It was early. Appointed time was 9.30 a.m, we were there in Taiping Sentral Mall waiting. The tour bus came late. The driver and the chaperon lady could'nt find the place. Stopped by Kuala Kangsar and Ipoh to fetch others, and finally, we reached KLIA, met up with the tour leader and the others. It was Vietnam Air .
Dinner on board. The beef curry is not bad. Reached Hanoi was already dark. Put up in a budget hotel called Hasu Hotel, which was absolutely lousy. Dinner was at the hotel. the all time famous Vietnamese pho.
Day Two
Rain, not too heavy though but enough to make the visit difficult and photography hindrance. After breakfast we move out to the Vietnam Political Centre. We were at the Ba Dinh Square when rain began to get heavy
Our first breakfast.
Pho,pulut kunyit, some Vietnamese desserts, etc.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was closed for maintenance, couldn't see the crystal coffin. We walked pass the Ba Dinh Square, passed by the Ho Chi Minh Museum to the One Pillar Pagoda.
Ho Chi Minh Museum
The whole museum is a elaborate description of
Ho Chi Minh’s life, with 8 chronological topics. The first one, from 1890 to
1910 modeled after his upbringing, hometown and youth.
One Pillar Pagoda.
Rising
from one pillar in the centre of an elegantly square shaped lotus pond, The One
Pillar Pagoda is said to represent a lotus flower growing up out of the water.
Built between the years of 1028 and1054 during the reign of Emperor Ly Thai
Tong of the Ly Dynasty, the One Pillar Pagoda is one of Vietnam’s most iconic
temples
Ho Chi Minh's stilt house
This
humble, traditional stilt house where Ho lived intermittently from 1958 to 1969
is set in a well-tended garden adjacent a carp-filled pond and has been
preserved just as Ho left. it.
The Presidential Palace
Presidential
Palace Hanoi, constructed in 1900 by French architect Auguste Henri Vildieu,
was intended to be Ho Chi Minh’s official residence but the Vietnamese leader had
opted for a traditional Vietnamese stilt-house instead. The three-storey,
mustard yellow building features 30 rooms built in colonial French
architectural style, an orchard, carp pond, and a 91-metre long boulevard
surrounded by lush gardens.
After that, we moved to Presidential palace area. Quiet and
serene. Not so lustrous garden though. Lastly, we visited the Ho Chi
Minh Museum. Their history is nothing but war.
Lunch
Before heading to Halong city, we stopped by for lunch.
It was a long ride to Halong city. half way through the journey, we stopped a RNR, herewe bought some mung bean cakes. Had a cup of coffee and we shot off again.
Finally we reached Halong city. We were taken to see the infamous Vietnamese water puppets show. Something that is not found in any other part of the world. Interesting, but couldn't understand what was the show about.
Food is always abundant
