Jennifer Patience » Places to visit

TEFL diaries  >  Jennifer Patience

Places to visit

Hoan Kiem Lake

Sunday, February 24th, 2008

One of the most famous places to visit in Hanoi is the lake in the southern part of the Old Quarter. Everything seems to converge here - street sellers, cafes, cyclos, tourist shops, tourists…

The legend of the lake goes that in the 15th century Heaven sent the Emperor a magical sword so he could drive the Chinese out of Vietnam. After the war was over, the Emperor visited the lake where he saw a giant golden tortoise swimming. The tortoise grabbed the sword and disappeared to the bottom of the lake restoring the sword to its heavenly owners. The name of the lake Ho Hoan Kiem means Lake of the Restored Sword.

The bridge to the pagoda in Hoan Kiem lake. 

It’s a popular place for wedding couples to take photographs.

It is said that there are still tortoises in the lake. A giant one was found in 1968 and is on display in the nearby pagoda. If you see one swimming in the water it is said to bring good luck. The water is kind of murky though, so I hope tortoises don’t mind that kind of environment.

Looking for tortoises in the lake. 

Posted in Places to visit, Hanoi | 2 Comments »

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Saturday, February 23rd, 2008

I made an effort to get up especially early to visit as the Mausoleum containing “Uncle Ho” (not Uncle Mo as I had in my head) is only open mornings until 11am. The Mausoleum complex houses the mausoleum itself, a Ho Chi Minh museum, a pagoda and a house.

To get in to see embalmed Uncle Ho you have to first leave all your bags and belongings at the entrance. If you are wearing shorts or a skirt that is too short they give you a wrap skirt to cover you up. Likewise they don’t like you to wear strappy tops. I was asked to take my camera out of my bag and take it with me which I thought was odd as you aren’t allowed photographs inside, but as our “group” wended its way through the checkpoints, we passed through a security X-Ray and my camera was put in a little carrier bag only to go a further 10 metres to reach a shed where it was to be handed in, in exchange for a token. (They then “truck” your cameras around to the exit door of mausoleum where you collect them.) The actual Mausoleum entrance was another 200 metres around the corner and down the street and we were marched around in crocodile fashion by a number of guards.

Despite being an early Saturday morning there were a lot of people there visiting, mostly Vietnamese. Having said that the queue moved quickly. Once you’re inside the building itself you go up and around one flight of stairs, past the uniformed guards every few metres until you reach the inner room where Uncle Ho lies, tastefully lit, with a guard at each corner of his case. Not being allowed to take photographs or linger is the reason the queue moves so fast - you are barely in there for 30 seconds. You have to show respect, by not wearing a hat or putting your hands in your pockets. It was an interesting experience as he is an important political 20th century figure as Lenin & Chairman Mao (who are also embalmed).

Entering the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh

You are pretty much escorted down the street by guards and once in the building, it takes maybe a couple of minutes before you are out the other side.

Posted in Places to visit, Hanoi | No Comments »