We made it to the capital, Hanoi! Hanoi was also the capital of French Indochina (1902-1954) and again for North Vietnam (1954-1976). There is plenty to see, do and eat – which we did, a lot!
How We Got There & Around
Like Ho Chi Minh City, we took the overnight train from Hue to Hanoi. The train left at 5:40PM and arrived at 6:30AM. Although we did sleep some, we were still exhausted by the time we arrived. We had a great roommate for part of the trip, Vi, who is from Da Nang. Since she was a local, we bombarded her with questions, like: Is the driving always this crazy? And do people really eat dog? And – has anyone stolen a neighbor’s dog to eat? She answered – yes to all of those – and even said a friend got hit by a scooter. All of my fears were coming true, haha. She was so much fun and turns out she loves American literature and entertainment. She is a big Lord of the Rings fan and How I Met Your Mother! We got along great! Vi – please come visit us in SF! Once we got to Hanoi, we traveled mainly by walking and getting a taxi for long distances.
Where We Stayed
The Hanoi Eclipse Hotel was great and had amazing customer service! The location was great, and the room was comfortable – and romantic. We got the “honeymoon” suite, which included a round bed. The bed was awkward, but it was still a fun room. And if you are wondering, no there was not a mirror on the ceiling!
What We Did
Hoan Kiem Lake – “Lake of the Returned Sword”, has an interesting legend behind it. Today, the lake is a hub of activity. In the morning there are several groups doing yoga, tai chi and aerobics around the lake. In the center of the lake is Turtle Tower, but can be hard to photograph when it is hazy.
Ngoc Son Temple – This small temple is located on the lake on an island, connected by the Huc Bridge.
Hoa Lo Prison – 90% of this famous prison was demolished to make way for an office building, however they saved a portion to become a museum. The French built the prison in 1901, where it housed both criminals and political prisoners – those who fought for Vietnam’s freedom. The prison is well known for it’s torture techniques. During the Vietnam war it housed American POWs. American’s sarcastically called it “The Hanoi Hilton”. According to this museum, they treated Americans well: let them play basketball, celebrate Christmas, eat plenty and more. Like many museums we visited in Vietnam, it was very one-sided. Steve and I love war history, so we enjoyed the exhibits and the opportunity to see some artifacts. War is ugly – and this museum reconfirmed this for us.
Thang Long Water Puppet Theater – We had been wanting to see a water puppet show since arriving in Vietnam, and we finally saw a show in Hanoi. I am glad we did, the show with the accompanying music was amazing!
St. Joseph’s Cathedral – Built in 1886, it is the oldest church in Hanoi. I like neo-gothic style churches. Sadly, the doors were shut and locked and we couldn’t check out the inside.
Vietnam Military Museum – Similar to the Ho Chi Minh City War Remnants museum, this museum is all about wars in Vietnam. It vaguely covers pre-1800 wars, with more exhibits about modern wars. We enjoyed it, but felt it was a lot of repeated information/exhibits from the War Remnants Museum.
Citadel – The Citadel was built sometime around 1010 and remained the capital until the Nguyen Dynasty, which moved it to Hue. Most of the Citadel has been destroyed, but there are a few structures still standing: the flag tower, the Doan Mon gate, the dragon steps of Kinh Thiên Palace and the Hậu Lâu. We arrived at 4PM, and didn’t realize it closed at 5. So we rushed a bit, but felt we got a good sense of the Citadel.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum – This is where the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh is preserved and on display. It is open most days from 7:30-11:00. We got there at 10:30, and turns out they closed it early (a lot of stuff was closed or had shortened hours due to a National Holiday). We did not get to see Ho Chi Minh, but you can google it and see it. The area surrounding the Mausoleum is beautiful.
Ho Chi Minh Museum – Next to the Mausoleum is a museum dedicated to Ho Chi Minh’s life. It focused on his activity during the fight for independence and the Vietnam War. The museum didn’t really have a lot to offer about Ho Chi Minh’s early life, and didn’t highlight any of his faults or personal struggles.
Presidential Palace – The palace was built in the early 1900s to house the French Governor for Indochina. Ho Chi Minh never lived here, but built a house on stilts nearby. The Palace was not open when we were there, again we think this was due to the holiday.
Ho Chi Minh Home – The Ho Chi Minh home has limited hours of operation, so we feel lucky to have seen it. It includes his home on stilts, his cars, and his garden.
Overview of Vietnam
We are really happy we came to Vietnam. We were actually quite nervous about coming to Vietnam from mixed reviews we read online. We loved the food and the historical sites we saw. When shopping, it can be a little pushy. People even went as far to grab Steve by the arm to encourage him to buy items. The museums, although not 100% accurate, were interesting and had plenty of artifacts. I would like to return to Vietnam one day to do the beach resorts and maybe even travel in the mountains.
What’s Next
