Vietnam

Had a fantastic trip to Vietnam this March for the wedding of one of my best friends, and also a milestone for Kärolin and I in that it was our first trip together outside of our home countries. Our trip was better than anything we could have anticipated and THEN some!

What was also great was the reuniting and meeting of some old and new friends. There was a very diverse turnout for the wedding with folks basically coming from all corners of the world. Some quality time for sure amongst some wonderful people :)

The following pictures are from our (Kärolin and my) camera, plus a few extra photos from our good friend David who shoots professionally and kindly loned to me. So enjoy the take on 'our' Vietnam experience!  

District 1 Saigon

Local transportation for goods

A common roadside eatery

Mobile coconut drink vendor

Local market

Scooter parking

Round-a-bout. A touch on the scary side!

Sophia Hotel front

Sophia Hotel Reception. A real bargain at $35/night!

Morning commute

Hmmmmmm. Is this really that safe?

Geri, Dan, Kimmer, and Michael

Dan, Kärolin, Kimmer, and Michael. The 5 of us left from The Grand Hotel in a chauffeured van to Mui Ne, a town on the coast of the
South China Sea, and the site for the wedding and the rest of our vacation. It was a 200km trip over 5 hours.

Live piggies in a basket!

Helen and Ron, parents of the groom (Scott W.) and my 'Wakaw' parents!

Elias, Tia, and Miles friends of Scott's. Tia was born in Vietnam where her and Miles lived for 10+ years. Now their family currently resides in Saskatoon.

The group wedding photo 

Dan and Geri. Geri is a long time friend of Scott's and Dan is her new boyfriend. They currently live in New Brunswick.

Scott K. and his son Liam. Scott was Scott W's best man, and Liam was the ring bearer. 

Katrina and her daughter Valerie. Katrina is married to Kris S. a close friend to Scott W.

Sabine and Jeni, Scott K's family. They reside in Whitehorse, YK.

Michael K. friend and former co-worker of Dominika; Dominika's cousin Marta; and Tia.

Scott W. (groom) and his 'Dutch' mom Haneke from the Netherlands. Haneke did the ceremony for Scott and Dominika.

Charlie D. (a friend of Scott's) and his wife Lisa Furtado (sister of Nelly Furtado). They currently reside in Taiwan.

The lovely bride Dominika and her man Scott

Scott K. and Liam;  Kasia, (Dominika's daughter from a previous marriage); and Leeann, Scott W's sister and also Dominikas Maid of Honor

I do!

The beautiful Kasia

The handsome Liam!

The shy Sabine

Kärolin and I

Buddha at the reception party

Dragon show at the reception party

Fishing vessel

Off to collect the days fish catch to sell at the local market place

Lining up at the fish buyer

Making the transaction

Laundry day

Local fisherwomen sorting through their morning catch

Bringing the hauled in nets back to shore

Kärolin mingling

Another local goods transportation vehicle

Market place at the fishing village

Cooking Pho` at the market

It doesn't get much fresher then that!

From sea to market place in less than a couple of hours!

Old face of Vietnam

Kite surfers meca!

Could be roughly 100 kite surfers out at any one time!

Heavy seas. Our hotel is a few buildings down the beach.

Kite school 'C2SKY' beach boys. They help launch and land the kites from the school by walking up and down the beach.

My instructor Doung, a local Vietnamese kite surfer of 8 years. VERY good at his job.

Learning to 'board' drag out past the surf

Scotty K. and I enjoying our kite lessons

Kimmer learning to stand up on the board when the kite is powered up

Away I go!

Local talent

Doung having some fun after my lesson

Tia, Miles, and Dave R. a good friend of Scott W. who currently lives in the San Fransisco Bay area

Scott W's brother-in-law 'D' (David) and his mom Liz from England

Not uncommon to see a family of 4 on their scooter

Fueling up!

Another mobile food cart

Nice micro brewery to have a beer and watch the sunset

Nicole (Scott W's sister) and her husband 'D' who currently reside in Kelowna, BC

My lovely gal Kärolin

Just outside our room at the Paris MuiNe Plage

Paris MuiNe Plage our second hotel

Rubbing Buddha for good luck

Two little owls being nursed back to health after falling out of their nest from a coconut tree

Happy hour at our hotel

Nik and D enjoying their Mohito's

Contrast of sand on 'The Fairy Stream' hike.

'D' in the quicksand!

Kärolin, Nik, and Leeann in 'The Fairy Stream'

Posing in the sand

Fish sauce manufacturing

Buying souvenirs from the local street kids

Group pose above the bay in the Fishing Village

Our jeep tour. $7/head all inclusive with guide for 5 hours!

Ostrich ride anyone?!

Group shot with the jeep at the sand dunes

White sand dunes

Some 4-wheeler action

Grave yard

 The swastika is primarily a tantric symbol to evoke 'shakti' or the sacred symbol of auspiciousness. The swastika is also a Chinese character used in East Asia representing eternity and Buddhism.

Red sand dunes

Fooling around at the red sand dunes

Group action shot at the red sand dunes

The boys

Old school

Sunny Beach Resort where the wedding took place

Our room at Sunny Beach Resort

Heading back to the Fishing Village with the mornings catch

Early morning fishing trip

Beach vendor

Market tour from Kärolin's cooking class

Shrimp rolls made by Kärolin at her cooking class. They were amazing! She gave one each to Scott W. and I.

Buddhist Temple in Mui Ne

VIP seats for $7/person on the train from Phan Thiet (near Mui Ne) back to Saigon. 5 hour train ride.

Locals

Local Vietnamese lady at her home

Here is a link from David displaying some photos he took at Scott and Dominika's wedding. These are unedited photos he has shared with us, enjoy, there are some great shots in there! 

 https://plus.google.com/photos/106924937377756159476/albums/5723916894519787089?authkey=CPLBjd-gyvavuwE#photos/106924937377756159476/albums/5723916894519787089 

He has a professional website and is extremely talented in a variety of social media applications other than his obvious talent in photography. See some of his work on his website at  http://www.davidmarktuplin.com/ and feel free to contact him with any requests to use his services!