Taste of Hanoi, Viet Nam April 26-May 1, 2007

This mini-blog of Hanoi is long overdue and is missing some pictures in order to make it more complete. For that I apologize...it is possible they are on Pat's computer (at work most days). I also cannot locate my trip diary (I am pretty sure I wrote one!) so am only able to supply what details I can find in the Lonely Planet Guide!


Today's youth in Hanoi


Pat and I flew to Hanoi from Kuala Lumpur (3 1/2 hour flight) via Malaysia Airlines at the end of April, meeting up with Jen and Ben (on their last leg of their 2 month trek around S.E. Asia) and Ben's brother, Luke, who had flown in from a business trip to Washington, D.C. for his first taste of Asia. The kids stayed in the Old Quarter at a cozy inexpensive hotel while we enjoyed the more upscale Hilton Opera Hotel, right beside the beautiful Hanoi Opera House, built in 1911.






Hanoi Opera House from our hotel window

















Vietnamese lady playing a local instrument at the Temple of Literature

















The gardens inside the Temple of Literature












The stelae at the Temple of
Literature, founded in 1070.
On these stones with turtle heads
are recorded the names, places of
birth and achievements of men
who received doctorates from 1442.





The transportaion of choice for the average Vietnamese is a motorbike. Here the whole family is in tow with Mother holding onto the baby. Everything and anything is carried on motorbikes: livestock (dead and alive), cases of bottled drinks, furniture, pots and pans, etc. We saw a great book with pictures of people on motorbikes and their various types of cargo-it was pretty funny!








The pagoda in Hoan Kiem Lake,
right in the heart of the city.












A surprisingly "quiet" street
scene in central Hanoi. Honking
is the norm here but no one pays
any attention to the "honker"!











The mausoleum of the famous
Ho Chi Minh, father of Viet Nam,
built between 1973-75. Following
the crowd of devotees, we filed past
the embalmed body of the former
President in total silence.





It was a little surreal visiting Viet Nam, considering I lived through the Viet Nam War during my high school and university years (interestingly, it is called the "American War" there!). We studied about Ho Chi Minh and his accomplishments in Grade 11 World History and there he was on his funeral bed! Apparently the complex is closed for three months each year while his corpse goes to Russia for manintenance!

The food in Hanoi is awesome...fresh spring rolls were my absolute favourite and a choice at nearly every meal! Thanks to the French colonization, the Viet Namese make wonderful bread and French pastries to go with their very strong coffee. We branched out a little and enjoyed Indian fare one night, Restaurant Bobby Chinn another night and the Cyclo Bar and Restaurant with its old cyclos transformed into tables and chairs! Everywhere on the street and sidewalks are vendors cooking up a storm and locals perched on kindergarten-type plastic chairs enjoying meals at any time of the day. It made for navigating the Old Quarter somewhat frustrating...especially when the five of us were trying to keep together!

One evening we took in the antics of the famous water puppets at the Municipal Water Puppet Theatre. The puppeteers stand hip-deep in the water behind the scene and manoeuver the puppets back and forth with great splashing at times. They are accompanied by traditional music in the balcony above.

We attended a Church service in French at St. Joseph's R.C. Cathedral, inaugurated in 1886. There were many French-speaking ex-pats there and we felt a little at home! Afterwards we wandered the street in front of the Church with its many fashionable clothing boutiques. Jen bought a dress (which needed alterations and was ready the following day) and Pat bought some shirt material.

We arranged a day-trip to Halong Bay, about three hours to the east of Hanoi, a UNESCO World Heritage site of some 3000 islands in the Gulf of Tonkin. Unfortunately it was a hazy day so it was hard to see the many islands but we enjoyed the day out of the busy city. We hired a boat just for the five of us which included a delicious home-cooked lunch of fish, shrimp, salads, fruit, etc.

More to come if I can locate my pictures...