Hanoi - A Blend of Parisian Grace and Asian Pace

A few weeks ago, Vietnam welcomed citizen number 90 million. Vietnam was a very poor and war-wounded country, but it has now transformed itself into a stable, prospering nation through industriousness, ingenuity and ambition. The over-all standard of living is good, but corruption remains systemic, and undermines the growth of the economy. The Communist Party is the sole source of power, and we have heard propaganda in the streets, and on the train to Sa Pa (in English). The North has never forgiven the South, for siding with the Americans against their own people, and the South has never forgiven the North for bulldozing their war cemeteries, and imposing communism, but luckily, the new generation seems to have less interest in the country's history.

We flew directly from Bangkok to Hanoi, and opted for the hotel to pick us up. Hanoi is a very graceful city, with it sweeping boulevards, tree-fringed lakes and ancient pagodas. We walked around Hoan Kiem Lake, which is said to house a 100 year turtle.

There are 7 million people, and 4 million motorbikes in Hanoi, and they ebb and flow through the bustling city. It takes courage to cross the road, as neither the bikes nor the cars stop for pedestrians, and there are very few traffic lights. We stayed in the Old Quarter, which is pulsating with life, plenty of street kitchens, and exotic scents.

Andy had a street haircut, which was OK, but not as good at Thomas' in Turkey. Thomas is the fiancee of Dorte's daughter, Stephanie.

We saw a water puppet show, which originated with the rice farmers who worked the flooded fields, and who saw the potential of the water as a dynamic stage, and the art form is at least 1000 years old. The farmers carved the puppets from water-resistant fig tree timber in forms modelled on the villagers themselves, on their animals and fanciful mythical creatures such as dragons. The 'stage' in the theatre is a square tank of water, and the puppets are attached to long poles operated by the puppeteers behind a curtain. Even though we didn't understand a word, it was very funny and entertaining.

We also visited the Hoa Lo Prison Museum, which is a thought-provoking site with the remains of the former prison, ironically nicknamed 'Hanoi Hilton' by prisoners of war from the United States. You easily get an impression of how awful the conditions were for the prisoners.

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is only open in the morning, and you have to follow strict rules and regulations to get in, as this is the holiest of the holies for many Vietnamese. We walked and walked to find the entrance, and the signs just kept encouraging us to keep going...

Contrary to Ho Chi Minh's wish for a simple creation, his frail, pale body can be seen in a glass sarcophagus deep in the bowls of the building. Guards in snowy-white military uniforms are posted at intervals of five paces, giving an authoritarian aspect to the slightly macabre spectacle of the body with its wispy white hair.

Within the complex is also Ho Chi Minh's humble stilt house, where he lived for the last ten years of his life.

The Temple of Literature was founded in 1070, and it Vietnam's first university. The temple is dedicated to Confucius, and honors Vietnam's first scholars and men of literary accomplishment.

We wanted to rent bicycles to bike the 13km around Tay Ho Lake, but couldn't find the bike rental place, so we just walked part of it. It was a calm, residential area, and we were the only tourists around.

We used Hanoi as our base for the trips to the Perfume Pergoda, Sa Pa and Ha Long Bay, and it worked really well. We kept coming back to stay at the Hanoi Rendezvous Hotel, as they gave great service, the rooms were nice and clean, and it was a convenient location in the Old Quarter.