Ever since a friend told me about these brick factories on the banks of the Red River west of the city, I wanted to visit them. Today was the day to go and shoot some pictures there. The factories themselves looked rather ominous but the workers were extremely friendly, welcoming this strange Tây to their workplace. They proudly showed me around, even though everything they explained basically got lost in translation...

Today I made a quick stop at the quirky and atmospheric Jade Emperor Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City. The light wasn't as good as I'd hoped for, so I might have to revisit sometime. One tip for future visitors: don't forget to check out the huge tree in the courtyard (last photo below). Its vast web of tangled branches is amazing!

As I was selecting some photos for the summer holiday post, I decided to do a separate post with pictures of the Belgian coast, taken during our stay there in July. Mocked by many Belgians as being one of the uglier parts of our country, I happen to like this area a lot. I hope it comes through in the photos.