Floating village, Red River

Part of a small cluster of houseboats and others moored in the northern outskirts of Hanoi. The families who live there (about 10 households) have the right to fish between the Thang Long and Chuong Duong bridges. It's not a very profitable occupation as the river is severely over-fished. They do a sideline in taking day-trippers out to Bai Giua, the long flat island in the middle of the river (in the background of the photo), in their small boats and bringing them back for a meal on the houseboat afterwards. Some friends and I went out on what turned out to be a hunting trip for the guys. They killed a heron which makes quite a good barbecue when cut into cubes and grilled at high temperature. I loathe hunting (and was glad to see them miss several), but the trip was otherwise lovely. The island has vast white sandy beaches at the western tip. The meal was tasty too - grilled fish, sour fish soup.