An Afternoon at Hanoi

Before going to Hanoi, I researched about some locals who could show me around. I found out about Hanoi Ebuddies online and emailed them regarding my wish. They had a buddy available to show me around on the day I was there. We agreed that my buddy would get me from my hotel. This is a wonderful way for them to showcase their city and in the process practice their English speaking skills. In exchange for their time, I will have to shoulder both me and my buddies' food, entrance and transportation fees. 

Tracy, my buddy for the day, fetched me from my hotel and we went straight to Hoan Kiem Lake because it was very near. 

This lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and its name means Lake of the Restored Sword. According to the legend, their Emperor was asked for his magic sword by a Golden Turtle God in this lake. 

The lake serves as the focal point of the city's public life. It is surrounded by stores and one of them is the Sinh Tourist, a trusted agent for Vietnam tours.

I also saw a big shopping mall in the vicinity.

This is the statue of Ly Thai To. He was the emperor who relocated the imperial capital from Hoa Lu to Ha Noi. He is generally viewed as the founder of of the city of Ha Noi. 

This is a specific street selling footwear. It was an amazing sight of different colored shoes. Surely shoppers here would be confused with all the choices. 

Walking and sightseeing was tiring. My buddy decided we can have a small snack at this road side restaurant that sold Banh Mi. This is the Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread. The vendors would wait for the customers to let them know what filling they wish along with native Vietnamese ingredients such as cilantro, cucumber or carrots. 

This is Tracy and I after we had our snacks.

After eating, we walked towards Dong Xuan Market. This is a large, nontouristy market with hundreds of stalls that sell clothes and souvenirs. 

It was fun walking around the very narrow area between stalls and discovering the items they were selling. It was here that I found fridge magnets to bring home to my friends. 

Our next stop was Hoa Lo Prison. This was a prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners. The entrance fee here is 30,000VND (1.34 USD).

The sign reads - Hoa Lo Prison - Historically, one of the biggest and highest- security prisons in Indochina. 

Mannequins were in place to show how the prisoners were kept with their feet chained. Also, there were stories and depictions on how the prisoners were brutally tortured. 

My first time to see a guillotine. This is one of the 2 guillotines that the French colonialist used to behead revolutionary patriotic soldiers.

After going around the prison-turned-museum, my buddy and I decided that we should try riding the public bus. I was excited to do so. We waited at a bus stop and hopped on one. I forgot how much the fare was but I know it was cheap.

We got back to Ha Noi old quarter and took some more photos of the sights there.

She took me to a place famous for egg coffee. Most of the cafes were visible from the street but this was quite hidden. Only a narrow entrance can be seen from the street and we had to climb two flights of stairs. Inside were low tables and chairs and people busily talking with each other. She ordered the hot egg coffee for me which looked like this. 

She also ordered the cold version of the coffee for herself. She allowed me to take a sip. It was a good idea so that I can taste the difference. No wonder people who visited Hanoi raved about their egg coffee. It's truly the tastiest and unique coffee I've tasted. This is our obligatory selfie showing us with our coffee and the menu of the store behind us.

The entrance of the cafe with their name on it. 

We then headed to the Water Puppet Theater. Thankfully we were able to secure tickets and only had to wait for about 20 minutes before the show started. Entrance fee per person ranged from 60,000-100,000VND (2.69- 4.5 USD).

Different ticket prices were advertised depending on how near one is to the stage. The seats nearer the stage were already sold out and so we decided to get the farther ones. The people were asked to sit in their respective seat numbers and when everyone was seated the show started.

This is a short clip that I got while watching the show. It ran for almost an hour and some of the puppet's performance were about the Dragon dance, Buffalo boy playing the flute, catching frogs, fishing and chasing the fox that tries to catch ducks. Although the show was written and spoken in Vietnamese language of which I hardly understood, my buddy tried explaining some for me. Nevertheless, it was an interesting and entertaining sight.

After the show, we went back to see more of Hoan Kiem Lake at night.

The red gate at my back was already locked by the time we were there. It was unfortunate that I did not get a chance to walk on the red bridge. Nevertheless, it was a long and busy afternoon and I was already happy to have done so much. I,m sure there are other amazing and exciting things to see and do in Ha Noi. I hope I can come back in the future. So, that's it for my afternoon at Hanoi. Thank you and 'til my next blog! :)