HANOI:

Originally we had intended to take another overnight train ride from Hue to Hanoi but that one would have been more than 12 hours. So we treated ourselves to a 1-hour plane ride instead.
We arrived around midnight in Hanoi and started our sightseeing trip early the next day. Hanoi, which is supposedly the most European city in Vietnam, is a pretty city with a lot green spaces and lakes. The main part of the city wraps around fairly large Hoan Kiem Lake, which creates a nice atmosphere. The Old Quarter of Hanoi is largely influenced by French colonial architecture. The quarter was developed around small streets, each dedicated to a trade, such as blacksmiths, tailors, temple accessories, jewelry etc. Those structures are still pretty evident and you can do your own walking tour through the chaos of small streets. There is so much to see!
Hanoi also has a lot of pagodas and temples but as we were pretty templed-out by that time we limited our visits to the great Temple of literature and the One-Pillar-Pagoda. We also visited Uncle Ho (that's how Ho Chi Min is still called by the Vietnamese), who is in a glass sarcophagus in his mausoleum. We have to admit, for somebody who has been dead for thirty something years he looks pretty good! We also visited his former house, his stilt house and the Palace and enjoyed a show of the famous water puppet theater. I have to add that shopping in Hanoi is pretty good, too!

I found the Hanoi Hilton

Pagoda in Hoam Kiem Lake (Lake of the restored sword). According to the legend a giant golden tortoise came out of the lake, took the sword from King Ly, after he had chased the Chinese out of the country, and restored it to its divine owners.

This turtle apparently was found in the lake a few years back.

A walking tour through the busy Old Quarter. Each street was named after a trade, and the structures are mostly still the same.

Apparently a white horse visited King Ly and showed him this place to build his city wall. The Old East Gate, Cua O Quan Chuong, is still there.

Street of Herb Vendors. The round things with the dark spot in the middle, hanging from the ceilings, are giant mushrooms!

Rattan street- with another cool tree.

Street of Votive Papers.

Can't remember the name of this street!?

Hanoi has really some very nice trees.

St. Joseph Cathedral. Neo-Gothic.

Though we had seen a lot of temples by that time, the Temple of Literature was a very nice one.

Another tree for Nathan to hug.

Famous water puppet theatre. The puppets are stuck to polls underneath the water, the people moving them hidden in the "house". Quite impressive movements, with special effects like fireworks and traditional music by a band sitting on the side.

This was at 7am in the morning. Crazy people doing morning gymnastics in the middle of the city! Fun to watch.

Propaganda. Nathan really liked them.

These posters are all over town. They are quite colorful. Unfortunately you could not buy them anywhere.

The Opera.

One pillar pagoda. Women come here to pray for offspring. (There is a story behind it but too long to tell here).

Uncle Ho's last house- his mausoleum. We visited him, resting in his glass sarcophagus. He is looking pretty healty!

Unfortunately we did not have a whole lot of time to look as the guards are pushing the long queue through pretty quickly. Rules are very strict: bags and cameras have to be left behind, no shorts or tank tops, no hands in pockets, hats must be taken off, no talking inside...

Nathan felt like tickling them. I don't think that would have gone over too well.

Watering of the lawn in front of the Mausoleum...

Uncle Ho's stilt house, supposedly a "symbol of his simplicity and gentleness". That's at least what the flyer said.

Uncle Ho's first house. From this one he moved into the stilt house in the previous picture.

Car dealer?

Presidential Palace. The building was such a bright yellow- unfortunately this pic is not quite doing it justice.

self-explanatory.

as well.

Contrast.

HALONG BAY:

Halong Bay, an accumulation of 3000 islands, is only about 120 km (75 miles) north-east of Hanoi but if you are in driving in Vietnam it takes you more than 3 hours (or maybe that was just our mini-bus driver, who always went 10 under the speed limit. We definitely met some really speedy drivers, which made you fear for your life!). Once again we could chose among a ton of tour companies offering 2- or 3-day trips to Halong Bay. Ours seemed pretty decent until we were about 45 minutes outside of Hanoi and the driver got a call, whereupon he started cussing and then turning around towards Hanoi. When we asked him why we were going back he answered that we were taking a different route. However, there was a Vietnamese couple on the bus who told us that we had forgotten 2 people. Two questions: why would you forget two people that were booked on your tour? Why would you turn around in order to pick them up, make everybody sit 1,5 hours longer in the bus instead of just sending the two forgotten people on another bus or on an inexpensive taxi? Understandably, everybody in the group was slightly annoyed. Just one thing you have to get used to when traveling in Vietnam...
In the end the delay was a good thing as we skipped the planned (according to Nathan: commission) stops on the way and got on the boat only 30 minutes delayed.
The 2-day trip was absolutely gorgeous. Obviously we had the first sunny day after 2 weeks of cold and fog. Our boat was pretty cool, the group of 13 people very nice and the scenery truly amazing. We visited a large cave, hiked up on top of one of the mountains (Dao Titop) in order to see the sunset, had a very nice dinner and slept on board. The second day was not as clear and sunny as the first one but we still got to cruise and see some more of the bay. Unfortunately the trip was over way too fast and we were back in Hanoi- taking the night-train to Sapa the same evening.  

Scenery on our drive to Halong Bay. 

Starting our 2-day cruise through Halong Bay. 

With its 3000 islands rising from the water of the Gulf of Tonkin, it is Vietnam's second World Heritage site. 

Ha Long means "where the dragons descends into the sea" 

Supposedly a great dragon lived in the mountains. As it ran towards the coast, its flailing tail gouged out valleys and crevasses, which were filled with water, only leaving the high land visible. 

House boats. The things underneath the boats are fish farms. 

Cool rock. 

View from the Amazing Cave. 

Our pretty boat. Our tour company, Fansipan, is named after the hightest mountain in Vietnam. 

Our cabin.