Hanoi Things to Do Tips by neurochic

The Temple of Literature is an amazing place and a must see place if you like history and are a scholar. It is the first university in Vietnam and its wonderful that much of it was not damaged by the Vietnamese War. Being a physician, I've been in school for many years so this place for me was special to imagine what it must have been like many centuries ago to train to be a scholar. You will find these large turtles there that have listed all the names of the students who attended the university. Also in a building in the back of the compound you will find a traditional Vietnamese band that plays beautiful classical Vietnamese music on ancient traditional instruments that you can buy if you like. Furthermore they also have a building that sells artwork from modern day students. The other thing that is so amazing about this place is that it supports the teachings of a new generation. As you walk around the compound, you will find many modern day art students sketching pictures of the many buildings in the compound. Also make sure to check out the awesome ancient trees that are all over the compound. By the way it cost 5000 dong per person to enter. Furthermore there is a shrine to Confucius in the compound too.

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You will find that the place where all the action happens in Hanoi is around Hoan Kiem Lake. Here you will find Ngoc Son Temple and the Three Tiered Tower but that's not the brilliance of this lake. Around this lake is where you will really get to see how everyday Vietnamese life takes place in Hanoi. Here you will find people playing a game of badminton, couples making out along the lake, old mamasans panhandling their fruits and veggies, little old ladies doing tai chi in the morning, the Vietnamese version of the mall walker and anything else you could imagine. Its like Hanoi's Central Park. A great place to take a seat and people watch for a couple of hours. Also the lake is lit up at night, so its a nice place to take a romantic stroll.

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This temple is a nice place to stop and get a small lesson in Vietnamese folklore. Here you will learn the story about a Vietnamese hero who was offered a restored sword by a giant turtle that lives in the lake and how this hero fended off incoming armies who wanted to take over Hanoi with this sword. Here you will also find the Sunbeam Bridge where many people come all over the world to take pictures next to the brilliant red rails of the bridge.

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The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is kind of a strange place if you ask me. If you read any book about Ho Chi Minh you will find that he was a simple man who wanted his death to be no big deal. That he believed in communism and wanted everyone to be treated the same. So its very ironic that a man who wanted to be cremated is placed in this large building on display for all to see. I must admit I never went into the building because I heard the line is horrendous and that before you walk into the place you have to leave all your belongings at the door. Sounds like a set up for theft to me. You can take the girl out of Detroit but not the Detroit out of the girl. I know a scam when I hear one. But what I did find very amazing is that you can watch changing of the Vietnamese military guard that protects this building which is a site to see in itself. Also behind the mausoleum you will find a beautiful garden which is nice to take a stroll in and sit on a bench and enjoy ice cream.

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Directions: Ba Dinh District

When traveling to see the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, walk a couple of blocks away and you will find the House on Stilts. A beautiful building in which Ho Chi Minh lived. Looking at this building you see the simple way that Ho Chi Minh lived his life, rather than the grandiose mausoleum that he didn't choose to be remembered in.

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When in Hanoi, my husband and I visited the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. This is a wonderful show to go to whether you are 3 years old or 33 years old. The performance is done in Vietnamese, but despite that its easy to understand what is going on. The puppets are brilliant and to think that people stand in knee deep water to operate these things makes you appreciate the show even more. The Vietnamese orchestra that accompanies the theater performance are wonderful. Also how could you not love a puppet show whose emcee has pigtails, a pot belly, and wears a loin cloth.

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Address: Thang Long Puppet Theater
Directions: "Old Quarter"

The Old Quarter is a place in Hanoi where you can get lost for hours. It consists of multiple blocks of old houses that are built narrow but long and high. Just imagine a series of rectangles next to each other. It is considered a UNESCO world heritage site. Each of the separate businesses sells one particular specialty. For instance you will find a store that just sells red lanterns, another that just sells goldfish, another jewerly, another stationary and so on. Its so neat to think that in Hanoi these businesses make it selling just one particular type of item coming from America where we like to have one stop shopping in our WalMarts.

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The Opera House is a beautiful building of French Architecture in the middle of the Orient. They do have performances there now. Unfortunately I traveled there on a day when no performances were going on. It is neat however to stand on the steps of the Opera House and watch the crazy traffic that whirls by the cul de sac that the building stands on.

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Ok my husband and I walked for hours to find this gate and once we did because we walked so long and got so lost, it was no big deal. But if you really think about what this gate symbolizes it is a big deal. It is one of the ancient city gates that used to surround the city of Hanoi from the rest of the outside world. Just imagine those old karate flicks that you've seen when the hero finally makes it to the ancient city and arrives at this massive gate. Same idea here. If you are a big history buff, you will want to see this.

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