Good morning Vietnam!

Trip Start Apr 09, 2008

115

Trip End Apr 19, 2009

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Flag of Vietnam Hanoi, Vietnam
Thursday, October 2, 2008

I arrived in Hanoi at night, about 10 or so. I was lucky to meet a canadian meeting his dad at the airport and already had some idea of how Hanoi worked. They helped me get to the area I wanted to reach cheap accomodation. I eventually checked in somewhere and went staight to sleep, I was paying over the odds but I needed to sleep. The next day's first task was to find somewhere cheaper and after that I explored the Old Quarter where I was staying. I visited the lake and just had a look around the alleys and markets. That night I met a loverly English couple at the hotel and when I told them I was planing to go the water puppet theatre that night they said they were as well and we went together. It was interesting of course but really abstract, not really about anything. After we had dinner together, at this stage I was still eating in restaurants.

The next day I went to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and museum complex

French Colonial

. "Uncle Ho" is currently in russia for "maintainance work" but the museum itself was interesting. Really extolling the greatness of communism and the vietnamese victories over capitalism and fasism which were explained as being the same thing. It was something of an eye opener and reminded me that this country is controlled, visits to other museums just confirmed this, some facts obviously missed out and other things highlighted beyond the neccesary. But from speaking to people on the street you would have no idea at all, people are happy, friendly and although interested in politics do not speak or act this way. They are quite happy to forget the past and concentrate on the now. I also went to the temple of literature, the first school in Vietnam. The buildings are more interesting than the history using chinese architectural styles.

The next day I visited the ethnology museum very similar to the anthropology museum in Mexico. It explained the diferent peoples and tribes that make up the vietnamese and how they live. Particullarly interesting were the replicas of communal huts and tribal houses in the grounds of the museum. I was also starting to notice that everywhere I went there were couples posing for wedding photos, intially I thought it must be for a catalogue but after a few days I started to think it was some part of the wedding procedure to have your photo taken in some city park or museum. That night I found some people in the hotel who were interested in trying street food. We went to a place where they sell keebab style meat on sticks, everything from chilli pork to whole frog. I didnt try the frog but I really enjoyed the squid. After that I havent looked back and it is street food all the way.

Actually there isn't much to do in Hanoi and after a few more museums including the history museum which provided me with a handy leaflet explaining the entire history of Vietnam I was ready to take the bus down the coast to historic Hue. At the time I had no idea how to say it but I can tell you now it is like Who-ay.