Top Of The World

Today we had one of the best experiences so far as we went up Mount Fansipan. At 3143 metres high it is not only the highest peak in Vietnam but in the whole of Indochina. According to the guide books it used to take 3 days to trek to the top but now, a brand new cable car whisks you to the top in 20 minutes with a funicular railway taking you on the final stretch. It was only built last year.

Of course the main disadvantage that it is turning into a mass tourist destination and you can barely move on top for people taking selfies. A huge amount of development is still taking place, as can be seen from the main picture, but I like the crane and statue covered in scaffolding showing through the clouds.

The extra shows a shot of the Buddhist temple and the final one shows a view from the cable car on the way down.

We are now waiting for an overnight train to take us back to Hanoi.