Bryson writes · Ninh Bình, Vietnam · 1–4 December 2025
Open the camera roll (18 photographs)
We slowed down for a while in a rural spot south of Hanoi. Our hotel was tucked into the mountains and patrolled by a small army of billy goats. With mosquitoes buzzing and swampy air hanging around us, I could have sworn I was back on the bayou, except for the mountains rising out of the rice and lotus fields.
The hotel was a row of thatched roof stilt houses, and the porch was ideal for an afternoon cigar. Reviews had warned us about the food. We ate there anyway. The food was fine. The view did most of the work.
One of my favourite parts of staying somewhere longer is getting to know the people around us. I had decided that the older man by the lotus pond, smoking from a bamboo pipe and occasionally supervising the fields, must be the owner or a grandfather in the family business. Every day he offered us a clear liquid from an old Evian bottle with the logo almost rubbed off. Emily politely refused in English, which he definitely did not understand.
While we were talking to a couple from Salt Lake City in the lobby, he offered again. The couple peer pressured us into at least pretending to try it, so we did. We took the smallest possible sip. It was actually good. The lobby attendant later explained that he was Uncle Frank, the on site security manager and resident rice wine brewer.
When we were not solving hotel mysteries, we tried local restaurants and coffee shops. I skipped a few temples because of a headache. Emily swears I missed the finest religious buildings on earth. I looked at the photos and remain comfortable with my decision.
We did make it to the largest pagoda in Southeast Asia and hiked up the mountain above the rivers and rice fields. The view from the top was good. The coffee at the bottom was better timed.
Emily also took me on a two hour boat ride with a rower who made the job look easy. She took us through caves, marshes, lakes and creeks. When we tried to help, our technique earned a few unimpressed looks. She was especially proud that King Kong had been filmed there.
On our last day, we took a cab two hours back to Hanoi and started moving again.
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