Chris and I came back from Haiphong to Hanoi on Sunday night and checked into a cheap hotel in the Old Quarter, not too far from the hostel that we stayed a few days before. I didn't do too much in terms of sightseeing in Hanoi except on the second to last day Chris and I went to see the Hoa Lo Prison Museum, also known as Hanoi Hilton.
On Monday, I went on two dates. I liked the girl I met in the morning and I enjoyed the conversation I had with the girl I met in the afternoon, but there was no romantic spark. I had a homemade dinner at the woman's penthouse apartment and enjoyed the view of the city while having the meal.
The next day, I had a second date with the same girl I met the previous morning. We walked around Old Quarter and had drinks near St. Joseph Cathedral. We then went for lunch. She was basically my tour guide. I think it's hard to find someone long term because I'm traveling and my date felt that, too. We decided to be friends even though I thought we had potential.
Yesterday, Chris and I had the best Vietnamese meal in Hanoi at a restaurant called Met before we took the Grab taxi to the airport. We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) at night. We checked into separate hostels this time.
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| View of southeast Hanoi from a penthouse apartment |
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| A fish seller in Hanoi |
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| One of five old gates of Hanoi |
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| Hoa Lo Prison Museum |
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| Inside Hoa Lo Prison Museum |
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| Wall carvings inside Hoa Lo Prison Museum |
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| Delicious spring rolls |
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| Grilled chicken in bamboo |
The food looks delicious! Hanoi Hilton had south Vietnamese prisoners, right? Interesting that the North who eventually won dedicated a museum to the prisoners they held; or do I have this wrong?
ReplyDeleteThe prison held Vietnamese revolutionaries, which I think are north Vietnamese, and later held American POWs.
DeleteThose wall carvings are powerful. I have the same question as Joan. Who ran the prison and was it all POWs?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure who ran the prison since I was confused by the prisoners. There were definitely American POWs there. The museum also glorified North Vietnamese Communists who were held there and later escaped. So maybe for a short time it was held by the south Vietnamese? I'm not sure.
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