With the new Tamron 28-300 mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD (A010) high-power zoom lens in hand, I journeyed to Hanoi. I had been to Vietnam more than a decade before that, travelling from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh. It was a land of many memories for me, and I was excited to visit it again.

Many brand-new buildings and high-end stores had been built in the years since I had last been in Hanoi, and there were more people dressed in elegant clothing. It was amazing how much economic growth there had been since my previous visit. That being said, once I stepped foot into the older district, I found a vaguely nostalgic Asian city still enveloped in its chaotic hustle and bustle.

In addition, the area around Hoan Kiem Lake, an oasis for the residents located at the center of Hanoi, gave me a sense of relief with its calm atmosphere, completely unchanged from the past. The whirlpool of motorcycles and groups of people coming and going, the varied and colorful street corners, the old temples, the students returning from graduation ceremonies, the unique storefront displays, the magnificent sight of the picturesque Ha Long Bay, located in the northern area, that I visited for a day. Even as it underwent its energetic daily transformation, the streets of Hanoi maintain a serenity and deep tradition that can make you lose your sense of time. No matter where you walk, there is no end to the city's charm.

This lens, with its astonishing focal length of 28 mm to 300 mm, allows flexible zooming in any circumstances during such a trip. This makes it possible to respond immediately when the opportunity to take a photo presents itself. It's preferable to travel as lightly as possible on a trip, and it's more fun to airily snap photos with a single lens as your companion than to walk around with a load of different lenses.

Tamron's many years of manufacturing high-power zoom lenses are condensed into this lens. Even from the perspective of picture quality, it is in no way inferior to a single-focus lens. It's the one lens that you can depend on.