Turns out the best way to combat a huge milestone birthday, my photographer recently turned 300, is by travelling as much as possible (don’t tell anyone how old my photographer is, it’s a secret). Personally, I would have liked a cake but we all know I will never turn down the chance to explore somewhere new. My photographer was aiming to tick off 30 of Lonely Planet’s 500 best places to travel by the end of 2023, and what better place to do this than Asia. We have both been itching to visit Vietnam for years but for some reason it had just remained on my bucket list, so with the help of Mercury and Lac Viet travel I was going to explore as much of the country as possible.
11 hours and 24 minutes floating above the clouds took me from London Heathrow to Hanoi. Landing at midday meant one thing, my friend humidity was waiting to greet me as soon as I walked through the arrivals door. The short walk across the car park turned made me look rather fuzzy. I jumped on the bus to my hotel and was shocked to see so many motorbikes on the roads. My jetlagged daze brought up some unfounded anxieties about my travel plans, for some reason my furry blue brain had cooked up some ridiculous ideas.
Noi Bai International Airport is around a 40 minute drive from the city centre and I couldn’t believe how much the landscape changed during the drive before I finally reached the red river. A huge bridge took me into Hanoi, which is known as the city within the river; a river which looked more like an ocean in my eyes, just less blue. The capital of Vietnam has both a big city and laid back feel, I just loved the vibe of the city which seems to stop on an afternoon so all of the humans can enjoy a coffee on the streets.
My afternoon was spent having (one too many) cocktails on the roof of my hotel whilst watching the world go by. The sunny afternoon turned into sunset and I decided it was time to fill myself full of delicious Vietnamese food whilst exploring the Ba Dinh district. I love how Asian culture brings everyone out after dark with the noble aim of finding food.
Visiting Vietnam in September comes with one huge perk, I had timed my visit perfectly with the mid-autumn festival and all of the beautiful lanterns were lit up each night. Wandering around the streets at night allowed me to see the lanterns lit up beautifully, the fish were my favourite.
The next morning I was up early to explore some of Hanoi’s famous sites. Travelling through the streets of Hanoi in the morning sunshine made the city look totally different. Motorbikes were speeding along the roads and paths whilst people were building furniture, selling fruit and making flower displays by the side of the road. Beautiful pops of colour from the flower shops broke up the mismatched old buildings.
My first stop was in Đống Đa, one of the four original districts of Hanoi and is home to some of the city’s ancient sites. The Temple of Literature, or Văn Miếu, is a Confucian school founded in the 11th century. I was very excited to visit because this location features on the 100,000 dong note and I couldn’t believe I would be able to visit the place while I was in Vietnam. It is quite a large area with halls, ponds and gardens spread out through five courtyards, each with a unique backdrop. I cannot believe there is somewhere so serene in the centre of Hanoi, it is like stepping back in time.
Entry to the complex costs 30,000 dong (£1.00) and gives access to all courtyards and open buildings. The first gate transports you away from the hustle and bustle, into a courtyard filled with various shades of green. Crumbling walls of the gates imprints character on the old buildings, its amazing to think what these walls have witnessed over the years. Lotus shaped lanterns hang in the doorways, a symbol of Vietnam and Buddhism, though I just enjoyed watching them floating on the breeze.
Each courtyard was larger than the previous one, I chose to walk through the Talent Gate because the Great Middle gate was closed for cleaning. There is a fish on the roof, and according to legend any fish who can leap over the strongest waves to the other side of the waterfall will be turned into a powerful dragon.
The gate of the second courtyard was my favourite because of the ornate design, known as the pavilion of constellation. It was named after Khue, the brightest star in the sky, whose constellation looks like the Chinese character 文 (văn) which translates into English as arts or literature. I love how the gate contrasts with the surrounding greenery, it transported me to another place far away from the city centre. Each of the buildings reflects perfectly on the water in the well of heavenly clarity, broken only by the occasional ripple from one of the resident fish.
Incense floated out from the main building, the smell immediately took me back to Japan, I love how calming it was. There were some really interesting displays in the different buildings, I really enjoyed the one on calligraphy and the house of ceremonies because it was a beautiful display of ancient lanterns amidst a background of red and gold. Outside the buildings were bonsai trees decorated to look like tiny worlds, complete with humans and temples. I loved how they bring nature and art together seamlessly.
The heat of the morning was beginning to cause my photographer to melt so I decided it was time to find some shade next to 82 turtles (no I didn’t count them). They are monuments praising Confucianism and the emperor, each one is unique because they are from a different point in history, though sadly some have been destroyed over the years.
My next stop, after a brief moment of lying underneath an air conditioner to cool down, was the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. It is a well known fact, human history isn’t one of my strong points, mainly because it lacks dinosaurs but I am always up to learn something new. I was dubious about visiting because I initially thought it would be a small grave but it is more of a complex with lots of areas to visit. Seeing the remains of a human is a really humbling experience, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this visit. The mausoleum is a very small part of the area but the security is very strict, I had to ride through the security scanner. My photographer and their camera were also temporarily separated but the camera was kept very safe whilst we walked through the mausoleum to show our respect. After walking through the cold building, I came out into the strangely quiet Ba Dinh square. I found the area incredibly eerie, maybe my furry blue brain was still processing the visit. Guards stand around the square and mausoleum 24 hours a day, seeing them stand so silently made me scared to make a noise.
The entire complex is focussed on the life of Ho Chi Minh and there are two of his residences here. Greenery surrounds the walk from the mausoleum to the presidential palace, a beautiful yellow French style building. Whilst walking through the park I forgot I was in the capital of Vietnam as it looked so much like Europe (just extra humid). Sadly, I was unable to go in the presidential palace because it is still used for government meetings, Joe Biden visited the week before me. Ho Chi Minh was originally meant to live in this building but he refused because the citizens of Vietnam were poor and starving. Instead he lived in a small yellow building surrounded by the botanical garden. I love the yellow buildings because they look so tropical (but we all know blue would have been a lot better). There are a few old communist cars which are incredibly well preserved. The way a Vietnam’s most famous president lived surprised me, instead of accepting wealth and luxury he lived way below his means.
Living in the botanical garden area of the city is a beautiful idea, apparently Ho Chi Minh was rather green fingered and it is rumoured he planted some of the garden himself. My favourite tree was the cannonball tree, or as my photographer called it; the wrecking ball tree. It is in fact a pomelo tree, which is a distant cousin of a grapefruit. Groves of these trees surround Ho Chi Minh’s second home in the area, the most beautiful wooden stilt house. It was my favourite building because it was really traditional and had its own library. I would have liked to live there because it looked over a beautiful lake but for some reason Ho Chi Minh never installed a bathroom.
Prior to leaving I headed over to the one pillar pagoda, a reconstruction of a unique Buddhist temple originally founded in 1049. The design is meant to look like the blossom of a lotus flower. No matter how many Buddhist temples I visit, they always intrigue me. This temple is really small but it is beautifully balanced between the water and the sky, reminding me of a flower growing. A small doorway is hidden opposite the staircase and of course I had to go in to find out what was there. Buddhist monks were leading the prayers in a small courtyard whilst a few humans were leaving offerings in the ornate Chua Dien Huu temple. Shrines to Confucius, Guan Yu the Taoist God of war, the Hindu god Avalokiteśvara and the Buddhist saint Quan Am are all found living harmoniously in the same building. I didn’t go inside because I didn’t want to interrupt the prayers, instead I chose to stand in a shady spot and allow the smell of incense and sounds of the chanting to float over me.
Leaving the green tranquillity, I decided to visit one of the darker remnants of Hanoi’s turbulent past, Hoa Lo Prison or as it is also known, the Hanoi Hilton. Nowadays, it is overshadowed by a luxurious 5 star hotel, with only the gatehouse and a small wing of the prison remaining, it is no less haunting. Built in 1896 by the French to house 450 inmates, the prison was notoriously overcrowded. I walked through the male side of the prison and was shocked to see how they were held, claustrophobic and cold I couldn’t wait to get back outside in the sunshine. Humans will always haunt me, I’ve never understood what drives people to treat others so inhumanely and the female section of the prison brought these fears to life. A guillotine stands ominously in a dark corner of the female inmates work room, standing silently in memorial to the gruesome end it brought on Vietnamese revolutionaries.
There are two larger rooms at the back of the museum with show how the American prisoners of war were imprisoned. I was shocked to see Senator John McCain in the photographs and his uniform is on display for everyone to see as well. Emotions were seeping through the walls and I once again couldn’t wait to go outside. It is ironic how strong the feeling of a need to escape surrounded me in a prison museum I could simply walk out of at any time. Though it did make me laugh when I found out how unsuccessful the prison was; hundreds of prisoners simply climbed the walls or sneaked out through the large sewer pipes to reclaim their freedom.
My final stop in my 48 hour exploration of Hanoi, was Hanoi Train Street, the only reason My Photographer wanted to visit the city for. The train only passes along this line three times per day and I was glad to have a Vietnamese guide who knew the train timetable and the best (scariest) place to sit.
I have never felt such excitement and fear at the same time, if you only take one piece of advice from me it should be to visit this street and sit on the side of the train tracks. Some bars have an upstairs but you don’t get the same hair raising experience of having a train zooming by less than 6 inches from your leg. I had read that the street had been closed following a few accidents with people becoming train pancakes. During my visit, I found the street to have pretty good Health and Safety standards (if we ignore all the electricity cables).
After the train had left, I couldn’t wait to wander along the train line. I had stopped to be thrilled by the train going past but most Vietnamese in the area just continued with their day. Sadly, a once poor, neglected street is filled to the brim with instagramming humans and dinosaurs alike. I hope the streets new found fame brings income to the families who live on this loud and dangerous street, to make it safer for everyone in the future.
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