Korea for beginners: Good morning Vietnam!

We were awakened at 10.30am by a loud knock at the door. It was Billy, who was up, dressed, fed and raring to go. Bleary-eyed, we dragged ourselves downstairs to take advantage of the free breakfast which finished at 11am, then headed out to explore the city on foot. We were joined by Cristian, a Chilean guy who was also staying in Billy’s dorm room.

Our first stop was Hoan Kiem Lake, situated in the heart of the Old Quarter. We paid our 10,000 dong and headed across the bridge to visit the Ngoc Son Temple which is situated on an island at the northern end of the lake. It was a beautiful little temple but the main drawcard as we discovered was the embalmed remains of a giant tortoise who previously inhabited the lake. It is said there are still other tortoises of his kind in the area but whether this is true is debatable – I can’t imagine that a lake in the centre of a bustling, relatively dirty city like Hanoi would be a haven for tortoises, but you never know!

In a bid to better understand Vietnam’s bloody political history, we headed around the lake to the Hoa Lo Prison Museum. Given the nickname ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by American prisoners in sarcastic reference to its overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, the prison was used primarily during the war to house and torture captured American servicemen in order to elicit information. It was also used to elicit false statements from American soldiers regarding treatment of prisoners by the Vietnamese for as a tool for anti-American war propaganda. Built by the French in the 19th century, the prison occupied almost 13,000 square metres of land and housed hundreds of Vietnamese political prisoners and agitators. What remains of the prison today occupies a much smaller site and offers a glimpse into Vietnam’s tumultuous history that is fascinating, horrifying and startlingly reminiscent of the atrocities of Nazi Germany.

The museum presents many aspects of prison life, some considerably more horrifying than others. We viewed the small, claustrophobic cells in which political prisoners were incarcerated and tortured, stockades in which they were held and, most disturbingly, an enormous guillotine with which many hundreds of prisoners were beheaded. Interestingly, what remains of the prison today is situated immediately next to a large international high-rise hotel in a fascinating juxtaposition of old-day revolutionary ideals and present day capitalism.

We continued on through the city, meandering towards St Joseph’s cathedral. We stopped for lunch and a drink at a little café called La Place which unbeknown to us was a top pick in the latest edition of the Vietnam Lonely Planet guide. The food was fantastic, the drinks cold and delicious and the staff wonderfully friendly. We had an impromptu Vietnamese lesson from one of the waitresses whilst we sipped on fresh mojitos and iced coffee. It’s tough being a traveler.

After lunch we crossed the street to St Joseph’s cathedral, an impressive old building reminiscent of medieval Europe. The church was beautiful inside, and offered a peaceful retreat from the incessant cacophony of motorbike horns in the streets outside. We emerged from the church next to a school where students were flooding out, greeted by what seemed like hundreds of parents – all sitting astride scooters. It made for quite a sight and made crossing roads in the area nigh on impossible!

Perceptions so far

Hanoi is buzzing. Scooters are absolutely everywhere and much like Korea, road rules seem to be a minor concern if not an inconvenience. Cars and scooters toot their horns loudly and incessantly, weaving through traffic and crowds of pedestrians, often whilst delicately balancing an enormous load of goods destined for a market stall somewhere in the crowded city streets. Persistent street sellers hawk some of the most ludicrous goods imaginable whilst the locals crouch on the filthy roadside surrounded by food stalls, small children and mangy-looking animals. The streets are dirty, the air is thick with the stench of sewerage and exhaust fumes and even the leafy green boughs of nearby trees are unable to hide the tangled web of electric cabling which snarls its way above and along the city streets.

Yet despite all this, Hanoi retains an air about it which I cannot put a finger on. Despite the seemingly frenetic pace of life, a sense of calm somehow overrides the chaos and you find yourself content to simply meander along the street and soak up the atmosphere. The roads are in chaos, yet somehow everything seems to work. The locals are incredibly laid back and their countenance is apparent even as you observe what appears to be pandemonium all around you. Hanoi is a city steeped in traditions and culture yet buzzing with activity and rife with change. Hanoi is alive, and I love it.