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Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, style, and food. Hope you have a nice stay!
Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, style, and food. Hope you have a nice stay!
The Dong Xuan Market is in the middle of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. We didn’t end up going inside, but did walk around almost all of the perimeter.
This complex is dedicated to Ho Chi Minh. It is meant to represent his life, ideology, and his work to unite Vietnam and help it gain independence.
The mausoleum. Several school groups were there that day.
Presidential Palace. Ho Chi Minh resided in the Stilt House instead of here.
House 54 where Ho Chi Minh resided between 1954 and 1958, when he moved to the Stilt House.
Koi in what is affectionately known as Uncle Ho’s Pond.
Ho Chi Minh lived in this house until his death in 1969. It reflects his modest lifestyle.
This pagoda is meant to resemble a lotus flower on a single stone pillar. It dates back to the 11th century.
This prison is better known to Americans as the Hanoi Hilton because of its use during the Vietnam War.
Broken glass is at the top of the prison walls.
The original front doors.
People escaped through the sewer tunnels. This shows how small the tunnels were.
According to legend, Emperor Le Loi was gifted a magical sword by the Dragon King to help repel the invading Ming forces. After his victory, he was boating on the lake when a golden turtle surfaced and requested that Le Loi return the sword, which he did.
We were in Hanoi just before the weekend festivities celebrating the 70th anniversary of the French leaving Vietnam. There was going to be a marathon the day after we left.
On Jade Island in the lake is Ngoc Son Temple.
Many people were taking selfies around the lake.
This is Turtle Tower, named after the golden turtle which reclaimed Le Loi’s sword. When originally installed, the French had gifted a small Statue of Liberty which was on the top, but that was taken down and never replaced.
The Temple of Literature was originally created to honor Confucius and was later Vietnam’s first national university, the Imperial Academy. Now, students come here to pray to do well on their exams.
The Khue Van Pavilion is the unofficial symbol of Hanoi.
Names of students who pass the highest level of exams are on these tablets.
This street, which has several cafes on either side, has train tracks down the middle. Several times a day, a train will go down the street; there is plenty of warning so people can move tables, chairs, and themselves to the sides.
Dragon Doors from Keo Pagoda.
Bodhisattva Avalokisteshvara, originally on the Hoi Ha Pagoda.
Landscape, Nguyen Gia Tri.
Young Girls in the Garden, Nguyen Gia Tri.
Summer Wind, Pham Hau.
Little Thuy, Tran Van Can.
Teacher in the mountains, Le Huy Hoa.
Harvest time at Vinh Kim, Huynh Van Thuan.
Ngoc Son temple, Tran Dinh Tho.
Water puppets started in the Red River Delta. The stage is a shallow pool of water. Rods and strings connect the puppets to the puppeteers behind a screen.
Puppet stage.
Some of the musicians.
Octet orchestra.
Octet orchestra.
Le Loi on the boat returning the sword to Hoan Kiem Lake.
The turtle takes the sword from Le Loi.
Farming rice in the Red River Delta.
Xa Thuong song.
Xa Thuong song. Some of the puppets had an impressive range of features that could be manipulated.
Swimming competition.
Swimming competition.
Chasing the fox away from the flock of ducks. This was the first scene to include humans.
Chasing the fox away from the flock of ducks.
The spirit mediums - spiritual dance.
The spirit mediums - spiritual dance.
Puppeteers.
St. Joseph’s Cathedral.
One of the gates to Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
Vun Art employs people with disabilities to make art and handicrafts from recycled fabric scraps. These people are making silk collages.
