Vietnam: Hanoi and Cat Ba Island

We had twenty-two full days in Vietnam...the longest we have spent in any one country by far.  We spent our first two full days in Hanoi, taking on the incredible heat and humidity to see the sights.  We walked around Hoan Kiem Lake, which appeared to be a favorite spot for locals to sit in the shade and relax during the day or have a game of hacky sack in the evenings.  We also visited the Vietnam Military History Museum.  I would like to think that American museums are a bit more neutral on their descriptions of historical artifacts.  While some of it might be contributed to poor translations, the English descriptions of the majority of the exhibits emphasized the "heroic" Vietnamese and the "failures" of all of their "enemies."  Nevertheless, it was an interesting museum and interesting to see the Vietnamese take on things.

Military History Museum

Hoan Kiem Lake

After the museum, we carried on toward the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.  The Mausoleum itself was closed, so we did not see "Uncle Ho" in the flesh, so to speak, but we were still able to visit Ho Chi Minh's Vestige, which includes the Presidential Palace, the House of 1954, the House on Stilts, gardens, a fishpond, and a collection of Ho Chi Minh's cars.  Just outside the Vestige, and behind the Mausoleum, we happened to catch the military marching in formation.  We did not know if this was a planned "changing of the guards" outside the Mausoleum or just some drills.  Either way, it was an unexpected bonus.  Our last sight of the day was the One Pillar Pagoda.  Completely exhausted from our day in the oppressive humidity of Hanoi we decided to take a taxi back to the Old Quarter, where we were staying, for an early dinner.  We ate at a rooftop restaurant overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake.  Pizza and dollar beers helped revive us.

Military Drills

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

House on Stilts (HCM's residence from May 1958 to August 1969)

One Pillar Pagoda

On our second day in Hanoi we decided to visit the Dong Xuan Market.  It turned out to consist of piles and piles of toys, clothes, and household items that you might find at a 99 cent store.  We did not spend much time there.  We wandered around a bit more and on the way back to our hotel came across JOMA, a bakery/cafe which quickly became our favorite place to eat in Hanoi.  JOMA clearly caters to Westerners and serves bagels, waffles, and sandwiches.  Most of all, we loved the baked goods - the brownies, lemon bars, and chocolate cake were delicious.  That evening, we attended a water puppet show, which was my favorite part of our Hanoi visit.  It is exactly what it sounds like...a puppet show performed over water.  This is a north Vietnamese tradition that started as a form of entertainment when the rice fields were flooded.  Even though we could not understand any of the dialogue, the orchestra was great and the puppets themselves were entertaining.

Walking around the Old Quarter

Water Puppet Show

After two days in Hanoi we took a bus and a ferry to arrive at Cat Ba Island.  We had not planned on going to Cat Ba, but really wanted to get out of the city.  It was excruciatingly hot in Hanoi (in case I haven't mentioned it yet) and we found the city pretty unpleasant to walk around in.  Most people are on motorbikes and treat pedestrians like they are invisible.  Crossing the street is like playing a game of Frogger.  It's difficult to walk on many of the sidewalks in the Old Quarter because they're all full of either parked motorbikes or small plastic tables and chairs where people eat the street food.  You're not really safe on the sidewalk anyway.  The only time a motorbike actually came into contact with me was on a sidewalk.  So, we began to look around for somewhere nearby on the coast to visit.

Motorbikes in Hanoi (This was taken early in the day - it gets MUCH busier.)

We had looked into taking a three day tour from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay but heard mixed reviews and decided instead to just relax on Cat Ba Island, which is the largest and only inhabited island in Ha Long Bay.  Cat Ba was just what we needed.  It was quiet, with little traffic, and cooler due to the sea breeze.  As a bonus, it was also cheaper than Hanoi.  We ended up with a room with a view of the harbor for only $7 per night.  Beers were 75 cents and full meals were only a few dollars.  A ten minute walk from the hotel took us to a beach that was virtually deserted most of the time.

View from our hotel window

Cat Co 2 Beach

We spent one day exploring the island on rented motorbikes.  We hiked to a few caves, including one used as a hospital during the "American War", and generally just enjoyed the scenery.  Much to our hotel owner's disappointment, we never did take a boat cruise through Ha Long Bay.

Our powerful motorbike

Britainy and I exploring the Hospital Cave

Climbing the stairs to the Hospital Cave

Simon, Britainy, and I outside the Hospital Cave

We spent one more night in Hanoi (in a mosquito infested room) before flying back to Ho Chi Minh City.  One more night in Hanoi meant two more meals at JOMA our favorite cafe/bakery (dinner and breakfast before catching our flight).  We were all ready to move on.  Upon arrival in HCMC, we said farewell to Britainy and prepared for our next adventure.