Vietnam Trip: January 15th-30th, 2009

HANOI, VIETNAM:Jan. 15 to Jan. 17, 2009
(Recap started by B on Jan 22nd 2009)

Ok, lets see if I can do this….recap the past 7 days here in Vietnam and actually do some justice to our trip. We’ll start with day one in Hanoi. We flew in from a brisk 25F temperature ready to embark on the first two week vacation that D and I have ever taken. I know it seems kind of weird... we lived in Europe for four years and back and forth to the US over 5 years of marriage, and we have never done two weeks of vacation at a time.

Hanoi was our first destination, and it seemed to be a swift kick of reality as to how the other side of the world operates. I’m not sure what I was expecting of Hanoi, or the culture in Vietnam, but we got a good dose of it right off the bat on our car ride to the Hotel. In a few words, ONE BILLION MOPEDS!! I’m not exaggerating either. I mean, it was like the whole country of Vietnam had decided to ride mopeds all at the same time, in Hanoi. Pretty funny right? Sort of, if you are reading this and weren’t in the middle of this Sturgis for mopeds on the way to the hotel. It was nice that we were actually in a car and that we didn’t have all of our stuff strapped on the back of one of those things (which I am sure could have been done after seeing some of the stuff they put on these motorbikes…the best was a live calf that was strapped down). The Church Hotel (http://www.churchhotel.com.vn/) was nice and a place to rest our heads before our trip around Hanoi the next day.

Day 2- Hanoi…the next day. Breakfast was extraordinary for a “breakfast included” type breakfast. There was no buffet, no half stale cereal that was supposed to be considered breakfast, just a lovely waitress ready to take our order, that’s right, they had a Menu for us with a selection and after a fresh squeezed juice and some omelets, we were ready to go. The concierge helped us find our bearings and pointed out a few things on the map that our Frommer’s and Lonely Planet had recommended and we were off. Not so fast, look both ways…..or did you forget the BILLION MOPEDS? Oh yeah, 8 O’clock in the morning, and still Sturgis is rolling on. We found that crossing the street was more than a chore, and if you stood too long waiting to cross the Sea of Mópedie, then dude would sneak up beside you and offer you “Motorbike ride…really cheap….where are you from?” and wouldn’t take the hint after you walked down the street for another 400 meters saying, “No thank you.” Slow, methodical walking…never stop, never back up and ensure you cross in pairs so that you can have eyes on both directions, and GO! That’s how you do it. Seems like a chore to cross right, it is.

After mastering the cross walk and crossing the street (two different tasks that we should be awarded medals for) we did get to see a lot of the culture of Hanoi. We headed straight for the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, and then to the One Pillar Pagoda that is known as a place Buddhist go to in order to pray for fertility.

(The entrance to the One Pillar Pagoda that we completey missed. 30 minute walk around, and we finally found the pagoda behind this gate.)

(Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum: He lies in state here in this building. One is able to view Ho inside the mausoleum: hours: 8-11 am. He wanted to be cremated, but the Vietnamese did not grant his wishes. I found it interesting that Ho usually isn’t here in the months of October and November because his body travels to Russia for maintenance. Unfortunately, the mausoleum was also closed on the day we were here.)
(We couldn't find the One Pillar Pagoda--finally we were able to locate it!! As it's name suggests, there is one pillar on this lovely pagoda built after the King had a dream in 1049 (the current one is a replica). Prayer here is said to bring fertility and good health. Although we’re not Buddhist, we paid a visit just in case to cover our bases.)

(Hanoi's population is 3.5 million people with about the same operating a motor-bike.)

(Quan Thanh Temple: was built during 1010 and 1028 and dedicated to Huyen Thien Tran Vo, the god who reigned over Vietnam’s northern regions.)

(Tran Quoc: was built in the 6th century and is one of Vietnam’s oldest pagodas.

It is located on Cayang Island in the middle of West Lake.)

(We love our guidebooks!)

(Walking around the temple)

(The Pagoda)

We were on our way again to find a site where, according to the 2008 version of the Lonely Planet, there was supposed to be a downed B52 bomber that was shot down during the Christmas Raids of Hanoi during the War. Although we didn’t find the bomber, we did find the “lake”, or mud pit, where they were doing some construction and had subsequently taken the plane out about a year or so ago.

The neighborhood that this was in was fairly interesting and D and I got to see authentic Hanoi (By “Authentic” I mean more mopeds and harder street crossings).

(It is possible here to carry anything on a moped, orange trees--huge planted in pots, lemon trees, cement sculptures, pigs, chickens, you name it...It can be done!)

(Check out the flower moped to the right.)

(Shoes at the market)

Fortunately, we stumbled upon a small market where we bought some star fruit for about 50 cents, got a few good pictures and were blessed by seeing roasted dog. Oh crap, close your eyes D, there it was, bigger than S@%!, Fido, roasted and ready to serve with his little tail sticking up, slightly curved but no longer wagging, like it was as normal as brushing your teeth before heading to bed. I thought D was going to cry, so I told her it was a Goat (although I knew it wouldn’t fly any better than a pregnant pole-vaulter) and hoped that she would believe me. That didn’t work so well, so we left a little more cultured than before the little market alley and went on to have a little lunch; ensuring that we ordered vegetables and noodles of course.

(Fido has seen better days :()

“Tit ran” snake is on the menu 6km from Hanoi in a little town called Le Mat “snake village” people eat snake—a so called male aphrodisiac and a natural version of viagra..we refrained on drinking the rice whiskey filled with snake blood and avoided the 7 course snake meal and the town all together. There is also a town where the same goes for dogs. Supposedly, these dogs are bread for eating...sort of like the horses are in Italy and France.)

(The fruit was simply amazing all over Vietnam.)

(Go ahead...give it a try!)

(Now you go, SMILE!)

We had planned to eat lunch so that we could reach the Hoa Lo Prison (museum), later nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton by the American pilots who were shot down during the Vietnam war, fairly easy after our dog-less meal. This was something that was high on my list of things to see as I have read a bit about it, and have seen a few documentaries on this prison after going through SERE school and just given the nature of my business. We found the prison to be mostly torn down, with just a small portion left as a museum to show the historical relevance that this had throughout the French Colonization in Hanoi and how the Vietnamese used it during the Vietnam War as well. It was a strictly informative tour as we walked around and looked at the pictures of John McCain and the other pilots who had been shot down during the war and noticed that they didn’t portray anything about the rope tortures or how completely horrible the conditions were. Something to see for sure, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to visit it.

(Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton): This prison was constructed by the French in 1896 mainly to house around 450 political prisoners—numbers rose to 2000 in the 1930s. It was taken over by the Vietnamese 1954 when the French left. It housed POW’s from 1964-1973 and was a major detention facility. Senator John McCain was an inmate here along with many others. There are numerous stories on the walls and facts about how the prisoners here were treated and punished. Only a fraction of the original prison remains today--we were able to view the French guillotine, torture rooms (where prisoners were attached to clamping devices to keep their legs or hands from moving), and examples of the female and Vietnamese political prisoners’ quarters.)

After Hanoi Hilton, another Buddhist temple (Quan su Pagoda which is one of the most important temples in the country…it was constructed during the 15th century. Today it is the headquarters for the Vietnam Central Buddhist Congregation.) and off to do a city walk that had been outlined in one of our trusty travel books. Let me tell you, the travel book describes this walk as the best way to see Hanoi’s old town by foot. What it failed to mention was that during this walk you were to risk your life over and over again trying to “cross the street” and that you should update you will prior to embarking on this adventure. With all that said, D and I took the walk without regret attitute, dodged a few motorbikes along the way and got to see a tremendous amount of the chaotic city that, after a while seems to settle in on you and almost becomes normal in a twisted, outlandish sense of the way.

(Hoan Kiem Lake: According to Frommer's there is also a legend that goes with this lake. "The Legend of the Lake of the Recovered Sword. In the mid 15th century the gods gave emperor Le Thai To a magical sword to defeat Chinese invaders. While the emperor was boating on the lake one day, a giant tortoise reared up and snatched the sword, returning it to its rightful owners and ushering peace into the kingdom.” Tortoise Pagoda is in the center of the lake, but we didn't see any turtles.)

(The entrance to Ngoc Son pagoda)

Bridge of the Rising Sun(The Old Quarter is a maze of numerous streets that aren’t big enough for all the mopeds. This area dates back to the 13th century when each street specialized in a certain trade. It was pure chaos as motorbikes, cyclos, produce sellers, intertwine to try and make their way through the streets. My head was spinning from the commotion. It was soothing to walk into a shop and look around for the pure means of having silence with no horns tooting. Still today, some streets offer the same trades they have for years as other streets have changed. Hang Via—bamboo trade now but this street used to be used for selling cloth.)

(The Vietnamese getting ready for TET: Lunar New Year)

(chaos in the Old Quarter)

(Break for a Bia Hoi (beer) and this is the food menu)

Back to the Hotel to regroup and grab a bite to eat just before our last event of the day…..the Water Puppet show (roi nuoc) held at the Thang Long Water Pupper Theater. Sounds interesting, right? Right!! (Supposedly, it’s been around for 1000 years and started with rice farmers who worked in the flooded fields). Set up like a stage with a pool in front of an Oriental style building, puppeteers (each who are trained for a minimum of three years) create a story with puppets that are intriguing and, with the addition of the live music, creates a fairly interesting show for about an hour.

Although we couldn’t understand a single thing that was being said during this aquatic charade, it was neat to experience this weird piece of culture that I’m not sure you can find anywhere else in the world. Sound like a packed day? It was, but well worth it and it made for a great night’s sleep before our next day’s adventure to Halong Bay.

(Video: Hanoi--touring the city!)