293: Hanoi

We made it team. Touched town in Hanoi at 1:20am and got to our hotel at 3 am. In total, we lost 3 days to Philippines which was time for Hanoi and middle Vietnam. Thus we powered through Hanoi today.

For breakfast, ate obligatory pho and spring rolls; also ordered local Vietnamese wine to celebrate arriving. Walked around Hanoi Old Quarter and visited Ngoc Son temple. We then visited Hoa Lo Prison that held revolutionary political figures who fought against French Colonialism in Vietnam; this is also where they held John McCain and other US Air Force pilots during the Vietnam War. We wanted to visit the Vietnam Military History Museum but it was closed.

Quite sad because we hoped to gain perspectives on the Vietnam War from northern museums and southern museums. We knew that the south and north view the war differently, but were not prepared for how the north reveres Soviet culture and government. There are huge, brutalist statues everywhere including a Lenin; you’ll often find a Soviet hammer and sickle flags every few streets, and then the prison museum focused mainly on the great successes the north had against the USAF.

After chilling in a park outside the military museum, we visited the famous Hanoi Train Street and had an egg beer. Got bahn mi and walked along Beer Street until we found a bar that didn’t heckle us to come inside. Enjoyed a televised rugby game and some craft Vietnamese beers.

Hotel: Golden Lotus Spa & Hotel

Food:
Pho
Spring rolls
Bahn mi
Octopus
Beer

Spots:
Hanoi Old Quarter
Hoàn Kiếm Lake
Ngoc Son Temple
Hoa Lo Prison Relic
Lenin Park
Train Street
Beer StreetRead more