Last of Hanoi

Yesterday we boarded a plane for Hue! Our last day was full of intrigue. In the morning, we went to a Masoleum, where the nationalist party displays Ho Chi Minh's dead, embalmed body. He glowed a creepy shade of orange underneath the preservation lights. Let's just say I'm not trying to go see anymore dead people, no matter how famous or important they are.


Later in the evening we visited the French Quarter, where the French built their living quarters and government buildings. Viet Nam used to be a colony of France, and the Viet Namese suffered under the thumb of French colonial rule for many years.  In fact, Ho Chi Minh is called the "Father of the Revolution" and is revered as the first to seriously cry for Viet Namese Independence. Long before the Americans became involved, the Viet Namese people had been involved in decades of struggle with colonial France.


A lot of the buildings built by the french are very french, for lack of a better description. Some of the buildings are not even constructed in a way that makes sense according to Viet Nam's climate, being constructed in a way that prohibits ventilation. The above photos are the French University in Hanoi, which I think was built in the 1940's maybe??

I did spot something veeeery interesting on the walking tour:

Later, we visited the Catholic Cathedral in Hanoi. The people of Vietnam practice many different religions and life philosophies, including Buddhism, Daoism, Confucionism, and Catholicism. It is ethnically and religiously very diverse. Catholicism in Viet Nam is largely due to missionaries visiting during the Colonial period, I believe.

Anyway, we are now in Hue. I did enjoy Hanoi very much- it's very green, and very beautiful. My favorite thing is how people spill out onto the streets at night - it's much cooler in the evening. Children run around playing as their parents sit on stools, eating and talking outdoors. The streets buz with mopeds weaving every which way. Just like in the US, you can easily spot the young adults out on dates, dressed all up, looking nervous, riding on mopeds together. (Well, maybe they don't ride mopeds together in the U.S!)

That said, I am happy to have moved on. The city, though beautiful, is full, crowded, and tight-spaced. Perhaps these things are what make it beautiful, but I can only handle being crowded when it's below 85 degrees...
Hue is much smaller, and so far, it is just as beautiful, if not more. We'll see what happens!