Rural Life On Wednesday morning after breakfast we went for a stroll throguh the valley where the villagers farm. It was already clear that they mainly farm the staple of rice. Currently they are harvesting the crop and this is entirely done by hand. They use a scycle to cut a bunch of shoots which are then placed on the stalks to dry. Later these are collected together and carried by hand to the road side where a mechanical thresher removes the seeds. This wor...

Hanoi to Mai Chau: Madness to Magical Today epitomised the vast contradictions to be found in Vietnam. The beauty of the mountainous landscape only 100 km to the west and the peace and stillness of a rural valley where we spent the night replaced the madness that is to be found in Hanoi. We began at the Hanoi Hilton. No not a Hotel but the infamous prison where….now this poses quite and interesting issue. Latterly it took American airmen who had been shot dow...