The Assignment In Hanoi


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Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi
July 22nd 2017
Published: July 25th 2017
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Streets Of HanoiStreets Of HanoiStreets Of Hanoi

Typical street in Hanoi's atmospheric old quarter.
Like last time, information from the bus company on what was going on was in short supply. Unlike last time, there were more people on the bus than food supplies this time; the bus stopped a lot on the Laos side picking up more and more people each time, to the point where there were more people than sleepers, and then more people than space. It soon resembled an Indian sleeper carriage - strangers sharing double berths and people cosying up to each other in the aisles. Getting out of the bus became a game of minefield trying to avoid stepping on someone.
It wasn't a pleasant experience; especially for a ride meant to last 24 hours.

I awoke on-board a steaming bus, barely able to breathe, to find the bus had stopped and so the aircon was off; we were at the border but had to wait an hour and a half at six in the morning for it to open. Thankfully this border crossing was much more straightforward than last time and I even managed to get a pho on the Vietnamese side. One thing I did learn at that border crossing was that the Vietnamese don't queue like the
Ba Dinh SquareBa Dinh SquareBa Dinh Square

Hanoi's communist answer to Red Square.
Thais and that pushing in is apparently perfectly acceptable (like many places I've travelled to unfortunately).

One thing that was quite cool about the bus ride was the way all the foreigners bonded. With most of us having not booked a hostel in Hanoi, it meant that our group of two Swedes, two Taiwanese, one Thai, one South Korean and one Kiwi were sharing two taxis to the Taiwaneses' hostel.
Asking for a price beforehand, like you always have to with taxi drivers, the driver tells us that he has a meter. OK fine, but I had read that some taxi drivers in Hanoi have rigged meters and I didn't want to have another experience like I did in Bangalore. Unfortunately, we were split into two taxis and only one of them had a meter - I was in the non-metered taxi with the Swedes and we were told that we would pay the same price as the other cab. Arriving at our destination, we were gobsmacked but not at all surprised to discover the bill was to be 600,000 dong per cab - that's £20 per cab. I look at the meter and it had gone about 3km
Railway LineRailway LineRailway Line

Railway line still in use that runs right through the old quarter.
more than we actually had, plus we probably should have agreed the price per km before setting off. We should have paid about 50,000 dong per cab. As the most experienced traveller, I flatly refuse to pay what they were asking and a second tense standoff with locals in four days ensued. The taxi drivers blinked first and agreed 600,000 dong for both cabs. They knew they'd taken their fleecing too far. Considering that I should've in theory paid 50,000 dong for my own cab, paying an extra 35,000 dong wasn't too bad, even if it was still a ripoff. Fucking taxi drivers. I also got ripped off buying pho - I thought the guy said 15,000 but he actually meant 50,000. Plus I got charged 20,000 dong for two photocopies at a print shop.
But there are also some really nice people in Hanoi who don't want to rip you off, like the family at another small print shop who let me print out loads of pages I needed for free. So I guess it all evened out in the end.

As seems to so often happen, my time in Hanoi didn't get off to a great start.
Ngoc Son TempleNgoc Son TempleNgoc Son Temple

This temple sites on an island on Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi's most idyllic and visited lake near the old quarter.
I got bedbugs again at the hostel - of course I did, for the third time in Vietnam - and the hostel itself was so cramped (beds were literally doubles with a partition down the middle which didn't go the full length of the bed meaning that accidental footsie with a stranger was still a possibility) that after a night, I was out of there. To top things off, I also managed to lose my padlock in there too, which I've managed to keep hold of for almost two years on the road. Dammit. The hostel manager was nice enough to give me a free lunch though, which was some consolation.
The hostel I decided to move to was called Luxury Backpackers - and it actually lived up to its name! Modern, clean, with comfy beds which each had personal curtains, lamps and charging points. This was to be my home for the next week and a bit. It wasn't overly social - but I wasn't looking to socialise.

This was because I had an assignment to complete while I was in Hanoi; to get myself a Chinese visa.
From all the reading that I had done and all
St Joseph's CathedralSt Joseph's CathedralSt Joseph's Cathedral

Hanoi's iconic church was located just around the corner from where I was staying.
the stories that I had heard about acquiring a Chinese visa - not just in Vietnam but all over the world - it appeared that this was going to take a lot of planning and paperwork, thus explaining why I was printing and photocopying so many documents. The Chinese are renown for their bureaucracy with perhaps only the Russians on a par with them in this regard.
To apply for a visa I needed (deep breath); a completed four-page application form, printed confirmation of flights going into and out of China, printed booking confirmations of accommodation for every single day I was spending in the country (in effect, a detailed itinerary), bank statements proving I had enough funds for my stay in China, a printout of my travel insurance certificate, a passport photo with a white background, a photocopy of the front page of my passport, a photocopy of my Vietnamese visa and of course, my passport itself. And then I read that the staff at the embassy were rather temperamental at best; that rules could change on a monthly, weekly or daily basis, sometimes within a day itself! The rules themselves and exactly what you needed to support your
Ngo HuyenNgo HuyenNgo Huyen

Hanoi's old quarter is a maze of little alleys such as this one, which could also be called 'Backpacker Alley'.
application was about as clear as mud. It seemed that your fate was decided on the whims of the embassy staff and whether or not they were in a good mood or not. Application rejections are often unexplained and sometimes they just decide not to process any applications at all. I had heard of people who had had very straightforward experiences but I had also heard of some absolute horror stories. It seemed that the whole thing was simply a lottery.

And so I spent a couple of days on my laptop, putting in place an itinerary for China, working out where I wanted to go and how long to spend in each place. It was while doing this that I realised that I really don't have that much more to go until this journey is finally over! After China there will be three weeks in Japan, a couple in the Philippines and then a month in Bali - and then that's it!
Once I had worked out what I was doing in China and how long I needed, I could then get on with the application itself. Gathering all the documents, making all the bookings and in particular,
Hanoi Opera HouseHanoi Opera HouseHanoi Opera House

Hanoi's iconic opera house is perhaps the city's best example of French architecture.
trying to work out the various vagaries around how to answer the application questions and what exactly I needed to to provide in terms of supporting documents, I felt like I was back in London when I had to apply to extend my stay there, apply to stay there permanently and then finally, apply to become a British citizen. It wasn't something that I particularly want to do again yet here I was going through the same emotions; anxiety and nervousness over whether I was doing the right things.

Because here's the thing; I wasn't. Needing to have expensive flights booked and confirmed - bus or train tickets aren't enough apparently, although like for almost every part of the application process, there were conflicting stories as to whether this was indeed the case - before applying for a visa that you might very well not get, is a really shitty situation to be put in. In a way it is similar to the requirement of an onward journey before being allowed into a country. Inspired by my previous solutions to the onward journey problem, I thought about tackling this dilemma in similar style but in much more detail - having defrauded Vietnamese immigration to get into the country, I
Imperial Citadel Of Thang LongImperial Citadel Of Thang LongImperial Citadel Of Thang Long

Pictured is the Doan Mon, the main gate into what was the royal enclosure and residence during the rule of four different Vietnamese dynasties.
was now thinking about trying the same trick with the Chinese. I mean, they're not going to ring up airlines to verify every applicant's flights...are they?
It was a lot of work though. I tried to make my flight confirmations look as legit as possible and I spent hours on Microsoft Word ensuring that they did, including the use of real flights and ensuring that every single detail tallied up. This could save me loads of money and hassle in the process. If they catch me out I'll just claim that there must've been a problem with the bookings. That will ensure I'm not put on a blacklist. Hopefully. As well as working out my actual itinerary, I also had to work out an alternate one to present to the embassy that matched my 'flights'. Luckily Booking.com allows you to book accommodation with free cancellation, meaning I could make real, actual accommodation bookings.
The night before submitting my application was like the night before an exam; anxiously, nervously and desperately swotting - in this case, completing the form - all night and through the early hours of the morning. I knew however that if I could just get this visa
Ho Chi Minh MuseumHo Chi Minh MuseumHo Chi Minh Museum

The building is about as communist as you can get.
- the most difficult I have had to get - then this would be the last one I would need for the rest of the trip.

The next morning my old habit of sleeping late kicked in and I left the hostel a bit later than planned - which did not work out well as it suddenly started to bucket down. And with it being the rainy season it didn't stop. At all, for hours. But I had to get to the embassy so I had no choice but to get completely soaked through. I might as well have jumped in a swimming pool, that was how wet I was. I had already shot myself in the foot - hopefully I hadn't done the same with my application!
The embassy was mad-busy. When a security guard points out that I had somehow neglected to fill in a section on the form about family members, I wasn't liking my chances of getting my application in that day. But after filling out the missing bits, the guard directs me straight away to a window where a rushed-looking woman hastily examines my documents. She asks me why I want a double entry
Presidential PalacePresidential PalacePresidential Palace

French-style palace built for the French Governor-General of Indochina in 1906.
visa and I tell her it is because I wanted to go into Hong Kong and back again; she then asks me for my itinerary post-Hong Kong which I didn't think I needed to give her but I dutifully scribbled down dates and where I would be after my visit to Hong Kong. I had no booking confirmations for this bit but it seemed OK with the lady. She then tells me to come back the next day at 4pm where I will find out if my application has been approved or not. So far, so straightforward.
But back out in the rain, I found myself fretting. The lady didn't ask for my outbound flight - should I have given it to her? I read about a guy who didn't have one and still got a visa. I felt that I should, so I went back to the embassy and gave her my outbound flight confirmation. She thanks me. Should I have given her the rest of my booking confirmations? Should I have given her my NZ passport too? So many thoughts swimming around my head. It was now 11am - the embassy was closed for applications. My fate was
Bun ChaBun ChaBun Cha

A Hanoi speciality where noodles and fresh herbs are put into a soup containing grilled meat and pickled vegetables. On the side are some fried crab spring rolls.
now in the hands of a Chinese immigration officer. I have a Plan B if I don't get a visa here for whatever reason, but it would obviously be nice not to have to use it!
In the end I needn't have worried.
Upon visiting the embassy again the next day, I find out that my visa has been approved!

While I was working through my application I had a reunion with the Buffalo Soldiers from Laos. They had been to Vientiane, Hanoi and a booze cruise on Ha Long Bay while I was in Luang Prabang and now they were I the hostel over the road from me. We went out for dinner where we had the Hanoi speciality of bun cha, which is grilled pork served in a soup along with vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs which you could put into your soup at your discretion. The bun cha also came with fried crab spring rolls. Yum! After dinner, the reuinion ended as Joel, Cam and their friend Joel #2 hopped on a train down to Dong Hoi, while Marnix was to ride his motorbike northwards to Mai Chau. It was however, nice to catch up with
Modern HanoiModern HanoiModern Hanoi

Hanoi is a city on the up by all accounts and the Lotte Centre in picture is the city's tallest building.
some familiar crew again and to share a few more laughs.
The bun cha we had was on the expensive side because it was pretty much all you could eat. Food can be extremely cheap in Vietnam but the servings are often small - and with pho it is even worse as half of it is liquid. I find I always have to order two meals in Vietnam.

In order to pay for my Chinese visa, I had to venture westwards to the more developed part of the city where the Lotte Centre - Hanoi's tallest building - resides. It was a little bit of a trek and I had to catch a local bus which was pretty cheap and efficient. When I got to the bank designated by the Chinese embassy, I then discovered that I had left US$10 back in my other wallet at the hostel and that I was now US$5 short. Annoyingly, like they did in Nepal and Laos, they wouldn't accept US$5 of local currency; US dollars in cash only. I really don't know why they do this but it's a real pain in the arse that doesn't make any sense.
None of the
Hoa Lo Prison MuseumHoa Lo Prison MuseumHoa Lo Prison Museum

Historically significant and well presented prison museum was where Vietnamese revolutionaries and captured American pilots were incarcerated.
banks in the area would sell me US dollars so I had to go all the way back. To make things worse, it started chucking it down with rain as well. From having to make a return trip from the hostel to the bank, waiting for the rain to subside and the shitty opening hours here in Hanoi - it seems mega-long lunch breaks aren't unique to Spain and Laos - I lost half a day.

I did however, manage to see the Hoa Lo Prison which was built as the "Maison Centrale" by the French and was where Vietnamese freedom fighters against French rule were incarcerated, disgracefully treated and sometimes executed by guillotine in true French style. Prisoners were often shackled at all times, not even being released to go to the toilet and would have to do their business on the spot. The museum was lit up and presented very well, maintaining and recreating the dark, cold and unforgiving atmosphere that would have existed while also remaining poignant. In contrast, the prison also kept American pilots captured during the Vietnam War who were kept in much more comfortable conditions. They could cook a Christmas meal, play games
Ho TayHo TayHo Tay

Hanoi's biggest lake.
and weren't tortured unlike the former Vietnamese prisoners before them. There were also many displays celebrating and commemorating Vietnamese heroes who fought, suffered or gave their lives for their country against both the French and the Americans, at the prison dubbed by the Americans as the "Hanoi Hilton" rather non-sarcastically.
The area around Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum is perhaps the most Communist looking place I've seen in Asia; the Ho Chi Minh Museum looks like a classic Communist monument; Ba Dinh Square is Vietnam's answer to Red Square, Plaza de la Revolución or Tiananmen Square; and Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum itself looks a lot like Lenin's in Moscow.
All the attractions in the area were closed by the time I got there however but I did manage to check out Ho Tay, Hanoi's biggest lake where I saw a local catch a massive fish!

The Vietnamese like their beer but rather than drinking it inside a comfortable, cosy, wood-panelled pub, here in Hanoi, a few plastic stools and tables on the pavement will suffice. There is also a tradition here of drinking bia hoi; every day, street beer stations receive a keg or two of freshly brewed beer made on the day, which
Temple Of LiteratureTemple Of LiteratureTemple Of Literature

This temple dedicated to Chinese philosopher Confucius was also the site of Vietnam's first university.
is then sold for just 5,000 dong a glass. That is just 17p a glass! In other words, you can drink beer all night here and get completely plastered for about half the price of one pint in London. Ridiculous - ridiculously amazing. And it doesn't taste like 17p beer either - it's a bit sweet but more than drinkable.

I was meant to get up early and go and see Ho Chi Minh's embalmed corpse the day after my first bia hoi sesh but having not had a drink since my diarrhoea-inducing episode back in Luang Prabang, my body isn't taking alcohol like it used to yet.
I did manage to get to the Confucian Temple of Literature though, which is also the site of Vietnam's first university. The complex dates back to 1070 and is a well-kept example of traditional Vietnamese architecture. To me however, it looks...very Chinese. It was in keeping with what I saw in Hue and I think that if you're not able to make it to China, then Vietnam can give you a nice little taste of what traditional China was like in terms of temples and architecture.
I followed up my visit
Bunker At The Imperial CitadelBunker At The Imperial CitadelBunker At The Imperial Citadel

Within the royal compound was where the Vietnamese military leadership would hole up in case Hanoi was ever bombed by the Americans during the Vietnam War.
to the Temple of Literature with a visit to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long which dates back over a thousand years. The Doan Mon Gate and the ladies' pavilion are the only two buildings of any significant age in a complex that has been the traditional base of the Vietnamese military. The other buildings include old French colonial buildings which hide two bunkers underneath them! This was probably the coolest part of the complex as the situation rooms and communication booths have been pretty much set up as they were during the Vietnam War; it was like a trip back in time. The complex also includes a huge archaeological dig and the findings from it - pots, bricks etc. - which are on display inside the citadel museum.

Walking around the city, to me Hanoi feels and looks like the South East Asian city you've always dreamed of. With its old buildings worn down by humidity and classic colonial architecture, it feels like you've gone back in time. A place that feels urban yet rural at the same time. Phnom Penh also felt similar, as surprisingly did Kolkata.
Nowhere is this vibe more apparent than in the old quarter
Trang ThiTrang ThiTrang Thi

The wide thoroughfare of Trang Thi resembles an art deco street from the 50s.
where I visited the Bach Ma Temple, which after having seen a few temples here already, was merely more of the same.
You got an idea of how people lived here in the 19th century though, with a visit to The Memorial House, a traditional Vietnamese house that was very similar in layout to the Museum of Trading Ceramics in Hoi An.
Hoam Kiem Lake is a lovely spot to chill out in even if the temple in the middle of it is nothing particularly special.
The opera house and the (actual) Hilton hotel next to it are wonderful examples of French architecture and the wide street of Trang Tien resembled a classy art deco thoroughfare from the 50s.
Though excellently presented in an impressive and flash building, the mainly archaeological contents of National Museum of Vietnamese History was a little dry. There were a couple of interesting objects on display such as ornate iron lamps that wouldn't look out of place in London's V&A Museum, signboards with Vietnamese calligraphy on them and murals depicting a dramatic battle scene and another one depicting a victory rally in Ba Dinh Square. The museum's two floors really do demonstrate however, that Vietnam
Bach Ma TempleBach Ma TempleBach Ma Temple

Temple in the old quarter which includes a shrine (pictured) devoted to the Chinese philosopher Confucius.
has a very rich history going back thousands of years. Just a shame that there are only so many earthenware pots you can look at!

The last thing of note that occurred in Hanoi was another reunion, although this one was far more unlikely.
I went to high school with Jenny and the last time I saw her was almost ten years ago in London! Jenny was on holiday with her family including her husband, daughter and parents and we met up with Jenny's daughter's grandfather who now lives in Vietnam with his partner, who is a local.
We caught up over cha ca, which is similar to Korean or Mongolian barbecue except that we would be frying fish, dill and morning glory at our table rather than beef and pork. This delicious fry up is then mixed in with vermicelli, soy sauce, peanuts, coriander, basil and a smelly shrimp sauce. It is the only dish they served at this restaurant, which was fancier than what I have been used to recently and it was amazing!
It was awesome to reminisce about old times but as an experienced business owner, Jenny also gave me a lot of very useful
Ho Chi Minh's MausoleumHo Chi Minh's MausoleumHo Chi Minh's Mausoleum

If you wake up early, you get go inside it to see Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body.
tips about running a business; I'd like to own and run a hostel or something else in the travel and tourism industry one day and it looks like I will have my work cut out!

So twelve days later and my extended time in Hanoi had finally come to an end. My assignment was completed, I got some down time and I got around a city that has a fair amount to see and do. There is definitely more going on here than Ho Chi Minh City and with its old quarter is much more atmospheric. I was starting to get restless though; I had become a bit too comfortable here and looking at the amount of time I have been spending at each place I have been visiting recently, I really get the sense that were it not for my stubborn determination, I would probably choose to stop travelling. Unfortunately I am stubbornly determined and with my Chinese visa in hand it was now time to move on.
It was definitely time to go - not to China yet however, but to arguably Vietnam's most famous travel destination; Ha Long Bay.

Hẹn sớm gặp lại,
Derek


Additional photos below
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Bia Hoi In Ha NoiBia Hoi In Ha Noi
Bia Hoi In Ha Noi

These are the 'pubs' of Hanoi; local men sitting low on plastic stools on the pavement, enjoying freshly made beer and some food.
Streetside BarberStreetside Barber
Streetside Barber

A foreigner risks a cut from a street barber.
Street BadmintonStreet Badminton
Street Badminton

Courts are drawn on the pavements outside run-down French colonial buildings for locals to play badminton.
One Pillar PagodaOne Pillar Pagoda
One Pillar Pagoda

Exactly what the name suggests.
Memorial HouseMemorial House
Memorial House

Restored traditional Hanoi house in the old quarter.
Buffalo SoldiersBuffalo Soldiers
Buffalo Soldiers

I reunited with the Buffalo Soldiers that I had met and hung out with in Laos. From left: me, an American we met overly politely getting himself out of the picture, Joel, three local photobombers, Cam, Joel #2 and Marnix.
Roskill ReunionRoskill Reunion
Roskill Reunion

I met up with Jenny, an old high school mate of mine, while in Hanoi.


17th August 2017

Those damn taxis and Chinese visas eh
Not surprised with your Vietnam taxi experience- surprised you didn't get hurt in the process standing your ground. Sometimes things can go horribly wrong. I don't remember our Chinese visa being particularly bothersome although it was done in NZ - but the visa extension to allow us to travel there for 6 months was a bitch. Had to go from town to town to find an office in China that actually does it and in the end it was up to their discretion so lots of smiling and nodding and paying compliments was handy. The Chinese lady wanted to speak English in front of her boss but her English was totally not understandable lol. Good times...

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