Hanoi; March 1st-4th

The universe loves us. We made it to Hanoi 4 hours earlier than we were expecting, thanks to our flight being delayed (if that sounds like it makes no sense, read the previous post!). We disembarked as the sun was beginning to set, to find ourselves in the most sparse airport terminal we had ever seen. The only map that we could find directed us to an office, and to another map (which, presumably, would lead us back to this map....). After standing around for a few minutes feeling clueless, we asked a uniformed military officer how to actually get to Hanoi, and he pointed us in the direction of a minibus which would take us for $2 each. It was a cramped, hour-long journey, but we made it! More confusion ensued, however, when we realized that we didn't know what our hotel's address was, and that we had no internet and no idea where we were. A few garbled directions and some hasty guide-book consultations led us to the Old Quarter, bustling home to most of Hanoi's markets, guesthouses and everything else. By the time we had completed the 15-minute walk there we were in dire need of a beer, and out of desperation ended up booking into a not-so-great hotel... in fact, when we woke up there was water dripping from the light fixtures, but we survived one night!

We took it easy the next day, not feeling so well (presumably from the mold that filled our damp hotel room the night before). We ate lunch at a restaurant called the 'Gecko' (which was delicious and relatively cheap for Hanoi standards) and wandered the vibrant streets of Hanoi.

That evening we ventured down to Turtle Lake to walk the perimeter and soak up our surroundings. We ran into a large stone courtyard that had been turned into a roller skating rink for the evening. Tons of small children were showing off their skating skills as their parents watched from the side. Further down we encountered what looked to be a Jazzercise class! Women of all ages and nationalities gathered around and danced in unison to upbeat dance music. Sam had half a mind to join in but instead settled for attempting to catch the wondrous sight on tape. After failing miserably due to dusk starting to fall, we continued around to the other side of the lake, from where we had heard the distant strains of singing. It turned out to be not the karaoke that we had expected, but a little, free, live concert! There was a crowd of people gathered around a small group of performers: two chain-smoking guitarists, and 4 singers. These guys were dressed up to the nines and ballroom-danced when they weren't singing. All the tunes were in Vietnamese but that didn't stop us from tapping our feet along with the rhythm and clapping loudly for the performers when they finished their songs. It was a lovely snippet of the local life of Hanoi.

Ngoc Son Temple on Turtle Lake

View across Turtle lake to the Old Quarter

The following day we decided to part ways to allow Sam to indulge herself in some war history. Sam set off on her own to find the Ha Loa Prison museum about 4km from the hotel, despite some difficultly finding the place she fully enjoyed the experience to soak up some of Vietnam's history.

Most of the original prison has been destroyed but the parts that remain are damp and dark and rather depressing. The guide-book I purchased for 20 thousand dong ($1 USD) explained that the prison was built by the French during the colonization period and housed political prisoners, revolutionary communists hoping to separate Vietnam from France and become a socialist nation. There were relics and documents remaining that documented how poorly the prisoners where treated by the colonists. The most heart-wrenching thing to discover was that when mothers were arrested and detained, their children were forced to join them in their cells and the prison did not provide extra food rations for the children. This lead to malnutrition for both mother and child, which caused illnesses for many and even death for some.

The room where Vietnamese nationalist were imprisoned during the French colonization

Another interesting aspect of the prison were the two small rooms dedicated to the period from 1965 – 1973, when the prison was used to detain American pilots who were captured and arrested after being shot down by Vietnamese soldiers. There were videos and pictures showing the pilots playing basketball and cards, even laughing with Vietnamese guards as they attempted to learn the language; while the captions below claimed how grateful these men were to be imprisoned by such a benevolent people. John McCain's flight suit was on display, as were pictures of him years later when he returned to visit the prison museum. The information provided here, and the stories told by those who had been imprisoned there, don't seem to coincide; but then again how often does any government openly admit their wrongs in a nationally funded museum... Overall, it was interesting and informative and I would recommend a visit to anyone interested in war history!

John McCain's flight suit 

Rules of conduct for American POWs during the American/Vietnam War

Our final day in Hanoi was also quite low key. We returned to our favorite restaurant for lunch then set off to go find a hidden coffee shop that we had read about. It was tucked away inside a silk shop, which led to an alleyway, and up three sets of winding, rickety stairs. When we got to the top, though, we were greeted by a glorious view out over Turtle Lake, where we had walked the first evening. It was quite peaceful until a big group of tourists came swarming up the stairs to take pictures – obviously they had been reading the same guide book as us!

View from the cafe

Our initial impression of Hanoi wasn't entirely positive. We were surprised to find that, unlike in Cambodia and south Vietnam, the weather in Hanoi in springtime is absolutely bloody miserable, cold and rainy. Unfortunately for us, we didn't bring enough warm clothes so most days we had to put back on damp, dirty clothes just to stay warm. If you plan on visiting the north of Vietnam in the spring, bring a rain jacket or two and plenty of pants as they will get wet and dirty the moment you leave your guesthouse! However, this was offset by the fact that Hanoi has the best coffee known to man: thick, strong and delicious. It lifted our spirits and our energy levels, and warmed us up from the inside out every time we stopped for a cup, which was often.

Typical Hanoi weather, rainy and cold.

Vietnamese coffee....yum!!

Also, we had quite a few experiences with being scammed and straight lied to when we were looking to book our transportation out of Hanoi. We purchased bus tickets to Cat Ba Island through our guesthouse and were charged 380,000d($18) when the actual price of the ticket was 210,000d($10); our guesthouse went as far as scratching off the prices on the tickets in order to collect the 170,000d extra to pocket for themselves. On our return journey we went to the bus station and were able to purchase the tickets for face value. The lesson here is don't trust anyone when it comes to booking tours, bus tickets or hotel rooms because they will up the price and sometimes even charge double or triple the actual price. If you have time, and want to save money do some research before hand and know that negotiating is perfectly acceptable. Sometimes, especially for bus tickets, it pays to just show up at the bus station vs. booking in advance because there are always buses and you can get the local price. Though, if you don't mind spending a few extra dollars it's much more convenient to book through your guesthouse because you'll be on a tourist bus and they'll pick you up from your hotel!