My Hanoi City Tour

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The tour began at 08:00 in the morning. The van came by the Rising Dragon Hotel where I stayed. It is in the heart of the Old Quarter, just a few blocks from Hoan Kiem Lake. After picking up the rest of the passengers, the tour began.

The tour guide was a tiny little girl who reminded me of Rachael Ray, the TV cook. She was, bubbly, pleasant, friendly and spoke excellent English. Her voice had a little rasp, just like Rachael Ray.

Our first stop was at the National University which was founded in 1484, if I remember correctly. In the main courtyard there were two rows of turtles, each representing a king. On the back of each turtle were plaques bearing the names of the students who graduated during the reign of that king.

There were several buildings and court yards in the complex. There was a wedding going on in one of the court yards. We were invited to join in the wedding party for pictures. The Vietnamese are very friendly.

We went to the One Pillar Pagoda. That is a small pagoda balances on a single pillar in the center of a small lake. Originally the pagoda was balanced on a tree, but at some time the tree was replaced with a cement pole. The pagoda was original.

Below the One Pillar Pagoda there was a children’s band playing. The children all had physical handicaps, most were severe. Someone said they were Agent Orange victims, but our guide do not confirm this. They were playing for donations, and I think everyone in our group dropped money in the box.

Next we went to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. It was a huge stone building at the edge of a large paved courtyard. Perhaps it was a parade field. Visitors are allowed to enter the mausoleum and view the remains. But when I was there Uncle Ho was in Russia for his annual beauty treatment. The mausoleum was closed.

From there we went to the Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh’s residence. We were not allowed into the palace. There were dignitaries visiting, so we looked from afar. It was a large yellow building in French Colonial style.

Uncle Ho’s house was surprisingly modest. It was wooden and on stilts, and had a nice view of a lake and the Palace. It only had a few rooms. Below the living area was was a large table where Ho did his country’s business and met with dignitaries.

We stopped for lunch at a small cafe. Several plates of various Vietnamese food were brought to the tables. All were excellent. The meal ended with a cup of Vietnamese coffee, the best in the world, in my opinion.

We visited a lacquer ware factory. There handicapped people made lacquer ware for sale to support themselves. Egg shells, silver, and mother of pearl were used for the designs. They were then colored, polished, and lacquered until they were bright and vivid. Lacquer ware is not to my taste, so I did not purchase anything. But after arriving home, I wish I had.

The Museum of Ethnology was devoted to the 54 different ethnic groups living in Vietnam. In the museum were displays of artifacts typical of each group. To my untrained eye the baskets were the most distinct and interesting. Outside were mock up villages from each group. There were several weddings going on in the outdoor areas. Once again we were invited to join the wedding parties for pictures.

The tour ended at Hoan Kiem Lake in the center of town. We walked across the bridge and toured the pagoda in the lake’s center. By this time we were all pretty tired of sight seeing. The next stop scheduled on the tour was another pagoda followed by a water puppet performance. There was an extra charge for the water puppets, and the tour guide admitted the water puppets were not “the” famous water puppets. It was a similar show. The famous water puppet theater was just a few blocks away from the lake where we were.

Not caring to visit another pagoda, about half of the group ended the tour at Hoan Kiem Lake. I was one of this group. I walked a few blocks back to the Rising Dragon.

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