Arlarm Urgently in Case Fire, Hanoi, Vietnam, 7th to 10th Jun 2006

I've seen many laudable attempts to phrase Fire Instructions grammatically, even in countries where English is professed to be the first language, but this is absolutely hilarious!

Taken at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, by the way.


The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum at Ba Dinh Square. The ground is hallowed turf for the Vietnamese, for here Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence in the aftermath of the Japanese surrender and withdrawal at the end of the Second World War. Ho's resting place is guarded almost religiously. Pedestrians are not permitted to step beyond the yellow line that you see behind me, and at noon, a pall of silence already hangs over the place. We arrived too late to be able to greet Uncle Ho in person. The Mausoleum only opens its doors till about half past ten in the morning.

If I recall correctly this is the Headquarter of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Looks like a veritable mansion, doesn't it? Whenever I associate the Communists with architecture, I think of the drab, grey, rectangular structures which pepper the Russian cityscape, giving it a rather angular character. But the Soviet monolith has long been cast down, and it's unfair to put Stalin and company in the same bracket as modern-day China or Vietnam.

Kim Jong Il might disagree though.

What's a trip to Vietnam without seeing at least one war memorial? This here commemorates the Vietnamese struggle against the Japanese during the Second World War.

Ho Hoam Kiem, in the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter. An island of tranquility amidst the currents and countercurrents of human traffic which swirl frenetically all around. The pagoda in the middle of the lake was built in honour of a giant tortoise (it could be a giant terrapin) which dwelled in the water, and apparently still does. I can't remember the full story.

Anyway, we decided not to hang around to find out and moved on.




The view from the hotel cafeteria, which was situated on the top level (sixth). As can be observed, Hanoi has very little in the way of skyscrapers. It is similar to Phnom Penh in that sense, although that is a most simplistic comparison!

A night market along one of the streets in the Old Quarter. The Old Quarter is the heart and soul of the city. The streets are named after the craft which is practised in that particular locality, although the lines are now generally blurred. One can still find silversmiths on Silversmith Street, along with cobblers, keysmiths anf grocers. A bargain-hunter's paradise, which leaves very little to be desired.