Hanoi 1; Temple of Literature / Ba Dinh

We fly to Hanoi from Phu Bai Airport, Hue. Hanoi is a city situated on the Red River and founded in 1010 as a Citadel by Emperor Ly Thai To. The area of guilds around this eventually developed in the Old Quarter. The French destroyed much of the Citadel in the 19th to found the French Quarter. After the Indochina and Vietnam Wars, Hanoi became the capital of Vietnam, and it is now a thriving city with a population of 10 million.

KOTO is a social enterprise organisation founded by Jimmy Pham to provide an opportunity for at-risk and disadvantaged youth to break the poverty cycle, and we have a large lunch at the KOTO Van Mieu Restaurant; many graduate gone on to become top chefs. It was excellent.

The Temple of Literature is close-by; this is the oldest and finest architectural complex in Hanoi and dates from 1070. It is modelled on the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, China.

From there, we travel by minibus to Ba Dinh Square, where Ho Chi Minh read the proclamation of independence in 1975; the Square is public but managed for security now. Ba Dinh Square had a number of sites of interest, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the National Assembly Hall, and the One Pillar Pagoda.

We then go to our hotel to check in and have a break.Read more