Rice is Nice

The must-do thing today was to see the preserved body of Uncle Ho. When going there, one is ushered along in a strict line, occasionally single-file and occasionally two abreast, alternating for no apparent reason. Cameras and phones are not allowed, nor are shorts. The whole area of Ba Dinh Square and its environs is taken up by this fenced-off compound, where people are nearly silent as they are surveyed by stern-faced guards. The government offices are mostly French colonial structures, but the warmth is gone as there is no sense of transparency. The buildings' functions are not labeled, and it's not as if one can get a particular service or audience with officials there. Ho himself is kept in a cold, nondescript building that is basically a larger replica of Lenin's tomb in Moscow. He looks similarly waxy, leading me to believe that his remains have been patched over time with a putty-like substance. You can't dally there, as the guards move you along quickly. Then, we saw his humble stilt house, where he supposedly lived, shunning the luxury of the neighboring mansion that had housed the French governor of the territory. These were all worth seeing. The Ho Chi Minh museum, however, was a waste of time. Half of it is closed off, and the rest is full of odd pieces of communist propaganda conveyed with stitled artistic verve. An exhibit on the fascist horros of Guernica lacks any emotion, as it consists of an area wallpapered with Picasso's painting surrouning an odd structure of square mirrors. This pointlessness is repeated in each exhibit, so we made quick work of it.

Uncle Ho rests here, waxy and cold

We then went to the Old Quarter to inquire as to why our Ha Long Bay tour was so expensive, and then made the decision to cancel that and book a cheaper one. On our way out of the tour agency/restaurant, we ran into two people we know from Wharton. Southeast Asia was the destination of choice for Wharton grads, so I guess this wasn't surprising.

After an afternoon of booking tours and relaxing, we ate a mediocre dinner of crocodile and wormwood broth, accompanied by shots of snake wine and such. It all sounds more exotic than it tastes. And after strolling down the central lake, darting across the street between the circling scooters, we went to Fanny's, a great ice cream shop. There, we ran into two more Wharton people.

Hanoi has about six million people. But the Old Quarter is crawling with Western tourists, mostly young. We are not exotic here, as we were in China. In fact, we are so familiar, that I fear that there are assumptions about our budgets, intellect, age, or whatever. Our sandals, bags, and guidebooks are so ubiquitous as to mark us and make our paths predictable. That aside, Hanoi is pleasant, as it includes several lakes, has walkable streets (with a little confidence needed), and a generally relaxed attitude (away from government facilities).

Art Deco architecture lives on in Hanoi