Author: Ged

Photos: Rach (unless specified)

11 April

We landed in Hanoi, our first stop on our Vietnam journey, at about 8pm and were immediately grateful we’d arranged our visas in advance (we’d had to anyway as we were staying longer than 14 days, but it meant no lining up for us!). We got through security and wondered how to get to the city’s old quarter, some 40 minutes drive away. As we checked the Grab taxi app we made two friends quickly (they didn’t know each other). Lillian from North Carolina and Roman from near Stuttgart were also headed to the Old Quarter and wanted to split a taxi with us. Happy days! Not only did this half the cost for us but we heard stories from our taxi buddies. Lillian was in Vietnam to complete some diving training and Roman had been travelling for nearly two years (he looked it too!) The time flew by and before long we arrived at our hotel. The heat, noise, smell of food, and sound of scooters immediately hit us as we stepped out of the air conditioned car into the busy street. Ged couldn’t figure out why, but he immediately liked Hanoi and got a good feeling about Vietnam (after nearly 2 weeks in the country at the time of writing this feeling hasn’t gone away). We were a little hungry, but not famished, so Ged went into hunter gatherer mode and returned triumphant with cold drinks, two Banh Bao (steamed dumplings filled with minced pork), the location for a nearby laundrette tomorrow, and 2 million dong in notes! Finally we were millionaires, even if it was only about £67 really.

We were really excited for the next day, eager to get out and explore. There seemed so much to do in Hanoi, and perhaps more importantly, so much to eat!

12 April

After a bit of an unintended lie in we got into gear, got our washing done, grabbed a coffee, and got back to the room within an hour. Unusually for South East Asia we we given the option of just washing the clothes rather getting them dried too. It saved a massive £2.50 so Ged’s boot lace trick came in handy again in the room!

Rach researched a reasonable and cost effective tour guide (tour guides working just for tips are common) so we booked a guy for the afternoon to see Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Well by 2pm the fella hadn’t turned up, and by 2:30pm he still wasn’t there despite being “around the corner” twice! Oh well, his loss. We did our own tour with info from Wikipedia, Lonely Planet, and Tripadvisor.

Vietnam’s capital Hanoi might have felt big with its 8 million inhabitants, but it is not the country’s biggest city (that’s Ho Chi Minh). Situated in the North on the banks of the Red River, from the air it looks like a sprawling metropolis extending outwards from the Old Quarter. Yet, sometimes known as the “Paris of the East,” the city has many beautiful buildings and quiet parks to while away the time, as well as the cramped, bustling streets where you can buy (or get mended) almost anything you can think of.

This city is most definitely alive at all hours of the day and boasts some of the best, and cheapest, food you can eat in South East Asia. Well, if you survive crossing the road! Traffic lights mean diddly squat in Vietnam.

Our first proper stop venturing out was St. Joseph’s Cathedral. This Catholic Cathedral looks to have been built in a semi gothic style from the outside, but is adorned with the most socialist flag of Jesus we’ve ever seen. Inside you would be forgiven for thinking you’d been teleported to France. Completed in 1886, the church is interesting in its own way and we’re glad we went.

The streets surrounding this part of the old quarter were particularly quaint, and at the side of the cathedral there was a shop selling handmade ceramics. Ged nearly had to literally pry Rach away from it!

Our next stop was the nearby Hỏa Lò Prison, or as it was known by some American POWs, the “Hanoi Hilton.” Initially built by French colonists to house members of the Vietnamese resistance, the prison was almost continuously built up and developed from 1886 until the end of its use in the 1970s, and now only a portion remains.

The prison contained overcrowded detention halls, bleak solitary confinement cells, and execution chambers where the condemned were beheaded by guillotine. A truly miserable place by all accounts.

However, we are glad we went and learned of the appalling conditions in the prison under the different regimes. The needless brutality of the French colonial jailors is discussed at length, but so is the “comfort” the American POWs enjoyed during their “stay,” which we doubt is entirely accurate.

The museum now has a memorial for all the Vietnamese that were tortured and killed at the prison so that they are not forgotten, and an exhibit about how today’s youth can work for a better future. The last part was a little nationalistic, but interesting, and we think the sentiment was probably about right.

We left the prison museum about 5pm and hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Cue hangry mode!! Luckily Ged had done some research. Near the cathedral there was a top rated eatery for local grub. Phở was what we were after – noodles, broth, spring vegetables, beef, and optional chilli and lime is Vietnam’s fast food.

We walked into the packed Phở 10 to find no Westeners. A good sign. The place was so busy we had to share a table with a Vietnamese couple. Phở 10 only sells phở so the menu doesn’t exactly take long to peruse….. within seconds of ordering we had huge steaming bowls of delicious beef noodle broth ready to chow down on.

This was one of the best things Ged had eaten on the trip and, at 60,000 Dong (about £2), it was one of the cheapest. Ged was a happy fella with a full belly and a numb tongue (a little too much optional chilli!)

We then decided to head to the pretty shores of Hoàn Kiếm Lake to walk off our phở food babies.

As we strolled along the pleasant paths, taking in the evening’s sights, we were approached by groups of young people wanting to talk to us. Sceptical of being approached by strangers, Ged initially said no to all and we carried on with our stroll. Slowly we realised these were students and some even had their teachers nearby. They just wanted to practice their English! In the end we talked to a few groups, the younger ones helped by their teachers. Most conversations went the same way: “What is your name? How old are you? Where are you from? Do you like sports?” Etc. We were happy to help and some of the older boys even got into a proper conversation with Ged about Liverpool football club and how much they wanted them to win the league this year. It seems Liverpool is the most popular English team in Hanoi! Feeling good, we carried on circumventing this oasis in the city and treated ourselves to a cold drink. The lake is quite pretty at night and we had an excellent view of Ngọc Sơn temple in the middle of the lake.

This would have been a top end to a boss day, but we aren’t ones to rest. One more important visit was yet to come….

Water puppets: The entertainment you didn’t know you needed in your life. We’d never heard of water puppet shows before setting foot in Vietnam but for £3.30 for a seat we thought we’d try it out (it’s at least more than double the cost if you book online or through a hotel so go straight to the box office if you’re in Hanoi). The puppets are fairly simple, operated at the end of a stick from behind a curtain, but well animated and they perform alongside traditional live music off the side of the stage, which is both beautiful and playful. Rach was particularly taken by the skill of the zither soloist during the overture.

The water puppet tradition started hundreds of years ago during the rainy season when the fields would flood. The puppet shows would tell stories of farming, fishing, boat racing, princes, and legendary beasts. Vignettes with names such as ‘Fighting Fox – catching duck’ and ‘A little boy with flute on buffalo’ played out for nearly an hour and made us laugh loads. We had no idea what was going on half the time as it was all in Vietnamese, but it didn’t matter. This is a must see for anyone in Hanoi.

Afterwards we headed through the bustling streets back to our hotel via some shops. It is amazing the level of skill that goes into some of the fake merchandise in Hanoi! What an awesome day.

13 April

We had a pretty rubbish breakfast at the hotel before heading out once more into the city, and getting our first real taste of Hanoi traffic. Bit of a culture shock to say the least after Luang Prabang!

First up was the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. The queue to get in was huge so we didn’t actually go to see his embalmed remains, but the building itself is pretty imposing in the Ba Đình Square.

The square is surrounded by the embassies of many countries and nearby is a park with an instantly recognisable statue of Lenin signifiying the important friendship between Vietnam and Russia.

Near to this is one of the top sites to visit in Hanoi, that is if you’re into philosophy, architecture, or academia. The Temple of Literature hosts the Imperial Academy, Vietnam’s first national university, and is a Temple of Confucius, having been built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Ly Thánh Tông. The complex is a series of courtyards, temples, ceremony halls, and classrooms. Still used for graduation ceremonies today (we just missed one), the place is calming and meant to foster intellectual thought.

Ged was particularly taken with how the accomplishments of the doctoral students are recorded. No quick handshake and a piece of paper here! The name, date of examination, title of thesis, names of examiners, and a brief bit of info on the thesis are carved on individual stele mounted on holy stone turtles. Impressive to say the least and very Terry Pratchettesque.

The temple also contains the Khuê Vãn Các in its second courtyard, recognised as the icon for Hanoi, its thousand year old capital, and its culture. The symmetrical building reflects humility, clarity and refinement. Its square plinth symbolises the earth, the high two-storey tower with images of the sun represents the sky, the breezeway through the open pavilion represents the wind, while the pool in front symbolises Yin in balance with the pavilion symbolising Yang.

The Temple of Literature is well worth a visit for anyone in Hanoi.

Wanting to get out of the heat we headed across the road to a little coffee shop, and we do mean little. We were shown to seats upstairs but this place wasn’t built with people over 6ft in mind and Ged had to stoop when stood up!

Thankfully seated next to a fan, Rach got a pasionfruit juice and Ged ordered his first egg coffee; a local speciality. Seemingly invented during a shortage of milk in the 40s and 50s, egg coffee has a coffee base topped with what tastes like runny creme brûlée without the crust top. Absolutely delicious, this was one of the more suprisingly tasty things Ged tasted in the whole of Vietnam, and the coffee packed a punch too!!

Revived, and after a quick change of footwear for Rach (strappy sandles are not for tramping around cities!), we headed towards the opera house and the buildings of the National Museum of Vietnamese History. The opera house is a beautiful building in the French style and wouldn’t be out of place in Paris.

No time to see a show though! Onwards to the museum. Housed over two buildings, the museum is a bargain for museum lovers at 40,000 Dong (c. £1.30) and once again Ged could easily have spent all day there. We went around the museum chronologically, starting with building 1. From the origins of civilisation, to the last days of the imperial ruling dynasties the museum showcases the changing art, weapons, instruments, and religions of the people of Vietnam over two floors. The art and sculpture of the late 18th and 19th centuries were particularly beautiful and intricate.

At about 4:30pm we headed to the other building hoping for a quick round up of events since 1945. Despite a sign saying last entrance at 5pm, and us having tickets, we had to argue to be let in. Even then they didn’t want to let us in to the rooms we wanted to go in. In the end we briefly saw artefacts and information about the French invasion of 1954 and the lead up to American troups being deployed in Vietnam. At 4:50pm we we ordered to leave. Really annoying.

We weren’t done with heritage yet though and headed over to a place suitably called Heritage House.

It was about 30p to get in and really worth it. One of the last surviving examples of traditional housing in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, this merchant’s house is both quaint and ornate, and oddly serene given the chaos of the city outside. It’s a great example of how houses were built to sustain religious and working life, with a shop space at the front and the most important room of the house, containing the altar where ancestors would be worshipped daily, at the start of the living space, separated by a central courtyard. Designed with Feng Shui principles in mind, the house is well worth a visit.

All that sightseeing had made us thirsty so we couldn’t say no to ‘buy 2 get 1 free’ beers at a nearby bar, and at 18,000 Dong (about 60p) the beer was already cheap! We whiled away around an hour on the little balcony at the top, feeling calm above the busy streets below.

We left the bar for our last stop of the day – the Eastern Ô Quan Chưởng Gate, an example of a medieval gate but nothing particularly impressive.

Food time! Rach had heard of a place called Bia Hoi doing good authentic food so we followed our trusty google maps to the location. Turns out there are hundreds of places called Bia Hoi and we ended up at party central complete with a live band, thousands of tourists, and beer promos. Not what we were after! Rach eventually found the Bia Hoi we were actually searching for near our hotel. It was meant to be the best ribs in Hanoi but we were a little underwhelmed (and perhaps a little tired) so headed home to relax with the air conditioning on.

On the whole we’d had a top few days. No time for rest though as the following day we were moving on again to our second stop on our Vietnam tour – Halong Bay here we come!