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| Xiao Long Bao dumplings at the famous Din Tai Fung |
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| Taipei 101 - the 2nd tallest building in the world! |
We arrived in Hanoi early Sunday morning and took a taxi to our hotel, Le Maison D'Hanoi. It was in the heart of the Hoan Kiem Lake district and they surprised us with a "honeymon" cake!
After we settled in, we went to Bun Cha Dac Kim for a traditional Hanoi lunch of Bun Cha - thin rice noodles with grilled pork patties, chilis, garlic, and herbs! It went great with a Bia Hanoi!
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| Our first Vietnamese meal - Bun Cha! |
As grim as it sounds, we had to see the Hoa Lo Prison, more famously known as the "Hanoi Hilton" where many American POWs were imprisoned during the Vietnam War.
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| Senator John McCain's uniform |
The Hoan Kiem district in Hanoi reminded us of the West Village of NYC. It has lots cute shops and cafes which are great for people watching.
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| Cathedral |
We enjoyed a nice cold bia Hanoi while trying to spot as many passengers on a moped as we could. We spotted one with 5 riders, but I only got a picture of a moped with 4 riders...and only one helmet!
After a day in Hanoi, we had a private car drive us to Halong Bay for a one night cruise aboard the Halong Ginger. Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is breathtaking with all of the limestone islands rising from the sea. It was pure luxury to cruise among the islands on a Chinese junk boat. We enjoyed good food, good wine, tai chi, and got upgraded to a suite since we were honeymooners! We became friends with an Australian family, a British couple, and a French couple with whom Sasha got to practice her French!
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| A traditional fishing village in Halong Bay |
We then headed back to Hanoi where we met up with a local university student, Long, who showed us around the Ho Chi Minh Complex - including a well-preserved Ho Chi Minh himself!
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| Ryan and Long |
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| Monks at the One Pillar Pagoda |
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| Ho Chi Minh is in there! But we couldn't take pictures. |
Long then took us to the Temple of Literature
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| We also stopped at the Army Museum, but at that point, I was too tired to take many more pictures! |
Next stop was Hue, a huge battlesite during the Vietnam war. We only had one day there so we made the most of it by checking out the Imperial City in rikshaws.
We also saw the pagoda, which is the symbol of Hue. There were statues of former kings with real hair!
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| I loved seeing the Vietnamese biking around |
After a full morning of sightseeing in the blazing sun, we stopped at Lac Thien for some biere laRue, banh khoai (Vietnamese crispy pancakes with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts), and nem lui (roll your own spring rolls)
After lunch, a shower, and a nap, we hired a driver (with an air conditioned car!) to take us to the Imperial Tombs. The first tomb we saw was that of Tu Duc, the Poem King.
Then we went to see the tomb of Khai Dinh, known as the Versailles of Hue. It was very opulent!
As the rain started to sprinkle, and my energy began to wane, we saw the tomb of Minh Mang.
We ended our day in Hue with drinks on the rooftop of our hotel, the Imperial Hotel, overlooking the Perfume river and Hue.
Coming up...Hoi An, Nha Trang, and Saigon!
