10 more photos from Vietnam

[macka]

Here are some more taken with the D70s. Some basic post-processing has been done. Comments welcome.

Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi


Hanoi By Night


Cham Towers, Nha Trang


Cham Towers, Nha Trang


Nha Trang Harbour


Sleeping Buddha, Nha Trang


Sunny Nha Trang


Giant Sitting Buddha, Nha Trang


People's Committee Building, Saigon


Rex Hotel, Saigon

[wendellt]

the first one is composed great!

and the 2 buddhas fantastic tone, angle and composition

excellent work

[Killakoala]

I've enjoyed looking at all 19 of your images so far. Such a beautiful country and you've captured many facets of it. Great stuff.

[LostDingo]

Really like the contrast with the Giant Buddha and Cham Towers

[BBJ]

Macka, i too have enjoyed these pictures, i think it is great to see pics from other coutries etc... places a lot of us may never get too so thanks for these, i think they are all great.
Cheers
John
BBJ

[huynhie]

Great stuff Macka,

your images were fantastic, makes me want to go back one day.

[birddog114]

Nhatrang, my hometown and the place where I earned my wing!

Bring back to me lot of memories since my childhood till the days I was at the Nhatrang ATC.

Behind the mountain in the background of #6 is called Dong Bo,

Nhatrang Airfield is not too far on that photo.

#2, the bridge in the front is called Cau Xom Bong, it's an old bridge was built by the French, and I think the new one was built after the war time.
Heading North on this bridge at the end of the bridge, Cham tour is on your left hand side.

The view which is on this photo, I believe was taken from Cham tour.

That's the holding pattern and the loop which we used to go around for touch and go.

Actually Nhatrang Harbour is in the background where you see the heads and it's on your right hand side of the photo #2.

The #2 photos is the fisherman harbour, where all the fishing boats go and return after a fishing trip. Most of the area are fisherman villages.

The Giant Sitting Buddha, is under the flight path, also on the western side of the Nhatrang city and was built around 60-65 on a hill, under that hill is also a big Buddhist Monastery called Phat Hoc Vien.

Seeing these, make me want to coming home.

Thanks for sharing.

[stubbsy]

Macka

Like the others I've enjoyed seeing all 19 so far, but for me there are two exceptional images that stand out from the others. The giant sitting buddha with just two colours predominant and the angle of the shot make for such a powerful image. The shot immediately after that of the People's Committee Building is powerful for totally different reasons. The framing with the couple of young lovers(?) on the bike in front of the desolation of the area in front of the building is a great counterpoint to what would have been just another building pic. Keep 'em coming.

[sirhc55]

Macka - a very nice collection of photos

[macka]

Thank you everyone for the comments.

Birddog - Nha Trang is a beautiful and amazing place to call home.

[Alex]

Beautiful photos, Macka. Thanks for sharing these.

Alex

[Alpha_7]

Macka awesome work!

#6 and #8 are my favourites, but they are all great!

[Jonas]

Great photos Macka, this small selection of pictures really seems to encompass the Vietnamese landscape.

My favourites are Hanoi at night and the low angle shot of the buddha against the sky. The Hanoi cityscape foreground has a slight washed out look to it that reminded me of those painted backgrounds in old Hollywood movies - very surreal and quite atmospheric.

[greencardigan]

Love the Nha Trang pics. I had a month in VN last year but didn't make it to Nha Trang. With a bit of luck I'll be heading there again later this year or next year.

[sydneywebcam]

Some great pictures here Macka. I am thinking of a holiday there and these are a nice incentive to make me visit.

_________________________
Cheers,
Paul.

[birddog114]

As you're foreigners, there're no gimmicks and hot manure from the Communist Goverment.
I don't live with them and giving up the ideas to return to my homeland which I always have my dream to return in my heart

[TonyH]

Birddog,

you just never know..... one day!

It makes me wonder though as an Australian Citizen, would they give you a hard time if you returned as a tourist?

I know it is a communist government, but aren't they looking to ca$h in on the tourist dollar?

Bad publicity generated regarding tourists would not be good for them surely?

Tony

[birddog114]

Birddog,

you just never know..... one day!

It makes me wonder though as an Australian Citizen, would they give you a hard time if you returned as a tourist?

I know it is a communist government, but aren't they looking to ca$h in on the tourist dollar?

Bad publicity generated regarding tourists would not be good for them surely?

Tony

Tony,

You weren't in the same boat as us!

Aussie or US citizenship which I'm having both! and none these giving us any guarantee for our safe return to visit our homeland.

They do need monies, perhaps from all you guys who wish to come and visit them, though they can't do much any damage to you guys (well bred Westerner) but our expats, we always have to be carefull with them, coz I lived under their regime, was in their POW, labour camps and was moved from North to South, during my nearly 7 years in the camps under their policy and harsh conditions with their way try to brainwash us but they never succeed.

We lost all! The war, the family, the properties, the freedom.

You perhaps did not read many stories about Hanoi Hilton or lot of dramas from the boat people and many poor souls were captured and holding in their "re-education" camps. Even now after more than 30 years, there're no freedom of speech, religion etc........

Have they changed? NO, in one hand they're begging the $$$$$, on other hand they try to find the way to harm people.

Under the tourist's eyes or view, you won't see much thing happens inside or behing the steel curtain.

I tell you this: "Even the poles on the street, they do wish to leave VN if they could"

That why we fled and we are the traitors, are still fighting back to my last drop of blood with many generations to come.

If I can go back there with full load of 500lbs bomb under my wing than I'll.

[macka]

From what we saw, the government is communist in name only. Despite all the propaganda, and apart from land and property ownership, Vietnam seemed to have a relatively free market, which is run by a dictatorial one-party government. It was interesting to talk to people there about what feelings they had towards the government. One man told us that many people dislike the communist government, but he thought that the reason people put up with it is because of fear of civil war.

Tony, apparantly they have realised the importance of tourism as, according to one of our guide books, they've cracked down on problems tourists used to face such as having to bribe police to stay out of trouble and so on. We certainly didn't have any problems this serious, though corruption is still a huge issue for the government.

I read somewhere along the way about the problems expats face when returning home to Vietnam, but also heard that this was no longer so bad as it used to be either, and that there are now more Vietnamese returning home after studying or working abroad. Hopefully one day you'll get back there, Birddog.

[TonyH]

Birddog,

that really is a huge shame and great disappointment.

Obviously we couldn't begin to really understand what's going on now, and what you've been through.

We can make lip service but unless you've lived it you never understand.

Tony

[birddog114]

macka,
Lucky, you're not the same as us so you can have your freedom and bring your hard earned cash over there to nuture them. The things you've seen and talked to many people on the streets are not their natures, they hide behind all of the tourists, coz they want more money on the foreign investments, they sucked couple billion dollars from all the Vietnamese who're living abroad.

I'm not saying there're 100% Communist, lot of them are our families, friends, colleagues, and we have to support them to live.
Life are not easier there, after more than 30 years the war ended.

The benefits are only go to the Heads of The Communist Party, the civilian are poor, a teacher in high school earned US$100.00/ yearly, if you happen go back to VN, don't go around or wandering on the main street, back into many hidden suburbs, you'll learn more lessons.

The Viets, who're living overseas, they all wish to come home, and there're no harm for anyone who didn't have any influency with the local govertment, some of them coming home for just want to become traders and most of them coming back to VN as showing off the label of "Viet Kieu".

Among them, when they left VN, they were young or they left as "economic refugees" not a "political refugees" status, they didn't have the deeper feeling as we did.

Also some "political" refugees are returning home but only for their "personal benefits" but not me and my family.

[macka]

Birddog,

Certainly Vietnam still has many problems to face up to; it is very clear when you go that the vast majority of people are very poor, and suffer many hardships each day just to survive.

It's terrible to hear that you are still ostracised from your own homeland after so many years. I didn't realise that it was still so difficult for people such as you and your family, and that such a distinction was still being made between those who left as "economic refugees" and those who left as "political refugees".

The impact of the war is still being felt in many ways by many people and it is very saddening to see.

Macka