Hanoi: Ho Chi Minh Complex, Hanoi Hilton, and Old Quarter Water Puppets

Monday, December 21 marked our first day touring with our entire Uniworld group. Before I jump into the day's activities, I'd like to make a quick note about the timing of our pre-cruise and main itinerary.

The timing of our pre-cruise trip to Ha Long Bay had me confused for a bit (and was why we ended up with an extra free day on our own when we arrived in Hanoi). We booked a 3-day pre-cruise extension and a 15-day itinerary. The start date for the 15-day itinerary was Sunday, December 20. So, I assumed our 3-day pre-cruise would be December 17, 18, and 19. Not so! Uniworld doesn't start the 3-day pre-cruise until two days before the main itinerary, presumably because the first day of the itinerary is a travel day. But, the first day of the pre-cruise is also considered a travel day. Uniworld expected us to arrive on the 18th and do nothing but check into the hotel, meet our guide on the morning of the 19th to head to our overnight in Ha Long Bay, and return to Hanoi after a half-day of touring on the 20th, with the rest of the day at our leisure (and dinner on our own). While I greatly enjoyed the Ha Long Bay trip, I wouldn't actually consider it a 3-day extension, because it did not add three days of guided touring to our trip.

Now that that's off my chest, back to the trip diary!

After another delicious breakfast at the hotel, we were ushered to a meeting room where we met Duc, our tour manager, and the other members of our group—30 in all. As expected, Aaron and I were the youngest. With the exception of John, who was traveling with his mother, all other travelers were in their 50's, 60's, or 70's. We had a brief overview of the itinerary, a mention of how the holidays would play into things (we were traveling over both Christmas and New Years), and our passports were collected, along with paperwork and cash for our Cambodian visas.

After orientation, we were split into two groups. We were happy to find out that Hieu, our guide from Ha Long Bay, was assigned to our group. We boarded large, comfortable air-conditioned buses (one for each group). Our group (dubbed Orchid for the duration of the trip) first visited the Ho Chi Minh complex, where we learned about the importance of the revolutionary leader in the lives of past and present Vietnamese. To this day, he's still referred to as Uncle Ho. We saw his home, office, bomb shelter, and private hospital where he died. Unfortunately, we did not go inside the mausoleum (I don't think it was open).

"State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Forever" 

changing of the guard

presidential mansion - currently used to host foreign dignitaries

Ho Chi Minh's (second) house

Ho Chi Minh's private hospital, where he died

cyprus roots reaching for the sky

One Pillar Pagoda

Our next stop was the Temple of Literature. This was the first deviation from our program. It had stated we would visit One Pillar Pagoda, and the Temple of Literature was nowhere on the printed itinerary. Because of this, we'd visited the Temple of Literature on our first day in Hanoi, on our own. While it was nice to go through with a guide, it was a rushed visit and I'm glad I had more time to spend there when we visited earlier. Unfortunately, our actual visit to the One Pillar Pagoda was limited to walking by it and pointing it out through some trees.

Back on the bus, we drove to our next stop: Hỏa Lò Prison, otherwise known as the Hanoi Hilton. Americans know this as the prison where U.S. prisoners of war (POWs) were held during the Vietnam War. But to the Vietnamese, the real importance is that the French used the prison to jail captured members of the Vietnamese resistance. About 90 percent of the prison exhibit is dedicated to this topic. Just two small rooms tell the story of the U.S. POWs, and from what I can tell, it was a very white-washed version of history. I was not alive during the Vietnam War, but according to the Woodrow Wilson Center, American POWs were tortured and the Vietnamese refused to even recognize them as prisoners of war—rather, they classified them as war criminals. The exhibit, however, showed smilint pilots playing sports, celebrating holidays, and receiving souvenirs upon their release. It reminded me a lot of the propaganda film that the Germans produced at Terezin in WWII.

you would not want to escape over this wall

"American people demonstrated to support the Vietnamese struggle for independence and unification of the country."

"The American pilots decorated their Christmas tree." 

"American pilots kept chickens in the prison to improve their meals."

"The American pilots played chess in the prison."

"The American pilots played billiards."

This was the first part of our itinerary where I felt really rushed. That's why I snapped so many pictures of the exhibit with the accompanying narrative—so I could read it later. It seemed like many of our fellow travelers skipped through much of the Vietnamese areas of the museum and gravitated to the POW exhibit. Having done some pre-reading about the revolution, I was really interested in all aspects of this memorial, and Aaron and I only had about five minutes to look at the POW exhibit. We didn't even attempt to watch any of the short films. We spent about 30 minutes at this location, and about a third of our time was spent listening to an informative lecture from Hieu before entering the exhibits. I would have preferred an extra 15 minutes here, although it seemed like most of our group didn't have a problem finishing in time.

For lunch we went to the Wild Lotus, where Uniworld had a private room for us, and the set menu was served family style. The lunch had eight courses! I'm a foodie and love to eat, but for lunch amidst a day of sight-seeing, that was a lot of food! The food was cooked well, but I was a bit disappointed that it didn't really highlight any of the Vietnamese flavors I'd gotten to know on our food tour. As I observed Duc fretting over many of the members of our group, I saw why. Among the 30 travelers, I would estimate that at least a dozen had special dietary requirements/preferences. There were people who didn't eat pork or beef, vegetarians, people who didn't eat shellfish, non-dairy eaters, gluten-free, and even no onion or garlic. Some of these requirements were clearly religious or allergy-related. Others, I think, were just very specific preferences. I suppose when you pay this much money for a trip, you should have the ability to dictate food preferences, and Uniworld did an absolutely amazing job of accommodating them. However, I think it affected the choice of food that was provided for the entire group—even after considering stated preferences, I think spices and strong flavors were also omitted across the board.

Apparently this is the post where I gripe a little. I maintain that this was a trip of a lifetime, but that doesn't mean I don't have some opinions about how it could better fit my travel style.

green papaya salad with chicken

fresh spring rolls with prawn and mango

barbecued pork loin with plum sauce, sauteed seasonal vegetables, and french fries (?)

braised seafood with bean curd

After lunch, we were taken to the Old Quarter for an electric tram ride through the streets. I enjoyed it, but was very glad I had my mask. While the electric tram may not be the most authentic, it's much easier on the environment (and your lungs!) than a motorized cyclo.

No matter where you go, you can't get away from fast food.

Kenny G, live in Vietnam!

The trams dropped us off at the water puppet theater, where a line quickly formed for the bathroom. This was the first time that my advice from friends came in handy—always carry tissues and hand sanitizer! The bathroom was shared between the theater and a cafe. None of the stalls had toilet paper, and the sinks were occupied by the staff from the restaurant washing the dishes! (I'm glad we didn't eat in the cafe.) I handed out tissue and hand sanitizer like I was a bathroom fairy.

After taking care of business, we settled in for a 45-minute show that we watched from the front row. About a dozen puppeteers were accompanied by a live band as they told stories of rural life in Vietnam. I really enjoyed the performance, and was impressed by the skills of the puppeteers. You could say they blew our expectations out of the water. :) The puppets were beautifully carved and painted, and it seemed like they could do anything in the water. I picked up a souvenir fairy puppet on the way out, and it now has a place of honor on our mantel.

Scene 2: Thang Long festival drumming 

Scene 3: Dragon's dance 

Scene 5: Agricultural work (rice-planting, soil-ploughing, water-scooping) 

Scene 9: Xa thuong (mostly a musical performance)

Scene 9: Xa thuong (a melody in the collection of hymns dedicated to the cult of Holy Mothers)

Scene 13: Eight fairies' dance 

the talented puppeteers

We arrived back at the hotel late in the afternoon, and we rested in our suite for a few hours before grabbing a free drink at the bar (another IHG Spire Elite perk).

free drinks are the best drinks

Then, we met the group and boarded buses to The Forest, which was open only for Uniworld Guests. A live band was playing, featuring local instruments and a traditional vocalist whose voice I found mesmerizing.

We sat next to Stuart and Bonnie, a retired couple from San Antonio. They loved to travel and eat, so we had plenty to talk about! We ended up sharing many more meals with them throughout the trip, and I'm hopeful that I'll get to share another when I'm in San Antonio this summer.

Dinner was a bit better than lunch, but still on the tame side. It was another large meal served mostly family style—but only seven courses this time. The grilled beef, a very simple dish, was my favorite.

crab and corn soup

Hanoi-style spring rolls, beef and mango salad

grilled beef

fried fish with sweet and sour sauce 

cremes caramel

After dinner the band gave guests an opportunity to play some of the traditional instruments. Aaron tried the one-string (đàn bầu) and really tried to play it like a rockstar. Instead, it sounded more like a cat being tortured ... but he had a rockstar expression on his face. Guests complimented him for days on his amazing musical skills. :)  We bought a CD so we could enjoy the music—as played by professionals—at home.

learning... 

After Aaron tried, the professional had to show him up.

I included some criticisms in this post, but I want to point out all the things that also happened during this day that make a trip like this great, especially in a completely unfamiliar culture:

• We had private, air-conditioned transportation to everything.
• We never once had to get directions, because someone else was in charge of getting us to each place.
• We never stood in line for an attraction, or had to fumble with money to buy tickets.
• We had a knowledgeable, friendly guide that was with us for multiple days and knew our names.
• We didn't have to decide when and where to eat.
• We saw three attractions, participated in two activities, and had three extravagant meals without any stress.
• We met like-minded travelers who will hopefully become life-long friends.
• Aaron got to play a traditional instrument and make a fool of himself.

This was basically the end of our time in Hanoi, as we signed up for an optional excursion the next day that took us out of town. I think Hanoi deserves a full 2-3 days, so smart travelers would extend their time here if they're on the Uniworld tour, or plan a good 3 days if you're traveling solo.

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