On my last day in Vietnam, I visited the Perfume Pagoda. Located near Hanoi, this complex of Buddhist temples is a traditional pilgrimage destination. A boat ride on the sleepy Suoi Yen River, among green rice fields and hills resembling an elephant's head, was a unique experience. However, I reached the Huong Tich grotto by a cable car, whose picturesque route leads over the tops of trees growing on the surrounding hills.