11.11. Exploring the capital

After arriving last night and sleeping in Hanoi for only one night, we explored the big capital on foot today. We usually do this on the first day in cities, as it is nice to get a small overall impression first before taking specific actions.

First, we passed by a park near a lake. There apparently was a public festival going on today, because there were stands lined up in the park and countless dance groups performing on the streets. There was even a kind of fashion show, but the models were small children aged four to six - it was a bit strange to see children of such age heavily made up and wearing fishnet stockings...

Afterwards, we passed by the State Opera House and visited the 'Vietnamese Women's Museum'. The first part of the museum was particularly interesting, as it dealt with the topic of marriage. In Vietnam, there is not just one marriage tradition, but incredibly many and diverse ones. One main characteristic that distinguishes two groups from each other is the position of women in the respective ethnic group. While there is the familiar 'Women are subordinate to men', there is also the opposite. In some of the groups, female descendants inherit everything and the youngest daughter is especially favored. This continues with the wedding tradition, as in these tribes, the man moves in with the woman, takes their name like the children, and brings tons of gifts in the form of dowry to the house. In addition to the wedding tradition, information was also provided about the everyday life of the Vietnamese population with a focus on women. If there is a desire for a child, a clergyman is visited and certain images are hung next to the bed. Names also play an important role in Vietnamese culture, but there is the somewhat peculiar custom of giving ugly names to weak children to scare away evil spirits and help the child gain strength.

After the museum, we walked along abandoned railway tracks that led through narrow alleys to the Temple of Literature. This complex was filled with metaphorical references to the fact that every person, if willing, can achieve wisdom and intelligence. The center was a gate that symbolized both all elements and the unity of yin and yang, and at the same time was a gate that anyone could pass through, thus illustrating what was mentioned above.

Since today apparently was the graduation day of high school, the entire complex was full of students in the typical graduation attire with a cylinder hat. It seems to be customary here to come to the temple after graduation and thank the master of all masters, to whom this temple is dedicated. His name is Confucius and he is also immortalized on the site as a statue with four of his best students.

Then it slowly got dark and we made our way home, passing by the impressive but not very beautiful Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and another large lake with a temple on it.

The evening turned out to be wonderful, especially for me, because next to our hostel there was a Harry Potter café, equipped with many pictures, objects, and clothing from my beloved universe. Instead of cocktails and juices, there were potions and butterbeer. When we are back in Hanoi, I definitely have to come back to this café to enjoy more magical drinks and the atmosphere.