Ha Noi

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The capital of the north. Ha Noi has a much more old style feeling to it than Saigon in the south. This is probably due to the war and not being bombed as much.

One of our main stops was to Van Mieu or Temple of Literature which was established by King Ly Thanh Tong and it just took six years to graduate itself to a university in Hanoi in Vietnam. The temple was a measure to commemorate Confucius and his 72 disciples. Later during the Mongol invasions, the civil service examination pattern of the university was modified so that even commoners could be served. Here there are stone statues of turtles which are carved with the pupils names who graduated from the university.

Another highlight, especially for Chloe, was the water puppet show. It is a must on any visit to Ha Noi, puppets dance in and out of the water to the sounds of traditional Vietnamese music played by an orchestra.

Most of all we spent time wondering around the city, around the lake, and through the small winding streets and alley's dodging both cars and motorcycles in the process.

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Photos

Accident ahead,
just turn around and go the opposite way down the motorway