It is not exactly sweltering summer temperatures in Northern Vietnam, but it is still reaching highs of 25 degrees with lows of about 15. And yet the denizens of Hanoi persist in wearing puffy jackets as if it was ten below.
Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum is given pride of place in Hanoi, surrounded by a giant square, presidential palaces, and parkland all blessedly free of motorbikes and scooters. This was the first embalmed revolutionary leader either of us had seen*, and it looked…just like a wax figure to be honest. Rather underwhelming from my perspective, and Uncle Ho would probably have agreed - he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes returned to his home village. Of course, he should have known that the State’s desires will prevail. Still, an intriguing sight, clearly a big event for the mostly Vietnamese processing through,
View from our window: Charming II Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam. 7:39 am, 03 December 2013.
Hoan Kien Lake in the centre of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. I especially love the pop-up lakeside fitness club.
There was no special exploration required to find this café, because it’s, uh, listed in Lonely Planet. But it is through a clothing shop, across a courtyard, up two flights of stairs, and has fabulous views out over Hanoi. They also put egg whites in their coffee, which is delicious, and good for moustache-making.
Well it’s Vietnam, so naturally it’s phở. The ubiquitous foodstuff, we had it for breakfast lunch and dinner, (not on the same day). Noodles, broth flavoured with spices like star anise, cloves and cardamom, fresh herbs and some meat (normally beef). Maybe some chili, maybe beansprouts. Simple, cheap and tasty. We had good phở and average, but never bad. Now looking forward to comparing against the stuff in Toronto once we get back.
One of the really wonderful things about Hoi An was the food. Amongst the various clothes fittings, we wandered between restaurants and cafés, noshing on the finest Vietnamese food of the trip*, and quaffed plenty of ca phe, cocktails, wine and beer. * The banh mi we had at one restaurant, Mai Fish, were so good, we finished them and decided to have another two. The staff was literally incredulous. Difficult to convince them it was not a joke.
Vietnamese daycares and primary schools are a riot of colour, both inside and out. One we saw in Hoi An had a superb set of street-facing signs, a great blend of nutritional information, socialist realism, and Disney characters.
Hoi An owes most of its charm to the fact that the river silted up, so it wasn’t a useful enough port to bother bombing during the war. Nowadays, the various boats and bridges are big tourist draws.
A busy morning at the Hoi An market.