Hanoi Highlights

Explore the markets
Sample the bread
Admire some of the French colonial buildings

Quick Tips:

Be prepared to bargain in the markets.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking or cycling.

The Temple of Literature includes Vietnam's first University, built in 1076, to educate Mandarins. Not only is it a symbol of Confucianism but it was once the centre of academia. Eighty two-stone stelae placed on stone tortoise shells list the achievements of the men who received doctorates between 1442 and 1778. What stories must have been witnessed by the ancient banyan and frangipani trees inside the historic temple's walls!

Originally built by Emperor Ly Thai Tong, the One Pillar Pagoda is a small, wooden shrine atop a stone pillar, 1.25 metres in diameter. It resembles a lotus blossom (symbol of purity) rising out of a sea of sorrow, a small lake. Many loyal followers may be seen kneeling deep in prayer at the altar and reverently leaving incense sticks behind.

One of the most macabre and eerie experiences is visiting Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. The sight of the tiny, embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh with its rounded face topped with longish tufts of white hair and a small goatee beard below, entombed in glass, is almost spiritual. Aided by subtle lighting, complete silence and the regimentation of entering makes one aware of the high esteem in which this great man is held.

Leaving cameras behind, visitors (predominantly Vietnamese) must walk in single file across Ba Dinh Square to climb the red-carpeted stairs into the mausoleum.

Another traditional part of Vietnamese life, water puppetry, is performed in theatres around the lake. This is a uniquely North Vietnamese art form which depicts scenes from rural life and episodes of national history. Water puppetry is performed using a pond as a stage in which the puppeteers stand behind a screen, deftly controlling the wooden puppets with rods, wires and strings hidden under the surface of the water.

Hang Hom, the Street of Coffins; Hang Bac, the Street of Silver; Hang Trong, the Street of Drums. What about a street of mattresses or tombstones, or a street of paint shops? Welcome to the Old Quarter.

In addition to the wide cross-section of everyday life viewed, the Old French Quarter is a shoppers delight. Bargain for a traditional, hand-painted bamboo masks, paintings of Vietnamese everyday life on silk, hand embroidered tablecloths or clothes made of Vietnamese silk. For those who like war memorabilia, try a traditional Viet Cong helmet or an old Russian watch. Even for those who aren't stamp collectors, the large, colourful stamps of Vietnam provide a spectacle all their own.

The footpath is the centre of family life. A charcoal stove cooks the meal from the recently purchased fresh ingredients; small stools block the footpath as the residents sit to eat their evening meal; and the local baby bath is a small, plastic bowl on the footpath with a myriad of bathtime spectators!