Good Morning Vietnam

The streets of China seem calm compared to the organized chaos flowing around the capital city of Hanoi. Thousands of mopeds flood the streets inviting us into our very own game of Frogger as we attempt to cross the streets. We even saw a moped carrying a load of chickens and yes they were still alive as they glanced up to say, “Just another day.”

With so many sights to take in we started our day touring the Ngoc Son Temple. The Ngoc Son Temple, located on the Hoan Kiem Lake, is a small but charming temple offer pleasant views across the lake as well as a mummified carcass of a giant turtle. This may seem odd, but legend has it after King Le Loi expelled the Chinese with a magical sword sent by the Gods a giant turtle rose for the depths and took the sword from the King returning it to the Gods. Therefore, turtles as well as dragons, unicorns, and fish are considered sacred animals in Vietnam.

A common sight throughout all the temples is fake hundred dollar bills waiting to be burned as an offering. This offering is supposed to bring wealth and good fortune. Our next stop brought us to the Temple of Literature. Established in 1070, it became Vietnam’s first university six years later. It features numerous stone tablets. or stelas, mounted on the back of tortoises listing names of graduates. It was a peaceful place with numerous gardens to roam through.

The Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre was a highlight of our stop in Hanoi. Not knowing what to expect as neither of us had been to a puppet show before, we were greatly surprised at the detail that went into each puppet. They weren’t controlled by strings, but rather by bamboo pools connected to them underneath the water. With the exception of the Vietnamese sized seats that Jason pinned himself into, it was a great experience.

We visited the Vietnamese War Museum to see their perspective of the Vietnam War or known to them as the American War. It was interesting seeing pictures, uniforms, and old war machines that had faced fire in the front line. The museum was not as informative as we would have thought, but the displays were captivating. There were numerous Vietnamese and American aircraft and tanks on display some in perfect conditions others just ruminants of an engine or a wing molded together in a pile.

Like General Mao, Ho Chi Minh was embalmed and put on display against his will in the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Unfortunately due to the limited display hours we didn’t get to see an embalmed Ho, perhaps next time.