Last November, I had one of my best days here in northern Vietnam when I visited Ninh Binh (see related post). I also made a friend who took me for an incredible hike on my birthday (see related post). Today I had the opportunity to take my friend, Duc, and my family on the same adventure with the same guide, Dano.

*Going for a swim after lunch with our most excellent guide, Dano*

The only “down side” of this trip is that it’s a full day commitment. That is, we got up at 5:30am (much to the chagrin of Will and Violet), took our Grab to the designated pick-up hotel and began picking up the rest of the group at 7am. Our first stop was the ancient temple where Violet had an opportunity to ride an ox and feed the koi fish.

*Violet sitting on an ox with props provided by the farmer / owner*

*Violet dumping a whole bag of fish food - the Koi have a feeing frenzy*

On our drive up to the temple, Dano reminded us that Hanoi has a population of 9.5 million people, with 8.5 million motorbikes and 1 million cars. Here’s what that looks like:

*Hanoi morning commute. This is an “average” traffic light!*

The temple, while awesome, was my least favorite of the day’s activities. Still very cool, to be sure, but is nothing compared to what comes next for an adventurous soul like me. Here’s a rough idea of what the temple experience was like:

We had an early buffet lunch (delicious) so that we had time to both bike and swim before “the main event” of the day. For me, this means a mini triathlon-like day. A long hike (with many steps), bike ride for at least 30 minutes and several laps in the pool. The Energizer-Bunny inside of me was very happy and fulfilled.

*Violet and I enjoyed biking with Duc who took our picture*

*Pool selfie with Dano, our guide for the day*

So the reason I really wanted to take my family and friend Duc to Ninh Binh is for this 90 minute gentle and awe-inspiring boat ride. First of all, the (primarily) women who row these boats tend to be farmers and guide tourists using their legs to row (see related post). The water is calm. The views are sweeping and spectacular and the mountains are often referred to as the Ha Long Bay of the land (see related post).

*Entering our first cave along the river — one of many amazing sights*

I loved seeing all of this through Violet’s eyes. Yes, it was my second ride down the river and yet there was a newness seeing it all again through the eyes of my daughter. Peace. Calm. Inspiring. Just a few words we exchanged while we enjoyed this mostly silent journey into nature. Big mountain energy. Gentle and mesmerizing splash of the oars going in and out of the otherwise still river. The grass of what will become a future bloom of water lotus flowers. And the occasional goat, duck or egret.

And finally, Duc, Violet and I ventured up the 500 steps (1,000 when you include the return trip down) to pay homage to the cement dragon that awaited us at the very top.

I realize this is a lot. We got back to Hanoi at 7pm, so it was more than a 12 hour adventure from start to finish. Instead of heading straight back to our Airbnb, we decided to have one final meal together in old town. This was most certainly Hanoi street food and it was very good. For our final adventure of the day, I gave my family a preview of what “Train Street” looked like at night. I plan on taking them there in the daytime when the trains are running so they can have the “full” experience.

*Standing on “Train Street” with my family*

One final note. Tomorrow (March 26 at 5pm Pilipino Time), I get to have a zoom call with more than 100 coaches from the Southeast Asia region (see LinkedIn Event details). I love that I can have these incredible adventures here in Vietnam and still remain connected to the community I love so dearly. For me, this is the ultimate life adventure. Traveling around the world with my family and using Zoom to remain connected to my community. Win-win.

Ninh Binh, Vietnam (March 25, 2026)

Q1 2026 Philippines Keynote (March 26, 2026)

Back to Hanoi, Vietnam (March 24, 2026)