Good Morning, Vietnam!
Late in the morning of December 13th we arrived in Hanoi. First we were driven to our hotel, then were met in an old section of town by a local chef for a street food tour.
Street Food
This area of town is like many other side streets, with small shops open to the street, selling dishes they specialize in. Get chicken soup in one shop with thin noodles, but if you want wide noodles, go to another.
The seating and in fact the food preparation spills out onto the sidewalk.
Highlight Tour
After stuffing ourselves we set off for a quick tour of the city. The highlights I was interested in were the Temple of Literacy, a monument of sorts dating back to the 11th century.
To the rear of it was the first university of Viet Nam. “Literacy” in this case refers to what was called “philosophy” in the West, so it covers a number of disciplines: mathematics, astronomy, and others, in addition to what we would call literature or philosophy.
I was curious to see the One Pillar Pagoda, as well. It was first built in the 11th century, then destroyed during the First Indochina War (which I didn’t realize). This is a replica built in the 1960s.
I also wanted to see Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, though we weren’t interested in going inside. It is in the socialist style but elegant, set in a beautifully manicured park, unlike Mao’s. Its square is also impressive, though not immense, like Tianmen Square.
We kept the tour short, as we were both pretty tired.
Cooking Class
On Wednesday morning, December 15, we took a cooking class. This started with a tour through the nearby food market.
One of the four dishes we made was these spring rolls. Unlike in other Asian cuisines, these aren’t deep fried. Another was banana flower salad.
We took a trip to the extensive Ethnology Museum, part of which is outside, with examples of buildings from tribal villages and this beautiful racing boat.
Then we drove through a section of old Hanoi, which was too crowded to take any photos. If I ever return, I’d like to take the time to walk through these incredibly lively sections of town.
Tomorrow we travel to Halong Bay.