Day 01:I have no idea why I had to have a cold/flu every time I'm on holiday. I was nursing a stuffy nose all the way from Changi airport to Hanoi's old quarters. After sleeping away the entire afternoon, we finally ventured into the streets to catch a glimpse of this ancient city. Roadside stalls like the picture below are all over the place. They mainly sell pho, steamed corn and even seafood. We didn't managed to try any of these stalls because I thought we better play safe and not risk getting a tummy upset.
Instead, for our first dinner in Hanoi, we tried one of these proper eating places by the streets.
And it's no surprise that the first thing I tried was the pho gai (chicken noodle soup). The chilies in vietnam are potent. Just a small slice will cause you to tear up quite a bit. But it's shiok to eat it with the noodles especially on cold days (we were experiencing 18 degrees days' throughout the trip).
My next other favourite vietnamese dish is the nem. What we had on our first dinner was the nem a la Hanoi. The Hanoi-styled nems are pan fried till crispy golden brown on the outside and with the soury chili sauce, it certainly tasted heavenly.
Day 02:We woke up really early in the morning just so that we can pay Uncle Ho a visit. The Ho Chi Minh mausoleum is only open from 8 to 11 am on Tue-Thu, Sat-Sun. And it will be closed for many months every year as Uncle Ho needs to fly to Russia for his annual embalming retreat. Thus, for anyone intending to visit the mausoleum, you need to plan your itinerary quite carefully. We arrived at 8.30 am and had to queue for half an hour in the cold before we could spend 5 mins in the mausoleum. To be honest, I don't think the seeing a dead body is that interesting, but I think it does mean a great deal to many Vietnamese. Many locals were in the queue and when they walked past Uncle Ho, many were seen bowing their heads and muttering a silent prayer.
Just next to the mausoleum complex was Ho Chi Minh's former residence. Here, his garage and his collection of cars are showcased.
The buildings in his residence are uniquely french in architecture and they are all painted in bright colours. Right behind me is the building/place where he met with foreign visitors.
Ho Chi Minh's house at the other side of the lake. A very picturesque and serene environment.
In the late morning, after taking a slow stroll from the mausoleum area, we arrived at the Hanoi Flag Tower. This tower is listed as a world heritage site. The place was actually built between 1805-1812 under King Gia Long and is over 2 centuries old. It resembles an old stone fortress and has steps leading to the top where you can get a good view of the city. Because we were there around noon time, they were closed for lunch and we couldn't get to the top of the tower.
Surrounding the fort was a display of cannons, tanks, aircrafts and the metal debris of American planes shot down by the Vietnamese during the Vietnam war.
Our next attraction was the Temple of Literature. The Vietnamese culture is very similar to the Chinese and here in this temple, people pray to Confucius in the hope of getting better results or for their children to become more intelligent. Not surprising then, we saw many school groups and young children here even on a Sunday!
The turtle is a sacred animal in Vietnamese culture because they signify intelligence and wisdom. On these stone tablets are names of candidates who have passed some important and prestigious exams since hundreds of years ago. They are so old that the names are already faded. What is interesting is that each of these turtle looks different because they are a sign of the changing times and in every era, it depends on what is a la mode for the turtle then.
In the temple grounds there are many of such ponds. Nothing spectacular but the temple is a great place to learn more about the Vietnamese beliefs and culture, especially for those who are not familiar with the Chinese culture and traditions.
Finally, we were off to the water puppet theatre. It was not easy getting the tickets. I would advise anyone intending to watch the puppet show to get the tickets the first day you arrive in Hanoi. We bought the 100.000VND ticket and were 3 or 4 rows from the front. 
The show lasted for about an hour. It gets a little draggy and boring in the middle but I think that's because we do not understand vietnamese and the whole show was conducted in the language. But still, the puppets were quite fascinating to watch, especially with all the special effects and humour injected in the script.
At the end of the show, the whole cast came out to thank the audience. They were really professional and the show can only be possible with the effort of the entire team. Everyone has to play their part well in order to put up a good show. I managed to take many photos illegally. Outside the theatre, there was a sign that says you need to pay 20.000VND if you want to take photos of the show. But once we were in the theatre with the lights dimmed, everyone was busy snapping away. There was no telling nor proof to show who has paid and who has not. Haha.
We ended the long day with a good dinner at the hotel. The food was good, the scenery was breathtaking and the company perfect.
Here, we tried the cha ca va long, which is actually a dish/claypot of grilled fish. You are supposed to wrap the fish with condiments and sides in rice paper and eat it along with the vermicelli. A very interesting local dish! And fun to eat too.
Day 03:We signed up for a day trip to Halong Bay. The bus journey from Hanoi to Halong City took about 4 hours. By the time we got to the pier, it was 12 noon.
Seafood lunch is included in the package and because we were famished and tired from the bus ride, the lunch seemed a little small in portions. Nevertheless, below are some photos of what we had - steamed prawns, crab cake, pan fried fish and stirfried clams.
By the time we were done with the food, this beautiful sight appears before our eyes. Initially, I thought we wouldn't be able to see much because it was quite a misty day and it was drizzling. But I was surprised when we could see the rock formations on the bay with such clarity.
We disembarked at one of the villages on the bay and once the locals saw us, many quickly rowed their boats over, trying to sell us fruits. An interesting observation we made: women are the ones who are working in the floating villages. Men were only seen inside the boathouses, talking and playing card games with other men. How sad and disgusting!
Some of the houses on the floating village. We spotted a school and there were students in the classroom. Despite us, the tourists making lots of noise in the midst of the serenity and calm of the bay, the children were not distracted by us. Not one even looked out of the classroom. I was impressed.
The very picturesque Halong Bay. Reminded me of Capri actually. And the cool weather makes it all the better to cruise along the bay in a sampan.
After 45 mins of cruising, we proceeded on to the next attraction: the Heaven Palace Cave. The place actually looks quite stunning with the illuminating lights. After this cave, we are back to the pier and it's another 4 hours ride back to Hanoi. Tiring but worth the trip!
Day 04:After two long days, we decided to take it easy this day. We didn't plan for anything much except to visit the cathedral that was fashioned after the Notre Dame in paris and to do a little shopping.
The start of the days sees us walking along the banks of Hoan Kiem lake. Take out the horrible traffic and pollution, Hanoi does resembles Europe at times. Paris, seems to have gotten a little nearer, or am I just deluding myself??
The fascade of the cathedral. Apparently, the vietnamese government doesn't give a damn about the building. It could have been a really lovely building if people bother maintaining it. The inside of the church was really dark. No lighting, no candles. Only a really old caretaker.
But I really like the walls that surround the church. On it, we spotted 3 wise men and many scenes from the bible.
And at 3pm, we went for our spa appointment. We booked a 3hr 20 mins head to toe spa session that ended with a bowl of pho gai. The treatment was good though the professionalism of the spa could be improved.
Day 05:The theme for the day has to be 'Food Glorious Food'. We ate so so much. And all good food at that. We began the day at West Lake, the biggest lake in Hanoi (20km).
We got the taxi to drop us off at the famous ancient pagoda of Hanoi and took a quick walk round the pagoda.
Then it was a 30-45 mins walk to look for Kitchen Art, a shop opened by deardear's Vietnamese friend. She introduced and recommended many must-try restaurants and food in Hanoi and I must say her suggestions were good.
So, we went to Don's for lunch, which was just a few doors away from Kitchen Art. Coincidentally and interestingly, I actually saw the red-faced Chef Don walking his Dalamatian with his wife earlier in the morning.
There are many dishes in the menu that we didn't know what to choose. In the end, we went for the spring lunch menu. Each main course comes with a glass of wine and a dessert and the damage is just 299.000 VND, which is rather reasonable for a celebrity chef. I had the duck leg confit with pomelo salad. It was cooked just right and the pomelo salad is the perfect complement to the gamey duck.
We have 2 choices for dessert: homemade sorbet or tiramisu. I chose the latter. Chef Don had created his tiramisu as an ode to Ducasse's original tiramisu recipe. And I think it's really creative of the chef to present his tiramisu in the shape of a coffee expresso. The proportion of the rum to the mascarpone cheese was just right. I must also add that the biscuits were heavenly.
For tea, we proceeded to the Metropole Hotel in the french quarter for some freshly baked macarons. There were 6 flavours available that day and we tried all 6. I was never a fan of macarons as I don't have a sweet tooth. But these were not too sweet and too chewy as well. They were so good I nearly wanted to pack a box full of macarons back to Singapore.
And finally for dinner, we made a reservation at La Badiane, a well-known french restaurant in Hanoi. Since it was our last night, we decided to have a really good dinner and went for the 6-course degustation menu. As usual, food was good until we came to the second last course, which was the sorbet that was meant to cleanse our palette before the really rich dessert.
We took a whiff of it and was nearly drunk with the scent of the really hard liquor that the sorbet soaked in. Haha.
The evening and the trip ended with the excellent trio of dessert we see here. Gluttony is a sin, I know. But it's not everyday we can indulge ourselves like that. So it's ok to let loose once in 10 weeks. Hehe.
Day 06:Au revoir Hanoi. I will be back again. And hello to stressful and fast-paced Singapore! Work, I am home!
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