As seen from a window, a badling of ducks visiting the museum as well. There was a third before the photo was taken; it waddled behind the bushes and into the water. 

            A collection of fish traps made from bamboo are piled on a bicycle.

            With continuous heavy influence of French-style architecture, the Presidential Palace was intended to the be the residence of Ho Chi Minh himself, but he opted for more traditional housing instead. The distinct hushed saffron colour is astonishing to see in person.

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As with many vendors throughout the city, here is a fun array of inexpensive and fruitful shirts. While they are fun in concept, the material they are made from is incredibly thin, similar to a flour sack towel. 

            A full view of the planter, with his wonderful bonsai tree. If you look closely, you can see the Turtle Island.

            I truly admired these turtle foot claws at the base of this planter. Each turtle is essentially the same, but the look of their face gives a hint of something silly which may explain why this turtle is smirking.

            This statue is placed in honour of the turtle who once lived in the lake. We were informed it perished a few years ago, although its descendants may still inhabit the lake in its place. 

Also known as Turtle Lake, there is a very small island resting in the lake with a small structure. It is said this island was put in place for the turtles in the lake to have a place to surface and rest. There is also a story which entails a time ago, a family buried their fortune on the little island in the lake because they knew it would be safe from others since boats are prohibited in the water as the lake is next to the Ngoc Son Temple.

A description inside the Ngoc Son Template states:

Ho Guam Tortoises are closely attached to the legend the King Le returned the precious sword to the Tortoise Genius of Ho Luc Thuy (the former name of Ho Guom during that period of time) in the 15th century.

Since then the lake has had a new name: Ho Hoan Kiem (Lake Hoan Kiem or Lake of Sword Restored) or Ho Guom for short.

Over the past five centuries, people have still believed that the sacred sword was buried deep somewhere in the lake.

Time and again several tortoises in Ho Guom have turned up with the witness of many Hanoians as well as tourists as if they remind lookers on of the historical pages in the heroic struggles of the Vietnamese people.

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            As seen from the rooftop of the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation HQ rooftop, a cloudy view of the city of Hanoi.

            In the city where space is considered a luxury, a cautious consumer chooses their vehicle wisely. This was the second smart fortwo I seen while in Ho Chi Minh. What I like about this photo pertains to the fortwo being parked on the sidewalk. That's right: that whole stretch of tile is the sidewalk. Granted that a pool of motobikes are also parked there as well, the fortwo is not too far out of place.

            This scene is just wonderful: a roadside vendor has her inventory of shoes cleverly arranged for those passing by. Wow! That's a lot of dedication to for arranging the shoes, nonetheless concluding her display at the end of the day.

In a city with a population surpassing 8.42 million, buildings must often turn to vertical constructions rather than horizontal. This is an example of two buildings within the city, where they are longer than they are wide. Some buildings have their primary windows facing the street as to provoke those passing by that they are a well suited business or hotel, only for visitors to find the interior to be cramped and lacks the availability of seeing the outside world.

            Ah, more skinny trees. The little thin one is on its way to become thriving like its fellow companions. 

A common sight in the south of Vietnam are these bricks- they're in piles everywhere. Many of them are hollow with four holes running length wise, as an effort to conserve the clay reserves they're made from. Solid bricks will generally be used for foundations, where applicable, followed by hollow bricks for the remaining structure.

            What I like about this photo is the kindness displayed for nature in an urban setting. If you look closely, you can see the metal roofing are situated around the trunks of the trees allowing them to continue growing and provide shade for the people who live there.