[RD] Backpacking Việt Nam (2019)

[warpus]

Quán Thánh Ward Government Headquarters

Vietnam is divided into an interesting array of administrative divisions. Unfortunately I could not find an English version of this chart, so you will find my best attempt at a translation below (always from left to right):

On the top level Vietnam breaks down into municipalities and provinces. There are 58 provinces in the country and 5 municipalities, which are essentially cities with a special status.

The 2nd level breaks down into: municipal cities, urban districts, towns, rural districts, and provincial cities.

The 3rd level breaks down into: wards, communes, and I think townships.

I didn't know what this building was at the time, but I assumed it was some sort of a government structure. Turns out that this is the Quán Thánh Ward Government Headquarters. The city of Hanoi is made up of 177 such wards, so presumably there are 177 such headquarters scattered around the city. Altogether there are 11,162 3rd level units (wards, communes, and townships) in the country.

It's probably not a good idea to photograph such buildings, but I went for it and quickly resumed my walk.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Since Vietnam caters to tourists, I wouldn't think that they would have problems with folks taking pictures of minor public buildings. I didn't see any such restrictions in China and I would think the Chinese are tougher about such things. Now in Xinjiang it is a different story, but I didn't think Vietnam had any equivalent areas.

 

[warpus]

Since Vietnam caters to tourists, I wouldn't think that they would have problems with folks taking pictures of minor public buildings. I didn't see any such restrictions in China and I would think the Chinese are tougher about such things. Now in Xinjiang it is a different story, but I didn't think Vietnam had any equivalent areas.

I got yelled and whistled at for taking a picture of the Canadian Embassy in Lima, Peru. Ever since then I've been a bit careful about photographing government buildings in other countries. It might be harmless or they might think you are up to no good, so I'm always careful now. Plus communist symbols always give me the creeps. I was born in a communist country and I guess I just assume they could go after me if they think I look suspicious.. also being by myself and not in a group of tourists.

 

[warpus]

The walk to the Mausoleum continues..

It was a rather hot day, so when I saw a restaurant/cafe with a patio in the shade I couldn't resist..

Spoiler :

That's 87.8 feels like 96.8 in Fahrenheit

Not too long after I sat down, a bridesmaids photoshoot broke out just outside. In Vietnam it is common for bridesmaids to wear a pink áo dài, which is the Vietnamese national garment and can be worn by men as well.

Nearby stands Cửa Bắc church, which is considered to be a fine example of the successful mixing of European and Vietnamese styles of architecture. George W. Bush worshipped here back in 2006, when he was in Vietnam on an official visit. Cửa Bắc was built in 1932 and is one of Hanoi's 3 major Catholic churches.

 

[FriendlyFire]

31C ? Thats pretty normal summer time heat.
In WA they had heatwave where the temperature didnt drop below 35C even at night time, making it impossible to sleep

Iam biting the bullet this year and purchasing a window air-con. Its real tough to work in this kind of heat and I would rather spend a few hundred on electricity to keep cool rather then suffering through the heatwave
It will be money well spent.

 

[warpus]

It's nothing insane, but sure catches up with you when you're walking around town. Temperatures like that are common enough here too, just in August and not March.

 

[warpus]

Remembering the Anti-French Resistance War
December 19, 1946 – August 1, 1954

In the west this war is known as the First Indochina War. It follows a chain of events that began with the signing of the Potsdam agreement, in which the British were given control of the southern part of Vietnam in order to fill the power vacuum left by the departing Japanese. The British deferred to the French, who ended up overthrowing the Vietnamese government in the north as well, which was at the time lead by Hồ Chí Minh. As soon as that happened fighting broke out in Tonkin (the northern part of Vietnam) between French forces and the Việt Minh (League for the Independence of Vietnam), also lead by Hồ Chí Minh.

I came across two adjacent parks on my walk to the Hồ Chí Minh mausoleum which were built to commemorate certain individuals who perished in the war.. I did not realize this about one of them at first, but upon further investigation I have been able to determine that the park is named after Mai Xuân Thưởng, who was a scholar, poet, and resistance movement leader that the French ended up executing using a guillotine.

A nearby park bears the name of Lý Tự Trọng, who was executed by the French when he was 17.

The end of this war did not lead to peace. The power struggle in the region continued and it was not long until the Second Indochina War broke out, or the Vietnam War as it is known in the U.S. In Vietnam it is of course known as the American war.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I like the yellow brick flower-like sculpture, but I'm not much of a fan of the blocky soviet style showing Ly Tu Trong

 

[warpus]

I like the yellow brick flower-like sculpture, but I'm not much of a fan of the blocky soviet style showing Ly Tu Trong

The flower-like structure/fountain is right in the middle of the Mai Xuân Thưởng Flower Garden, I think it's supposed to be a lotus. I saw it from the distance and couldn't help it but get closer to get a better look.

As for the soviet style statue, a lot of the ones I saw in Vietnam related to either of the Indochina wars were sort of done in this style, or a similar one. I tried to look up who the artist was, but didn't get anywhere.

 

[warpus]

Hồ Tây
(West Lake)

This is the largest freshwater lake in Hanoi, with about 17km of shoreline and many surrounding gardens, hotels, shopping centres, and villas. It's a very popular part of the capital for recreation and has some of the most expensive real estate in the city and country.

I initially actually booked a guest house right on this lake, after finding a really good deal online.. but ended up cancelling and instead booked a hotel room right in the middle of the old quarter instead. My initial thought was that after such a long flight it would be very nice to relax on a lake at a quiet and cozy guest house.. but eventually I decided that it was better to be in a more central location, closer to the beating heart of the city.

West lake was created from a curved part of the nearby Red River and is wrapped up in several Vietnamese legends. It's also gone through various names, including Fox Corpse Swamp, Golden Buffalo Lake, and Foggy Lake. The current name was adopted in 1573.

The mausoleum I was heading to was actually due south from here, but I decided to follow this walkway heading north.

This walkway actually has lakes on both sides. On the right hand side (out of view) lies the much smaller Trúc Bạch Lake, which was created when this walkway was built. It was into this lake that John McCain, a future U.S. politician, crash landed after being shot down during the American war.

You are looking at the Trấn Quốc Pagoda, the oldest pagoda in Hanoi, dating back to 544 CE. It actually used to stand at the banks of the Red River, but had to be relocated in 1615 due to erosion and the banks of the river slowly changing over time. Unfortunately it was not open to visitors at this time.

 

[warpus]

Công Viên Bách Thảo Hà Nội
Hanoi Botanical Garden

The Hanoi Botanical Garden is the oldest park in Hanoi and was established by the French in the 1890s . On a map it looks like it is connected to the Presidential Palace grounds as well as the Mausoleum grounds, so I spent the extra 15 minutes to walk here first, before heading over to the Mausoleum.

Bách Thảo translates to "Hundreds of plants".

This park was a pleasure to walk through with many well shaded tranquil walkways and two lakes.

Here's a map of central Hanoi, which might help you add a bit more context to all these photos:

My hotel room is more or less right where the (2) marker is. From there I walked towards the Pagoda (9), and then ended up at the Botanical Garden, which is just north-west from the Mausoleum (4). You will also recognize several other points of interest from the previous day, such as St. Joseph's cathedral.

 

[warpus]

Pigeon Island

In its early days the Hanoi Botanical Garden was a lot larger and included living arrangements for various animals.. Since then a lot of the land has been developed into urban parts of Hanoi and most of the animals have been moved to the Thủ Lệ Zoo.. Pigeon island is a remnant from those early days

 

[Birdjaguar]

No people in those park pictures? Did you have the place to yourself?

 

[warpus]

Yeah, it was relatively empty! A couple people walking here and there, but that's about it. This might be one of those parks that's more popular with the locals vs tourists, but I'm not really sure. It was early afternoon still though, so most locals would have been at school or work.

 

[Birdjaguar]

The pigeon houses are pretty huge and plentiful.

 

[warpus]

The Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum

This mausoleum houses the remains of Ho Chi Minh (1890 - 1969), who was the Prime Minister of Vietnam from 1945 to 1955 and President of Vietnam from 1945 to 1969. He lead the Vietnamese independence movement from 1941 onwards, first against the Japanese, then against the French, and afterwards against the U.S. He got his political education in France, where he was campaigning for Vietnamese independence as early as 1919. Ho Chi Minh was also a writer, poet, and journalist, writing several books, articles, and poems in French, Chinese, and Vietnamese. The Vietnamese know him as Bác Hồ (Uncle Ho).

To get here from the botanic garden I ended up having to walk all the way around the whole complex. There was no way to enter it from the north east or even the east.. At one point I thought I had found a way into the mausoleum grounds via a narrow set of streets, but was soon noticed by soldiers who asked me to turn around and walk further west.

The mausoleum sits right in the middle of Ba Đình Square, which is where Ho Chi Minh read the Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. The plaza in front of the mausoleum is divided into 240 green squares separated by pathways.

The sign beside the mausoleum reads Long Live the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam

The mausoleum itself is inspired by Lenin's mausoleum in Moscow, but incorporates distinct Vietnamese architectural elements. A military honour guard protects the entrance.

The mausoleum is open to the public, but this did not really interest me.. From what I understand there are usually long lines here and a slowly moving procession of people who want to see the body.

The words at the top of the mausoleum read: President Ho Chi Minh

 

[Valka D'Ur]

The Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum

This mausoleum houses the remains of Ho Chi Minh (1890 - 1969), who was the Prime Minister of Vietnam from 1945 to 1955 and President of Vietnam from 1945 to 1969. He lead the Vietnamese independence movement from 1941 onwards, first against the Japanese, then against the French, and afterwards against the U.S. He got his political education in France, where he was campaigning for Vietnamese independence as early as 1919. Ho Chi Minh was also a writer, poet, and journalist, writing several books, articles, and poems in French, Chinese, and Vietnamese. The Vietnamese know him as Bác Hồ (Uncle Ho).

To get here from the botanic garden I ended up having to walk all the way around the whole complex. There was no way to enter it from the north east or even the east.. At one point I thought I had found a way into the mausoleum grounds via a narrow set of streets, but was soon noticed by soldiers who asked me to turn around and walk further west.

The mausoleum sits right in the middle of Ba Đình Square, which is where Ho Chi Minh read the Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. The plaza in front of the mausoleum is divided into 240 green squares separated by pathways.

What is that person doing, who's sitting on the walkway with a bowl?

Those wreaths look similar to the ones we lay on Remembrance Day (in shape, not actual design). Is this something that's only put there on a particular day of the year, or is it a more permanent display?

 

[Zardnaar]

Awesome looking country. Would love to visit.

 

[Birdjaguar]

@Valka D'Ur they are picking out the grass between the paving stones.

 

[warpus]

What is that person doing, who's sitting on the walkway with a bowl?

Those wreaths look similar to the ones we lay on Remembrance Day (in shape, not actual design). Is this something that's only put there on a particular day of the year, or is it a more permanent display?

Your first question was already answered, but I wanted to point out that there were a bunch of these workers on the grounds keeping everything tidy and well maintained. I have more pictures of them to post later.

I am not sure about the wreaths, but this particular date (or even March) doesn't seem to hold any specific significance in the life of Ho Chi Minh, so I would guess that the wreaths are probably laid there at all times of year. It also seems that the mausoleum is guarded by ceremonial guards 24/7 (There is a daily changing of the guard in the morning)