Seeing the Sights in Hanoi

After many full day adventures with guides in Thailand, it is nice to wander around Hanoi without much of a plan, and there is so much to see and do. Everywhere you look there are colourful shops, temples, small parks and mysterious alleys. We walked just about everywhere and are beginning to feel like we are learning the landscape of the old quarter. It is hard to get tot know a place in just a few days, but thanks to lots of walking and sightseeing, we have settled in nicely! We are close to lots of cute food corners and markets, which are helpful landmarks.

On Saturday we visited Hoa Lo Prison, to some it may seem strange to visit a prison (though lots of people come to Kingston to do this as well) but this prison has quite a history and we learned a lot. For example, the word ‘Hoa Lo’ means stove or furnace. This was a big prison built by the French in 1896. A village was moved or demolished and people displaced to make the prison. After the French were driven out of Hanoi the prison was converted to a Vietnamese facility. It was originally intended to house about 450 inmates but may have had as many as 2000 men and women. In 1964, the prison was nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton by the American prisoners of war who were housed there until 1973. We were surprised to learn that over 100 people escaped from the Hoa Lo Prison through sewer systems and other secret exits.

In the evening we went on a mission to find the weekend walking streets with markets. In Hanoi, they close a significant set of streets in the old city near Hoan Kiem Lake for evening markets and walking Friday-Sunday. The whole area is fun - there are lots of light up toys and cars, families sitting around, music playing, street food, vendors and much more! The atmosphere reminds us a bit of the Malecon (boardwalk) in La Paz, Mexico which comes alive with families in the evening and the Ciclovia (cycleway) in Bogota, Colombia. What we love is that it is not just tourists but full of locals out being active. We thought thst this walking street was an amazing way to be active and socialize at the same time! It was a great chance to get a glimpse of local life, sine it wasn’t just tourists there. If Kingston or London did this, I think it would be a huge hit! :)

Love from Vietnam! 🌴☀🩷