Hanoi is a great city! I found many surprises here since I really didn't know what to expect. The homes are often larger and in better condition than in the south.
The area where we stayed is walking distance to a lake and there is A LOT of shopping in the area which is easiest to reach while walking. We definitely helped support the Vietnamese economy here!
We tried to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, but the cab driver misunderstood and took us to the Ho Chi Minh Museum. That was okay since we were planning to go there as well. A guide took us through the museum which was great since we learned a lot more than we would have on our own. The kids were spectacular since it wasn’t a hands-on museum! We learned though that the mausoleum is only open until 11:00 a.m. so we missed it for that day. We tried first thing the next morning (well after breakfast it was already 10:00 a.m.), but we found that the line to get in was several blocks long! We decided to skip it since we wanted to keep the kids entertained. We had a great cab driver who recommended a pagoda that was in the West Lake area. We hadn’t been there so we thought it would be a good idea and he was right. We have pictures of several shrines that have been established, and the kids were able to light incense as well.
The cab driver was helpful & very talkative. He was from the Hai Phong area which is where we were when we finished our boat ride the day before! He moved to Hanoi by himself when he was 14 years old to find work. He now has 2 children that still live in Hai Phong and the travels back and forth to visit them. His English was excellent (better than our guide at the museum) and he told us that he taught himself and learned from his customers while driving around!
We returned to Hanoi and took a cyclo ride throughout the area. We took a ½ hour ride and the 3 drivers had agreed to $4 per driver. When we got done, they wanted $5, but what were you going to do? After shopping for quite a while we were trying to keep the kids occupied before dinner so we didn’t have to go back to the hotel until later. We decided to take another cyclo ride for an hour this time since it was a great way to see the different areas. I have a video of some of the traffic while we were riding so I’ll try to figure out how to post it! Anyhow, the drivers had agreed to $5 for each driver for the hour ride. After we got done again, the price went up. At this point, I had it! After several minutes of discussion with the driver, I finally put a $5 US dollar bill in one hand and the equivalent of $5 in Vietnamese Dong in the other had and told him to pick what he wanted! He took the $5 US dollar that we were done. Even though we bartered on everything we bought, Brianna just couldn’t understand how he could change the terms after the fact – and that was twice in one day! Oh well . . .
2 big changes that we noticed about Saigon and found in Hanoi as well was that there were very few cyclo drivers compared to 1999, and also very few women wearing the Ao Dai (the traditional Vietnamese clothing). We found the women dressed in the traditional clothes when they worked in restaurants, banks, hotels, etc., but not the general population. They are so gorgeous, I really missed it! The clothes are still sold and made to order. Unfortunately I didn’t think of it until it was too late since it takes 24 hours. The prices though were incredible! At a more upscale place that we stopped at on our way to Ha Long Bay, the most detailed & fabulous silk Ao Dai sold for $65. I can’t imagine finding anything comparable in quality and appearance for under $350 in the U.S.
We also went to a water puppet show which is a old traditional form of Vietnamese entertainment. The kids were tired and eventually all three fell asleep! The show was great so we bought the $5 DVD before leaving so Brianna can see what she missed!
Well our trip is coming to an end and we have a flight that leaves at 12:40 am. Yuck!
The area where we stayed is walking distance to a lake and there is A LOT of shopping in the area which is easiest to reach while walking. We definitely helped support the Vietnamese economy here!
We tried to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, but the cab driver misunderstood and took us to the Ho Chi Minh Museum. That was okay since we were planning to go there as well. A guide took us through the museum which was great since we learned a lot more than we would have on our own. The kids were spectacular since it wasn’t a hands-on museum! We learned though that the mausoleum is only open until 11:00 a.m. so we missed it for that day. We tried first thing the next morning (well after breakfast it was already 10:00 a.m.), but we found that the line to get in was several blocks long! We decided to skip it since we wanted to keep the kids entertained. We had a great cab driver who recommended a pagoda that was in the West Lake area. We hadn’t been there so we thought it would be a good idea and he was right. We have pictures of several shrines that have been established, and the kids were able to light incense as well.
The cab driver was helpful & very talkative. He was from the Hai Phong area which is where we were when we finished our boat ride the day before! He moved to Hanoi by himself when he was 14 years old to find work. He now has 2 children that still live in Hai Phong and the travels back and forth to visit them. His English was excellent (better than our guide at the museum) and he told us that he taught himself and learned from his customers while driving around!
We returned to Hanoi and took a cyclo ride throughout the area. We took a ½ hour ride and the 3 drivers had agreed to $4 per driver. When we got done, they wanted $5, but what were you going to do? After shopping for quite a while we were trying to keep the kids occupied before dinner so we didn’t have to go back to the hotel until later. We decided to take another cyclo ride for an hour this time since it was a great way to see the different areas. I have a video of some of the traffic while we were riding so I’ll try to figure out how to post it! Anyhow, the drivers had agreed to $5 for each driver for the hour ride. After we got done again, the price went up. At this point, I had it! After several minutes of discussion with the driver, I finally put a $5 US dollar bill in one hand and the equivalent of $5 in Vietnamese Dong in the other had and told him to pick what he wanted! He took the $5 US dollar that we were done. Even though we bartered on everything we bought, Brianna just couldn’t understand how he could change the terms after the fact – and that was twice in one day! Oh well . . .
2 big changes that we noticed about Saigon and found in Hanoi as well was that there were very few cyclo drivers compared to 1999, and also very few women wearing the Ao Dai (the traditional Vietnamese clothing). We found the women dressed in the traditional clothes when they worked in restaurants, banks, hotels, etc., but not the general population. They are so gorgeous, I really missed it! The clothes are still sold and made to order. Unfortunately I didn’t think of it until it was too late since it takes 24 hours. The prices though were incredible! At a more upscale place that we stopped at on our way to Ha Long Bay, the most detailed & fabulous silk Ao Dai sold for $65. I can’t imagine finding anything comparable in quality and appearance for under $350 in the U.S.
We also went to a water puppet show which is a old traditional form of Vietnamese entertainment. The kids were tired and eventually all three fell asleep! The show was great so we bought the $5 DVD before leaving so Brianna can see what she missed!
Well our trip is coming to an end and we have a flight that leaves at 12:40 am. Yuck!
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