Vietnam with Jack Shin Young "Fish-bone" Park

I have arrived in Vietnam! Two weeks of sightseeing and hanging out with Jack Shin Young Fish-bone Park...let the craziness ensue.

Our first lunch in Hanoi!

Bun Chao - one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes

Jack, although looking glamorous, is trying to avoid having her photo taken

OMG! Look at this lunch bill!

Street Market in Hanoi

Fresh fruits and veggies

The fruit here was so good - mangosteen, dragonfruit, na, everything is delicious

More of the street market

More of the street market

Look at all those scooters...there are many more to come

There are basically no traffic laws in Vietnam

Hanoi Opera House

It is known for being really beautiful, unfortunately most people cannot go inside

Amazing

Shin's mom trying hard to get us inside, no such luck

Hotel Metropole...

one of the oldest and most beautiful hotels in Hanoi...

where we enjoyed some delicious drinks...

inside the greenhouse room.

mmm coconut juice

I had one almost everyday of the trip

Shin was great at scraping out the insides for me. She's a beast.

Gate to Ngoc Son Temple

Entrance to Ngoc Son Temple

Ngoc Son Temple

Ngoc Son Temple

Ngoc Son Temple

Inside the Temple

Inside looking out

Pavilion on the grounds

Ngoc Son Temple

Hoan Kiem Lake is where the legend of the turtle and magical sword took place

Pagoda

Around Hoan Kiem Lake

Banyan Trees

Hoan Kiem Lake

Classic Vietnam

French Vietnamese Lunch

Lunch was so delicious...

and so was dessert

Rubber stamps are very popular

Typical street in Hanoi

Breakfast at the Park house - delicious fruit everyday

...or dinner for breakfast (purple sweet potatoes)

Hoan Kiem Lake - "Lake of the Restored Sword"

Really cute park surrounding the lake.

Check out all the plant animals!

Hoan Kiem Lake

Beautiful window on one of the shops in the area

Shopping around the lake

Beautiful art gallery around the lake

Awesome light store

Cool building, although I'm not quite sure what it is

St. Joseph's Cathedral

There are so many scooters in the city

Random, cool building

Vines are grown over the windows to keep out evil

All the buildings in Hanoi are really narrow and tall to allow for more people to live in the city

These things look like fun

They're snack holders actually

We're on our way to the North Gate, but it is a long walk...

You need to take your life in your hand to cross the street

Chateau L'eau - Water Castle, although it is not near any water

Door to the "castle"

Typical street view

Communist Propoganda

North Gate, Hanoi

An ancient architectural gem of the city

On top of the gate is a small temple

with beautiful windows

Inside the temple looking out

So pretty

Inside the temple

Another interior shot

In the actual "gate"

Awesome