Fireworks!!

Vietnamese people know how to do fireworks - hands down. 

I love fireworks, and of all the firework shows I've seen, the two most remarkable shows have both been in Vietnam. 

They practically put firecrackers on birthday cakes.  (As in there is this massive sparkler shooting off small beautiful explosions that make you wonder if you're safe a few tables away....I wonder if there's any cake left that hasn't melted by the time it's done, and I really do ponder how they don't get burned by it - it's quite a spectacular sight though!)

But anyways, the first fireworks show we saw here was during Tet.  We brought in the Lunar New Year with Mia, her sister and some friends, and it was a blast.  As was the fireworks show ;p  I hadn't ever seen fireworks so big before - they were just amazing!!  This is us down at Hoan Kiem lake watching the show....

And you know how firework pictures so seldom turn out decently (at least for me,) well, I actually managed to get a few shots to share. :)  The tree we were in front of is one of those ancient tress that is probably a few hundred years old.  (Hoan Kiem Lake is considered the "heart" of Hanoi, it's historic and very interesting, you should google it!)  The picture doesn't do it justice in terms of size, but trust me, it's really big, and the fireworks are even bigger!  They just showered the sky with lights and color!! 

The "Old Quarters" is a really pretty area - we'll have to put up some pictures of it soon.  The show started at midnight to actually bring in the new year and they lasted for quite a while. It was the first time in a long time that we actually stayed out late so we were pretty beat by the time we got home.

 Look at the happy couple in Hanoi <3

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!

So the next fireworks we saw scared the ever-living daylights out of us.  They were at a friend's wedding and we had no idea they were coming!  The bride and groom had just begun the ceremony and then all of a sudden, (it seemed out of nowhere yet everywhere at the same time,) fireworks lit up the room!  The fireworks first shot off along the platform where the vows were being exchanged, and then a moment later, all around the room!  A guy at our table literally jumped out of his seat.  He swore that if he were a few inches closer he'd of been in big trouble.  (We were luckily situated right in between the groom's family table and the pool area so we had an awesome view and the comfort of the proximity to the water.)  I was so startled I was only able to snap one picture of it!  It's hard to see the bride and groom but they looked great!

Check out the fireworks we saw at our first Vietnamese wedding!  It was really neat!! It's interesting how things are done differently in different cultures.  It was a beautiful wedding, a great time and we are so happy for our friends!

 So the next time we saw fireworks was actually that same weekend.  We had traveled to Hai Phong for the wedding so we decided to continue on to Ha Long Bay and go to Cat Ba Island.  We'll have to do a separate entry for that amaaaaaazing experience, but here's a little sneak-peek preview of the fireworks we saw out there!

Okay, first, to give you an idea of the size, here is a picture of the same area during the day.  Those are all people walking around, and you can see the buildings and trees.  Look at the arch in relation to those things and then keep that in mind when you check out just how outrageously huge of a fireworks show it was!



This was the fireworks show after the festival!  (Where we saw our first real Asian dragon dance - it was awesome!!  More to come about that in the Cat Ba entry....)

                Enormous and Spectacular!!

It's kind of crazy isn't it?

We were tired from all of the excitement so we went up to the hotel room and watched the fireworks show from our balcony.  All these picture were taken from there - it was an awesome view!

We fell asleep cuddled up in bed watching beautiful fireworks in a gorgeous place - what a fantastic way to end the day!  (Don't mind the laundry hanger and window - hey like I said, I was laying in bed.)

 So, like I mentioned, one of the things I've learned in the few short months we've lived here, is that the Vietnamese know how to do fireworks!!  Okay, I'm sleepy....goodnight!