A Weekend in Hanoi

SaturdayThe best way to start a day in Hanoi or pretty much anywhere in Vietnam, is with a good cup of coffee at one of the many coffee shops that were introduced by the French in Colonial times. To be honest there was a reason for doing this and that was that we took a little too long to get going this morning and arrived at the Military War museum a little too late and it was closed for lunch. So coffee helped to fill the time. We were sitting across from Lenin Park where there is a huge statue of Lenin, supposedly one of the few remaining statues of him. This museum reflects the history of founding and defending the nation against foreign invaders of the Vietnamese people chronicling 4000 years of history. Poor Vietnam seems to have been fighting one battle to the other, from the wars against China, Japan and other Asian countries to Colonisation by the French followed immediately by the war with America. It feels like it is only really in recent history that Vietnam has been able to develop free of the shackles of war. After walking around the museum we climbed up the Hanoi Flag tower which was built in 1805.

Next we strolled along to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh is a revered national hero whose photo was very visible in many of the exhibitions in the museum. Each year thousands of Vietnamese make the pilgrimage to see Ho. After his death in 1969, Ho joined other communist heroes and was embalmed (Lenin and Mao also are embalmed.) Ho's body is eternally in state in this formidable mausoleum, except for a few weeks of each year when it goes away for re embalming. We could not go in and see his body as the Mausoleum is only open in the morning, but we were lucky to arrive at the time of the changing of the guard - the pomp and ceremony displayed here rivals the British equivalent of Buckingham Palace, with lots of high goose stepping. The Presidential palace is right next door so we walked past this.

In the evening we found a great restaurant for a quick dinner before heading off to see water puppetry. Water puppetry I hear you cry... what could this possibly be. It is a uniquely Vietnamese form of entertainment that has been performed for over a thousand years, that brings together drama, live music and occasional pyrotechnics over a stage that is, essentially, a large wading pool. The tradition is believed to have begun in the Red River Delta near Hanoi, over 1000 years ago. Very likely its first practitioners were rice farmers accustomed to spending much of their time waist deep in the rice paddies. The puppeteers wade waist deep in the pool of water behind a bamboo screen operating brilliantly painted wooden puppets that can be almost a metre high, with nylon strings and wooden poles. Because the poles are in the water they are difficult to see and the water also provides exciting effects like waves and splashes. They performed 17 short skits related to Vietnamese myths and legends as well as day to day village life from scenes of farming. fishing and festivals, usually full of humour...Fishing turned into a game of wits between the fisherman and his prey, with the fisherman getting the short end. Lion dogs romped like puppies while dragons exhaled smoke and shot sprays of water at the audience. This was all accompanied by a small folk orchestra stationed to the side of the water stage, not on water of course. Some of the instruments they play were really different and pretty special making the music at times mesmerising. I really recommend clicking on the link to you tube to watch a clip of water puppetry so that you get a bit of an idea of what it was all about. We went to see the puppets really not sure as to whether we would actually enjoy it and left having had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Click on this link Water Puppetry. You can see the puppeteers emerge from behind the bamboo screen at the end to get an idea of how deep the water is.

SundayAgain another slow start to the day, but really we are on holidays so I feel that this is the way that days should start. Then off to the Temple of Literature. This temple was founded in 1070, and consists of a compound of traditional buildings, interior courtyards and tranquil gardens. It is interesting for both its architecture and its history, and you can easily lose track of time wandering the grounds, snapping photos and watching traditional musicians perform. It was founded by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong who dedicated it to Confucius in order to honour scholars and men of literary accomplishment. Vietnam's first university was established here in 1076 to educate the sons of mandarins. It consisted of classrooms and a dormitory for 300 students. The students were selected by local examinations from all over the country. They studied Confucian Canons, practised writing administrative documents, literary compositions and composing poetry. It took them about 3 years to study there to prepare for the National and then Royal exams to become doctor laureates and mandarins. In 1484 they began to erect Doctor's stones for engraving the names and birthplaces of 1304 doctor laureates of 82 exams held between 1442 and 1779. Among them are some apparently famous scholars that I am afraid meant nothing to me. But sitting on top of Tortoises they make great photos.

After walking around the ancient university we decided that a perfect place to recharge our batteries was lunch in the restaurant KOTO (which stands for Know One Teach One). This restaurant was a project that was set up by a Vietnamese Australian. On a visit he had asked some street kids what it was that they really wanted and they said some training. So he set up KOTO, a non profit grassroots project providing career training and guidance to former street kids. And the food was really good. Our day really revolved around eating as our next destination was the Hanoi Opera House where we could only look at the outside but could enjoy a coffee sitting in the grounds of the Opera House under the shade of plentiful trees.

This was our final day in Vietnam, for tomorrow morning we fly out and back to the routine of work, at least for Richard. It has been a great introduction to Vietnam, and we will definitely be coming back to explore both central and southern Vietnam, but might save the south until a winter break when the weather is just slightly more bearable.

Halong Bay

The train rattled into Hanoi at just before 5am and we were feeling quite refreshed after a decent nights sleep. We were met at the train station by a lovely young lady who then put us in a taxi to be taken to a hotel nearby where we would have a room until being picked up at 8am for the trip to Halong Bay. We arrived in the street to find everything very locked up and we were beginning to think that we were going to have to sit in the gentle rain and wait outside for the bus, when a door was suddenly unlocked and a hand beckoned us in. Time for an hour kip, a shower and breakfast then we were off. The trip up to Halong bay took about 4 hours including a stop half way for a loo break and a browse through an art and craft centre of the disabled. Once in Halong we stuck close to our guide as we pushed through the throng of tourists to the pier and then onto our luxurious boat. There are over 400 boats that ply Halong Bay so you can imagine the number of tourists there.

Halong Bay covers an area of 1,500 square km. With over 1900 limestone peaks rising up from its emerald waters this area is rightly viewed as one of the natural wonders of Vietnam and is one of five World Heritage-listed sites. I am afraid I cannot do the scenery justice with my limited writing abilities, so perhaps you will get more idea of the wonder of the place from my photos. We began by taking our bags to our beautiful room, the whole boat has recently been renovated so is all gleaming wood and the bed is huge with a decent sized bathroom and even an air conditioner. Then up on deck to enjoy a decadent lunch of loads of seafood with the other 8 guests on the boat. From the window we watched the scenery unfold. What makes Halong Bay so amazing is the way the land and sea fill the horizon with all manner of extraordinary shapes and colours. As we left the harbour and potted out to sea we were delighted by the limestone islands that jutted out of the jade waters, most of them tall hillocks jutting straight out of the water, topped by some trees or brush. On some of the islands sandy beaches ring the island while in others there are hollowed out caves to excite the explorer.

We are heading to one of these caves, unfortunately along with many other junks filled to the brim with passengers. As we get closer we pass some floating villages going about their daily business. There was even a floating school in the first one that we saw. Tourism has had a huge impact here as women in small row boats ply the bay attempting to sell their wares to the passing boats, everything from food to souvenirs. We disembarked with the crowds of tourist and started the climb the steps up to the entrance of the cave. It was a pretty spectacular cave with three main caverns getting bigger as you go in. It was filled with stalactites that created all sorts of shapes that our guide insisted on showing us, everything from Buddhas, to different animals to even some lewd shapes which I will leave up to your imagination.

Once out of the cave we descended to the boat and set off for another bay. Here there was an island with a large hollowed out cave that lead into a sea lake surrounded by sheer cliffs on each side. It looks like it may once have been a volcano. The mouth of this cave fills up in high tide, so while the tide was still low to hopped on kayaks and paddled through the calm waters of the bay and into the almost completely still water of the internal lake. It was so quiet and peaceful here, even the cries of birds seemed to be lost here. What an idyllic place it would be if there were no one else here. After a bit of a kayak we then readied ourselves for another spectacular meal again including fare from the sea. As the sun set over the limestone peaks, we anchored and settled in for the night, gently rocking on the sea lulling us to sleep.

The word Halong translates as descending dragons which alludes to a Vietnamese legend that accounts for the unique topography of Halong Bays coastline. According to this myth, the islands off the bay were formed by a family of great dragons that came down from the heavens, spitting up rock and going out valleys to ward off an invading navy. The dragons were apparently enamoured with the natural beauty of Halong Bay, and decided to stay rather than return to heaven. You do certainly get the feeling that the landscape is in fact the peaks on the back of many dragons.





The following morning started with lying out on the top deck to enjoy the scenery of the bay in the early morning as breakfast was prepared for us. I was half hoping that the morning would be misty as I am sure that mist swirling around the tops of the islands would be spectacular, but the day dawned hot and clear. After breakfast we upped anchor and headed off to another bay where there was a pagoda on the top of one of the islands. 425 steps later we were at the top, where the views around the bay were amazing. Dripping with sweat we descended and then chose a swim to cool down a bit before enjoying lunch. Can one ever tire of eating seafood, I for one cannot.

All too soon it was time for us to head back to Halong, I would definitely recommend spending another night here, what a pity we were running out of time. Once on shore it was time to make the 4 hour trip back to Hanoi. We decided on a bit of a competition to see who could see the most unusual thing on the back of a motorbike. It was probably the live water buffalo strapped to the back that one, or maybe the pigs, or cages of chickens. Out in the country in this area they are harvesting their second crop of rice for the year. All villages seem to be on higher pieces of land surrounded by lower lying flood plains designated to cropping rice and other vegetable crops. Even here the strange land tax on the frontage of buildings seems to exist as 3 storied high narrow buildings jut out of the landscape. Arriving back in Hanoi was some adventure as the traffic began to build up and we were driving through popular areas. I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to get through the sea of bikes, it is really something to be seen to be believed.

Farewell Sapa

We enjoyed a very relaxing day after the rigours of the past 2 days. No urgency to get up and get going so we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast then wandered the town checking out he market places and the shops. By now we must be giving off the vibe of old timers as the local Hill Tribe women generally left us alone. We received the odd "buy something from me!" but after a polite "No thank you" they stopped persisting and moved on to fresher targets.

Today we decided that we deserved a massage so opted for a foot and leg massage - 45 minutes costing the princely sum of just over US$4.00. We lay on a lovely soft recliner with a blanket covering us and for 45 minutes lived in that inbetween land of being neither fully asleep not totally awake. We left feeling somewhat dopey but with a spring in our step and wondered why we hadn't done this every evening we were here.

By 5pm it was time to bid farewell to Sapa and begin the hour long, very windy drive down the mountain to Lao Cai, the major city of the region, with a population of over 600,000 and well placed on the boarder of China enabling plentiful trade opportunities. The day had cleared significantly in Sapa yet the mist intermittently enveloped us on the way down. With dusk approaching the road was full of people returning home for the evening, many on foot carrying their field implements, some on motorbikes. As we rounded one corner a bird seller had set up his stall and the call of the birds in the evening filled the air. Smoke from evening fires wafted into the car, heavy with the scent of food mixed with lush damp undergrowth. The closer to Lao Cai, the warmer the weather became, but also the louder other traffic. Now we sit in a restaurant across the road from the train station, a cacophony of sound attacking our ears, from the blaring of loud speakers to the blasting of horns especially those of trucks that are so loud that they could pierce the eardrum. I look forward to the peaceful clickity clack of the train again and another peaceful night on the rails in Vietnam.