Tam Coc

Today I went on my first day trip outside Hanoi since arriving here. Tam Coc is in the Ninh Binh province. A two hour bus ride south of Hanoi, and truly beautiful country. The region is nicknamed 'Halong Bay on Land' and it's not hard to see why with beautiful limestone karsts jutting up from the ground. After visiting two temples of the first and second king of Vietnam we had a very enjoyable boat trip down the Tam Coc river, just enjoying the scenery and local life. I even saw a new grebe species and a flock of storks! Notice in the photo that the locals use their feet and legs to row the boats! This frees up their hands for all manner of important things... like holding umbrellas!