Faces of Vietnam

Playing a guitar-like instrument, whose fretboard is scalloped between the frets, so that the left-hand fingers depress the string against the frets without the fingers touching the fretboard.

An elderly member of a local civil defense team, maintaining crowd control during a building fire in downtown Saigon. Tragically, we learn later that a young boy died in the fire.

An observer of the fatal fire that occurred just a block from where we ended up staying.

Many of the ubiquitous banners that
celebrate the new year are hand-lettered.

There are huge flower markets in the public squares as Vietnamese purchase decorations for Tet; the markets are filled with rural villagers who come to sell their products, and they bring their families and sleep at their designated areas on the square.

One of the local dessert delicacies is mashed banana and other fruit wrapped in rice and banana leaves and smoked; here, the completed rolls are sliced using a thread wrapped around the roll and pulled through.

Making threads out of palm fronds; throughout the South Pacific and now here in Vietnam, we see the use of the palm tree for everything from food to clothing to shelter.

In Hue, we visited the Imperial Palace -- and saw local visitors paying to have their kids dressed up in traditional garb. Here, a boy sits on a horse, playing the role of child emperor.

An adorable little girl.

A Santa Hat is just fine. It's Tet in Saigon and it's time to celebrate.

Pretending to be a Nguyen prince in the old capitol of Hue.

A lady selling roasted corn cobs on a street in Hoi An.

A calligrapher outside the Temple of Literature in Hanoi.

A little girl is having her holiday photo taken inside the Temple of Literature in Hanoi.

Woman working at an organic garden, farmed by 22 families, outside Hoi An.

Hanoi man burning "lucky" money, as part of the Tet rituals. While all Vietnamese wish for prosperity in the coming new year, they burn fake money to show that money isn't the most important thing in life.

This lady lured us into her restaurant with these crabs. Jon, of course had to have a couple.

Our guide enjoys a quiet moment on the Mekong River as we return by long boat to My Tho.