Trip Overview – 9 Days in Northern Vietnam

Northern Vietnam has some of the most beautiful, untouched and natural scenery in South East Asia. Pictures of the golden terraced paddy fields seen on the hiking trails in Sapa and pictures of thousands of karst mountains set in the emerald sea of Ha Long Bay made me book my air tickets to Hanoi, which is Vietnam’s capital city and gateway to these attractions.  In addition, I wanted to visit Ninh Binh, located just 2 hours away from Hanoi by car. I got to know of the beauty of Ninh Binh through watching an episode of the Amazing Race (Season 29 Episode 10) on TV.

Ironically, we did not go to neither Sapa nor Ha Long Bay. As I planned my itinerary before our trip, I realised that Mai Chau and Pu Luong could be better places for hiking instead of Sapa.

Sapa, according to what I read in the internet, has become too touristy and crowded. Tales of aggressive local villagers “pressuring” tourists to buy stuff, crowded hiking trails and 7 hours of overnight train journey just to get to Sapa from Hanoi were some of the reasons I chose not to go to Sapa.

For almost similar reasons, I decided to skip the “touristy” and “over commercialised” Ha Long Bay and spend more time in Ninh Binh, also known as the “Ha Long Bay on Land”.

Best time to visit

The best time to hike and visit the rice fields of North Vietnam is during the rice harvesting season.  There are usually 2 to 3 crops per year. The actual harvesting periods would vary according to weather and location. For Mai Chau and Pu Luong, the month of October was a good time for our visit but the rice fields in Ninh Binh were already harvested in September.

Green and yellow terraced paddy fields in Pu Luong - October 2018.

As things turned out, I enjoyed my experience hiking through Pu Luong Nature Reserve. We saw plenty of green, yellow and golden terraced paddy fields within the gorgeous rural landscape of Vietnam. We witnessed all stages of rice harvesting activities.

Instead of aggressive and pushy locals trying to make money from us, we interacted with friendly local villagers during our time at Mai Chau and Pu Luong. One elderly couple even invited us into their house to rest and served us cold water and oranges from her garden.

I had booked a 5D/4N private tour that starts from Hanoi and ends in Ninh Binh from VIC Travel. I chose this company as they focus on low impact "off the beaten path" private trips in northern Vietnam. The company provided a local English speaking guide, a car with driver and arranged our accommodations and meals. On one of the nights, we stayed in the bamboo stilt houses of the ethnic minority people in Pu Luong and ate authentic local meals.

Our itinerary includes travel by car and a fair bit of hiking and trekking in the beautiful Mai Chau Valley and Pu Luong Nature Reserve. We also did a bit of cycling around Mai Chau.

We actually found the landscape in Pu Luong to be more beautiful than Mai Chau. In addition, Pu Luong is more laid back and less touristy. Mai Chau’s tourism industry had boomed recently and has attracted more visitors (local and international). We encountered a few electric powered carts carrying visitors on the narrow country lanes. In comparison, we did not meet any other hikers on the hiking trails in Pu Luong!

Our itinerary

The following is a day by day summary of our 9 days in Northern Vietnam.

Prior to going to Mai Chau and Pu Luong, we spent one and half day exploring the sights and culture in the Old Quarters of Hanoi as well as giving our taste buds a treat with local culinary delights.

Day 1 (4 October 2018) – Arrival and half day in Hanoi

We arrived at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport at about noon time. We travelled by pre-arranged taxi to our hotel located in Hanoi’s Old Quarters. After settling into our hotel in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, we spent the rest of the day exploring Hanoi on foot.

Seemingly never ending stream of cars and motorcycles on the streets of Hanoi.

We experienced the mayhem of the city traffic and took the leap of faith that is needed to cross the streets with seemingly never ending stream of cars and motorcycles. We also enjoy the sights and gastronomical delights of Hanoi.

We tried one of the best pho in the famous Old Quarters. One of the hidden gems in Hanoi is “Train Street” where we saw many interesting sights but the train!

We had dinner at the Red Bean Classic Restaurant, one of the best fine dining restaurants in the city.

Hanoi’s famous Beer Corner or Bia Hoi Corner

 

Following dinner, we sat on plastic stools by the street and drank probably the cheapest beer in the world at Hanoi’s famous Beer Corner or Bia Hoi Corner (located at the crossroads of Pho Ta Hien and Pho Luong Ngoc Quyen).

Where we stayed: Hanoi Imperial Hotel located in the middle of the Old Quarters. Hanoi's Old Quarter is the city's ultimate shopping hotspot. The Quarter's maze of streets offers a wealth of cheap shopping, delicious must-try dishes, and essential travel services.

Trip report: Gastronomical delights in Hanoi Old Quarter

 

Day 2 (5 October 2018) – A whole day to enjoy Hanoi

After breakfast at hotel, we continued our exploration of Hanoi on foot. 

Some of the things we did and places we visited are:

Walk around Hoan Kiem Lake and visit Ngoc Son Temple.

Try the famous Hanoi’s specialty egg coffee or ca phe trung at Cafe Giang.

Eat the banh mi at Bahn Mi Bread. 

Rest and relax at Tranquil Books & Coffee, one of the many trendy and cute cafes in Hanoi.

Try the Vietnamese noodle salad with slices of roast duck at the Vit 29.

Go to a different part of “Train Street” again and saw a train rolling past us. Really really close. What an experience!

Hanoi’s “train street”.

Tour Hoa Lo Prison, the "Hanoi Hilton".

Enjoy 90 minutes of body massage at Sen Spa.

Shop at Hanoi’s Night Market which operates every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Where we stayed: Hanoi Imperial Hotel located in the middle of the Old Quarters. There were a few excellent spas located just outside this hotel. An hour or two at a good, clean spa is the perfect way to relax after a long day of walking and sightseeing.

Trip report: A day of cafe hopping and sight-seeing in Hanoi Old Quarter

Trip report: Up close with a train in Hanoi’s “train street”

Day 3 (6 October 2018) – Travel from Hanoi to Mai Chau.

This is the start of our 5D/4N private tour arranged with VIC Travel.

My wife and I were picked up by our guide Mr Long and driver Mr Ha from our hotel in Hanoi in a clean and spacious Toyota Innova. It was a comfortable 4 hours’ drive through the countryside, small towns and mountainous regions to Mai Chau with a coffee break en-route.

We had lunch comprising authentic cuisine of local people at the Lac village. This was followed by a 5 km hike through a forest and paddy fields in the Mai Chai valley to Mai Chau Ecolodge, our accommodation for the night. Mai Chau valley is one of the most beautiful areas in the north west of Vietnam.

Mai Chau Ecolodge.

After dinner at the Mai Chau Ecolodge, we watched a lively cultural dance performance.

Where we stayed: Mai Chau Ecolodge.

Surrounded by mountains and paddy fields, Mai Chau Ecolodge features modern rooms and suites with views and free Wi-Fi. It has a restaurant, bar, an outdoor pool and in-house spa for guests to relax in. Free bicycles are available for guests to borrow and explore the countryside.

Trip report: Hiking in Mai Chau Valley with a local guide.

Day 4 (7 October 2018) – Mai Chai to Pu Luong

After breakfast at the Mai Chau Ecolodge, we borrowed the free bicycles to cycle through terraced rice paddies and small villages, discovering the natural beauty of Mai Chau valley and encountering the culture of the ethnic minority Thai people on our visits to the Lac and Na Phon villages.

After lunch in the Na Phon village, our driver drove us to Pu Luong Nature Reserve.

En-route, we made a brief stop at a roadside bamboo factory to observe how bamboo trees are turned into chopsticks and rulers.

The drive to the Hieu village in Pu Luong took about 2 hours. This area is the home of the Muong and Thai ethnic groups.

We stayed in this hut at Ban Hieu village,  Pu Luong.

After settling into our stilt hut in the village, we went to explore the surrounding area, including a 5 km trek up a waterfall and jungle path.

We had dinner with our hosts and enjoyed the food and hospitality provided. We even stayed up late to watch a live telecast of the English Premier League game between Liverpool and Manchester City in the homestay via cable TV.

Where we stayed: Mr Ly’s homestay in Ban Hieu village.

Trip report: Cycling in the morning at Mai Chau valley

Trip report: Road Trip from Mai Chau to Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Trip report: Our Activities at Ban Hieu Village in Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Day 5 (8 October 2018) –  Hiking in Pu Luong

After breakfast, we start our hike through Pu Luong Nature Reserve, passing corn fields, rice terraces, palm forests, farms and many villages. We saw people going about their day.

We had lunch in the stilt house of a villager in the White Thai village. We enjoyed some free time to acquaint ourselves with the life of our hosts.

In the afternoon, we trekked through terraced rice paddies and small villages, discovering the natural beauty of Pu Luong and encountering the culture of the ethnic minority Thai people in Don village. We were lucky to visit during harvesting season and saw plenty of golden terraced rice-fields and harvesting activities. Pu Luong was especially beautiful, non-touristy and we met many friendly local people in the villages.

Rice harvesting in Pu Luong during October 2018.

This was the day where we did the longest and most energy sapping trek of at least 12 km in hot weather. But this was the day where we really appreciate the beauty of North Vietnam, in terms of scenery, country and people.

Where we stayed: Pu Luong Retreat.

Pu Luong Retreat offers the best views of rice terraces, valley and mountains from the property.

It features an outdoor infinity pool, a restaurant and free Wi-Fi access in the public areas. Select suites feature a bathtub.

Trip report: Hiking in Pu Luong Nature Reserve - From Hieu village to Kho Muong village

Day 6 (9 October 2018) –  Hiking in Pu Luong and travel to Ninh Binh

We did a 7 km trek in the morning through the rice terraces and forests around Pu Luong.

We then drove on the Ho Chi Minh highway through the surrounding countryside to Ninh Binh.

En-route, we stopped for lunch at one of the local restaurants before arriving at our hotel in Ninh Binh’s city center in the afternoon.

Where we stayed: Ngoc Anh 2 Hotel. This is a clean and “value-for-money” hotel located in Ninh Binh city.

Trip report: Morning in Pu Luong Retreat

 

Day 7 (10 October 2018) – Explore Ninh Binh

The last day of our tour with VIC Travel was spent exploring a few attractions of Ninh Binh that I had selected.

Trang An boat ride through the “Ha Long Bay on Land” in Ninh Binh.

We took the highly enjoyable and scenic Trang An river boat tour through limestone caves early in the morning before the tour groups and day trippers arrived in Ninh Binh.

After the 2 hours boat ride, we went to see Hoa Lu Ancient Capital and learnt about the 10th and 11th century kings who once ruled ancient Vietnam.

Our guide arranged for us to sample some local special dishes such as crispy rice and goat meat in a local restaurant during lunch.

After lunch, we went to Hang Mua. Hang Mua is a cave that was used as a secret hospital by the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War.

Panoramic views from Hang Mua Peak.

A more interesting activity at Hang Mua was the challenging 500 steps climb to the top of the mountain (Hang Mua Peak) where we were rewarded with cool breeze and panoramic views.

The 5D/4N private tour with VIC Travel concluded after our driver Ha sent us to our next accommodation in Tam Coc area of Ninh Binh.

Where we stayed: Tam Coc Horizon Bungalow. This is one of the best homestay accommodations in Tam Coc that is suitable for couples and family groups. 

Trip report: Exploring Ninh Binh - Trang An boat ride, Hoa Lu Ancient Citadel and Hang Mua peak

Trip report: Our stay at Tam Coc Horizon Bungalow

Day 8 (11 October 2018) –  Explore Tam Coc area of Ninh Binh

We had a free and easy day to explore the attractions around Tam Coc. We chose to walk (instead of cycling) to Bich Dong Pagoda and back. On the way, we saw the famous Tam Coc Boat Tours where rowers row the sampans with their feet instead of using their arms.

Local women rowing sampans using their feet in Tam Coc, Ninh Binh.

After lunch in a restaurant in Tam Coc, we relaxed in our homestay till the day is cool enough for an evening walk to Thai Vi Temple. 

Where we stayed: Tam Coc Horizon Bungalow.

Trip report: Exploring attractions in Tam Coc

Day 9 (12 October 2018) – Free and Easy in Tam Coc, Ninh Binh

We spent our last morning in Ninh Binh relaxing at our homestay till it was time to transfer by taxi to Noi Bai Airport for our 6.30 PM flight home.

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Gastronomical delights in Hanoi Old Quarter

4 October 2018

One of the things to enjoy while visiting a city in South East Asia is its local and unique cuisine. We did not have much things planned on our first day, except to explore the Hanoi Old Quarter and sample some of Vietnam’s gastronomical delights. Prior to our trip, I had done some research and armed myself with a list of recommended places.

We took a pre-arranged taxi from Noi Bai International Airport to our hotel, Hanoi Imperial Hotel, conveniently located in midst of Hanoi Old Quarter. It was slightly past noon and we were too early for check in which was at 2 PM. Leaving our luggage in the good care of the friendly hotel bellboy, we went to try one of the best beef noodle soup or pho bo near the hotel.

This restaurant known as Pho 10 is located at 10 Ly Quoc Su Street, which is also the corner of Ly Quoc Su Street and Chan Cam Street.

Pho 10 was crowded which is a sign that it serves good food. We managed to get seats pretty quickly. Eating here reminded me of eating in Hong Kong’s small eating places. Seats are limited and patrons may share tables with other diners. This is not a place to linger or enjoy the dining environment. You come for the delicious food, eat and go.

This restaurant specialises in beef noodles and offered a variety as shown in the menu below. Although the prices are relatively higher than other pho restaurants frequented by locals, the quality of the dish was worth the price.

Service was efficient and we were soon slurping on our bowl of hot steaming Tai Nam or noodles with half done flank beef.  Condiments like freshly cut chilli slices, chilli sauces, Thai lime, paper towels, chop sticks and metal spoons are available at the table.

Tai Nam or Pho noodles with half done flank beef at Pho 10, Hanoi.

Usually larger chillis are not as spicy as small chilli but the chillis on this day were extremely hot. I was soon perspiring from the hot chillis and thankfully, there were fans and air chillers to keep customers cool.

For me, the element that makes or breaks a beef noodle soup is the broth. Pho 10’s broth was dark and flavourful. This was the first pho bo or beef noodle soup I tasted during this trip and it was also the best pho bo that I tasted for the entire trip. I read somewhere that the owners simmer their beef bones for fifteen to twenty hours with spices like star anise, cinnamon, and ginger to create the broth.

After our lunch, we decided to go to “train street” before returning to our hotel for check in.  Hanoi’s “train street” is not an official tourist attraction but lately has become a very popular place for visitors to see in Hanoi. After all, there are not many places where you can see actual operating railway lines running through a narrow street within the centre of a city.

“Train street” was fun to visit and was a photographer’s delight. More about our experiences at Hanoi’s “train street” in a separate post.

After an afternoon of street exploration, we chose to pamper ourselves with an evening meal in one of Hanoi’s fine dining restaurants.

We went to the Red Bean Classic Restaurant, located inside Hotel La Siesta in the Old Quarter. Stepping into the restaurant was like stepping into an oasis of peace and relaxation. An escape from the mayhem, noise, hustle and bustle of the streets outside.

Red Bean Classic Restaurant, located inside Hotel La Siesta.

The menu is extensive, with a long list of Vietnamese and Western dishes. I would normally want to try local Vietnamese cuisine during my travels but we ordered Western dishes since Hanoi is an excellent place to try French influenced dishes.

Pan seared Foie Gras served with sautéed mushrooms in olive oil and fresh orange with a balsamic sauce.

Grilled Australian Beef Tenderloin served with mashed potato and sautéed mushrooms, with red wine sauce.

Roasted Duck Breast with Orange Glaze. Duck breast marinated in orange juice, soya sauce and honey, grilled both sides and then roasted. Served with sautéed vegetables, cherry tomatoes, orange sauce, orange peel and herbs.

Passion Fruit Panna Cotta.  Homemade panna cotta infused with the natural essence of passion fruit, sugar and mint. Served with fresh strawberries.

I think Hanoi is a good place to enjoy the excellent service, food and wine in a top tier restaurant. Prices are relatively inexpensive compared to what we would have to pay for an equivalent experience back home.

Since the night was still young after our fine dining experience, we made our way to the Beer Corner or Bia Hoi Corner, located at the corner of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen streets.  This is a good place to have after-dinner drinks or experience the lively night scene of Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

Beer Corner or Bia Hoi Corner in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

We sat on colourful plastic stools by the street and drank probably the cheapest beer in the world. A bottle of local beer like Bia Ha Noi or Bia Saigon costs 20,000 VND while a Tiger or Tuborg costs 25,000 VND.

Cheap beer and delicious street food at Bia Corner.

If we had come with a group of friends, we may have gone into the 1900 Le Theatre, a night club along Beer Street across from where we sat.

From the Beer Corner, it was a short walk back to the Hanoi Imperial Hotel.

We would have another day in Hanoi for sightseeing and sampling more of Hanoi’s gastronomical delights. Read more in the next post.

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A day of cafe hopping and sight-seeing in Hanoi Old Quarter

5 October 2018

We started our second day with buffet breakfast that included beef noodle soup or pho bo at the Hanoi Imperial Hotel. Although I enjoyed the dish, it was not as good as the one we had on our first day at Pho 10, a pho speciality restaurant.

Our plan for the day was to explore the Old Quarter. An advantage of staying at a hotel in the Old Quarter is that almost all the attractions we wanted to visit are accessible on foot.

We walked to Hoan Kiem Lake. One of the prominent features at the lake was the Thap Rua Tower or Turtle Tower, located on a small inaccessible island in the middle.

Thap Rua Tower, also known as Turtle Tower, in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake.

The tower commemorates local folk hero, Le Loi, who had freed the Vietnamese from Chinese forces back in 1425.

Legend describes how Le Loi was given a magical sword from the Golden Turtle God which helped him defeat the Chinese forces. Shortly after Le Loi’s victory, while Le Loi was on a boat in this lake, a giant golden turtle grabbed the sword and disappeared into the depths of the lake to restore the sword to its divine owner. Hence the lake is now named “Lake of the Returned Sword” or Hoan Kiem Lake.

There used to be rare turtles living in Hoan Kiem Lake but the last one died in 2016. We saw a preserved specimen at the Ngoc Son Temple, that is located on an island in the lake.

Pathway leading to Ngoc Son Temple.

Access to the island and Ngoc Son Temple is via a prominent red bridge.

We paid 30,000 VND/person to enter onto the island where the Ngoc Son Temple was located. Visitors had to be properly dressed but we were in shorts. Fortunately, we could borrow a skirt for my wife from the ticket booth at no additional charge.

The temple entrance, called Dac Nguyet Lau (Moon Viewing Tower).

Mural at the entrance to the Ngoc Son Temple depicting a turtle with the magical sword on its back.

 

Ngoc Son Temple on Hoan Kiem Lake.

Ngoc Son Temple, meaning “Temple of the Jade Mountain”, is mostly dedicated to General Tran Hung Dao, who defeated the Mongols in the 13th century.

Locals come to pray at this temple for good luck and students come pray for a good exam season.

It is Hanoi's most visited temple. From a visitor’s perspective, I was disappointed that some parts of the island were not accessible since it was undergoing renovations. However, we still managed to see the main temple, some nice specimens of bonsai plants by the lakeside pavilion and a preserved specimen of a giant soft-shell turtle that used to live in the lake.

A preserved specimen of a giant soft-shell turtle that used to live in the lake. It was supposed to weigh 250kg. 

Besides a visit to the temple, a good way to enjoy Hoan Kiem Lake is to stroll on the shady path around the lake and watch the locals do their morning Tai Chi, yoga or dancing.

We chanced upon groups of local school kids on a school outing. It was fun watching these cute local kids and their teachers having group activities by the lake.

Vietnamese “School Bus”.

Mini tug-of-war at the park surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake.

From Hoan Kiem Lake, we made our way to the “coffee street” in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Vietnam is the world’s second largest exporter of coffee, predominantly growing the Robusta coffee beans that produces a nutty taste and bitter delicious finish. Traditional coffee shops and modern trendy cafes are now a part of the local social culture.

Cafes along Nguyen Huu Huan (Coffee Street).

 

There are many cafes along Nguyen Huu Huan (Coffee Street) and one must try the Hanoi’s specialty egg coffee or “ca phe trung” while in Hanoi. Vietnamese coffee is usually sweeter than usual since it is served with condensed milk. The egg coffee is Vietnamese coffee with raw egg yolk stirred into it.

Cafe Giang is famous for creating the egg coffee and that was the cafe we were looking for. The entrance of Cafe Giang was not very prominent along the street and we actually walked past it before making a U-turn and found it tucked inside a narrow alley.

Entrance to Cafe Giang at 39, Nguyen Huu Huan Street.

 

The typical tables and seats in the traditional cafes are small and low.

We sat on the upper level, where most of the customers were seated. The menu was extensive and service was prompt. There are regular hot and cold drinks in addition to egg coffee. Cafe Giang has also offered other drinks mixed with egg, if you are adventurous.

I have never tried egg coffee before. So that was what I ordered.

Menu at Cafe Giang, posted on a wall.

The egg coffee was served in a cup, immersed in a saucer of hot water. The creamy egg coffee was actually quite delicious as a dessert, but my personal preference was for it to be less sweet. And egg coffee tasted better while it is hot.

Creamy, hot egg coffee and classic iced coffee.

Our next intended destination was Pho Gia Truyen, located at 49 Bat Dan Street. This is a highly rated place for pho in the Old Quarters. 

On the way, we stopped to try the banh mi at Banh Mi Bread, located at 98, Hang Bac Street. We ordered one Hoi An Special Sandwich to share.

Menu at Banh Mi Bread.

Compared to the two best banh mi we had in Hoi An, this banh mi that we tried was disappointing. There are probably better banh mi in Hanoi.

We had more disappointment when we arrived at Pho Gia Truyen. It was closed!

Instead of pho, we decided to look for the Tranquil Books & Coffee, one of the many trendy cafes in Hanoi that was very close by. Located at 5 Nguyen Quang Bich, its entrance was not obvious from the main street, but there were signs pointing the way.

Entrance to the Tranquil Books and Coffee, at the end of a narrow alley. 

Tranquil Books and Coffee certainly lives up to its name. A place for peace and tranquillity. A place to hide away. A place to sit back and read a book. For us, it was a place to cool down, use our phones to connect with friends back home and also plan our next few destinations for the day.

The setting is like a library with people studying or working on their laptops in a quiet environment with soft piped-in music.

 

A nice cup of coconut caramel coffee and a pot of honey cinnamon tea in a nice air-conditioned Tranquil Books and Coffee cafe.

Tranquil Books and Coffee is actually located very close to Hanoi’s “train street”, where you could see actual operating railway lines running through a narrow street in a busy city with people living next to it.

On our first day in Hanoi, we had visited a part of “train street” where we saw everything but the train.

This time, we planned to go to another part of “train street”, located south of the Hanoi Railway Station, between Le Duan and Kham Tien streets where a train is scheduled to run around 3 PM in the afternoon. 

Using Google maps, we navigated through the crazy Hanoi traffic, dodging motorcycles and cars in the 33 degree C heat.

On hindsight, we should have taken a taxi. The main issue with walking was not the distance nor the heat. It was the crossing the roads of Hanoi which requires steely nerves and a leap of faith.

We walked past the Hanoi Railway Station and passed by several army surplus stores selling uniforms and outdoor gears along the street outside the railway station before arriving at Le Duan.

A good place to have lunch near the “train street” at Le Duan was at Vit 29, located at 29 Nguyen Thuong Hien Street. Vietnam should be a good place to have duck or vit since many were reared in this country. 

The staff do not speak English but they have a menu with pictures of the items. We ordered 2 bowls of what looked like duck noodles soup. The pictures were quite tiny, so we did not exactly know what we ordered.

Fresh salad with round rice noodles (called bun), slices of roast duck, crushed peanuts and sweet tangy sauce.

It turned out that the 2 bowls of ”duck noodles” we ordered was salad made with fresh shredded vegetables, slices of roast duck, round rice noodle (bun) and served with crushed peanuts and a sweet tangy dressing. Washed down with cold beer on a hot day, our lunch was actually quite delicious.

After our leisurely lunch, we made our way to “train street” at Le Duan, about 5 minutes walk from the restaurant. A train is expected to roll by at about 3.30 PM. Our visit to “Train Street” turned out to be pretty good too.

We saw a train rolling past us, really close. What an experience!

The train at “train street” in Le Duan, arriving early at 2.30 PM instead of 3.30 PM.

Up close with a train.

More details on our visit to “train street” here.

From the “train street” at Le Duan, we headed back to our hotel and Hoa Lo Prison was located along the way. Hoa Lo Prison was a prison used by the French colonists in French Indochina for political prisoners, and later by North Vietnam for U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War.

Historically, Hoa Lo Prison is one of the biggest and highest-security prisons in Indochina. Now, only the small southern section of the entire prison complex is left and made into a museum.

We paid 30,000 VND/person to tour the prison. There was a marked course that guided visitors through the museum. Multi-language information boards were available to describe the history and significance of what we were seeing at each location.

We saw the sufferings of Vietnamese revolutionaries who were confined (and sometimes executed) here when the French were the masters of Vietnam in the early part of the 20^th century.

We also saw the patriotism and resilience of the prisoners, and their strong will to survive and escape. Some death-row prisoners actually succeeded in making an escape from this supposedly high-security prison.

Models of prisoners chained at the feet in one of the cell block.

We walked through a dark room, which used to be a cell block, with models of what it was like to be a prisoner in this cell. A pair of latrines, with night-soil buckets, stood at one end of the room.  Imagine the stench and discomfort to be a prisoner here.

We could also see the cells for solitary confinement and those for death row inmates.  Executions were carried out in Hoa Lo Prison by way of a guillotine, which still stands near the prison's death row.

On the night of December 24, 1951, 16 death-sentenced political prisoners attempted an escape through an underground sewer. Five of them succeeded. The sewer is now displayed in the courtyard.

A model showing one of the escapees cutting through the steel bars with a pair of pliers.

One of the modern day prisoners in a cell.

An instrument of death fit for a French King is fit for the prisoners at Hoa Lo Prison.

 

The section on U.S. Prisoner of War (POW) was less interesting, mostly old historic photos and information boards on the walls.

One of the more famous U.S. POW that was imprisoned at “Hanoi Hilton”, as it was nicknamed, was Senator John McCain. There was a photo of him being “rescued” at Truc Bach Lake after he was shot down in 1967. His flight suit and parachute were also displayed.

There was also a section to commemorate past prisoners.

Overall, we spent slightly over an hour touring the prison and it was all worth it. From there, we continued to brave the Hanoi traffic and walked back to our hotel. By now, I had almost learnt the basic art of crossing the roads with the seemingly never ending stream of motorcycles and cars.

On the way back, we had a chance to see the impressive St Joseph Cathedral, with its twin towers resembling the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

After a long day out exploring the Old Quarters, we found a perfect place to enjoy body massage. Just outside the Hanoi Imperial Hotel was the Sen Spa. Sen Spa has very friendly staff and provides very professional massages in a clean and relaxing environment. 

After 90 minutes of body massage and relaxation, we had our dinner at Durty Bird, a chic restaurant located opposite our hotel and the Sen Spa. We sat on the terrace by the street to enjoy the cool evening weather. Manned by young Vietnamese staff, the service was friendly. The food and beer were not bad.

Durty Bird serves delicious grilled chicken, caeser salad and Korean-style fried chicken wings with crispy skin and a sweet sauce. However, the Reggae Chicken Wings was slightly disappointing. 

To round up our second day at Hanoi, we went to see Hoan Kiem Lake at night and also visit the Hanoi’s Weekend Night Market which operates every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Hoan Kiem Lake at night.

On these nights, sections of the streets in the Old Quarter starting from Hang Dao Street and running north to the edge of Dong Xuan Market are closed to vehicular traffic from 7 PM onwards. Stalls are set up on this street. On sale are the usual arrays of inexpensive (faked) branded sportswear, handicrafts, bags, accessories, shoes, etc. 

Roadside stalls and local food vendors at Hanoi Weekend Night Market. On sale are the usual arrays of inexpensive (faked) branded sportswear, handicrafts, bags, accessories, shoes, etc.
 

Drinking beer and munching on sunflower seeds by the roadside and watching the world goes by. A favourite Hanoian pastime on weekend nights.

Street performance.

These are the nights the Hanoians and tourists throng the streets and let loose. There were groups of local people dancing on the street, accompanied by stereos blasting loud dance music.

It was a feeling of freedom. To be able to walk and cross the streets without feeling fearful of getting knocked down by a stray motorcycle.

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