Hanoi a.m.

We've had to split this entry into 2 parts, as we hired a guide, did a tour of Hanoi and there's lots of photos.

We went to see Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and were not allowed to take a camera inside. It was very surreal, as the queue to go in was massive with Vietnamese, but as westerners we were allowed to jump the queue. This was only because we had to pay to get in and the Vietnamese got in for free though. We got to see Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body on display, which was a bit weird. He is revered by the Vietnamese, as the man who brought them freedom from the French, Japanese and the Americans, plus he united the north and south of the country. We learnt all this from our guide; very informative.

The yellow building is Ho Chi Minh's Palace, although apparently he never lived there, just used it to host guests and work out of.

We saw the One Pillar Pagaoda and learnt that in Vietnam a Pagoda is a place of worship to a god and a Temple is a place of honouring someone that once lived. This pagoda was built to praise The Mother of Mercy.

We then headed to The Museum of Ethinology and learnt about the different ethnic groups that make up the population. It was a great way to see the traditional houses of the people as well, which were set-up around the museum for visitors to go inside and look at. We then went and had lunch in an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. No pizza or pasta for Shivani on this menu!