Happy New Year!
Our flight into Hanoi arrives at about the same time as Ed's, so we conveniently meet up before we get the stamp in our passports. We get to the hotel about 500pm, and its NEw YEars Eve, so the first mission is to find some mixers to go with the drinks Ed's brought to get the night started. Fortunately, there is a great French deli around teh corner from the De Syloya Hotel and we're off to a great start. After a tasty dinner at the Emperor, we head for the Opera house, which is a bit subdued, apart from the lanterns being set off by the locals, so we head for the noisiest place around - the Press Club, which is full to the rafters, and has an Abba tribute band playing! Luce and I continue long into the night at Hanoi's very own Tuxedo Royale, called Solace, where we find some of the most amazing haircuts ever.
As with the rest of the world, New Years Day is a write off, but we do have to get along to the station to buy our tickets for the train to Da Nang, and organise our flights from Ho hi Minh to Phu Quoc. VietNam airlines have the frustrating honour of being probably the only airline in the world who cannot process online requests, so we have to go to the office to pay over the 1.6 million dong (which is about £20 - hard sums in VietNam) Sue has treated us to a night at the theatre - its VietNam's lucky night, a night of VietNamese variety, which starts with a group of young girls dressed in fairy costumes and lots of tinsel coming up through the stage singing O Chrismas ree ('t' seems to be difficult to pronounce!) It kinda sets the tone for an oddly enjoyable evening of hungover entertainment varying from Hanoi's Robbie Williams wannabee, to a bunch of kids breakdancing via a flautist and a group of bellydancers.
Next day we are all back on track and enjoy a stroll around Hanoi. Its a busy city where the mode of transport of choice is scooter - there are 1000s of them at every junction, most of them piled with people, balloons, flowers, bonsai trees, huge panes of glass, anything really. There is a definite Communist influence over the larger architechture, buildings like the Power company or Post Office would not look out of place in Krakow or other ex Eastern Bloc countries. The French influence is obvious throughout Hanoi - there are lots of brasserie-style cafes and restaurants, inviting us in for noodles, and we have a great dinner out in Green Tangerine where the maitre d is straight from Paris (but had a previous life being a DJ at the ministry of sound in London).
Next day, we're a bit under the weather once again after a few night caps in Angelina's bar - the bar in the Metropole Hotel (Hanoi's 5*) but are out for more sightseeing as Sue & Ed have hired a car for the day. First stop is the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, where the ex-President lies peacefully while thousands of tourists dutifully trot by two by two in silence under the watchful eyes of VietNamese soldiers who dont let you put your hands in your pockets. Its another austere building which was built against the wishes of Uncle Ho, who wanted to be cremated. Also on site is his old house, and a huge museum full of quirky exhibits, that are old enough to be fashionable once again. Next we head out into the mountains for a boat ride through some of the most startling surroundings. Mountains appear out of nowhere looking just like the lumps of rock they are dumped randomly around the view. Meanwhile the river banks are all paddy fields with little VietNamese working hard in their triangular bamboo hats. Its peaceful in stark comparison to the city.
After dinner at the Press Club reliving some of the last events of 2008, we're happy to get an early night. Sue and Ed are off back to Hong Kong next morning, and after we wave them off, we get another couple of hours rest in the hotel, before heading off to see Hanoi's finest water puppets, a unique show dating from the 12th Century, which is possible the most bizarre display ever. To the now traditional plinky plinky music, puppetteers use long poles with puppets poking up from the end so they appear to be floating on the water. Thats about the best explanation I can come up with, but believe me they're hilarious. We dine in another French style brasserie on VietNamese food, squid stuffed with minced pork matches the water puppets in the peculiarity stakes, and then its off to the station for the overnight train to Da Nang.
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