Being a big fan of movies like Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Forrest Gump, The Deer Hunter, and Full Metal Jacket, I am truly excited to finally be in Vietnam.
We arrived to a flood.
But we woke up to sunshine.
It’s as hot and humid as they say it is. In fact, I’ve already had a water, frozen drink, and a froyo within the last hour and a half…sitting next to an open fan feels as sweet as swimming in candy.
First we headed to Hoan Kiem Lake:
In the middle of the lake sits Ngoc Son Temple, a Confucian temple:
Then we walked north to Ancient/Memorial House, an example of an ancient Hanoian home.
Then we walked west to Bach Ma Temple
Then we bough tickets to a bizarre untranslated Water Puppet Show, during which I took a nap because I couldn’t understand anything:
After the show, we headed to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum on the west side of the city:
Right next to it stands the One Pillar Pagoda, a rebuilt iconic Buddhist temple designed to resemble a lotus blossom when it was built in 1049.
Finally we headed to Temple Of Literature, a Confucian Temple which hosts the Imperial Academy, Vietnam’s first national university.
The excess, can be, well, excessive:
The old city is littered with museums of the war, and temples before it.
Just be careful when you cross the street!
Uncle Ho, here we come!
- At time of posting in Ha Noi, it was 35 °C - Humidity: 59% | Wind Speed: 6km/hr | Cloud Cover: scattered clouds