Arriving in Vietnam’s capital city was quite the experience for us… after two flights and a long day of sitting in airports, we made it to Hanoi. Grabbing a taxi into the city was not a pleasant affair whatsoever. Firstly, a random man wanted to take us miles away from the actual taxi queue to ‘his taxi’… which obviously wasn’t going to happen, so we jumped in an airport one after being told those cars were the ones to trust. Little did we know that we’d end up in a shouting match with the driver who immediately asked us for 650,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND) whilst driving off. I protested as the sign clearly stated the taxi’s were run by the meter. He went silent from there and carried on the journey.
We were then dropped off randomly at the opening of a busy side street in the old city, however the driver then locked his doors and demanded 650,000 from us, despite the meter displaying that it was 360,000. His argument was that the fare was for two people… load of rubbish! Angrily, I threw the money at him and we got out of his car and grabbed our own bags before he could drive off. We looked down the chaotic street and assumed he had just dropped us off anywhere, so began waking down the narrow street, slightly intimidated by the locals staring at us.
Miraculously, there was our hotel standing in the midst of one of the most chaotic streets I’ve ever seen, like a shining jewel offering us sanctuary after such an alarming experience. We should have prepared ourselves more as after reading up, turns out many people in Vietnam will try to scam you in some way. Some locals can get very violent with westerners and mugging is also common too. Thank goodness our episode was only an argument…
My judgement of Hanoi seemed to be at an all time low until we checked into the fabulous Focus Hotel. The receptionist could not have been nicer and so helpful, telling us everything we should do whilst being here. She brought us drinks and melon too whilst we sat and waited. She must of caught the stressed look on my face when she offered us a free room upgrade to a deluxe suite. After such a bad start, Hanoi was soon looking up for us.
That evening, we walked around our surroundings and I began to see what a spectacularly energetic place Hanoi actually was. The Parisian architecture was all so unique, with an Asian twist of course. The streets of the old city still felt somewhat medieval and no chain stores can be seen which is a nice change. Local business dominate the area therefore, if you’re looking for basic goods, everything will be haggled on. No supermarkets or convenience stores are anywhere to be found.
There are definitely no peaceful ambiences and tranquilities here – the traffic will make sure you know this. I have honestly never seen a traffic system like this in my life, it’s astonishing… The noise of car horns govern the city that never sleeps. There are no road markings and it really is survival of the fittest. We learnt quickly to keep eyes on both sides when trying to cross any roads, as traffic lights really don’t mean a thing here.
Day one in Hanoi was spent exploring the city’s ancient history, by foot of course. I have forever been put off public transport. Thankfully, the best sights are in walking distance as long as you have a city map handy.
Our first stop of the day was visiting Hoa Lo Prison, a prison built originally by the French colonialists in 1896, which originally held thousands of Vietnamese patriotic and revolutionary fighters. The prison was then used for criminals after the restoration and liberation of Northern Vietnam on October 10th, 1954. Then from 1964-1973, part of the prison was used for the capture of American pilots, who had been shot down by the army during the Vietnam War.
Original prison gate
Part of the prison has now been demolished due to government development requirements in 1993 however, some male and female cells remain to be seen, alongside the death cell chambers and dungeons. Many other original artefacts are still housed in the prison to see, including the guillotine used to execute some of the prisoners.
The nickname ‘Hell on Earth’ was given to the prison, during the time when the French used the most inhuman torture and ruthlessness against the patriotic prisoners. They kept the prisoners shackled together and had an open-air WC in the middle of the room which was never cleaned (you could imagine the smell) Many had to lie on that floor as the prison was very overcrowded. The prisoners were given sets of clothing marked with MC (Maison Centrale) after being sentenced.
Cachot rooms were the prison’s dark, narrow and stuffy dungeon cells – designed in a way so the prisoner’s head would be lower than their shackled legs, as they were forced to lay down 24/7. These rooms were used for prisoners who had disobeyed the guards.They had to defecate and urinate on the spot and were regularly beaten up here whilst in solitary confinement.
The prison also had specific cells for those who had been sentenced to death. The inmates were held here for a minimum of 10 months before being executed, shackled in the same manner, having to go to the toilet where they lay. However, many were apparently executed only days after their sentencing without being given the opportunity to appeal.
During the time which the prison was used to capture American pilots during the Vietnam War, the prison was actually given the nickname ‘the Hanoi Hilton’. The Americans were treated very humanely and given the best possible treatment during their imprisonment. They created a nice space for themselves, had parties during new year and christmas, played sports and pretty much had personal belongs to meet their everyday needs. They also had access to medical attention too, hence why the nickname came around.
An American prisoner’s bed
We then walked past Hanoi’s temple of literature which is the cities first national university. The temple was built in 1070 and features on the back of the 100,000 Vietnamese dong note. We didn’t manage to go right the way in as we were not dressed in the correct manner, plus they charge for entering so we carried on our way.
Gary had been pretty keen to visit the Vietnam Military History Museum, which was our next stop. I was more apprehensive than him however, it turned out to be really good. The 12,800 meter squared museum had so much to see including many of the aeroplane and tank weaponry used for fighting, which was displayed outside. Inside, you could see many of the Soviet and Chinese equipment alongside French and US made weapons which had been captured during the war years. Safe to say Gary had a blast looking at all of the different guns and weapons on display, very much a boy’s palace.
Opposite the museum is the famous flag tower, which is one of the biggest symbols seen in Hanoi. It was built in 1812 and has managed to remain fully structured, avoiding being destroyed during the French administration. The former military post also has the national flag on the top of the tower. The national flag can be seen everywhere in Hanoi, above every house, shop, landmark and street.
The Ho Chi Minh mausoleum is one of the most significant, culturally acclaimed memorials in Hanoi. It stands proudly in Ba Dinh Square, where the Declaration of Independence was read in 1945 by the chairman of the communist party and the Vietnamese leader at that time, Ho Chi Minh. After his death in 1969, Ho Chi Minh’s body was embalmed and preserved and can be seen inside the mausoleum. The dress code again, is strictly enforced by the guards and photography and bad behaviour will not be tolerated. Hands are not allowed to be in pockets and everyone must remain silent at all times. The mausoleum is only open between 9am and 12pm for visitors so we ended up not going inside. The grounds and gardens around the mausoleum are very nice and peaceful to walk around which makes for a pleasant getaway from every other chaotic area of the city.
A little further up, we explore the iconic Buddhist temple named ‘The One Pillar Pagoda’, built by Emperor Ly Thai Tong (1028-1054). The temple is built on a single stone pillar and had been designed to resemble a lotus blossom. The French destroyed the pagoda during the first Indochina war therefore, it had to be rebuilt.
Our final stop of the first day, was to see the B-52 plane wreckage, that rests in Huu Tiep lake. The plane was shot down during the Vietnam war and was never removed. It was such a surreal thing to see a huge piece from Vietnam’s history just floating in the middle of a lake. The surrounding area does not have a huge amount to see other than the wreckage, as you are far away from the touristy areas. A tip is to walk there choosing the route which takes you through the narrow quirky streets. We really saw true Vietnam by doing so, as you walk through the local territory, passing by homes and small street businesses. Children run around and stare at you as if you’re an alien to them but they never forget to say hello. It made the walk to the wreckage all the more interesting for us.
That evening we finally tasted some bun bo nam bo, the Vietnamese speciality street food. Ironically, the restaurant was also called bun bo nam bo and was everything I’d expected from a traditional eating-with-the-locals experience. It was very loud, hot and crowded and there was tiny plastic furniture (much like everywhere in the streets) to sit and enjoy a bowl of rice noodles, served on lettuce and topped with stir-fry beef, onions and bean sprouts. It was the most peculiar restaurant experience we have had yet and definitely something memorable to do whilst you’re here.
The following morning was spent wandering around Hanoi’s old quarter. The streets are so quirky here as they are divided up into categories. There’s a street for selling almost everything, including a shoe street, toy street and even a street dedicated to selling coffee. Gary was adamant to try Hanoi’s famous egg coffee… yes you heard… coffee made with egg. We ended in a little hidden coffee house, Giang, nestled in egg coffee lane. I couldn’t bring myself to try one but Gary certainly enjoyed his.
The Hoan Kiem Lake is a nice walk if you fancy some peace and quiet away from the crazy streets. We walked around for a while, stopping to have some pancakes overlooking the water. Wanting to cool off from the blistering 36 degree heat, we found comfort in a giant mall (seemed somewhat out of place) which had the best air conditioning. Every store was designer and way out of any regular person’s budget however, we had fun admiring all of the pretty things we couldn’t afford… Well some fun.
Hanoi marks the beginning of our Vietnam tour and tomorrow, we will set sail to explore the beautiful Halong Bay islands which should be a massive highlight of our trip here.
Make sure to check out my blog again so see how we get on…
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading,
Lots of love
Xx
