Riding the rails in Vietnam!

Today, we set out on a 13 hour adventure on Vietnam's historic north-south railway that dates back to French colonial rule.  Originally connecting Hanoi in the north to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) in the south, we're traveling roughly the northern half to get to Hue, the Viet imperial capital in the 19th century.  

Starting out at 5:15am from our hotel, we experienced empty streets in Hanoi for the first (and last!) time ..
While it may have been easier to take one of theamy inexpensive short flights that are common here in SE Asia, we decided the train was a way to see some of rural Vietnam that flying can't touch! And we weren't disappointed :-)
After taking quite a while to clear urban sprawl of Hanoi, we eventually traversed mile after mile of pan flat rice paddies.
The farther south we rolled, the more hills and even mountains appeared, with verdant farmland filling the valleys.  Oddly, there were a surprising number of monumentally scaled Catholic churches scattered along our route, often making the place look more like France or Belgium than somewhere in tropical SE Asia!
We've seen loads of rice, corn, taro root, bananas, pineapples, and loads of different vegetables growing in neatly tended fields.  Some use mechanical assistance, but a great deal appears to still be planted and tended by hand, with both men and women scattered out in msny of the fields we pass.
Water Buffalo are the main farm animals, though typical cattle, goats, chickens, and ducks are common too...
Meanwhile, we're enjoying a relaxing day watching the world roll by from the he comfortable of our air-conditioned couchettes :-).
Can't complain at all!
Cheers!

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