Hanoi foodie heaven

If you like coffee to you're in the right place in Vietnam. Coffee was introduced by French colonists and once a luxury . Now Vietnam is the world's second-largest robusta bean exporter. 

We've been working our way through the options, salted coffee, egg coffee, coconut coffee and short blacks. It's all good 👌

The silken spicy beef roles were yummy 😋.

Enoki mushroom  stuffed and baked tomatoes 👌

Seafood stew with ginger, lemongrass and chives.

Fresh squeezed watermelon juice, beef pho and Enoki mushroom chips.

Coconut coffee👌

The size of the fruit here is amazing. Great mango, pawpaw, dragon fruit and pineapple 

The flavour in the pho here is the real deal, like nothing we've tasted back home. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! 

Green papaya and shrimp salad with chili lime sauce.

Grilled pork on lemongrass skewers with herbs and rice paper rolls👌

The ladies that deliver the fruit are gutsy weaving in and out of the traffic with ease.

Never seen such big pawpaw 

We haven't been eating much food off the streets vendors as we're here for a few more weeks so just adapting. It's certainly cheap though and  many tourists are sitting down at the little stands where the locals eat. They have these tiny plastic stools which once I got down I'm not sure I could get up again that easily. 

Along with coffee the French  also introduced the baguette 🥖 now morphed into the famous banh mi. These are delicious. We ate them too quickly..... so no photos.

The local Hanoi beer is pretty good too 🤞

Hanoi history day

(Usual waiver applies to grammar, typos,spelling as I'm posting via  a small phone screen on the hoof 🤭, click on the pics to zoom in)

Today was a day for learning  a little of Hanoi's incredible history. It was drizzling when we set out so we had a driver take us to our first stop and then it was on foot the rest of the day. The sun came out , well you could feel the heat but you couldn't see any blue sky for smog 😬.

The Trấn Quốc Pagoda is the oldest pagoda in the city, it's been a sanctuary of calm for over 1,500 years. It's on a little island linked by a causeway. 

The pagoda holds many important monk's ashes.

 Most of the pagodas were made in the 17th century. Monks still live there today. 

Visitors to the shrine  give offerings like food or small amounts of money as a present for the gods to give themselves good luck. Incense is burned to send wishes to the gods. It's a peaceful place to wander and the scent of incense calming.

As we left the little causeway it was interesting to see the lake being cleaned. Very humble boat and outboard motor but it worked.

Next stop was the Ho Chi Min Mausoleum. 

The entry system was run with military precision. Ladies wearing  traditional Aoi Dai we're very clear with their instructions 'single file! One line!  The system  worked and before we knew it we were in front of the mausoleum in time to see changing of the guard. 

Guards were in white military uniforms, no smiling or photos. Very serious guard change and sombre atmosphere befitting the resting place of the father of their nation. The guards looked so young. It was hushed as we walked past Ho Chi Min in his glass coffin, flanked by a ceremonial guard with soft lantern lights at each corner. Very impressive. The mausoleum was built despite Ho Chi Minh’s wish for cremation. It's said to be inspired by  Lenin's Tomb but designed with Vietnamese features. In complete contrast is the Presidential Palace next door. 

There were  school and kindergarten groups visiting and they were so lovely, keen to practice their English skills😁

Wasn't expecting to see a statue of Lenin in Hanoi. Lenin and Ho Chi Minh met in 1922. Ho Chi Minh was inspired by  Lenin's ideals. 

 This bronze beauty was a gift from the Soviet Union in the 1980s, and not surprisingly its the only statue of Lenin in Southeast Asia.

The Flag Tower of Hanoi was  built in 1805 and unlike many other structures it was not destroyed during the French invasion (1896-1897).

We literally stumbled upon the famous Train Street where you can sit almost on the edge of the rails and have a coffee as the train passes. Today a young gal got her scooter stuck. We also saw our first small scooter crash and the guy picked himself up, revved the scooter and went on about his business. 

Hoa Lo Prison  was our next stop. It was a prison originally used by the  French  colonists for political prisoners  and later by  North Vietnam for US prisoners during the Vietnam War. American POWs called it the Hanoi Hilton. Senator John McCain was one of the US pilots imprisoned here. 

It's a deeply confronting museum and record of terrible cruelty and suffering. A guillotine from the French is still in place . The  photo boards and old cine film with Vietnam freedom fighters stories was heartbreaking, so many  young, men and woman.

The American POW black and white photos are equally moving.

The shrine of offerings was so peaceful and a good spot to let it all sink in.

A full on day of history and learning for us. 

  

A tale of two cities

After an amazing tropical thunderstorm, complete with fork lightening, around 2am we were up  early with destination French Quarter in our sights. We  now  boldly cross multiple lanes of motorbike scooters, dodging  rickshaws and no longer can we be taken for Vietnam traffic newbies. We know  the footpaths are not for walking but for motorbike parking 😁

The street scenes as we moved from the Old Quarter  to the French Quarter didn't disappoint.

The contrast was dramatic. The Opera House  case in point. It was closed today unfortunately so we just wandered about. All around this area you'll find classic French colonial buildings, beautiful architecture, designer stores, wannabe Insta influencers and security guards talking into their shirt cuffs.

We visited the St Joseph's Cathedral which was built while Vietnam was under  French rule. 

Not far from the Catholic cathedral was a beautiful wee temple, again a stark contrast in culture and beliefs. 

There is something quite charming about the gritty Old Quarter, it feels well-lived in, real and a world away from the designer stores of Chanel, Valentino, Piaget, Gucci etc. 

The offerings to the spirits at the temples are so touching, simple but perfect.