Hanoi

It was now time to visit the capital of the country! Because of taxi fares being inconsistent and not standardized, we often opted for walking rather than having to hassle. Meters have been known to work normally at first, but after you've let your guard down, it jumps to astronomical amounts just before the destination. We did get tricked a few times and it makes you feel so vulnerable when the meter starts jumping really fast and there's nothing you can do apart from hoping your eyes are tricking you! Also, many drivers speak very limited English so you almost need to know where you're going yourself! Our hotel being in the Old Quarter, this made it very easy to explore on foot anyway.

Than Lon Park

Apart from the usual temples visit, walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, and street food sampling, one activity worth mentioning was an evening to the water puppet show. I was so excited to finally see this famous form of artistry and I was not disappointed. There are live musicians on stage who accompany the wooden puppets dancing in the water. Although the songs and dialogues are in Vietnamese, some English subtitles are provided which give you an idea of the plot. I was mostly impressed with the last act where the puppeteers appeared with their puppets for the grand finale. Traditionally, water puppet shows were performed in rice fields, which I think is an interesting fact!

Water Puppet Theatre

Puppeteers in their final pose

Another culturally interesting activity was visiting Hoa Lo Prison where the French held many Vietnamese revolutionaries. We saw old torture rooms and cells, as well as many graphic photographs of prisoners. During the Vietnam war, American POW's were also held at the prison, which was then called Hanoi Hilton. The exhibition was very interesting, but also completely one-sided. There were plenty of photos of prisoners being treated well and writing letters to their families about how much they love Vietnam from behind their jail bars and saying they will never forget the friendships they forged with their prison guards! It gave us flashbacks of the War Museum in Ho Chi Minh and reminded us of the omniscient propaganda in the Republic.

Chris trying to joke around to relieve some of the tension from visiting such a sad place

All in all, Hanoi is what you read in guide books: insane traffic, tasty street food, plenty of culture! We thoroughly enjoyed exploring this city!

Another delicious meal in Hanoi!