hanoi was such a breath air for me despite the haze in the city. the city really had so much for tourist to explore and see. it was just fine walking around aimlessly and taking in everything because everything was so interesting for keen eyes.
on the last day in the city, there was only my cousin and i left. the rest of our group had flown back early in the morning, leaving both of us who would fly back the next day. it was such a waste for them because they did not really had enough time to explore what hanoi had to offer.
on this morning, after a lighter buffet breakfast meal in the hotel, we decided that we had to go try the best pho in the city. just ask your hotel workers and they would be able to tell you. it is situated at 49, bat dan in hoan kiem district which is the old quarters. we walked from our hotel and reached after about 10 to 15 mins.
there was a queue outside the shop. my cousin joined the queue, while i went to look for a place to sit in the shop. luckily this best pho has a proper shop, my cousin and i would think twice about eating from roadside stalls because we were afraid of food poisoning. better be safe than sorry.
the place where you order and get your pho.
i think my cousin only used sign language to order her bowl of pho....and we got quay sticks. it is similar to chinese's deep fried dough fritter. we shared this bowl as we were too full still from breakfast at the hotel.
so, is this the best pho in hanoi? i have nothing to compare to but this was definitely good pho. the bowl was really filling and the soup was the secret. the broth was really sweet and rich in taste. there was garlic in vinegar which one could add to the soup, but i regretted adding that as it made the broth sour then. i saw some locals doing that, so i followed. a bad choice. i prefer the broth in its original form. slurp! the quay sticks were good as well. this is a must come place for pho lovers!
there were less than 10 tables inside the shop and sharing table was common.
there were a few more low tables outside the shop....so just grab a seat when you see anyone get up after eating.
or if you want a more comfortable eating area....you can actually go to the cafe next door, sit down, order your vietnamese black coffee and get them to send the bowl of pho over. yes....they have this service. we only realised this when we went to the cafe for our coffee after the meal. if i ever go to hanoi again, i will do that.
after that filling meal, it was time to walk off some calorie. one better have good legs to explore hanoi on foot ya. well, you can always get a trishaw but where is the fun?
on our way to ho chin minh museum, we passed by some interesting shops.
a woman preparing paper flower wreath to be used in funeral.
one whole row of shops selling only plastic wares....like more than 10 shops selling similar things.
i am not sure if this railway track is still in operation or not....
a lady selling fish
one of the traffic policemen on duty near ba dinh square. you know you are nearly there at the ho chin minh museum area when you see them. the roads become bigger and things are more organised here. and all the foreign embassies are also in this area.
military history museum.....which we did not enter.
a statue of lenin opposite the war museum.
and old man checking his mobile phone while squating near his bicycle in the park opposite the museum.
one of the cafes near the embassies with christmas decoration.
a billboard near ho chin minh museum.
and this finally is ho chin minh museum.
i think the entrance fee is 20,000 dong. one will see everything related to uncle ho's struggle in the revolution.
the exhibition was quite comprehensive and you do find some interesting art installations inside. i did not go and read every document or description for everything on display inside. this place is a good place for a student study tour when they are learning about the history of their country no doubt.
near ho chi minh museum is ho chin minh mausoleum. this is the place where the embalmed body of uncle ho is kept and i read that visitors could pay their respect to him. but unfortunately, i did not see anyone doing that on the day i visited. sob sob.
this mausoleum is right in ba dinh square itself. a really big and spacious square to bask in the sun haha.
the next destionation: temple of literature, or vietnam's first national university dedicated to the temple of confucious. this is also my favourite destination of all in hanoi.
this place seems to be a favourite among graduates who come in their ao dais and graduation robes and mortar boards and scrolls to take photos.
ticket is needed to enter. i have forgotten how much....but it should be around 35,000 vnd or 30,000.
one of the big prayer altars inside at the prayer area.
tourists couldn't resist the opportunity to have their photo taken with these lovely ladies in their ao dais. so they just jumped in and photo-bombed the photo a few times. it was quite funny watching the locals still smiling patiently and agreeing with the many requests.
another popular request was to borrow the robe and mortar board too. i did not do this. i only asked a group of young ladies to take photo with me in the outside courtyard which was not as crowded as inside.
ok...end of part 1. there are too many photos to fit in one long post. on to part 2.
