Hanoi Impressions

We have now been in Vietnam for a week and are still getting used to the traffic, the money and the food. After our trip to Halong Bay we returned to our hotel and had a couple of days to explore the place before we were due to head off to the Cuc Phuong National Park. Mostly we wandered around explorng the places mentioned in the guide book and missing out the ones at the beginning of our main tour. There are several large lakes in Hanoi, mostly in the middle of parks, and as it is still the lunar New Year holiday there were many people enjoying the activities on offer.

We realised we had to make an early booking for the Water Puppets which are a popular entertainment with locals and visitors alike. The puppeteers were waist high in water behind a screen and an orchestra played appropriate music for the action which took place in a water filled auditorium. There were several short stories which were explained in our programme. It was well worth seeing and we were even allowed to take photos.

We then went off with a driver and a guide on a private trip to the National Park. It was set up during the Vietnam War - a bit of a shock to think that it was happening then - and even opened by Ho Chi Minh himself. We went for a couple of walks which mostly consisted of going uphill to see an ancient tree and a couple of caves. We stayed overnight in a cabin by a lake and had an entertaining walk in the dark trying not to stand on the frogs which were congregating round the lake.

We were astonished by the number of young people who were visiting the park on their scooters and motor bikes. They were on holiday and it was probably busier than usual. Unfortunately they had not been trained in eco-schools and the amount of litter they left was pretty awful. On our last morning we visited the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre where we saw some rare monkeys, some called langurs, and learned about the programmes to save them from hunters and encourage a breeding programme.

We learned a great deal from our guide about education in Vietnam, the status of teachers (who are visited every year by their pupils either in the holidays or on a special day. They bring flowers and gifts though the teachers have to give them tea in return). However it is not a well paid job and our driver had given up teaching to take up driving. We hear there has been a lot of rain in Scotland recently. Maybe we should take up growing rice like they do here.

Back in Hanoi we joined our main tour group for the trip down to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon to you and everyone else), starting with a formal Hanoi tour then an overnight train to Hue.