Hanoi - the vibrant city

We saw a dead body 😳 - the body of Uncle Ho, better known as Ho Chi Minh, the former president of Vietnam. He is omnipresent here - whether on banknotes, pictures in every small shop, or as a huge metropolis.

We saw the body in the local mausoleum, of course. The tour was a bit bizarre for us because we had never had anything to do with the word mausoleum before. But it was also bizarre because we were pushed in pairs to and through the mausoleum. Taking photos was strictly prohibited 🚫

Afterwards, we visited the former house, workplace, and presidential park.

We had high expectations for Hô Tây Lake, but the weather didn't cooperate. Also, the Buddhist temple by the lake was closed for midday rest.

So we quickly moved on and accidentally stumbled upon a Catholic church, which wasn't as pompous on the inside as in Germany. We briefly climbed part of the Citadel, and in the evening, we ended up on Hanoi's Beer Street. This Beer Street reminded us of our Dresden Neustadt, but much more annoying 🤯🍻 the people there practically dragged us into the bars. But being touched without permission sucks everywhere in the world.

On April 4th, the day started with a heavy rain shower, and after breakfast, we took a little nap 😴

Fully rested, we went to the world-famous train tracks that partially run through narrow residential areas. Sometimes, the distance to the houses is just 1 meter. At Moscow Airport, we noticed two boys from Berlin, with whom we had a conversation at the airport in Hanoi. These two met again at the train tracks - together with another German backpacker, they founded the "German Corner" there. We joined them and enjoyed a fresh coconut - our first time 😅

After this good time, we continued with the cultural part at the Temple of Literature. This is one of the most important and famous temples in the country. It used to serve as a university. The last exams were held in 1915.

Nearby, there should be the Hàng Dãy Stadium. And what would be a trip without a visit - at least for Jeff, definitely an incomplete trip. Here, the pride of Hanoi plays: Hanoi F.C.

The team was even training there when we were there. Uncle Ho watched as a huge picture in the stadium 😎

Afterwards, we had to kill time for an eternity (about 4 hours). Among dinner, we also wrote our report.

At 10:35 PM Vietnamese time, we will take the night bus to the north. 💑🇻🇳❤️