Time to explore Hanoi, both with a guide and on our own.  Since our hotel was right in the middle of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, all we had to do was walk out the door and inhale the chaos. The buildings are very narrow and extremely deep – the government taxed property according to its width so buildings were kept narrow.  The Communist government has turned these old residences into many small apartments most of which are very dark.

With the guide we visited the Temple of Literature built in 1076, a university for the elite, and Huu Tiep Lake where a crashed B-52 from the Vietnam War still sits only now it in the midst of the city, not the rice fields.  We walked through a village market and then had a food tour for lunch sampling the street food — spring rolls in freshly made rice crepes, Banh mi (kind of a French baguette filled with proteins and veggies), bun cha (rice noodles with grilled pork) egg coffee, a dish developed when milk was scarce so a concoction of whipped egg yolks with rum, honey and coconut water was developed to serve the same function.  It was really good.

The train system in Vietnam is old and outdated – it runs north-south and the tracks are within a few feet of city homes and shops.  It runs ten times a day.

We also spent some time at the Hoa Lo Prison, a/k/a the Hanoi Hilton. Originally, the prison was built by the French for Vietnamese prisoners and this part of its history is seriously displayed– the treatment of shackled prisoners, the guillotine used for beheadings, the baskets which displayed severed heads to discourage dissent from French rule.

Its history as a prison for Americans was, to put it mildly, a bit whitewashed.  Photos of American prisoners being treated by doctors, playing ping-pong, and altogether seeming to have a fine time portrayed the place through heavily rose colored glasses.

We ventured out shopping on our own, found a great rooftop bar for dinner one night, and bravely hailed our own tug-tuk.  We even got used to crossing the streets.  A terrific, energized unique place.