Tuesday 25 March
The traffic in Hanoi makes a big impression on you - many cars mixing with an incredible number of motorcycles, scooters and some bikes into a smooth flow of traffic merging in the finest way without hardly ever stopping – it goes amazingly smoothly. We have hardly seen the sun today - yet it was a very hot day, and we have had a fine program with many experiences. After breakfast at the hotel we were picked up by Khoa – our guide here in the north - who also came to meet us at the airport last night together with our driver. First we went to a newer development of the city, which was also built when I was here in 2008. I had the feeling then that hardly anybody lived there, but now there were cars in the entrances - or locked behind bars, and there were schools with many children, but Khoa told us that it was very expensive to buy a house there - of course. Then we drove out of town to an ancient Sai temple, located in one of the suburbs - a place that Henning visits each year. This temple is a very old temple - 2000-3000 years old. It is as old as the Cheops pyramid in Egypt and for the Vietnamese it has great historical significance. On the way back we went through several bustling suburbs and passed lots of wonderfully green rice fields with the roots paddling in the water and one or two people in the field to see that everything was as it should be. We also noticed all their stalls at their houses. Back in the centre of Hanoi we went to the Ethnographic Museum, where we could see house types from many ethnic minorities in Vietnam outside and plenty of examples of clothes, tools, ceremonies and rituals inside the museum. We ate lunch at a restaurant nearby run by employees who are young people with a difficult background who have been given this chance for a good education. They were incredibly attentive and sweet when they served us, and the place was packed with tourists who had heard about the project, so we had to go up to the third floor of the restaurant where we had booked a table as there was a full house on all floors. After lunch we went to the art museum. We had time for a good look at the paintings and found it very interesting, and after that we were driven home. There was still time to do something so Birgit and I went down to look at the beautiful lake in the middle of the city - the Hoan Kiem Lake, and we met Gunver and Tom down there. At 8pm we met again and went to one of Henning's favourite restaurants in the area - Little Hanoi - to dine. It is a very popular restaurant, but Henning had booked a table, and one of his many acquaintances came to eat with us. Her name is Oanh, she works at a travel agency and she was very sweet, but she left early because she had to work early in the morning. Fine first day in Hanoi!
Motorcykeltur
Ethnic Museum in Hanoi
Etnisk museum
Holy source at Sai Temple
Rismark near Hanoi
At the beginning of the new district in Hanoi
Little Hanoi
Wednesday 26 March
Cycling was cancelled for the group today, but Henning took his bike while we took a taxi to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. We had some trouble finding each other as the taxi dropped us at the opposite end of the entrance while Henning of course went to the entrance. The taxi driver we could just walk across a large lawn that led down to the Mausoleum. And so we did until we became aware of a whistling that was directed at us. You are not allowed to walk there!!! So we had a major detour but finally met Henning and got into a huge queue with lots of school children who wanted to talk to us. That is, they could say Hello to us –that was all, but they could all smile and wave. Although the queue was very long, we went forward quickly but the line continued inside where we queued up to get into the Mausoleum for Ho Chi Minh. Everybody had to be silent when we walked past Vietnam's great leader - Uncle Ho - who had wanted a quiet funeral and the ashes scattered in different places, and now must lie in his mausoleum and each day be visited by thousands of people while soldiers are guarding everybody. On the walk round the park we saw his home, his guest house, his car - given to him by the Soviet Union in the 1950s, a large museum and the one-legged pagoda. The one -legged pagoda was built in 1049 by Emperor Ly Thai Tong. The pagoda looks like a lotus flower and was built in thankfulness when his son was born. After visiting the mausoleum we walked to the Literature Museum, which is considered to be Vietnam's first university. It has beautiful gardens and buildings laid out symmetrically. Also here there were lots of people, including a bunch of female students in their beautiful long dresses over trousers. Henning got them to sing a song for us, and they sang a long song that they knew by heart. We also sat down to listen to a small concert in one of the buildings played with strange musical instruments that we did not know. It was great to listen to and a nice little break after wandering around a lot. The weather was pleasant as the sun was hiding behind the clouds. We had lunch at the same restaurant as yesterday, and afterwards we returned to the hotel in the taxi, while Henning cycled. After that we spent some hours on our own. Birgit and I went up on the market, which is not far from the hotel. Unfortunately our dinner agreement with Thu, who lives just outside the city with his family in a big house, was cancelled. We waited for almost an hour to be picked up at the hotel, and tried in vain to call her. Eventually we got hold of her sister, who told us that they had tried to get hold of us on Henning's phone to cancel the dinner due to a death in the closest family. So we had to change plans and found a nice rooftop restaurant nearby and got good food!
Ho Chi Minh Mausuleum in Hanoi
More about Ho Chi Minh
Former French Governor's Mansion . Now guest accommodation .
Group with Ho Chi Minh's home in the background
Inside the Ho Chi Minh's home
The one -legged pagoda
In Literature Museum
Literature Museum with turtles
Thursday 27 March
Today's program was a trip around the West Lake - a 15 km long trip that Birgit and I wanted to take along with Henning on bikes, Anette and Erik were passengers on motorbikes. It was not without trembling Birgit and I set off as the traffic is incredible. It is mostly motorcycles and cars, and whenever you come to a crossroads there are cars and motorbikes everywhere but you just merge your way across the road - no giving way to traffic coming from the right like at home, but it is absolutely fantastic - also when you cross the street as a pedestrian! The first part of the trip was in the middle of the city with lots of traffic, but when we came through it well and came out to bike along the lake, we really enjoyed the ride. The temperature was perfect - the sun was hiding behind clouds - so we did not get sweaty. On the way we made a stop at a temple that is very popular, and somewhat later we had a longer stop, when we had something to drink. Along the route you have a view across the lake to the city, but there is so much pollution in the air, so it seems very distant. Along the lake you see hotels - also new hotels being built, and also large and fine private homes, but in some places very simple houses, that maybe soon will be pulled down and make way for urban renewal. At the end of our round trip there was again much traffic, but we managed it without getting into trouble, and I have to confess that both Birgit and thought we had passed a kind of test by taking this trip. Erik and Anette were also very excited about the trip. Meanwhile Gunver and Tom had a day on your own. They had travelled far and wide on foot and had had many good experiences, among other things they had had a long with a man who was extremely interested in hearing how we organized ourselves in Denmark ranging from wind power to our tax system. The rest of us did, however, go for a walk in the afternoon - Birgit and I went around the lake and also had time to look into a very elegant department store. Tonight Henning celebrated his birthday once again - a very successful party with many guests - all seats occupied in the room of the restaurant Little Hanoi where the party took place. There were lots of young people, but also many well-known to previous travellers with Henning, including Mr. Thang, Thuy and the deaf girl Oanh, who is now married and has a child and came together with her husband. It was really nice to see them. There were many presents - also beautiful cakes were brought in while everybody began to sing Happy birthday, dear Henning. A very nice evening, ending like it is common in Vietnam about 10.30 pm and our little group helped to carry gifts back to the hotel.
Sale At bike ride in Hanoi
Bicycle touring around the West Lake in Hanoi
A deserved break in Hanoi
From bike ride around the West Lake in Hanoi
Hennings birthday