Sunday, January 12th, 2020

From today with Tuan, our guide. First to the embalmed Ho Chi Minh. Everything controlled by soldiers.

Visitor queues pass by the revered former state leader. Actually quite creepy. No stopping and no photos allowed. Then to the legendary landmark of the city, the thousand-year-old One Pillar Pagoda. The childless king was visited by the goddess Quan Am on a lotus blossom in 1049 and she announced a son to him. And indeed: he became a father and as a thank you he had the pagoda built in the shape of a lotus blossom.

And on to the five courtyards of the Temple of Literature, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the main sanctuary of Vietnam. Confucius is worshipped here. Break at the hotel. From 4 pm we visit the 36 lanes. Hopefully we caught them all. Dinner, a walk to the lake, and then a nightcap on the hotel terrace. Goodbye Hanoi.