial life then centered on the royal court, and elaborate buildings were built in and around the city’s citadel to host all the pomp and pageantry. With that undeniable Chinese influence, the Imperial city at Hue consisted of hundreds of buildings which served as government offices, residences for the emperor and his concubines and temples. Most of the Imperial City was destroyed however, during the Vietnam War, and today, barely a dozen buildings remain.

palace of supreme harmony, hue

It is perhaps the extent of the ruins which lead many to skip Hue while in the country. Truly, it would take a lot of imagination for one to recreate what court life would have looked like during the peak of Imperial Vietnam. Nevertheless, the imperial monuments in Hue were declared as a single UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. I decided to check this out during my third visit to Vietnam.

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The UNESCO World Heritage Towns of Southeast Asia

May 1, 2013 by Bino 5 Comments

As a destination that’s well known for its diversity, the essence of a trip to Southeast Asia for most would probably include a rundown of the well-known ancient ruins, beaches and secluded islands, through natural landscapes and tropical rainforests and generally having a good time in the region’s megacities. A not so prominent (and less popular) theme are its old towns, some of which have been preserved as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are deserving destinations in their own right, and are perfect supplements to those doing long trips across the region. Earlier this year, I had inadvertently completed a small milestone by visiting all the UNESCO World Heritage towns in Southeast Asia. As there are only five, it’s no mean feat. I was not really ticking it off any list. It just happened.

brightly colored buildings such as these in hoi an, are a common sight in all of southeast asia’s unesco towns

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while might notice this habit of mine of ranking stuff regarding Southeast Asia. This one’s no exception. In order of preference (and I’ll explain why), this is how I would rank the 5:

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Eleven Places to See in Southeast Asia

May 22, 2012 by Bino 15 Comments

It took me over a year to post Part 2 of my Southeast Asian roundup, my little ode to this dynamic and diverse region which I call home. One year on and I still find myself traveling around Southeast Asia though now it’s mostly for work, transit or for back and forth trips between Manila and Singapore. More trips are certainly warranted in the future.

As my “tribute” to this region, I am choosing my top 11 sights from the 11 countries that make up Southeast Asia. To avoid being concentrated over a particular nation, I am picking one sight out of each of the 11 countries – my personal favorite from each.

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Ha-Ha-Ha Long Bay

August 31, 2011 by Bino 10 Comments

The sole reason why we decided to have a 3-day Hanoi trip instead of making it a Saturday-Sunday affair was because of Ha Long Bay. The name has been entrenched so strongly in many a travelers’ minds that it’s become one of the must-visit places in Southeast Asia. With a name that literally means “Descending Dragon’s Bay,” how could one possibly pass this up?

While limestone karst formations are not peculiar in the region (Guilin in China; Krabi in Thailand and Coron in the Philippines all come to mind), what separates Ha Long Bay from the rest are the sheer number of these rising up from the sea – there’s over 3,000 of them! It makes for a very fine view, especially during sunset where the scenery can appear like a painting baked by the golden colors complementing the limestone silhouettes.

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Exploring the Streets of Hanoi, Pt2

August 28, 2011 by Bino Leave a Comment

ho chi minh mausoleum

On our last day in Hanoi, we again ventured to see what the city has to offer – this time focusing on the western portion. As it was a sunny day (a rarity by Hanoi’s standards as it is one very cloudy city), we started early in the morning and made our way to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Most people make the mistake of assuming that this mausoleum, by virtue of its name, is located in Ho Chi Minh City. But actually, it is in Hanoi. The building faces Ba Dinh Square, which is one of the few places one gets to see such a wide open space right at the heart of the city. Compared to the Old Quarter, this part of the city featured large squares and wide boulevards that were more in keeping with modern communist capitals. From the outside, the memorial reminds me of the Anitkabir in Ankara, Turkey. It was closed when we visited so there was no chance to go in. Not that we wanted to, since all one gets to see inside is Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed corpse.

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Exploring the Streets of Hanoi, Pt1

August 27, 2011 by Bino 2 Comments

Hanoi is one of those cities that I kept at the back of my mind for the longest time, like a page bookmarked for future reading. I had initially “bookmarked” it in 2007 when I first visited Vietnam but only had the time for Ho Chi Minh City. I was reminded about it in 2009 when a colleague from New Zealand was raving to me how great his weekend break in Hanoi was. But it was only last week that I finally got to visit this thousand year old city during a self-imposed 3-day long weekend.

emerald waters of Hoan Kiem Lake / Lake of the Returned Sword

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