While we were waiting in the airport, some members of our group arrived from different cities, and we met our guide and transferred our luggage to a minivan.
My first impression of Hanoi was that it looked like any other busy city in India, the only difference being the stunning number of two-wheelers. It is said that motorbikes are the kings of Hanoi streets; over 5 million motorbikes operate in the city along with bicycles, buses and cars.
The traffic was seemingly chaotic but had a special order of its own; pedestrian crossings were being ignored but the local people could be seen crossing the road quite effortlessly.
We had our hotel in the old quarters; it was small and was very similar to ones we usually find in district areas of our country. Our room was quite tiny, but we were told that staying in the old Quarters was a good choice for tourists, as we would be enjoying a mix of sightseeing, shopping and walking around Hoan Kiem Lake for relaxation amid the city's noisy street sounds.
We first visited the Tran Quoc Pagoda, which is the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi. It was on a tiny island linked by a small causeway near the southeastern shore of the West Lake.
It is more than 1500 years old, originally constructed in the sixth century on the shores of the Red River, and it was named Khai Quốc (National Founding). Gradually, the river started to encroach on its surroundings, and the temple was relocated in 1615 to its present place.
The pagoda is one of the main parts of the Trấn Quốc Temple, as it holds the ashes of an important monk.
It is an 11-story stupa, shaped like a hexagonal lotus tower and features 66 statues of Amitabha Buddha made from precious stones placed 6 on each floor.
Monks have lived at the Trấn Quốc Pagoda for centuries, teaching Buddhism to the public.
There were eight-spoke wheels and lotus flower statues all over the complex, which symbolise purity of mind, body, speech, enlightenment, and achievement.
With its harmonious blend of beautiful architecture against the watery landscape, the pagoda is a picturesque attraction. The sunset views from the temple grounds are famous, though we didn’t get the opportunity to see one.
We saw a Bodhi tree grown from a cutting of the original tree in Bodh Gaya, India under which the Buddha sat and achieved enlightenment; it was gifted in 1959, marking the visit of our president, Sri Rajendra Prasad. People could be seen giving offerings and burning incense.
In the Trấn Quốc Temple, goddesses also known as the "Mẫu" (Mothers) have been worshipped in Vietnam even before Buddha.
While waiting for the cyclos, we saw the board of The Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, the venue for the water puppetry show, which is a traditional form of Vietnamese theater dating back over a century performed in a waist-deep pool accompanied by traditional folk music. While the show is entirely in Vietnamese, it’s easy to follow along with the action and laughs.
We encountered a cheerful Vietnamese lady selling fans and traditional hats called non la (leaf hat) made from palm leaves and bamboo. They were cone-shaped and protected against sun and rain, my dear hubby, who never does anything in half measures, made me buy 2 of them.
Of course they were useful, but being huge, they wouldn't fit into our suitcases and had to be hand-carried wherever we went, obviously, and I met quite a few sheepish tourists carrying these hats on their arms in the airports.
We then went on a ride in the bicycle rickshaws named cyclos. They featured a front-facing seat where we sat, with the driver pedaling from behind; this design originated in the 1930 ‘s.
It was fun going round the old quarters, which is historically known for its 36 streets. Each street is named Hang meaning shop, followed by the product, like Hang Bac (Silver), Hang Gai (Silk), Hang Dau (Shoe), Hang Ma (Lantern), Hang Vai (Bamboo), Hang Duong ( Sugar) and Lan Ong (Traditional Medicine) Street.
The Old Quarter is known for its unique “tube houses,” which are narrow and long structures and previously housed both shops and living spaces. I remembered our busy bazaars in the old city which also contain both shops and residences on their tops, reflecting how people adapt to limited spaces.
As we went along, we saw traditional Vietnamese architecture and a few remnants of French colonial buildings, which were yellow with green shutters.
I again recollected our busy streets, the only difference being that the boards were in the Vietnamese language, people were the same working class; they could be seen attending busily to their wares, most of them sitting on small plastic stools.
I desperately wanted to visit the popular Train Street, the Durong Ta an actual residential area and a narrow alley, where many locals have cleverly converted their houses into quaint little cafes.
One can sip a traditional egg coffee or have a drink while waiting for the train to pass by, which happens a handful of times throughout the day. Drinks cost around 60,000 VND, and we are charged a minimum of 40,000 VND if we just sit and watch the trains pass by, even if a drink is not ordered.
We were luckily in time to see a train go past. The scores of travelers who had been hoping to snap a picture on the active train track were happily scattering away. The bonhomie prevailing there has to be seen to be believed indeed!
We next visited the Dinh Square, the iconic square in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The Ho Chi Minh Complex in Hanoi is a revered, traffic-free, and heavily secured pilgrimage site dedicated to the nation’s founding leader, "Uncle Ho". It features the granite Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where his body is embalmed, alongside his stilt house, the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the Presidential Palace, and the One Pillar Pagoda.
We were all allowed to enter the complex except for one lady who unfortunately, was wearing a short skirt but finally she could come after buying a scarf and wrapping it around her legs. The security personnel are very strict about the dress code, and shoulders and knees have to be covered before we enter.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is a massive, 3-layered, Soviet-inspired structure made of granite and marble where the embalmed body lies. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go inside due to a lack of time; we took a few snaps on the campus, which was very well maintained.
Stilt House is the modest home where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked and Ho Chi Minh Museum is dedicated to his life and revolutionary career .
We were given time to see the One Pillar Pagoda which is also known as 'pagoda of extended blessings'. The most famous part of this architectural complex is Liên Hoa Đài meaning 'the lotus pedestal', which is a temple with a special structure of a building laid on one pillar.
The temple was built by Emperor Ly Thai Tong, who ruled from 1028 to 1054, he was childless and once had a dream where the king met Mother of Mercy who was seated on a lotus flower, and she handed him a baby son.
Lý Thái Tông then married a peasant girl he had met, and in due course, the couple had a son. The emperor constructed the temple in gratitude in 1049, by erecting a pillar in the middle of a lotus pond, similar to the one he saw in this dream. During the Nguyễn dynasty, the pagoda was restored and rebuilt in 1840-1850 and 1922.
The pagoda was dynamited in 1954, and in 1955, the Ministry of Culture of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam restored the pagoda and the Lotus Station based on the architectural style that the Nguyen dynasty had left.
The temple is built of wood on a single stone pillar, 1.25 meters in diameter and 4 meters in height, and is designed to resemble a lotus blossom.
After climbing 13 narrow steps of the wooden staircase, we entered and could see a small, intimate, and highly revered shrine that contained a golden, thousand-armed and eyed statue of Quan Am Bo Tat (Goddess of Mercy).
The statue sat on a wooden lotus throne, surrounded by incense burners, flower vases, and candles. Worshippers apparently seek fertility and good fortune. What was remarkable indeed was the decoration, which had striking gold and crimson cloud motifs.
The entire atmosphere in the shrine was intimate and private, ideal for prayers
We had a leisurely walk around the Hoàn Kiếm Lake, interspersed with the tourists, there were quite a few local people with their families,
We did souvenir shopping after dinner, heavy bargaining is essential, almost to the tune of 50% and finally we went to our hotel as we were thoroughly exhausted.
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