Hanoi
Three days to make it count! We had an idea of what we wanted to do, however it was M’s birthday on our last full day in Hanoi and wanted to do something different on that day but couldn’t decide!
Day 1 – No alarm set, we decided to just see how the first day went. We’d found out that we could see Uncle Ho. Ho Chi Minh is resting in a mausoleum in Hanoi, so we queued to see him. He died 57 years ago and is preserved using a secret embalming process. Known only by the Russians and more recently the Vietnamese. We went to the presidential palace and houses/buildings that he used to work in, live in and where he died. Next up was the – Hỏa Lò Prison aka Hanoi Hilton. Originally housed political prisoners and later on U.S. prisoners during the American War.
Walked over to Hoan Kiem Lake, whilst wandering we walked past the water puppet theatre. We had decided not to go after we were told that it wasn’t worth it. We checked to see if they had tickets available and decided for £4.50 each, it was worth a risk. Whilst waiting for the 4pm show, we found St Josephs Cathedral – unable to go in so found a cafe for a drink and cake. The Note Coffee is 5 floors filled with post it notes – you can write your own note/message and leave it to add to the millions there. Back to the theatre for the puppet show, on a water stage performing traditional stories, with live musicians and singers. Glad we took the chance, as we both really enjoyed it and it’s an import historical art form from the 11th century.
Day 2 – The penultimate day in Hanoi & Vietnam turned in to a wandering day. We went to the Women’s Museum, which had lots of exhibits on the lives of Vietnamese Women, childhood, marriage, children, religion and dress. Went for a window shop and browse through the many streets and shops of the old quarter. Got the boring stuff of washing and packing out of the way and had a few glasses of wine, whilst people watching. Dinner was in an Italian close to the cathedral then we took a slow wander back and looked in the local pottery shops.
Day 3 – The Birthday Edit – M’s birthday. G popped out first thing and came bearing a gift, a massive chocolate cake from the small bakery across the road. As we were heading out, we asked the hotel if they would keep it in the fridge until we returned.
We’d considered all options and decided to have a tour of Hanoi riding pillion on mopeds!
Picked up at 11am and back by 4pm. We tried egg coffee, salt coffee and then finally a meal of summer pho and local spring rolls with fish dipping sauce. When back at the hotel we had the cake and cocktails on the rooftop of the hotel. The cake was shared with fellow travellers and the staff. In the evening we went out for a bit of pressie shopping/bartering and a walk down train street. That’s was it, three weeks in Vietnam gone in the blink of an eye. The next morning we were in the taxi for 5am for our flight to Tokyo.
