2013 Vietnam Dear Friends, We’re excited about our upcoming trip to Vietnam! This is a rare and extraordinary opportunity to visit a vibrant culture with an exceptional itinerary. Ron has been to Vietnam, six times before and each time he discovers something new to appreciate about this wonderful country. The Vietnamese guides on the trip are very experienced and knowledgeable about Vietnamese history, culture, art and cuisine, and we’ve arranged an amazing trip. The dates of the trip are Jan 23-Feb 10, with 18 days and 17 nights in Vietnam. The tour is built around Vietnamese Tet celebrations on February 10. Colorful preparations for their festive new year will be seen everywhere. The city streets will be lined with vendors selling an abundance of fresh fruits and flowers and colorful decorative paraphernalia. Traditional Tet music, amazing food, and fine artisans will all be part of our Vietnamese experience. On this trip, we’ll see a great variety of cities, countryside and cultures. To whet your appetite, we’ve listed several of the highlights: Crafts in and around Hanoi Many artists practice old techniques and crafts, but there are also artists with bold new concepts and expressions. We’ll visit many artist studios to see textile embroidery, wood-fired pottery as well as jewelry making and bronze casting. We’ll visit Dong Ho village outside Hanoi to witness the acknowledged master woodblock folk art carver and printer, Mr. Nguyen Dang Che. As in other studios, you’ll have the opportunity to buy the work directly from the artists! We are going to make a special trip to visit Suzanne Lecht in her beautiful home in Hanoi. Susan is an American expert on contemporary Vietnamese art and she is opening her gallery and collection and home to our group. Suzanne has been working with Vietnamese arts since 1994 and her gallery has been featured in many journals, including the National Geographic Traveler magazine, the NY Times and Fodor’s Guide. Hanoi is surrounded by a large city lake and has many impressive temples, cultural buildings and an amazing old market, where one can procure everything from topiary trees to incense to automobile tires. Ron has purchased some really colorful ‘offering’ objects made of paper. These are really great. We’ll have plenty of time to peruse the market. Adjacent to the Old Town is the spectacular water puppet theatre, where we will enjoy a colorful and charming performance of folk-oriented stories, which originated in the rice paddies of the countryside. We’ll visit the world heritage site, Halong Bay, with its magnificent hillsides and amazing scenery from the comfort of our own private boat. The highlight will be a walk through wondrous underground caves.
Ron Ho, rontwho@yahoo.com • Peter Olsen, peterjolsen@gmail.com • (206) 324-0864 • Page 1 of 3