Trains and dolls in HANOI

We had already been to Hanoi briefly on our way to Sa Pa. Even now, it should only be a short stay. That's why we book a simple room for one night. The next day, we want to continue towards Cat Ba and Halong Bay. But already in the evening Justin doesn't feel well. In the morning it turns out that he caught a stomach flu. It was indeed a bit cold in Sa Pa. So we quickly find a new hotel and cancel the trip to the east to the sea.

The next two days we spend more or less in the room.

On the third day we go for a walk in the surroundings and eat. On the fourth day Justin already feels much better and we now explore the city.

First we walk to the President Mausoleum Park. There is the Ho Chi Minh Museum, with the history of his person and the events in the south of the country. Ho Chi Minh is an important historical figure for Vietnam. Unfortunately, the museum was a big disappointment. On the one hand, you can only walk along a certain path and on the other hand, half of the museum is empty or closed. We thought we would learn more about Ho Chi Minh, but in the end we know just as much as before. The park itself is nothing special either. Many paths are locked and you have to walk around the whole park to get to the botanical garden. That's why we skip it. We take a look at the mausoleum and then continue to the Train Street. This is very fascinating. Because there is a train that passes through the narrow alley about 4 times a day. On the left and right are several cafes, of course for all curious tourists. When the train arrives, everyone quickly collects the tables and chairs and we are asked to stand on the one, slightly wider side. We know what trains look like, but this is a special experience. The train seems to fit barely into the alley. There is not much space left. We follow the journey up close. As soon as the train has passed, they unpack all the furniture again on the left and right and we can comfortably drink by the tracks.

Amused, we watch two Asian tourists take photos on the tracks for what feels like an eternity. Of course, we also take a few pictures.

Hanoi itself does not have many sights to offer. We find a cozy place at the lake south of the Old Quarter. It is not very big and quickly circumvented. We stroll leisurely along the shore and watch locals jogging or doing other sports activities. There are also small groups here, moving to music. We also see a group playing a kind of heavy shuttlecock. Shortly afterwards we buy one ourselves and want to try it later.

In the evening we decide to visit the famous Water Puppet Show. We are not disappointed. The show is accompanied by local instruments and singing. It depicts village life as it used to be, with attacks by dangerous animals, canoe races, rice cultivation, etc. We really like it and it is definitely one of the highlights in Hanoi. This is also our last stop in Vietnam.

We will continue to Hong Kong tomorrow.