Vietnamese peoples & Michelin Pho

There are 54 officially recognised ethnic groups in Vietnam. The Museum of Cultures of Vietnam's Ethnic Groups displayed both miniature and life-sized examples of dwelling styles, traditional dress and culture, crafts and arts, and so much more. In the gardens, we got to try our skills at traditional bamboo games (took a lot of practice, but the boys mastered it!).

Hanoi's night markets were fairly similar to others we'd seen in towns in the south. But, the street food stalls and restaurants were amazing. Down the street from our apartment there were a dozen places, each specializing in a protein: chicken, duck, eel, pork, snails and more. We ate soup with noodles (phở) three times a day one day we were there! It's so good.

The "Hanoi Hilton", as the American prisoners of war called it in the 70s, was our other museum visit in this city. The original prison was used by the French colonists for political prisoners, mostly those resisting French rule. The exhibits displayed the cruelty of colonialism working to remain in power.

The museum also discussed the war we know inNorth America as the "Vietnam War." In Vietnam, it's known as the "American War." In Laos, we learned, it's called the "Secret War" because at the time, the fierce American bombing of Laos was hidden from the American public.

Exhibits carefully positioned Vietnam as the humane victor of this war, treating prisoners of war so very well. We saw pictures of Americans keeping chickens, getting letters from home, playing ping pong etc. In reality of course, the prison was known for its poor conditions, including overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, inadequate food, and torture of POWs. It started to be hard to take in any of the information, as we needed to navigate such thick propaganda...Leer más