Vietnam (November 2016) : Some People Juggle Geese

My husband attended the APLAS conference and the workshop that followed. I went along for fun.

See below for photos from this week-long trip (about 200 of them).

Saturday

Watched most of two movies on the plane.
Arrived, had dinner at Mercure Hotel.

Nhat Tan Bridge

“Let’s rock.”

Hanoi Beer. Probably the best beer in Hanoi.

Sunday

Went to the Ho Chi Minh Museum and saw the One-Pillar Pagoda.
Had dinner at Madame Hiên.

Chùa Tiên Tích (opposite Mercure Hotel Hanoi la Gare)

awesome roof

lucky bats

Ho Chi Minh Museum

Ho Chi Minh statue

Yay socialism?

strange museum displays

Apparently this symbolizes peace and nature vs. industry and war.

The masoleum was closed for renovation.

One Pillar Pagoda (Chùa Một Cột)

temple next to One Pillar Pagoda

awww…

Quan Am (aka Kuan Yin, Guanyin, Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy)

One Pillar Pagoda (Chùa Một Cột)

bonsai near Ho Chi Minh Museum

more bonsai

another awesome roof

“TAKING BACK VEHICLES – LUGGAGE”

plants

angley fountain

In taxis, do not bring durians, drink alcohol or… wait, they have a sign for that???

Monday

Saw Hanoi from the observation deck on the 65th floor of the Lotte Tower.
Visited Trấn Quốc Pagoda.
Walked around Trúc Bạch Lake.
Visited The Bookworm and ate lunch at the Hanoi Cooking Centre.
Walked through the Old Quarter.
Visited Ngoc Son Temple on Hoàn Kiếm Lake.
Got a body massage at the spa recommended by the hotel, which was marked on a terrible hotel map, after successfully navigating the most confusing traffic intersection I think I have ever seen.

Taxi ceilings are laminated.

bad visibility

lake/zoo

buildings

boulevard

Not exactly swarming with tourists today.

I’m the only one in the elevator.

The ceiling is entertaining me.

It’s like a wormhole or something.

Trấn Quốc Pagoda

near Hồ Tây (West Lake)

near Trúc Bạch Lake

lotus mosaic

awesome tree

more socialist statuary

Hang Dau Water Tank (Bốt nước Hàng Đậu), plus someone’s mobile workshop

Chợ Đồng Xuân (Dong Xuan Market)

Cầu Thê Húc (bridge on Hoàn Kiếm Lake)

Ngoc Son Temple (Đền Ngọc Sơn)

Hoàn Kiếm Lake

Emperor Lý Thái Tổ

Tháp Rùa (Turtle Tower) in Hoàn Kiếm Lake

Tháp Hòa Phong (Hoa Phong Tower)

Chùa Tiên Tích (opposite Mercure Hotel Hanoi la Gare)

Saigon Special

Tuesday

Visited the Temple of Literature (aka Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám, Temple of Confucius, Imperial Academy, Vietnam’s first national university)
Walked around.
Got a foot massage.
Had dinner at Madame Hiên (new branch).

CAR KEEPING

Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám (Temple of Literature)

class photo for some local university graduates

Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám (Temple of Literature)

badminton court painted on sidewalk outside Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám (Temple of Literature)

motorbikes everywhere

mirror shop

There’s something pleasingly meta about sign shops. Sign shops in other countries are meta, and exotic, too.

My favorite mirror is the one behind the sunburst at the bottom right. The pegasus is so awesome… and yet so tacky.

A fax machine shop. Bonus! A shop selling laminators.

Pringles and not one, not two, but THREE copycat brands of chips at Circle K.

ridiculously tall, thin building

traffic

traffic control

Wednesday

Took a bus to Ha Long Bay.
For dinner, had vegetarian dishes at a seafood restaurant.

roadside barber

This sign at a tourist shop / tour bus pit stop tells me a lot about where the tourists in Vietnam come from.

scenery

building, motorbike

disused billboard, motorbike

scenery

farmers

oddly French building

under constriction

lights mimicking a fountain, motorbike

Thursday

Boarded the cruise boat.
Climbed a small karst mountain.

Hạ Long Bay

Vietnamese Coca-Cola can

Hạ Long Bay

Friday

Disembarked and returned to Hanoi by bus.
Dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s Vietnamese restaurant, Old Hanoi Restaurant.

Vietnamese drip coffee on the boat

boat floor plan

giant rose quartz

me with giant rose quartz

It’s the eye of the tiger (it’s embroidered with thread) rising up to the challenge of our rival…

Nội Bài International Airport in Hanoi

Nhat Tan Bridge again

Hanoi Ceramic Road

Heed the “do not enter” sign. Who drinks Seattle coffee in Hanoi?!

Nhà hát lớn Hà Nội (Hanoi Opera House)

333 Beer

“Obama’s Restaurant”

decorations in the Old Quarter

Hanoi souvenir shop selling “HANDICRFTAS”

Saturday

Went to Giảng Cafe for egg coffee. Incidentally, if you’re not planning to visit Vietnam but you want to try egg coffee (it’s tastier than it sounds), you can check out this informative illustrated article at Home Grounds for five different recipes you can experiment with at home.
Found a bunch of bookstores.
Walked around Hoàn Kiếm Lake again.
Walked around the Old Quarter.
Flew back to Singapore.