Day 6 of my Southeast Asia tour featured a full day of touring in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. We started bright and early with tai chi in a downtown park. Our travel agent group, clad in our tai chi outfits, were led by a tai chi master in different poses. This one was easy – hand in the fist:
Keeping my leg in the air while maintaining my balance was a bit more challenging!
Badminton was a popular early morning activity in this downtown Hanoi park.
The highlight of the day for me was a tour of the busy streets of hanoi in this electric car:
We were right in the middle of the action as we navigated the downtown streets of Hanoi. It was interesting to see everyday life in the city from this vantage point.
Next we were taken to the Ho Chi Minh memorial where the remains of this Vietnamese leader are preserved for public display.
The lines were long this Saturday morning. We waited over an hour for the opportunity to enter the mausoleum. No pictures were allowed inside and security was strict. The Vietnamese soldiers guarding the monument reminded me of a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier back home in Washington DC. Though Ho Chi Minh died long ago (1969) his impact on vietnamese society was evident from the huge crowds that still come every day to view his memorial.
Even though it was a Saturday we saw many school children groups. A number of kids came up to us to practice their english. “Hello Sir, glad to see you here today!” said one boy to me.
We then visited the “Hanoi Hilton” – the prison where captured American pilots were kept during the war in downtown Hanoi.
Former U.S. Presidential candidate and war pilot John McCain was highlighted here with several photos. Here is McCain with other pilots on the day of his release. The displays showed how the pilots were well treated during the captivity – pictures showed the prisoners celebrating Christmas, playing basketball, and in other activities. I’m sure the actual conditions were worse than the idealized pictures shown in the displays, but the pilots did look to be in much better shape than photos I’ve seen of World War II prisoners in German concentration camps.
We returned to our hotel, the historic Metropole, in the afternoon. This hotel has hosted a number of celebrities over the years. Jane Fonda lived here for two months during the war. The Clintons have stayed here as well as Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. It was a great place to stay as the base camp for our two days in Hanoi. I found the hotel’s historic tour very interesting, featuring a tour of their bomb shelter used during the war.
I could imagine the terror people felt as they huddled into this shelter. Our guide said up to 40 people crowded into the shelter at any one time as they heard the bombs outside. The hotel was spared during the war.
Tomorrow we say goodbye to Hanoi and travel to Cambodia to finish our tour.
