NINH BÌNH, VIỆT NAM

We went to see the Temple of Kings, also known as Vua Lê Vua Đinh. This was the old and original capital of Việt Nam, before it moved to Hà Nội, and then to Sài Gòn. We got a tour guide and she just happens to be one of the most eloquent speakers I have ever met. She told us of the kings, of how the general named himself emperor here and was later assassinated by food poisoning. That’s why they later used the very cool chopsticks that can detect poison. These chopsticks turn a decay color when dipped into something that is not good to eat anymore, therefore letting the king know that he should not eat that. We bought a few of them but I should have brought more.

The guide speaks the true Bắc language so everything that came out of her mouth sounded like a lyrical song. I even forgot to take pictures because I was listening so intently.

I love this picture above because my mum is walking under an umbrella, of course. My brothers are along for the ride, and wandering around, and I am intently listening to my dad explain the lich su [history] of what the tour guide was saying. She spoke so eloquently in poetic verses that I had to clarify some of the words she was saying into common Viet.