One week in to our trip- think an update for the blog is about due... Photos to follow soon.
Our arrival in Hanoi on the 1st October was preceded by a few delays and uncertainties- not least going through visa and immigration- but, as it turned out, our date of arrival was no less than the beginning of ten days of celebrations to mark the 1000th birthday of the city.... Talk about an auspicious day to arrive in the country! After sleeping off the jet lag, we stepped outside to a dizzying scene of street hawkers, ladies bearing hanging baskets from poles across their shoulders, and motorbikes cramming the streets. Like most other western travelers we've seen, we spent the first few hours wandering around in a daze, getting a bit lost and trying to avoid being run over by those motorbikes. A restorative beer gave us the opportunity to take stock and get used to the zeros in a currency where £1 is worth 30 000 Vietnamese dong!
Later that evening, we wandered down to Hoan Kiem lake, very much the centre of Hanoi. It didn't take us long to realize that something was about to happen- the lake was lined with people obviously getting a good spot for e festivities, balloons were floating above the lake and music and dancers were on every corner. Taking a seat ourselves, we were befriended by a young Vietnamese guy. Like everyone around us, he was visibly excited- "this is a once in a lifetime moment!" - and told us a bit about life in Vietnam. Asking us what we did and where we came from, he seemed to pity James, the law student, as lawyers in Vietnam are poorly paid. Whereas, teaching in Vietnam is a highly respected profession. We stopped talking as the fireworks began and people from everywhere rushed to the edge of the lake. Now, we like our fireworks at home, but every new explosion brought screams of total delight from the crowd - we took a video and will try and get it up here when we get the chance- the joy of all these people at the celebrations was really moving. It was quite an incredible evening and as we wove our way back through the crowds, the T shirts, stickers and scarves bearing "I love Hanoi" left us in no doubt as to the affection of these people for the city. 1st October: an amazing start to our travels.
We're going to buy tickets this afternoon for our rail journey to Hue on a sleeper. Will try to add some photos in the next few days.
Love H&J
Our arrival in Hanoi on the 1st October was preceded by a few delays and uncertainties- not least going through visa and immigration- but, as it turned out, our date of arrival was no less than the beginning of ten days of celebrations to mark the 1000th birthday of the city.... Talk about an auspicious day to arrive in the country! After sleeping off the jet lag, we stepped outside to a dizzying scene of street hawkers, ladies bearing hanging baskets from poles across their shoulders, and motorbikes cramming the streets. Like most other western travelers we've seen, we spent the first few hours wandering around in a daze, getting a bit lost and trying to avoid being run over by those motorbikes. A restorative beer gave us the opportunity to take stock and get used to the zeros in a currency where £1 is worth 30 000 Vietnamese dong!
Later that evening, we wandered down to Hoan Kiem lake, very much the centre of Hanoi. It didn't take us long to realize that something was about to happen- the lake was lined with people obviously getting a good spot for e festivities, balloons were floating above the lake and music and dancers were on every corner. Taking a seat ourselves, we were befriended by a young Vietnamese guy. Like everyone around us, he was visibly excited- "this is a once in a lifetime moment!" - and told us a bit about life in Vietnam. Asking us what we did and where we came from, he seemed to pity James, the law student, as lawyers in Vietnam are poorly paid. Whereas, teaching in Vietnam is a highly respected profession. We stopped talking as the fireworks began and people from everywhere rushed to the edge of the lake. Now, we like our fireworks at home, but every new explosion brought screams of total delight from the crowd - we took a video and will try and get it up here when we get the chance- the joy of all these people at the celebrations was really moving. It was quite an incredible evening and as we wove our way back through the crowds, the T shirts, stickers and scarves bearing "I love Hanoi" left us in no doubt as to the affection of these people for the city. 1st October: an amazing start to our travels.
We're going to buy tickets this afternoon for our rail journey to Hue on a sleeper. Will try to add some photos in the next few days.
Love H&J
SOOOOOO jealous you were in Hanoi for this!
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