Hanoi 2 to 6 and 16 to 22 February 2024

GOOooodddd MOOooorrrrning Vietnam!

Hanoi Old Quarter in the morning

Who doesn’t know these immortal words spoken by Robin Williams in the comedy film “Good Morning Vietnam” Released in 1985 and loosely based in Saigon in American occupied south Vietnam, around the year 1965.

Vietnam, or the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is a one-party communist / socialist country. It was formerly known as French Indo China.

It was a country, always fighting for independence. First, overcoming, Chinese occupation, then successfully defeating the French in 1954. This resulted in a country split into two. Communist North, led by the well-known writer, poet and revolutionary Ho Chi Min and the anti communist south backed by The United States and its allies. Ho Chi Min served as president up until his death in 1969. The Viet Minh finally defeated the U.S. and its allies in 1975. The country was then united under socialism, under the communist party. But embargos by the States and other western lands, plus another war with Cambodia and ongoing conflicts with China crippled the country even further, the communist party then started a reform policy, changing into a Socialist market economy, similar to China. It is now one of the fastest growing economies in Asia.

Hanoi Old Quarter street scene Central Market

Our first stop was Ha Noi, or Hanoi as it is most commonly spelt, the capital city of Vietnam. I knew immediately where I wanted to stay…. the historical old quarter and the Hoen Kiem district. The old quarter is a thriving bustling chaos. It is a labyrinth of small streets and alleyways. Home to countless restaurants, bars, cafes, street food and shops. The pavements are used to park scooters and the cafes and restaurants fill the remaining spaces with chairs and tables. People, cars, buses and millions of little scooters fight for space on the road. It is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Hanoi Hoen Kiem district … labyrinth of small streets and alleyways

Hanoi Hoen Kiem district

Hanoi Old Quarter street scene

Hanoi Street scene

Our first order of business was to arrange a motorcycle. I first tried to buy one, but the deal fell through, partly because of the TET holiday. This is an important holiday period in China and in Vietnam. It is the lunar new year and celebrated as the new year in Vietnam. Everyone goes home to visit family and to party with loved ones. I managed to get a Honda XR 150 for a good price, just as the shop closed for the TET holidays and set of the next day to explore northeast Vietnam.

My Honda XR 150

But that is another story and another blog. For now, we are just gonna write about my feelings and experiences in Hanoi.

Getting ready for the Year of the Dragon

Ha Noi is the capital city of Vietnam and home to just under 9 million people. A lot of people migrate, from other regions in Vietnam, to the city to find work. It lies in between the Red River and the Black River. It is the cultural, economic and educational centre of North Vietnam. It has always been the site of universities dating from its early days. Many of the pagodas are dedicated to Taoism and Confucianism. One of these is the Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius. In the early days Taoism and Confucianism were studied here in Hanoi. Taoism still plays a part in Vietnamese culture.

Quoc Tu Giam, Temple of Literature

Quoc Tu Giam, Temple of Literature

Quoc Tu Giam, Temple of Literature

The embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh lies in the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, protected by a military guard of honour. It is generally open to the public in the morning hours. I didn’t go inside the Mausoleum, just wandered around the grounds and visited the Ho Chi Minh Museum. The legacy of Ho Chi Minh is still very much alive today in Vietnam and he is still widely revered.

Ho Chi Minh mausoleum

Another, kinda, landmark is the Hoa Lo prison. Built by the French in 1886 to in prison dissidents and political prisoners. Many of the leaders of free Vietnam spent time there. It was also used as a prisoner of war camp during the American Vietnam war. One of the most famous prisoners was Senator John McCain. Incidentally, as a US senator this man was instrumental in lifting the embargos imposed on Vietnam and helping the country back into the economic world.

The oldest Buddhist pagoda in Hanoi, Chua Tran Quoc, dates from the 6th century. It is situated on a small islet in the west lake. This has been immaculately preserved, restored and even relocated and is still in use today by Buddhist monks, teaching the Buddhist way of life. A distinguishing feature is the tall thin tower, beautiful adorned with statues.

Chua Tran Quoc

Tran Quoc Pagoda shrine

Chua Tran Quoc: One Pillar Pagoda

Chua Tran Quoc: One Pillar Pagoda

Another famous temple is the Quan Thanh temple. It is dedicated to Taoism. There is also the temple of literature, housing a shrine to Confucius. Taoism and Confucianism played, and still play, an important role in Vietnam, even today.

Quan Thanh Temple

Quan Thanh Temple

Quan Thanh Temple

One of the nicest spots in Hanoi is in the old quarter and that is the Hoan Kiem Lake which translate as “lake of the returned sword”. Legend has it that Emperor Li Loi was given a magical sword by the Gods to defeat the Chinese, which he did, in the 15th century. Whilst boating on the lake a giant golden turtle appeared and asked him to return the sword, which het did. There is an old temple on an islet in the lake that is now named Turtle Tower. Another beautiful creation in the lake is the Huc Bridge, which translates as the rising and perching sun. It connects the Ngoc Son temple with the two banks. Inside the temple are the embalmed bodies of two giant turtles. The turtle is a sacred animal in Vietnam being the symbol of longevity.

Hoa Huan Kiem or Hoan Kiem Lake Hanoi with Turtle Tower in background

Ngoch Son Pagoda on Hoan Kiem Lake

Embalmed turtle in Ngoch Son Pagoda

The Huc Bridge on Hoan Kiem Lake

Hanoi also has another crazy attraction. It is Train Street. This is a small narrow street in the old quarter, nearly the entire width of the street is taken up by the train tracks. 8 times a day a train charges down this track. Local residents pull all their possessions inside and when the train passes life continues. The council have repeatedly closed the street for tourists, but cafes have opened up along the route and tourists are allowed to sit outside. The café owners make sure that the chairs and tables are tight up against the wall before the train arrives. If the cafes ae not opened, then you are not allowed to stand in the street when a train comes. I managed to get an early morning video of the train coming through but was not allowed to stay for the next one, the cafes were not open yet. It is dangerous but it is a lot of fun. See photos in the like named album.

Train Street

The train coming on Train Street, a tourist attraction

Whilst I was sightseeing, I was also arranging another motorbike. I managed to get another Honda XR 150 for a good price. This time we will be keeping it for a while and dropping it off in Ho Chi Minh city…. The former Saigon. This bike is a year old and has low kilometres. It was hard to leave Hanoi partly because I had made friends with some of the staff of the hotel where I was staying and also because I had fallen in love with Hanoi and hadn’t seen all of her wonderful sights. But the road was calling, and it was time to move.

If you would like to experience some of the sights of this marvellous city, you can see it on my Facebook page. Click on the like named photo album:

Facebook photo album: Hanoi 2 to 6 February and 16 to 22 February 2024

But first make yourself a nice wee cup of tea and fluff up the cushions in your favourite chair….. click and enjoy.

My real time location is Phong Nha in Central Vietnam

Thank you for taking the time to read the posts and looking at the photos and commenting. Thank you for being a part of this journey.

Tam Biet, Tam Thoi. Vietnamese for Bye Bye, for now. Or close enough, I can’t put all the accents on the letters.