Getting out in Hanoi

We got to our hotel in Hanoi around 12:30 am this morning and were out the door eight hours later. Benjamin met us in the lobby for our city tour. We started with a splash! The first stop was a beautiful pagoda on West Lake. In the back of the pagoda is a bodhi tree, given to Vietnam by India, during an official diplomatic visit. We circumambulated three times for good luck, then entered the pagoda to admire the interior. Behind the altar was a successive row of Buddha statues, growing larger the farther into the structure they went. At the foot of the altar sat an old nun, quietly chanting and looking a fair bit like Yoda.

Our next stop was my favorite, mostly for the creepy factor. We got our tickets and entered the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum site. On the grounds, we started in a long line of tourists, snaking around the Mausoleum. We finally got to the building and the procession headed up the stairs. There were a lot of guards standing watch and occasionally correcting the visitor for using their cell phone (not allowed) or wearing sunglasses (disrespectful). It was the one time that I really felt like I was in a communist country. The whole visit was very regulated and we were constantly under watch. We entered on the left side of the building, made a sharp right turn, then came down some stairs. We entered the large, darkened room, that is kept at an unnaturally cool temperature. Then, there in the middle of the room, is Ho Chi Minh’s body. He is laying with his hands crossed in a dark, traditional Vietnamese outfit. He doesn’t look any different than when he died almost 50 years ago. We later learned that he makes annual trips to Russia, where they do maintenance and then send him back for display. Around his encasement stand four guards, one on each corner, at attention in their crisp, white uniforms. Apparently they have 30 minute shifts, and the body is guarded 24/7. As I reflect on the experience, it reminds me of those times when you see a bad accident on the highway; you don’t want to look, but you can’t stop staring. I just kept looking at the body, studying the face, as if it might come to life any minute. It was an extra ordinary experience, at the least.

We also took a spin through the Hoa Lo prison. It was initially built by the French, in the late 1800’s. First the killed everyone in the Hoa Lo village, then they took the land to construct the court, prison, and administrative buildings. (Ironic.) The prison was used first for criminals and later for political prisoners, as the Vietnamese sought independence from France. In one of the stockades, the guillotine that was used on many Vietnamese revolutionaries is displayed, including the metal receptacle for catching the head. To the right of the guillotine was a picture of three unlucky Vietnamese, recently separated from the rest of their bodies. I didn’t realize what I was looking at right away, as the black and white photo was very grainy from enlargement. Suddenly, I realized there was only a head; again, the highway accident effect, as I studied the unusual picture. You just don’t see things like that every day.

It was a short time between Vietnam’s independence from France (late forties) and the beginning of the “American” War, which saw the prison used for POW’s. You probably know the prison better as the Hanoi Hilton, and the location at which John McCain was held during his captivity as a prisoner of war. Although most of the prison has been flattened to make room for a new hotel, what’s left is enough to give you an idea of how horrible the conditions were throughout its operation as a prison.

We finished up the day with a couple of standard tourist activities. First we attended a water puppet show, which is a puppet show on water. The traditional show is performed on a “stage” which is actually water. Musicians sit on both sides of the water, while the puppeteers are behind a screen. The show consists of a series of stories, performed to music, with different puppets coming out and moving along the water. There were a couple of musical pieces that included numerous puppets that synchronized their movements perfectly on the water. It was interesting.

Following the water puppet show we hopped on pedicabs and took a ride around the old quarter. It reminded me of the French Quarter in NOLA. Rot iron work decorated balconies, with French doors swung wide open and welcoming the atmosphere below. The streets were active, with vendors trying to make sales and restaurants serving customers in sidewalk cafes. It was a lot to experience. Each block is dense with things to look at, sounds to hear, and smells to enjoy. There is so much going on that we could have gone around the block 10 times, and I would have thought it was a new destination each go around.Read more