The Old Quarter in the capital of
Vietnam, Hanoi, is a beautiful area where one would be amused walking around
it, admiring the undamaged stretches of colonial houses and buildings in its
narrow streets. Not to forget the relaxing feeling of staying around the area
of Hoan Kiem Lake, letting the time pass by, and watching people go by.
Before my trip, I had arranged an
airport pick-up with the hostel where I would be staying, and so by the time I
arrived from Luang Prabang, Laos, a guy holding a placard with my name welcomed
me at the airport.
The ride from the airport to the
beautiful and bustling Old Quarter took about an hour. The sun has already set. The night scene here is different from that of the country where I just traveled from. From the quiet and very laid-back life in Laos, I’m now here
basking in the lights of buildings and houses, and vehicles. Cars and motorbikes
racing with each other; pedestrians braving to cross the roads – seeing these
happening in front of me, I came to a decision. I’m not gonna do my own tour, just walking around Hanoi.
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| Hanoi |
As soon as I got into the hostel, I
immediately checked with the receptionist if they had tours available so I
could plan for the next 2 days in Hanoi; and so, the following day was spent in Halong
Bay, and the day after that, I took the Hanoi City tour.
Hanoi City Tour
The day started with a local lady guide
picking me up at the hostel around 8:30AM. I was with 9 other people on the
city tour. 6 Malaysians (family) and 2 retired American women, one has a grown-up son with her.
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Tran Quoc Temple is where the most
ancient pagoda in Hanoi is located. Tran Quoc Temple was constructed in the 6th
century during the reign of Emperor Nam De at an islet called Ho Tay (West Lake), which is linked by a small bridge to the mainland.
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| Ancient pagoda at Tran Quoc Temple |
If you want to
break away from the traffic of Hanoi, head over to this peaceful place and see the
tallest pagoda, which has 11 levels and displays around 60 Buddha statues. The smaller
pagodas around the compound hold the ashes of venerable monks.
One of the
shrines has the female Buddhas called “Mothers’
that the Vietnamese people have been worshipping long before Buddha. The
mothers have different color representations, i.e., Green having domain over mountains
and forests, Red over sky, and White over water.
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| In the background - The Mothers (female Buddhas) |
The Bodhi tree
inside Tran Quoc Temple has a significant origin. It was cut from the original
tree in India where Buddha sat and achieved enlightenment. When the Prime
Minister of India came to visit Vietnam in 1959, he brought this as a gift to
the country.
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| The Bodhi Tree at Tran Quoc Temple |
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Ho Chi Minh’s Vestige in the Presidential Palace Area – Uncle Ho, as the Vietnamese people call Ho Chi Minh, had 2 houses (a
residence and an office) in the large garden at the back of the Presidential
Palace, where he lived and worked from 1954 until he died in 1969. The houses
were kept as Uncle Ho had left them by the Vietnamese government.
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| Ho Chi Minh's house |
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| Ho Chi Minh's house |
A man of
simplicity and humility, Uncle Ho chose to live and work in these 2 small
stilt-houses rather than in the palace.
Uncle Ho’s 2
cars are also kept at his garage. The area also has a pond filled with carp,
as well as Cypress trees with their roots standing around the pond like small
wooden Buddha statues.
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| Roots of Cypress Trees at Ho Chi Minh's Vestige |
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| Wandering Raine posing at the pond in Ho Chi Minh's Vestige |
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One Pillar Pagoda or Chua Mot Cot is
another Hanoi landmark located between HCM Mausoleum and HCM Museum. It’s a
charming pagoda built by Emperor Ly Thai Tong, who ruled between 1028 and 1054
and was childless until he had a dream one night. It was erected in the middle
of a lotus pond, as seen in the emperor’s dream before he had a son. A monk told
him to build this temple as a sign of gratitude.
The pagoda is wooden-built on a single stone pillar. The original pillar was of wood as
well, but was replaced with a concrete pillar after it was destroyed by the
French in 1954. The design is like a blossoming lotus flower, which is a
Buddhist symbol of purity.
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| The One-Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi |
One
Pillar Pagoda is much visited by childless couples to pray to the goddess with a hundred arms inside the temple.
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Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is located at the
center of Ban Dinh Square, where Uncle Ho read the Declaration of Independence
in 1945.
I had to rent a
sarong to cover up my legs and arms to enter the mausoleum in respect, of course, to Uncle Ho. No cameras are allowed, and only small bags and purses are allowed
inside, but have to be checked by the soldiers upon entry, so we left everything
to our lady tour guide, who stayed on the bus. The No Talking policy is strictly
implemented inside in viewing Uncle Ho’s body.
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| Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum |
It was a long
but fast queue from the outside of the mausoleum; walking through covered
walkways until we reached the embalmed body of Uncle Ho, which is preserved
inside a glass case at the central hall of the mausoleum with a military honor
guard protecting it. The glass case is just about 6 meters away from the viewers’
line, and although it was dimly lit, I was still able to see him clearly, looking
so peaceful in his sleep. I was glad that I had the opportunity to see and pay homage to this
honorable man.
A simple Vietnamese lunch was served in
an old colonial building where they run a restaurant on the top floor. I was
seated at a table with the three Americans who thought I was too young to travel on
my own. By now, I've gotten used to that thought.
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Temple of Literature was founded in 1070, and in 1076, the first university was established within the temple called Imperial Academy. This is a well-preserved Vietnamese architecture dating back over a thousand years.
Looking above
the main gate, you will see a bell. This bell is rung whenever an important
person is coming through. It was installed at the Temple of Literature sometime
in the 19th century. It is a bronze bell and could only be touched by
monks.
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| The Main Gate of the Temple of Literature. |
A lot of
students were visiting the temple during our tour, and it was a great photo
opportunity and an added attraction for us visiting foreigners. The students,
mostly ladies, were dressed in traditional fashion and were visiting the temple
as part of their university completion or graduation.
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| Wandering Raine with pretty Vietnamese students at the Temple of Literature. |
The temple has five courtyards.
§ First and Second Courtyards have old trees and well-trimmed lawns.
Because of its tranquil atmosphere, this was where the scholars would come to
relax. The First Courtyard has 3 walkways – the one on the left is for the
administration, the middle is for the monarch, and the right is for the
military. The Second Courtyard has bushes trimmed into the zodiac sign's shape.
§ Third Courtyard is known as the Well of Heavenly Clarity, which
houses the temple’s treasures.
§ Forth Courtyard is where the 116 stelaes on carved tortoises
are. Tortoise is one of Vietnam’s 4 holy creatures, aside from dragon, unicorn, and phoenix; and it’s the symbol of longevity and wisdom. Stone tablets with
the names of all the graduates of Imperial Academy over the centuries were
mounted on the back of the stone tortoises. At the center of this courtyard is
the House of Ceremonies.
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| Stelaes on carved tortoises at the Temple of Literature. |
§ Fifth Courtyard is the Imperial Academy
Wooden statues
of the past kings and altars dedicated to Confucius can also be seen inside the compound. There are these cranes standing on tortoise statues that draw a lot of attention from the visitors. I asked our guide what’s so special about them, and she said that rubbing the stomach of the crane will bring good luck. I
rubbed the stomach.
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| Lucky Crane at Temple of Literature |
I was able to
watch a Vietnamese orchestra performing traditional music in the area where a
souvenir shop is. I explored one building displaying books, clothes/uniforms,
papers, and other school paraphernalia, all used or owned by the past students of
the academy.
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| Vietnamese Traditional orchestra at Temple of Literature |
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| Ancient books at the Temple of Literature |
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Ban Trang Ceramic Village. The lady tour
guide brought us to this village, specifically to the Bat Trang Conservation
& Tourism Development building, where we were ushered to the 4th,
5th, and 6th floors to watch an actual step-by-step making
of vases, plates, bowls, etc., but we were not allowed to take photos.
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| A ceramic store at Ban Trang Village |
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| Vietnamese dolls I found at Ban Trang Village |
I felt much
better when I went outside the building after the ceramic-making tour.
Wandering the street to take photos of ceramics on display outside the many
stores lining the street, I found a shop where one can make their own pottery for
a small fee and can have their own produce. As I had no time at all, I continued
my strolling a bit more and then headed back to the meeting place. In there, I got
the chance to people-watch while sitting on a bench under a tree.
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| People-watching at Ban Trang Village |
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| People-watching at Ban Trang Village |
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| People-watching at Ban Trang Village |
The city tour has ended, and we were
asked if we wanted to be dropped off at our accommodation or have an hour cyclo
tour. I gave in to the persuasion of the 3 Americans and went with them on
the cyclo tour, only to lose them halfway through the tour, and we never had the chance
to say our farewells and well wishes to each other, let alone having to exchange
our contact details.
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| Sampling the street food in Hanoi. |
Anyway, the cyclo tour to Old Quarter
traversed around Hoan Kiem Lake, passing by Hanoi Opera House, Ly Thai To
Statue, and St. Joseph Cathedral before the cyclo driver dropped me off in front
of the hostel.
While touring by cyclo, I saw a line of
stores selling all sorts of bags, so instead of calling it a day, I headed back on
foot to this store's area to buy a bigger backpack. Scouring the small streets
with a big crowd of people milling around, having bought nothing yet, I got
lost. I know if I find Hoan Kiem Lake, it would be easy for me to find my way
back to the hostel. But the lake was nowhere in sight, and so after a lot of
walking, I decided to ride a cyclo and asked to be taken to KFC (at the Dong
Kinh Nghia Thuc Square a.k.a. Tonkin Free School Movement Square). I was at the
KFC area last night, where I went walking to buy a CF card for my camera.
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| The building where the KFC is! |
As soon as the building where the KFC is comes into view, I asked the cyclo driver to pull over, and I walked back a bit
to check the price of the backpacks at the first 3 stores along the street, and
then settled on the one that offered me the lowest price. Paying the old guy, I
was very careful and attentive in handing him the money. My first night in
Hanoi was so bad; I bought a cough medicine from a pharmacy near the hostel, but
the lady at the counter gave me short change, insisting that I gave her 100,000
dongs only and not 500,000 dongs. I was pretty sure that I had given her 500,000
because I had just taken it from my moneybelt before going out of the hostel. It was
such a bad experience, especially since it happened during my first night there, and I hadn’t been in Hanoi for more than two hours. She was yelling at me in her
language while I was trying to explain to her in English. I even told her to
compute her sales for the day so she would know that I’m telling the truth.
Well, my plea fell on deaf ears.
Anyway, the lake was just across the
Square, and I wanted to go there and sit on one of the benches around the lake
to do some people-watching and take a better photo of the Tortoise Tower. Also,
I wanted to walk over the red bridge on the northern shore of the lake to Jade Island, where the Ngoc Son Temple is. But I settled at a BBQ house in a
building facing the lake to have dinner and while away my time because I wasn’t
brave enough to cross the Square with those motorbikes appearing from everywhere.
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| Hanoi Square and the lake as seen from the BBQ house. |
I had my first two nights dining on
Vietnamese food, but the last one made me suffer from a bit of stomach pain and
less sleep. The Pho Ga was pretty good, but too spicy for my taste buds. Having
BBQ for a meal was a change, and the BBQ place was great. Not only was the chicken
BBQ satisfying for me, but the small balcony where I sat to have my dinner was
awesome. From the balcony, I had a great time people-watching, admiring with
envy the pedestrians how easy it is for them to cross the Square. I was at a
place where if I look to the right, a ship-shape building is in view; at the
left is another beautiful building where KFC, the camera store, HSBC, etc. are.
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| The shark shaw-shaped building in Hanoi |
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| Beautiful building near the lake in Hanoi. |
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Hoan Kiem Lake (and the Tortoise Tower)
is where the mummified specimen of giant turtles (believed to be still inhabiting
the lake) is. Hoan Kiem means ‘returned sword’. According to the legend, King
Le Loi was given a sword by the gods, and he used it to drive away the Chinese
invaders. Later, while he was boating on the lake, a giant turtle appeared and
grabbed the sword, and carried it down the lake – returning it to the gods who
had given it to him.
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| Hoan Kiem Lake and the Tortoise Tower in Hanoi. |
With the ready smile and friendly
gestures of the Vietnamese people I met during my stay in Hanoi, the pharmacy
incident was put in my case of “charge to experience”. I learned my lesson, and
so every time I’m in a different country, holding an unfamiliar currency, I
would always double-check the money I’m putting inside my 1-day-budget small
wallet and have the amount recorded on my phone or in the small notebook I have.
Sometimes, I would take a photo of it.
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