We walked through Lenin park on the way. Stopping to take a photo of Le Nin's statue, we were amazed that, out of nowhere, two women carrying traditional yoke baskets had them on our shoulders and conical hats on our heads saying 'you want photo?' before we knew what was happening. Then not one minute later we had a couple of 'students' asking for donations. So I was preparing myself for a day of tourist hustle - but after this we had no hustle at all. And there weren't many Western tourists around either!
The lineup and procedure to get to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum is serious, and seems to be the only way to get into a huge area which includes a number of sites to visit. So I visited the mausoleum. You have to leave large bags at the front entrance - then later in the queue you have to go through a metal detector, and your camera has to be carried in a little red (of course) bag. Then later again, still in the lineup, you have to leave your camera and little red bag to be collected once you've been through the mausoleum.
Today being a Sunday, it was really busy and the lineup was huge. Visiting the area is obviously a local favourite for a family day out. The white-uniformed guards keep people moving and it didn't really take long till we found ourselves shuffling up the steps and around the bier in the cold, dark mausoleum. For the locals in front of me it was obviously an important occasion. The admiration and respect was palpable.
Then it was out into the daylight to collect the camera and see the rest of the area - One Pillar Pagoda, HCM museum and surrounds.
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| Dien Huu Pagoda, HCM complex |
We then walked to West Lake (yes, that's really its name!) and had a fantastic lunch next to the water, watching the swan paddle boats. After lunch, a visit to Quan Thanh pagoda was a lovely experience, with worshippers giving the place a spiritual feeling that I haven't sensed in any other similar visit so far.
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| West Lake, Ha Noi |
On the way back we happened upon a fabulous archeological site (Thong Bao), and the Hanoi citadel, which we decided was way too huge to see this afternoon - so we've decided to revisit for a proper look.
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| Dragon steps, Citadel |
Then, after a rest back at the hotel, we finally had some beer hoi (fresh beer), and some great pork with black pepper at The Windmill (Coi Xay Gio). Fantastic day.
