Our Day In Hanoi

 Today was a day of touring Hanoi by bus and by foot. To be a bus driver in Hanoi requires great skill because of the thousands of motorcycles and motor scooters that clog the streets, many of which are extremely narrow. There are also cars, but motorbikes rule the streets and there don’t seem to be any traffic regulations, with the exception of the intersections where there are stoplights. Uncontrolled intersections are survival of the fittest, and since we did not witness any accidents, I suppose the default assumption is that all Hanoi motorcyclists and motorscooterists must be in the fittest category. It is really wild and noisy. Use of horns and the beep beep from two wheeled vehicles is the norm. If your beeper on your cycle or scooter is not working, you just might lose your driving privileges in Hanoi. Cars are very expensive since all are imported, so two wheeled gas powered vehicles make sense for people, especially if the expense of a car would be prohibitive. (Note to self: don’t even think about driving in Hanoi). And crossing the large streets on foot is potentially a life changing (or do I mean life ending) experience. 

  There are still many buildings of French design in Hanoi. Most have seen better days. I have a feeling the air pollution may have a lot to do with the condition of the exterior of some of the buildings we saw. Most of the area through which we drove was filled with shops and eating stalls. You can find just about anything in the shops and there is some pattern to the city that seems to dictate where particular shops are found such as jewelry shops, electrical goods, etc, but to us there was no logical pattern. We went to the Central Lake for photo ops and then went to The Hanoi Hilton, the old French prison made famous and notorious as the prison where American pilots who had been shot down during the Vietnam war were held. It was interesting to see what can best be described as propaganda photos of smiling American prisoners on display. One of the highlights was seeing the flight suit of John McCain which is on display at the museum. I have great admiration for the late John McCain, especially since he refused release by his North Vietnamese. McCain’s father was an Admiral in the US Navy, so the North Vietnamese thought it would be seen as a goodwill gesture to release McCain. I believe John McCain is deservedly looked upon as an American hero. 

  After lunch back at the hotel our afternoon excursion to the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh departed. Ho Chi Minh is considered the George Washington of Vietnam as he led the successful revolution against France that culminated with the French defeat at Dien Bien Phụ and was still the leader of North Vietnam during the war with the United States. He died in 1969 so never got to see the unification of Vietnam. He is still revered by the citizenry of Vietnam. We did not enter the mausoleum where his embalmed body still lies in state as our guide said lines to enter are very long. The mausoleum is considered sacred ground in Vietnam and the grounds surrounding it are quite impressive. 

  Tonight we have a welcome dinner. Tomorrow we have a couple of more excursions before going to the airport for our flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia.