Hanoi Day Two

On this 53rd day we are scheduled for a Jeep adventure and we have asked to also visit the “Hanoi Hilton” where American soldiers and pilots were jailed, some for years. John McCain was the most famous inmate.

Today we are to discover Hanoi’s vibrant spirit by jeep, offering a unique glimpse into the city’s diverse life and its people. We started by navigating the intricate backstreets and narrow alleys, where local families and artisans craft traditional items for prayer and weddings.

Hop in this video of our ride and be sure to check out the name of the store at the end of the video.

We drove by St Joseph Cathedral which we will visit tomorrow to light a candle for some people we know.

Our ride today is in a Vietnamese Army jeep. We rode in a US Army jeep in Ho Chi Minh City when we were there.

Not sure why this was part of our tour but our guide took us up on these train tracks which were built by the French in 1902 and are still in use.

This is a Ceramic Mosaic Mural Wall that goes on for 4 miles along the Red River dike system. It was developed for the occasion of the Millenial Anniversary of Hanoi in 2010.

The wall runs along the road and the content of the mosaic represents the decorative pattern from different periods in the history of Vietnam and its dynasties. We liked this photo because it shows multiple people on one scooter. Many children do not wear helmets.

This Memorial is to U.S. Naval aviator John McCain. It commemorates the capture of him during the war on October 26 1967 when his plane was shot down and he parachuted into the lake and was captured by the North Vietnamese forces. The stone monument features a sculpture of a figure with arms raised and head lowered symbolizing his surrender and capture.

Flag Tower of Hanoi is one of the symbols of the city. It was built in 1805-1812 during the Nguyen dynasty as an observation post to the Hanoi Citadel. Unlike many other structures in Hanoi, it was not destroyed during the war. According to a legend there exists a temple or monastery where priests have been shuffling golden disks between three pegs on the tower. When the priests finally succeed in transferring all of the disks, the world will end. It is located in Lenin Park.

This is part of the wreckage of a U.S. B-52 aircraft that was shot down December 1972 by a North Vietnam surface -to -air missile and landed in Huu Tiep Lake. This occurred during Operation Linebacker which was a massive aerial bombing campaign. The crew of the downed plane were captured and taken to the Hanoi Hilton POW camp. During the 11 day operation the U.S. Air Force acknowledged the loss of 16 B-52’s while North Vietnam claimed to have shot down 34.

Our next stop was to this prison which was a POW camp that the American POW’s sarcastically referred to as the Hanoi Hilton which was a way to mock the poor conditions and treatment they endured during captivity.

This prison was originally built by the French to hold Vietnamese political prisoners. During the Vietnam War, the Hanoi Hilton became notorious for its cruel and inhumane treatment of American POW’s. Most of the descriptions below refer to the treatment of the Vietnamese by the French.

The museum had dummies to show how prisoners were shackled at the ankle.

Actual photo of prisoners with feet and head shackled.

The following documentary refers to the American POW’s.

We wished that we had rushed through the Vietnamese part of the prison and spent much more time in the American. Sonny rushed us through the last half as we had a 10am appointment to watch the train below.

After our visit to the “Hanoi Hilton” prison our guide took us to the Hanoi Train Street which is a narrow street in the Old Quarter which is less than 10 feet wide but it is famous for the trains that pass through twice a day. The street is lined with cafes, bars,and houses, and locals go about their daily lives just inches from the track.

Here is our video of the passing train. We sat at a cafe and had a delicious Vietnamese iced coffee as we waited for the train to arrive.

This is a video of the end of the train. Look at how close those cafe tables are to the track.. We found this to be a rather odd “tourist” experience.

We took a video of this man cleaning the tracks after the train went by😮 and wondered if he got hazardous duty pay.

Hanoi Opera House was built by the French Colonial administration between 1901 and 1911 and was inspired by the Palais Garnier in Paris. Guided tours are offered occasionally but unfortunately for us there were none on our dates. Oh well we did take a tour of the Paris Opera House when we lived there 9 years ago so I guess we did not miss anything here.

Tonight was spent at one of our favorite bars. The Hudson Room is Hotel Capella’s rooftop bar and restaurant which offers a North-American-influenced menu and Whiskey & Oyster Bar. The oysters were from France and they were all you can eat for free on Friday and Saturday night during the 5-7pm Happy Hour which made us very happy. The wait staff knew us by name and greeted us as we walked in then gave us the best table to see the sun set.

Our Guide Sonny ( Mr Son) composed this great video to wrap up our day with him.

Another great day of touring Hanoi which we really enjoyed. Tomorrow will be our last day.

Living the retirement dream

Hanoi Day Two

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Hanoi Day Two

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