When in Vietnam, Do as the Vietnamese Do (Day 2)

Day 2 - January 10, 2011

We were given extra time to sleep this morning, which was fabulous. My roommate and I woke up around 7:30 AM and decided we were too excited to go back to sleep. It was an experience trying to get ready for our first day in Vietnam! The shower was quite difficult to work, once we got it on, and flowing out of the right nozzle, it was a struggle to get the temperature right. The facet was very sensitive.

We headed down to breakfast shortly after getting ready. We had to walk out of the hotel and down a flight of stairs to enter the restaurant. I had bacon, noodles and a croissant roll for breakfast with passion juice. The bacon was different, but delicious (more so than American bacon). The passion juice was also very tasty.

After breakfast, we boarded the bus for an exciting day of many adventures. Five young women from the Hanoikids organization greeted us. These are students who attend the university and volunteer their time for free to take tourists around Hanoi. They do this to learn more about their country and share to tourists the love they have for Vietnam as well as to practice their English. The young women spoke very good English and were so kind and helpful. I really enjoyed having them around for the day.

On the way to our first adventure in Kieu Ki, we witnessed something that is rarely seen in Vietnam. We saw two communist officials knock a young Vietnamese man off his scooter. They kicked him and hit him while dragging him off the street. Our guide said that he had probably violated some law and it was rare to see an attack like that. It was still interesting to see another country's government in action.

After a short time, we arrived in Kieu Ki. I've kept it a secret thus far to build anticipation. We were given bicycles and took a tour around a ceramic village. We rode the bicycles about 7km along a small road that was parallel to the Red River. It was so neat to see a Vietnamese village outside of the city. I witnessed many dogs and very nice homes. The homes in Vietnam tend to be narrow and tall. This is because land is so expensive it is easier to build tall and narrow rather than shorter and wide. We were taught how to dodge the other motorist and bicyclist throughout the town. A guy in our group almost got sandwiched in between a car and bus! It was so neat to see traditional living. Words will not be able to fully illustrate what I experienced and got to see.

We stopped and toured a shop that produces ceramics. We were able to see how they made the different ceramics and how each one was hand painted. It was so interesting.

Next, we headed off to have a traditional Vietnamese lunch. We arrived at our restaurant to find that we would be sitting outside. We were quite cold and none of us had packed for cold weather. The Vietnamese are experiencing their coldest winter yet. It was in the 40's today.

For lunch, I ordered a bottle of coke for 8,000 Dong. It was cheaper than coke in a can for 15,000 Dong. Roughly, 20,000 Dong is one USD to add perspective. We were served many dishes for lunch. I tried sweet and sour pork (my favorite), spring roll (so much more fresh and less greasy compared to the United States) and some other traditional dishes. They were so good. Like in China, fresh fruit was served as dessert.

Our next adventure was touring the 'Hanoi Hilton'. The 'Hanoi Hilton' is the exact opposite of a five star hotel. It is referred to officially as the Hoa Lo prison. This prison is where John McCain was held captive. It was very interesting to see how American, Southern Vietnamese and French soldiers were treated in this prison. It was evident how gruesome the jail was. I definitely gained more respect for John McCain after seeing what he had to endure in the Hanoi Hilton.

We then headed to the French quarter, which are basically many blocks of shops. I enjoyed looking at Vietnamese goods. The few times I tried to bargain the retailers were not responsive. Hopefully they will be more responsive in the future. I paid for a can of coke and a bottle of water with a $2 American dollar bill. The young lady at the convenience store was over joyed. She said that I had given her good luck for the New Year. To return the favor she gave me a discount on my purchases. So neat!

I enjoyed shopping around the French quarter even though I did not purchase much.

We walked to dinner, taking the scenic route. It was so beautiful to see the lake all lit up. Our guide showed us some other landmarks that I honestly can't pronounce or spell. We experienced crossing one of the busiest streets during rush hour. It was literally playing frogger. It was one of the most dangerous things I've done in my life, seriously.

We arrived at a beautiful restaurant. We were served an 8-course meal. It was absolutely exquisite. It was very fancy. We were seated in a private room of a French style home that had been converted into a restaurant. By the end of dinner, we were all so tired that we were falling asleep at the table.

After the drive to the hotel, we got ready for bed and went to sleep. I'm pretty sure we all were in bed by 9pm. We have such a busy day tomorrow and I can't wait for more adventures!