Vietnam Day Eight: Hanoi

After a big breakfast of crepes and pancakes (and learning that they are the exact same thing, except one is folded and one is open), we were on our way to the Hue airport to catch our flight to Hanoi. We had a short one-hour flight then easily found our luggage and driver waiting for us. We stayed at the Oriental Suite Hotel. The customer service was over the top amazing and the rooms were beautiful, but the bed felt a little too much like the ones we saw the American pilots slept on in Hoa Lo prison during the war! But it was a king! I had just mentioned to Scott that I was surprised we hadn't run across a Kentucky Fried Chicken or BurgerKing yet. Then just as we turned the corner to the street of our hotel, I saw a KFC, BurgerKing, Dunkin Donuts and a Dominoes all right next to each other! After we got our traditional welcome drink and our room, I took Layton done to BurgerKing for lunch and Scott ate at the hotel. Next we met our two young guides for the afternoon from the club Hanoikids. Their names were "Cherry" and "Sam". Those names did not sound anywhere close to their real names so I'm not sure how they chose them but it did make it easier for us to remember.  This is a club where college kids go out at least a couple times a week, free of charge, to give tours. They give them training as a tour guide and use this opportunity to practice their English. We only had a few hours before most of the sites would be closing so we chose to go to the Hoa Lo Prison and the Temple of Literature. The prison was built by the French to hold political prisoners then later used to hold American pilots shot down during the war. The American pilots sarcastically nick-named the prison the Hanoi Hotel. It was very interesting to see and read about their biased view of the war and prison. To hear them tell it, it really was a Hilton and the prisoners were fed and treated well and could come and go around the compound as they pleased. While there are plenty of testimonies from American soldiers that say there was torture, abuse, severe solitary confinement and unsanitary conditions. All of these were discussed and displayed when it came to talking about the Vietnamese war for independence from the French but then we are supposed to believe that none of that happened in the American war. Then we were off for a "quick" walk to the temple of literature. Nothing is quick in this heat and even without the heat, it was a little farther than advertised. This temple was built on 1070 and is a temple to Confucius. Inside the temple is the Imperial Academy which was the first university of Vietnam. This temple is also featured on the back of the 100,000 Vietnamese dong bill. There were a couple girls there in there traditional dress getting professional pictures. Our guides told us that it is tradition to get your photos taken at this temple when you graduate from college. They said they would both do the same in two years when they graduate. I thought to myself, why don't I just take care of Layton's senior class photo while I am here? So we snapped a couple of Layton wearing the Union High School traditional dress as well. 

We noticed in Hue and even more so here in Hanoi that the homes and buildings are very tall and extremely narrow. That is because they are taxed on the width of their home. And the reason why there are so few cars and so many bikes and motorcycles is that they are taxed at 200-300% on autos! 

With our free time tonight we went to see a water puppet show. We had no idea what to expect! The stage is water with a temple looking backdrop. The puppets are maneuvered on long sticks hid under the water. They perform to live music, singing and narration. Some of the acts were funny and some were weird and some were nothing more than puppet porn. One act had a lady puppet in it with her drooping boobs hanging out of some sort of neck covering! But I am really glad we got to experience this Vietnamese art. I could really appreciate the choreography that it took to do that. Layton was wishing we had opted for the Cinemax in the mall. We made it up to him by taking him to KFC for dinner tonight! Every weekend they have a night market in old quarter. We are staying right on the street where they have it. So the street is blocked off for pedestrians only and lined with booths and vendors. Hopefully the market doesn't go until too late and keep me up. We have an early start in the morning as we get picked up to catch our sea plane to Halong Bay!