Hanoi (the English version of the city) is the capital of Vietnam located in the northern part of the country.  A city of 10 million people and 6 million scooters it has a history spanning over one thousand years.  During the centuries since its founding in 1010 it has been shaped and influenced by the Chinese, French colonial rule and its own variations of rule.

One of Hanoi’s (and the surrounding area) wonderful features is its vibrant street food scene and its markets.  Families and businesses shop at the market morning and evening for everything from fresh fish and meat to flowers and fruit – –

A surprise visit in Ha Long in route to Hanoi was a cultured pearl ‘production’ business – with a wonderful buying opportunity;-)  One can get quite an education in the implanting of a small particle into the oyster and the ensuing process to get a pearl, which takes approximately three years from implanting to harvesting.  And the end product is not guaranteed.  If the result is not a ‘perfect’ pearl, it may wind up a pair of earrings!

For Americans, particularly of a certain age, there might be a real desire to see what was read about or heard about in the news for the years from 1965 to 1973.  That is certainly true for these two travelers.  So, the visit to the Hoa Lo Prison, or ‘Hanoi Hilton’, was particularly gut wrenching.  Understanding that this facility is presented from the view of the Vietnamese, its focus is the construction and use of Hoa Lo  Prison as a detention place for Vietnamese political prisoners by the French from 1930 to 1945 during the French occupation.  There is no mention that similar confinements or treatment were utilized with Americans detained here.  In fact – just the opposite.  The displays of the American pilots ‘who came to stay here’ were of them playing cards with the fellow pilots, reading mail from home, opening packages from home, etc.  So – it is left to the visitor to imagine the Americans in the place of the Vietnamese in the stocks, dungeon, etc.

The dungeon was used to confine those who broke the rules and was the “Hell of the hell”.  It was dark and narrow and prisoners were kept separately in stocks where they had to eat and relieve themselves on the spot.

There was one notation re Americans and it read – “The US Government carried out sabotage warfare utilizing air and naval forces against the North of Vietnam. ….Thousands of planes were shot down and hundreds of US pilots were arrested ….Many were imprisoned here.  After the Peace Accords all the arrested US pilots were released to US….Pictures show details of pilots’ lives when temporarily imprisoned here.”  (This is where there were pictures of the men playing cards, opening mail and packages, etc.)  There were no pictures like those of the Vietnamese in stocks or worse.  

There is a memorial commemorating patriotic soldiers who sacrificed at the prison – you pick American or Vietnamese – –

On a much lighter note – Hanoi’s cityscape diversity is quite striking.  Traveling thru the French Quarter, one might think they were in Europe with the graceful French colonial faded yellow buildings and wide boulevards – –

The Old Quarter is quite the opposite of the French Quarter.  It is a maze of narrow, lively streets bustling with scooters and tourist shops.  It is a great place to haggle for your wares – or find a wonderful roof top restaurant/bar with a fabulous view to avoid it all;-) 

Ba Dinh Square is a huge government complex that houses cultural sights, government buildings, parade grounds, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.  

Unfortunately the interior of the Mausoleum was closed – but, if your timing is right, you may see the changing of the guard.

A family grave might have a very different look from Ho Chi Minh’s.  They are not necessarily in a cemetery, as the ‘bones’ of the deceased are buried near the family.  In the northern part of Viet Nam, a body is buried in a make shift grave for three years in order for ‘the meat of the body’ to go away.  After three years the bones are dug up and they are buried near the family in a more permanent, decorative grave.  These can be seen in the fields or near houses when traveling the highways.

One of the must sees in “1000 Things to see Before You Die” is Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site AND one of the NEW seven wonders of the world!!!  Vietnamese legend maintains that dragons once descended from heaven and spouted streams of jade droplets into waters of the Bay forming thousands of islands to protect the bay and its people from invading marauders.  These ‘jade droplets’ are today more than 2,000 limestone islands rising out of the ocean topped with thick jungle vegetation.  Some of the islands are hollow with enormous caves that can be visited and some have acquired names because of looking like birds, antelopes, monkeys and ‘fighting cocks’! 

A stay in Ha Long can be completed with the beauty and uniqueness of Ha Long Bay – but the starkness and ugliness of Hoa Lo Prison and what our servicemen endured there will not be forgotten.  

Solemnly – E & G