Jun 15th, Off-base Scenery (mostly)

Today's posting consists of the photos I took off-base, before the Base Commander restricted all USAF personnel to the base. Unfortunately, this severely limited my off-base photo-ops.

A few of these photos might be duplicated in earlier posts. For example where there are people in the scene, I might have also included those photos in one of the people postings, not many though.

There are also a few photos where I can not recall their exact locations and/or I might have mis-identified a location. Please feel free to add any comments/suggestions that could help me to correct  errors.

Stone carvings for sale.

Sailing down the Han River.

The Han river and Monkey Mountain. 

Village life along seldom used rail tracks.

Village along the railroad tracks.

These could be the same tracks shown above, approaching the Han River. 

Fishing on the Han River. Marble mountain in the background.

Marsh or old rice paddies along the Han River.

Clothing store in Da Nang.

Airing out the bedding. The symbol, above the building between the 2 tall Palm trees, indicates that it might be Buddhist. 

A curious Water Buffalo.

Temple gate.

Close-up of Temple gate.

Obviously this photo was not taken off-base. But it provides a nice wide view of the flight line, USAF & VNAF, and Monkey Mountain to the East of the base. 

Da Nang Cathedral.

Da Nang Cathedral grotto.

Da Nang Cathedral steeple.

Da Nang Cathedral altar.

I'm not sure about this one. It might be on China Beach, viewing northward towards Monkey Mountain. Looks like Navy/Marine buildings center-right, similar to those on Hill 327. 

Thatched house along the road to China Beach.

A Han River scene.

Bridge across the Han, looking westward, Hill 327 on the left. 

A Han River scene.

Various activities on the Han River, civil and military.

The French Consulate in Da Nang.

A pet monkey.

A variety shop in Da Nang.

Dead tree in Da Nang.

Rice paddies.

Algae.

ARVN pet monkey.

Monkey guarding owner's truck.

Cemetery in Da Nang.

Cemetery in Da Nang.

Playing football on China Beach.

Playing football on China Beach.

Playing football on China Beach. (Swim trunks not mandatory!)

Prepared to catch the pass. Looks like a great day for body-surfing! 

The Da Nang USO. I never went in.

I can't remember where I took this photo in Da Nang. 

The Bamboo Restaurant, Da Nang.

Not sure about this one. Possibly a military museum? 

Fishing boats.

Fruit stand in Da Nang.

Fruit stand in Da Nang.

No idea what the sign says. I was just fascinated with its construction.

Han River bridge.

Fields along the Han River.

Typical view of China Beach in the mid-60s. Marble Mountain in the background. 

Da Nang Palms.

Cactus grew well along the road to China Beach.

Thatched houses.

Children and teacher assembled outside their school.

A Citroen Ami. Cars were a rarity in Da Nang where bicycles and mopeds prevailed.

Fishing boats on China Beach.

Thatched buildings.

More Da Nang Palms.

A curious monkey, perhaps looking for a snack. 

Sad monkey. I had no snacks with me. 

Army dump truck on the way to China Beach.

Old rice paddies along road to China Beach.

Vietnamese man with his family outside their thatched house.

Wood and thatch homes on road to China Beach.

3-wheeled "truck" traversing path along the railroad. 

Banyan tree in a Da Nang compound.

Aloe Vera plant growing along the road.

Fishing boat on the Han River.

Hardware shop in downtown Da Nang.

Palm trees in Da Nang.

Close-up of old tile roof on building in Da Nang. 

Shops in downtown Da Nang.

Gate guard at an entrance to the USO in Da Nang.

Aloe Vera plant near "Tent City" on Da Nang Air Base.

Goat grazing by buildings near Da Nang. 

Vietnamese and U.S. Navy boats on the Han River.

Docked U.S. Navy vessel, classified as a Refrigerated Covered Lighter. I heard stories over there about how dock workers would "accidentally" drop pallets of American goods into the water, the submerged contents later appearing on the black market.    

Twin slides under a Banyan Tree in a Da Nang park. 

A Vietnamese monument of some kind. 

I think this might have been a boys school in Da Nang. 

A variety shop in Da Nang.

Fishing boats.

Monument on the Han River bank. 

Old Jalousie doors.

Fishing boats on the Han River.

Jun 11th, Dusk, Night and Dawn

Being extremely new to photography, when I was in Vietnam, I had to experiment quite a lot under different lighting conditions. Until I bought the Nikon F Photomic T with built in light meter, the only meter I had was a cheap, old, selenium photocell model. Therefore, the results were always quite unpredictable. They were all handheld shots, as I had no tripod in Vietnam.

Today, I am posting some of those photo results. I took them all on Da Nang AB during the period 1965-66.

Sunrise over the hangars and water tower.

Sunset over the hills.

Sunset over the hills.

Sunset over the hills.

Sunset over the hills.

Sunrise over the flight line.

Sunrise over the hangar and water tower.

Sunrise over the VNAF barracks.

Sunrise.

Sunrise over the "Skyraiders".

Sunset over an "Albatross".

Sunset over Hill 327.

Sunset over Hill 327.

Sunset over the hills.

Night traffic on the flight line.

Night lights on the flight line.

Traffic on the flight line. Possibly a flare drop in the background.

Main gate to cantonment area.

A night time take-off.

Runway traffic.

My bike. Runway traffic in background.

Runway traffic.

A "Caribou" takes off at sunset.

Hangar lights at night. 

Sunset over the hills and "Albatross" flight line.