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Published: July 15th 2008
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First college in Vietnam
I believe the tour guide said this college was originally opened sometime around 1000 CE for the king's sons, then it expanded to the public. Eventually, 800 years later, it closed. Day three (?):
We left EARLY this morning and drove into Saigon. Since we actually arrived ahead of schedule, we stopped and had pho for breakfast, along with more ca phe sau da. We still arrived at the airport way too early! Saigon has a beautiful new airport that was built last year, but that was for international flights. Since we were flying domestically we used the old airport. They don't allow you inside until your plane arrives, so we all sat outside for a while waiting for our tour guide (who's leading the trip north) and then we went to a restaurant to get more ca phe. In the meantime, Thu and I visited the airport bathroom, for while I brought my own supplies (knowing that in many places you're lucky to find a toilet and luckier still to find TP). Thu looked at me and said that between being fine with showering in a bucket and bringing my own TP, being excited over an elevated bed at the house, and thinking that some of these places we've been are "not too bad" in the cleanliness department, "I don't know where you've been but I'm glad I wasn't there."
Temple in Hanoi
This temple was built around 544CE, right on the water in Hanoi. Nearby is a lake where concubines who were punished were sent -- they had to make a living, so they ended up washing clothes in the lake. Matthew said I think like a backpacker. Both comments made me laugh.
The trip to Hanoi was nice, about two hours, and when we arrived we got a taxi and went to a restaurant to eat as part of the tour. The restaurant was touristy, but the food wasn't too back (except that they served sweet & sour fish as one dish, which tasted okay but was definitely not authentic Vietnamese -- the owner said she serves it because Americans like sweet & sour). After the food we came to the hotel to check in. It's very nice -- and we have a shower! :-)
We showered and rested and then met in the lobby to tour Hanoi a bit. We went to see some of the lakes, walked through the first college in Vietnam, took pictures of a very old temple, and learned a bit of the history. Part way through this we stopped for bia hoi -- fresh beer, pronouced "bee-uh huey" because if you say "hoy" that actually means stinky, not fresh. :-) Thu's uncle, Chu Ngia, who is accompanying us, showed us the polite way to toast and explained what some of the impolite
Bia hoi
Cheers! ways mean. Very enlightening! Our driver joined us for bia hoi, which is common -- you hire a driver all day and when you eat you feed him too as part of the deal.
We saw the prison that McCain was in (just in passing, it was getting too dark to get out and take pictures) and then we went to dinner at a nice little place that gave us way too much food. Now we're trying to call it an early night -- we have to get up and have breakfast at 6:30 so we are ready to leave for Halong Bay.
Every day is an adventure!
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