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Published: December 28th 2009
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I took a trip up to Hanoi for a long weekend. Although Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam, Saigon is still seen as the big city being the commercial centre. Hanoi is the complete opposite to Saigon, at this time of year it is 20 degrees cooler (I even had to wear a jacket), it is a lot quieter and much of it could be considered ancient in comparison. The people are more groomed and although there are the same problems with poverty and begging, more so in fact, in general it feels like a cleaner calmer city. Think Edinburgh compared to Glasgow and you get the idea.
I stayed in the Old Quarter very close to Hoan Kiem lake, which is effectively the heart of Hanoi. It is said a magical sword was sent from heaven to Emperor Le Thai To. After using the sword to drive the Chinese out of Vietnam, he came across a giant golden turtle in the lake who took the sword from him and into the lake. From then on the lake became known as Lake of the Restored Sword. Giant Turtles are occasionally still seen in the lake, with Thap Rua (Tortoise
Tower) sitting at the Southern end to honour this.
Ngoc Son Temple is on a small island at the North end of the lake. You can reach it by crossing the red Huc Bridge. Surrounded by water, this is a serene site with fantastic views across the lake where you can sit and watch the world go by.
Close by to the lake is the old quarter. This is essentially a giant market, pulsating with energy as people go about their daily chores. Walking around, the streets are grouped by the merchandise that can be purchased there; shoe street, cloth street, clothes street etc, and they are named accordingly. You can be greeted by mixture of smells and experiences just by wandering the streets, particularly near Dong Xuan Market.
On Pho Ma May at number 87 is the Memorial House. This is a traditional Chinese style house which was restored in 1999. Still used as a dwelling, you can experience life in the house as people cook and eat there. Much of the wooden fixtures have been restored with beautiful carvings. This is well worth a visit and at 5000 VND it will not break the bank
either.
Also not far from the lake is St Joseph Cathedral, a neo-Gothic medieval Europe style cathedral. Built in 1886 it is still used by the Catholic contingency within the city.
To the West of the Hoan Kiem Lake is the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex. President Ho Chi Minh is honoured for his role in the end of colonialism and the introduction of communism to Vietnam. To many he is a hero, and certainly the government see to it that he is promoted at every opportunity (just don‘t confuse him with KFC‘s Colonel Sanders, Ho was a General). On his death, he was embalmed and is kept in a glass casket in a giant mausoleum. This is open to the public to pay their respects, and it is mostly Vietnamese that visit this ‘holy’ site.
Also on the complex is the Presidential Palace and Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House. The palace is very Western and had been originally built for the Governor General of Indochina. The stilt house is an upmarket interpretation of a traditional ethnic Vietnamese home, very similar to Jim Thompsons house in Bangkok. It is unknown how much time the president actually spent
in either home, they would have offered much protection from US bombers so it is most likely he spent his time in a bunker.
The final landmark on the complex, and a major site of Hanoi, is the One Pillar Pagoda. Constructed for Emperor Ly Thai Tong in 1049 to express his gratitude to the Goddess of Mercy after he married a peasant girl who then gave him a son and heir. The pagoda sits on top of one stone pillar and it meant to symbolise a lotus blossom, the sign of purity. The original pagoda was destroyed by the French before they left Hanoi in 1954, but the new government rebuilt it which is the one that stands here now.
About a 15 minute drive away from the complex is the Museum of Ethnology. It houses a collection of art and every day items from the various tribal people of Vietnam. The highlight of the museum are the collection of reconstructed houses and burial sites from the tribes. You can enter these and see how they are constructed. Many of the tribes follow a matrilineal system (the families of the female descendants all live in one home
with a common grandmother), and you can see this from the layout of the houses. Many of the carvings honour females, to further demonstrate this system. The museum is a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the tribes, many of which still live in the mountains in the north of Vietnam. Despite the distance from the centre, it is a must see.
Heading back towards the centre of town, you come across West Lake. With a 13km circumference, this is the largest lake in Hanoi. Much of the shores have been purchased and developed as high end residential property, with land here being valued at 100’s times that of anywhere else in the city. Many of the residences are used as consular homes. There is an impressive pagoda at one end of the lake, but much of this is under renovation at the moment.
I also went to the first University in Vietnam, Van Mieu. The quadrangle here is surrounded by traditional style buildings. There are examples of uniforms worn by the professors. It is an interesting visit into a traditional old style learning institute.
And that concludes my visit to Hanoi. It is a slightly clinical
summary of events and places, but this kind of embodies Hanoi in general. Although beautiful to see the older side of Vietnam, there is none of the energy of Saigon. It is cleaner and richer, but also colder in both temperature and personality. It is a must visit for the history and simply because it is the capital.
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