Bach Dang

We were all sad to leave Ha Long Bay. On the way back to Hanoi, we stopped at Bach Dang. This is a historic place for Vietnamese people, a place where they defeated enemies such as Genghis Khan, a place that all Vietnamese people know about. Sadly, very few of them visit. It's a very powerful place to see, and we had it completely to ourselves.


Yider is from Taiwan, so reads Mandarin, and could explain the inscription on the bell in the museum to Joycelin.


Remnants of a U.S. plane that was shot down in the area. American bunkers still line the area, these along a village path.



The Lady Bing temple is a lovely spot nearby, well-known by her tree. And I'd never seen this type of bamboo before.



Several of the battle sites remain. The people took wood and carved stakes, then buried them in the tidal flats. When the tide was out and the spikes submerged, they lured the enemy boats into the shallows. The boats became stuck on the spikes as the tide receded, leaving the warriors free to pick off the crews. Several stakes are in the museum, but most are preserved in these areas.


We then visited Mr. Quang's ceramics factory, and the historic workshop area. Then, to the airport, where we caught our flight down to Da Nang, for our coursework in Hue and Hoi An.