In the end, everyone always asks me what there actually is to do in Vietnam. So let me introduce the sights you can wander around and see in Hanoi.
1. The One with Chinese Writing—Trấn Quốc Pagoda
The moment I reached the entrance, I thought I was back in Taiwan. The huge characters for “Ancient Trấn Quốc Pagoda” were written in Traditional Chinese! It felt wonderfully familiar (I’d been away from Taiwan for less than a day and was already missing it—what a moving display of patriotism…). Built between 541 and 548, it is the oldest temple in all of Vietnam, with more than 1,400 years of history, and is listed as a national “historical and cultural heritage” site (ooh~ another heritage site checked off the list). Both Buddhist and Taoist deities are worshipped here, though Buddhism predominates. The temple houses a reclining Buddha, the Thousand-Armed Guanyin, Maitreya Buddha, and others. It is also one of the best places to enjoy views of West Lake.
[ Starting the trip with a visit to a temple counts as asking for good luck and an auspicious beginning. ]
[ The temple also has a sapling of the sacred Bodhi tree under which Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment, presented to Chairman Ho Chi Minh by Indian President Prasad during his 1959 visit to Vietnam. ]
[ If you can’t read those words, it’s not because your Chinese is bad—they’re Tibetan. ]
2. Hanoi’s Largest Lake Beside Trấn Quốc Pagoda—West Lake
Covering about 5 square kilometres, West Lake is Hanoi’s largest lake. Right beside it stands Trấn Quốc Pagoda, the beautiful ancient lakeside building I just introduced (two of Hanoi’s superlatives sitting side by side—how could you not visit?). It is now the only historic building along the shore open to visitors. Apparently, temples and palaces once lined West Lake, but they were all destroyed over the course of several wars. Our guide originally gave us time to walk around the lake, but it was absurdly huge! A full circuit would take an hour. Famished (even though we had only just eaten lunch) and faced with a sky that looked ready to unleash an afternoon thunderstorm, we decided to skip straight ahead to dinner instead (ta-da).
[ I think I’ll just go to Sun Moon Lake instead. ]
3. What’s Your Relationship with Jason Hu?—Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum/Ba Đình Square
You, you, you! Don’t roll your eyes at me. When I was little, I genuinely wondered why Jason Hu’s older brother had gone all the way to Vietnam and shamelessly named the capital after himself. Ba Đình Square is in central Hanoi, only 200 metres from West Lake. Government buildings surround the square, so police officers and soldiers are lurking—I mean, standing guard—everywhere. The moment we entered, we saw an enormoussingle-star flag. It does look rather like China’s five-star flag, and only then did it dawn on us that Vietnam was still communist!Any gossip about our entire tour group thinking Vietnam was a democracy…?Beside the square stands the conspicuous Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (also known as the Ho Chi Minh Memorial, built in 1975). Its architectural concept was reportedly inspired by Lenin’s Mausoleum in Moscow, honouring another communist bigwig. Walking onward from the mausoleum, we reached a yellow building enclosed by railings: the Presidential Palace, built in 1906. Influenced by French colonial rule, it featuresFrench architecture—uh… basically the Vietnamese version of Taiwan’s French-style Presidential Office Building!
[ This photo looks like a special feature on soldiers. ]
4. The Old Quarter’s 36 Streets
The 36 Streets look like Shilin Night Market in broad daylight, but like Taipei’s Dadaocheng, this area was once a major commercial hub. With more than a thousand years of history, it is a distinctive cultural heritage district representing the many faces of Hanoi. Here, you can take in the city’s customs, traditional culture, diverse cuisine, and the character of its people.Whenever you visit a country, you absolutely must see its most representative market!
[ Jeremy Lin: “Why am I catching strays while lying down?” ]
[ This photo marks the moment my camera broke… The reason will be revealed later (what a cliffhanger). ]
[ We’ve reached the end, but I’m generously throwing in a few bonus Hanoi street scenes (thank goodness it isn’t that nose-picking guy…). ]
[ If Taiwan starts comparing itself with Vietnam now, is there anything to be happy about? ]
Although this Hanoi excursion was only a free tour lasting a few hours, it covered many of the city’s best-known attractions. Hanoi also has sights such as the One Pillar Pagoda, Hoàn Kiếm Lake, and the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, all common stops on most group tours.
Come to think of it, I’ve been writing about my Europe trip forever, yet I still haven’t even made it out of Asia. My 85-day European adventure hasn’t begun at all. Huh? But don’t dismiss this little Hanoi tour! Vietnam was once colonized by France, my officially designated first stop, so it does have close ties to Europe. Next stop: the Philippines, a former Spanish colony, followed by Macau, once colonized by Portugal… One young woman’s 85-day mad dash through Europe’s colonial territories.
[ Sorry. ]
>> Read more | Follow My European Legwork | Click here for the full series
