Experiences of an Oriental World - Hanoi, Vietnam

I have been fortunate enough to visit Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore etc. But I wasn’t ready for what I had in store in Hanoi, Vietnam. I am dedicating this post specifically to this ever welcoming country mainly because it has risen like a dragon after all the sufferings and troubles. I have used this phrase because Hanoi is called as the "The City of the Soaring Dragon"

I landed in Hanoi on a cold Sunday morning when the temperatures were an all time low during the year. It was around 8 Degrees Celsius. An me being me had carefully packed all my pullovers and jackets safely inside the check in Luggage. Man it was teeth shattering cold all over. To add to my woes, it started drizzling. Here I landed in a Non – English speaking country with my thermal wear neatly locked inside my check in Luggage (The keys of which I had conveniently misplaced), my International calling card wasn’t activated and to my Horror I had lost the tiny bit of paper where I had jotted down the address of the guest house ! Yikes… What a start.. !

Suddenly I recollected I had the address in my Notes inbox. Had to access it somehow. Boy was I lucky.. I just thanked my stars for what happened next.

I just tried accessing the WI-FI available at the Airport and for some stupid reason it wasn’tconnecting to the network. Finally I blew my lid and shouted what the F..!, without realizing how loud I was. There was an astonishingly pretty female next to me. I became all red faced and apologized to her, but the beautiful New Zealander could relate to my feelings very well. She was sweet enough to offer her laptop which was already connected to the network. I pulled out the address only to find out her hotel was just three blocks away from my guest house. I couldn’t believe this was happening. (Trust me such a thing has never happened to me !I mean eeeevvvvveeeer ! J) So we shared the cab, and some chats and also spend some time at the café in her hotel.. Man, I have never been so thankful for using the F word in my life..

I loved Vietnam from the very first day itself… Wow !

Hanoi – Imagine a city where the exotic chic of old Asia blends with the dynamic face of New Asia. Where the medieval and modern co-exist. Hanoi is where imagination becomes a reality. A mass of motor bikes swarms through the tangled web of streets and that is the Old Quarter, which is the best place to check out the Pulse of this resurgent city. The hustle bustle of a regular metro, the calmness of a fantastic countryside, the architectural marvels of ancient pagodas (temples), the Vivid reminders of the past like the war monuments and museums and the ever vibrant night markets and the exuberant night life with more than 1000 night clubs and pubs reveal the spread of this fabulous city.

The more time I spent in this beautiful city, the more I started liking the city. The day starts very early for the people here. All the shops, and Offices are up and running by 8 AM in the morning. The days are really busy for the locals here. The most interesting part is the the lunch break is a solid 2 hours which includes a good lunch and an hour long Nap. Yes, they do take a nap in the office itself.. Neat huh?

The variety of food available here is just out of this world. If you are an individual appreciating N.Veg, then you would be flooded with options. You get Chicken, Mutton, Beef, Squid, Octopus, Snake Meat, Dog meat, Shrimps, Sea Horses, just to name a few. Of these, I did try out Snake meat, Snake Venom wine (One of the most deadliest wine I have ever tasted), and DOG meat !Beat that…

The Hoan Kiem Lake which decorates the centre of the city is the best place to laze around in the evening. It is the epicenter of multiple markets which sell anything from local snacks to watches to shoes to Gold. Apart from this the Ho-Chi-Minh museum, the presidential Palace, the one pillar Pagoda, the Ho-Chi-Minh Mausoleum etc are places that definitely draws the attention of the tourists and locals alike. And it definitely didn’t fail to pull me as well.

For all the while I spent in Hanoi, I was just appreciative of this city which had come up with a vengeance considering its troubled rather ravaged history. I developed a particular liking for the country which has a very strong background it its present state which also reveals the strong fighting spirit of the people who dwell in this country.

A few pictures dedicated to the beauty of this wonderful City...

The snap below was taken at the Ho-Chi-Minh Mausoleum, one of the major landmarks in the city of Hanoi

The snap below is the Presidential Palace of Ho-Chi Minh, where he lived on and off from 1958-69. It is an upmarket interpretation of the traditional rural living and has been preserved just the way "Ho" left it...

The following pic is that of the Army museum and the Museum of Vietnamese revolution displaying the Soviet and Chinese equipment alongside French and US-made weapons captured during years of War fare..

I do have plenty of pictures to be shared. I would pass on the Picasa link for all those who are interested to know further.. I have deliberately not written about one of the best places I have visited in Vietnam - Halong Bay. This was deliberate coz just a plain mention of that wonderful place wouldn't have done justice to it.. Hence contemplating on the idea of Dedicating an enitre post describing the umpteen number of breath taking places i got to see...

Till then.. Ciao Folks..

Cheers..

Kash !