Vietnam

Tuesday Tyler and I set out to see the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. It is only open from 8-11 so we left around 9 only to find the longest line I’ve ever seen in my life. Not so much the time it took to get into the mausoleum but just the sheer mass of people. We took the motorbike and drove next to the line and it just kept going and going. Then we parked and walked and it continued to keep going and going. Eventually we found the end. I bet the line was like 8-9 city blocks long. Total estimate (I’m really bad with distance estimates) but it was an incredible line. Hard to imagine that that many people line up each day to see a man that died 30 years ago. Of course, no cameras allowed so nothing to share of Ho Chi Minh himself, but just imagine a huge mass of people, loud and pushing, and then entering the Mausoleum people remove their hats, become quiet and stare as they walk past. Interesting. Then we visited the Presidential Palace grounds. Ho Chi Minh chose to live in a house on stilts as opposed to the palace.

Afterwards we visited the Army Museum where we saw pictures, army gear and US airplanes and tanks. Weird to be in a foreign country and see US military stuff. Tyler mentioned that in like a 9 year period the Vietnamese shot down something like 30,000 planes. Amazing.

Later in the afternoon we just hung out – did some reading, shopping, etc. Also went to the fabric market – totally overwhelming. Haven’t really been in the clothes shopping/making mood so think I’m going to skip the tailor. Then we met up with Mar for a coffee at a café overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake before we went for dinner at an Italian restaurant. Then back to stuff wedding invitations!

Here are pictures from today.

On Monday, Marianne had to work so Tyler and I went out to do a bit of sightseeing. We first went to the Hanoi Prison. First built by the French, it was used to hold Vietnamese. Then Japan conquered Vietnam only to have it taken back by the French (I think I got all of that right). Then the Vietnamese gained independence and it was used to hold Americans during the Vietnam war. In fact, John McCain’s plane was shot down and he was held at the prison along with many other Americans.

Afterwards we chilled at a coffee shop with our laptops and books. It was a nice break from the heat. I’m such a wimp – it’s not even that hot but the humidity is killing me. After our break, we went to the Temple of Literature – the oldest university in the world. It was cool to see, but there wasn’t much there so it was a quick stop. Next we came back to the apartment and then went out for lunch. We had some Vietnamese food sitting on some little plastic chairs. Of course, then the rain came and we were without rain coats. So we headed up to the restaurant balcony to drink some beer while we waited out the rain. Then it was back to the apartment for the evening of rain. We ordered in Indian and played Scrabble – overall a fun night!

Pictures of these sites can be found in the post below!

Pictures from first 2 days.

Video of motorbikes in Hanoi - they're everywhere! Next time I'll get a video from on the motorbike!

The first full day in Hanoi was great. Tyler and I went for breakfast, then met up with Marianne for some shopping. We also went to the spa! Marianne and I got pedicures and our eye brows waxed for less than $10! It was great. My feet were really in need of some attention after all the walking I’ve done on the trip so far! Afterwards, we went for lunch (excellent pho), a movie, and dinner. The food has been great. The weather, on the other hand, has been hot. It isn’t as hot as it was a couple days ago (from what I hear and saw on weather.com), but it’s hot for me! It’s just so unbelievably humid.

Marianne and Tyler use a motorbike to get around Hanoi – along with everyone else in the city! Since I’m visiting, they rented another. It’s one thing to walk on the side of the road and see the chaos, but it’s another to be sitting on the back in the thick of it. Eventually I’ll work up the courage to take a video to post, but for now I just hang on and flinch a lot as motorbikes barely miss my legs.

Saturday was mainly a travel day. Many of us had flights out of Shanghai around 10 PM so we had a bus bring us to the airport. The schedule turned out to be a bit tight – I only got to the gate about 15 minutes before boarding began. That’s a bit tighter than I can handle, but everything turned out fine. I had a 3 hour layover in Hong Kong and then arrived in Hanoi around 4 PM (I’m now just 12 hours ahead of central time). Marianne and Tyler were waiting for me at the airport. Much smaller than I thought so I had no problems finding them. We then took a taxi back to their place. After sitting outside for a bit, we went to the tailor where she’s having the bridesmaid dresses made. We did my measurements so that the measurements are right and I can get it while I’m here. I think if I had an affordable tailor, I’d be getting clothes made all the time! Anyways, then we went and had coffee and dinner. It was a gorgeous night so we sat out, relaxed, chatted, etc.

Hanoi is obviously very different from the other cities I’ve visited. Hard to put my finger on it yet, but just a different vibe really. No big skyscrapers like Shanghai. Tons and tons of motorbikes though – unbelievable and overwhelming actually. When crossing the street you just kind of throw yourself out there and slowly make your way as motorbikes go around on either side of you. I think I’m really going to enjoy it here. A nice wrap up to a good trip!