Hanoi

We spent two nights in Hanoi on this trip.  The first night we got in to the city rather late and met up with some friends from Singapore that were up there for the weekend too.  We went to a big group dinner but didn't have much time to see any of Hanoi.  We knew we had Saturday night and most of Sunday before our flight back to Sing to explore.

Hanoi Sky Line

We had heard about going to see a Water Puppet Show and we went Saturday afternoon.  They were basically just wooden puppets on long sticks dancing in water.  It was interesting but a little long.  Don't know if I'll be rushing back to go see it...

Sorry for the bad picture, but you get the gist

There is a lake in the middle of Hanoi - Hoan Kiem Lake - with a temple in the middle. The Temple of the Jade Mountain, is on a little island that you could walk over on a bridge to.  It was built around 1865 or so but has been renovated since.  It was the standard temple with a few large offering altars. They were offering anything from flowers and money, to cookies and beer!

One of the few pictures without a massive tourist group posing for pictures on the bridge

We then just walked around Hanoi for a bit to see what we could find:

Hanoi Opera House

Turtle Tower in Hoan Kiem Lake - yes there are turtles in the lake

I'd also been on the search for a Banh Mi or Vietnamese sandwich.  I asked a few locals and they had no idea what I was talking about.  Did the Vietnamese not eat Banh Mi's, I wondered?!?  Finally a guy at the hotel recommended this small shop for a sandwich and I was so excited to try and authentic Banh Mi.  Well I must admit, it was pretty disappointing....it's sad to say that there are better Banh Mi's in San Francisco!

All in all I enjoyed Hanoi and Vietnam.  It was a bit manic with all of the mopeds and people, and I could definitely not live there, but the Vietnamese are such nice people and so welcoming.  There are many more interesting places in the country to explore - Ho Chi Minh, Nha Trang, there are a ton of places to go!

Vietnam, I'll be back!