Hanoi, Vietnam
By Mike and Linda

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Date: August 11, 2000

Greetings from Hanoi, the capitol of the People's Republic of Vietnam. We have been in Northern Vietnam for over a week now and have loved almost every second of it. Getting to Hanoi was another story. It's all part of the experience (to say the least) of traveling: paying bribes to corrupt border officials, bargaining down extremely high taxi rates ($60 to $25 took three hours of work), hanging out with the smugglers (TVs, red bull, beer, etc.) and surviving the crazy ride to Vinh.

We eventually made it and stayed for the night. The next day we boarded a local mini bus to Hanoi, they packed us in like sardines, which made the humid weather even hotter. On the way we passed several towns which still looked decimated by the bombing 25 years ago, it looks like the villagers simply rebuilt on the old foundations. Very sad. The countryside is amazing, very similar to Laos with it's stunning limestone karsts and acres of bright green rice paddies. Mike was glad to arrive in Hanoi, since the woman next to him got sick as we arrived in the city (on his shoes).

Hanoi is possibly the craziest city we have visited on this trip. Bangkok pales in comparison to Hanoi's endless stream of honking scooters, bicycles and cyclos (one out of every 3 Vietnamese owns a bike). You really take your life into your own hands when you cross the street here. Note: We have heard Saigon is ten times crazier! We really enjoyed Hanoi and stayed for five days. There is so much to do here. Wandering the streets of the old quarter (and seeing Capitalism at its best) was one of our favorite things. Other than a bit of hassling from cyclo taxi drivers and t-shirt vendors, the people are very friendly and willing to chat with you. They love to say "hello" and flash these huge, toothy grins. A definite must in their wardrobe is the conical hat or the army green pith helmet (inspired by the French colonial rulers) which only seem to look good on the Vietnamese (westerners look ridiculous).

One of the highlights of our stay in Hanoi was a visit to see Uncle Ho at his final resting place-Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. It took over a year to embalm him (even though he wanted to be cremated) and now he is on display in a glass case for all to see (Lenin style). Every Hanoian chose to visit him the same day we did, an endless line that we tourists were allowed to avoid and jump in at the front. The guards shuttle you in a line to see Uncle Ho, no talking, no hands in pockets, and no stopping! Mike broke all the rules and was kindly reminded to refrain from doing so again. But seriously you can really sense how important this man is to the people of communist Vietnam.

It really hit home for us when we met three Vietnam veterans on their first trip back in 32 years. They served for two years near the DMZ zone, and saw several platoon mates die. They were very candid in their descriptions of the war — all three of them were injured and medevac'd out, two of them after the Tet offensive in February of 1968. We were in complete awe of their experience and offered our most sincere thanks for their service here.

Before heading south tonight we just returned from a three day trip to Halong Bay (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). We went as part of a tour group (which at times was difficult since we are used to doing things alone, our way: but it was nice not to do any thinking). We had amazingly clear, blue skies for our 4 hour cruise out to Cat Ba island. Our boat maneuvered through the 3000 plus islands that rise from the emerald waters of the gulf of Tonkin. We spent yesterday doing a tough, six hour trek across the island's National park, among beautiful rainforests and fresh water swamps. At night we enjoyed ice cold draught beers (Bia Hoi) while watching dramatic sunsets over the limestone peaks. A fabulous three days.

More to come soon, we are off to Ninh Binh, 2 hours south and then we will take a train south to Hue and the DMZ. We miss you all and will see you very very soon. We are not looking forward to our job search upon our return and are trying to enjoy our last 5 weeks before we face reality.

Love you all,

Linda and Mike

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