Day 5: Hanoi

We leave Cambodia and have an early morning flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. Since we had to make last minute flight arrangments, we end up flying first-class on Cambodia Angkor Air. Mmmmm steak breakfast anyone? Might as well! And they even lay tablecloths and glassware on our little fold out trays. All this on a less than 2 hr. flight!

We arrive and are met by Trang who takes us to the Vietnam Ethnology Museum. The Museum displays the cultural history of Vietnam and the different ethnic groups that make up the people of Vietnam.

We find many locals still wear the conical rice paddy hat in the city. Not only does it shelter you from the sun or rain, you can also take it off and use it as a fan.

Above: Rooftop decorations. The one on the left symbolizes an expectant family.

There's a long history of water puppetry in Vietnam dating back to the 11th century. The puppets are carved from wood and lacquered, with intricate pulley systems inside to control the movements of the limbs. We'll go see a water puppet performance later in the evening.

There's an outdoor exhibit showing different houses of ethnic groups. It's raining lightly so everything is a little slippery and muddy. Climbing into the houses, there are some limited hand holds.

Above: An Ede Longhouse. The Ede people trace their lineage through the matriarchs of the family and properties are passed down through the women of the family as well, hence the many feminine totems.

Below: A Bahnar Communal House. This impressive stilt house stands in the middle and I love the shape of the rising narrow roof.

Below: A Giarai funeral house. Rough wooden carvings surround the house as spiritual guardians or hopes for the after-life. There are some dirty carvings.

We get dropped off back at our hotel and we set out to find some lunch on our own. We have our first taste of pho in Vietnam! We find a Pho Ga stand (Vietnamese chicken noodle soup) and the lady points us to a table already occupied by 1 other woman, "Sit!!". Within minutes, 2 bowls of pho ga are put in front of us. It's the only thing they serve. 2 bowls costs us $3 CAN!!

After lunch we have a walk around the old quarter of Hanoi and a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, a small lake in the middle of the city. We take a look at Ngoc Son Temple that extends into the lake.

The streets are extra colourful with lunar New Year decorations. Traffic is madness! Buses, cars, scooters, bicycles, cyclos all weaving around each other, while pedestrians edge their way across the street. Ready, set, go!

We sidle up to locals as part of our survival tactics to cross the street. No one's gonna hit grandma and grandpa, right?

For dinner we go check out some local restaurants and food stalls. First stop Bun Bo Nam Bo - dry noodles with beef, been sprouts, lemongrass and green mango.

Second stop, we go to Banh Cuon Gia Truyen for Banh Cuon, steamed rice crepes filled with minced pork, shallots and mushrooms.

We go see a performance at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. The show depicts scenes and celebrations from the daily life of Vietnamese farmers. I particularly like the puppets back-stroking across the water and paddling in barrels. The puppeteers stand unseen at the edges of the stage/pool and the puppets are controlled on long rods.

© Amy Lee 2013