Hello again! Here is the last installment of my Hanoi trip and in this article, I'll be sharing about the rest of the places we visited while there. Ready? Here we go.
This is the Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the 'Hanoi Hilton'. The French who colonized Vietnam gave it the name Maison Centrale, which literally means 'central house' and here they housed the Vietnamese political prisoners who were trying to liberate the country from the French. The prison shows the conditions prisoners faced during those times. So let's go in.
The place that we visited used to be the main building and now showcases what the prisoners' conditions at the time. The picture above used to be a prison cell. Notice that the prisoners have shackles on their feet. Since they were political prisoners, they were imprisoned in the worst possible conditions. The shackles were only removed when they needed to go to the toilet, which was on the other end of the room.
These are the death row cells. These cells are totally isolated from the rest of the cells, and prisoners here were detained for a minimum of 10 months from the sentencing. Imagine being in isolation for that period of time. There are hardly any windows in the prison, and one of the tourist guides there said that the sick and the elderly were often put near the doors so that they could somehow get more air.
These are some of the instruments of torture used on the prisoners. And as you can see in the picture above, not all prisoners were male. There were also females. One tactic used by the French to deter other Vietnamese to join the revolution was to parade the head of someone they executed, so that the public can see what becomes to someone who rebels against the occupying government.
This is a mock person of someone in the death row cell- notice that his feet are shackled. Apparently those prisoners tried very hard to escape from the prison to keep on fighting. Some died, but some also succeeded.
If one desires freedom, you will do everything in your power to achieve that freedom. Some of the prisoners crawled under this underground sewer to escape, and five of them miraculously did and re-joined the revolutionaries again, until Vietnam gained its independence.
This excerpt of the speech of President Ho Chi Minh exemplifies the sacrifice made by the revolutionaries. During the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese then used this prison to detain the Americans they captured. One of the notable prisoners of the Hanoi Hilton was John McCain, a US senator and who once ran for the presidency in the US.
It was the Americans who gave the name Hanoi Hilton to this prison, in reference to the popular hotel chain.
After spending some time in here and feeling bad, we walked towards the direction of Hoan Kiem Lake. The lake is considered to be the center of Hanoi, not only physically but also symbolically.
There is a legend about Hoan Kiem lake. It is said that Le Loi, one Vietnamese general who was unhappy with Chinese rule, visited one of his friends, and came across a shining metal bar. The friend said he found the bar while he was fishing. Le Loi asked for the bar and he had it molded into a sword. All of a sudden the sword was glistening with two words "Thuan Thien" inscribed, meaning heaven.
He then knew that the sword was a gift from heaven and succeeded in defeating the Chinese with it in 1428. Le Loi then became one of the most venerated Vietnamese heroes during the medieval period. As he was walking along the lake one day, a tortoise appeared, asking him to return the sword to the dragon king. Le Loi happily returned the sword, and the tortoise took it back into the depths of the water. Thus the name Hoan Kiem means lake of the returned sword. The tower in the picture has been named the Turtle tower to commemorate the giving back of the sword.
Nowadays, a tortoise sighting is considered to be auspicious by the Vietnamese. We did not see any when we were there though.
During weekends, the roads along the lake are closed to traffic and locals and tourists alike relax, walk and do other leisurely activities in the area. In this case, the children are climbing a big tree. This picture reminds me of my childhood- I used to climb trees as well,ha ha.
Early in the morning and late in the afternoon, the surrounding area of the lake becomes a place of fitness, so to speak. People bring out improvised equipment and do their exercises.
Some were lifting weights, some doing crunches, others playing a game much like 'sipa' here in the Philippines.
Some chose to play board games, while some others just watched.
Some were doing a photo shoot. Perhaps a prenup photo shoot? :-)
Some also took the opportunity to earn a living like this lady selling persimmons.
Several snack kiosks dot the area as well, so there is no fear about getting hungry.
We tried circling the lake by walking but after an hour or so, we got tired, so we sat on one of the benches and rested for a while. This structure was on the eastern side.
On one area of the lake is a place where they display several artworks. It was nice looking at the various pictures and paintings on display.
We also passed by this old couple huddled together studying a map. Couldn't resist taking a picture of them as they looked so precious together, even in old age!
Near the northern side of the lake is Jade Island, where the Temple of the Jade Mountain is located (Ngoc Sun Temple). The temple is connected to shore by The Huc Bridge, meaning morning sunlight bridge.
This is how it looks like at night. The temple was built in commemoration of the 13th century military leader Tran Hung Dao who was renowned for his bravery in the battle against the Yuan dynasty.
On one side of Hoan Kiem Lake is the French quarter, Here you see modern buildings, as opposed to the Old Quarter, which appears to be outdated and chaotic.
Another lady having a photo shoot. Trang Tien plaza, also in the French Quarter, is a high end shopping mall. Here, high end brands like Christian Dior and the likes can be found. Got some money to spend? The place to be is the French Quarter. :-)
It almost looks like the place is abandoned because of the lack of vehicles on the streets. The shops are open though, so it was nice walking around this area for a change.
Compare that tranquility to the chaos in this picture. There are absolutely no traffic rules in Hanoi. Vehicles come from all directions at once, and they just swerve this way and that to avoid collisions. Pedestrians cross the streets at their own risk, and I had to hold my sister's hand while crossing, because she would suddenly scream and stop in the middle, thinking we would get hit. Believe me, that was real, ha ha.
This is a floating restaurant on the western side of the lake. Looks nice at night with all the lights with its reflection in the water.
This is the Water Puppet Theater at the Old Quarter. This is found on the eastern side, and puppet shows happen several times a day, although we did not go and watch as we preferred being outside.
There were also quite a lot of street performers and this group was performing Despacito at the time. They managed to attract a large crowd and a lot of people put money in their baskets. :-) They were quite good, actually.
This is the fountain at the edge of the Hoan Kiem and marks the Old Quarter. During weekends, starting from the fountain, there is a weekend market that stretches for 2 kilometers selling all kinds of goods until the entrance of Cho Dong Xuan market.
The market starts from 7 PM until 11 PM, so expect heavy traffic in the area. Locals and tourists alike throng in the area to shop and to buy foods.
Tents like this are set up and stretches for 2 kilometers like I said. We were unable to get to the end of it as by that time we were already dead tired. We walked quite a bit of the area though, so we saw all kinds of wares and food and we tried quite a lot of street food.
The next day was already our last and we went to this market in search of fresh fruits to bring home. It said this is a fresh produce market, but there was none to be found, because apparently this is a place to buy clothes, dried goods and other things except fruits, ha ha!
As we walked around, this was what we saw, sacks and sacks of dried goods and spices.
Took several pictures and then we got out, took a taxi to go to the market near Ba Dinh Square for the fresh fruits. There we bought several kilos of longan, persimmons, guavas, pears and other fruits to bring home as they were very fresh.
In the afternoon, we just strolled along West Lake, where our hotel was located. Sadly, it was too hazy to be able to take nice pictures of the area.
On our way to the airport, we saw this arches which were lighted so bright. Good thing I was seated at the front so I could take a picture, even though the car was moving.
This was a bridge that kept changing colors, so I also took a picture of it. Our flight was a red eye, so once we boarded the plane, we immediately went to sleep, and the moment we opened our eyes, we were greeted by this view below.
What a glorious view to greet us good morning, and to announce that we are back in the Philippines. Vacation over, back to everyday life. And here marks the end of my Hanoi adventures, hope you had a great time reading them as much as I had fun writing them.
Stay tuned for more travels!
For more travel articles, you can read them here.
This is the Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the 'Hanoi Hilton'. The French who colonized Vietnam gave it the name Maison Centrale, which literally means 'central house' and here they housed the Vietnamese political prisoners who were trying to liberate the country from the French. The prison shows the conditions prisoners faced during those times. So let's go in.
The place that we visited used to be the main building and now showcases what the prisoners' conditions at the time. The picture above used to be a prison cell. Notice that the prisoners have shackles on their feet. Since they were political prisoners, they were imprisoned in the worst possible conditions. The shackles were only removed when they needed to go to the toilet, which was on the other end of the room.
These are the death row cells. These cells are totally isolated from the rest of the cells, and prisoners here were detained for a minimum of 10 months from the sentencing. Imagine being in isolation for that period of time. There are hardly any windows in the prison, and one of the tourist guides there said that the sick and the elderly were often put near the doors so that they could somehow get more air.
These are some of the instruments of torture used on the prisoners. And as you can see in the picture above, not all prisoners were male. There were also females. One tactic used by the French to deter other Vietnamese to join the revolution was to parade the head of someone they executed, so that the public can see what becomes to someone who rebels against the occupying government.
This is a mock person of someone in the death row cell- notice that his feet are shackled. Apparently those prisoners tried very hard to escape from the prison to keep on fighting. Some died, but some also succeeded.
If one desires freedom, you will do everything in your power to achieve that freedom. Some of the prisoners crawled under this underground sewer to escape, and five of them miraculously did and re-joined the revolutionaries again, until Vietnam gained its independence.
This excerpt of the speech of President Ho Chi Minh exemplifies the sacrifice made by the revolutionaries. During the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese then used this prison to detain the Americans they captured. One of the notable prisoners of the Hanoi Hilton was John McCain, a US senator and who once ran for the presidency in the US.
It was the Americans who gave the name Hanoi Hilton to this prison, in reference to the popular hotel chain.
After spending some time in here and feeling bad, we walked towards the direction of Hoan Kiem Lake. The lake is considered to be the center of Hanoi, not only physically but also symbolically.
There is a legend about Hoan Kiem lake. It is said that Le Loi, one Vietnamese general who was unhappy with Chinese rule, visited one of his friends, and came across a shining metal bar. The friend said he found the bar while he was fishing. Le Loi asked for the bar and he had it molded into a sword. All of a sudden the sword was glistening with two words "Thuan Thien" inscribed, meaning heaven.
He then knew that the sword was a gift from heaven and succeeded in defeating the Chinese with it in 1428. Le Loi then became one of the most venerated Vietnamese heroes during the medieval period. As he was walking along the lake one day, a tortoise appeared, asking him to return the sword to the dragon king. Le Loi happily returned the sword, and the tortoise took it back into the depths of the water. Thus the name Hoan Kiem means lake of the returned sword. The tower in the picture has been named the Turtle tower to commemorate the giving back of the sword.
Nowadays, a tortoise sighting is considered to be auspicious by the Vietnamese. We did not see any when we were there though.
During weekends, the roads along the lake are closed to traffic and locals and tourists alike relax, walk and do other leisurely activities in the area. In this case, the children are climbing a big tree. This picture reminds me of my childhood- I used to climb trees as well,ha ha.
Early in the morning and late in the afternoon, the surrounding area of the lake becomes a place of fitness, so to speak. People bring out improvised equipment and do their exercises.
Some were lifting weights, some doing crunches, others playing a game much like 'sipa' here in the Philippines.
Some were doing a photo shoot. Perhaps a prenup photo shoot? :-)
Some also took the opportunity to earn a living like this lady selling persimmons.
Several snack kiosks dot the area as well, so there is no fear about getting hungry.
We tried circling the lake by walking but after an hour or so, we got tired, so we sat on one of the benches and rested for a while. This structure was on the eastern side.
On one area of the lake is a place where they display several artworks. It was nice looking at the various pictures and paintings on display.
We also passed by this old couple huddled together studying a map. Couldn't resist taking a picture of them as they looked so precious together, even in old age!
Near the northern side of the lake is Jade Island, where the Temple of the Jade Mountain is located (Ngoc Sun Temple). The temple is connected to shore by The Huc Bridge, meaning morning sunlight bridge.
This is how it looks like at night. The temple was built in commemoration of the 13th century military leader Tran Hung Dao who was renowned for his bravery in the battle against the Yuan dynasty.
On one side of Hoan Kiem Lake is the French quarter, Here you see modern buildings, as opposed to the Old Quarter, which appears to be outdated and chaotic.
Another lady having a photo shoot. Trang Tien plaza, also in the French Quarter, is a high end shopping mall. Here, high end brands like Christian Dior and the likes can be found. Got some money to spend? The place to be is the French Quarter. :-)
It almost looks like the place is abandoned because of the lack of vehicles on the streets. The shops are open though, so it was nice walking around this area for a change.
Compare that tranquility to the chaos in this picture. There are absolutely no traffic rules in Hanoi. Vehicles come from all directions at once, and they just swerve this way and that to avoid collisions. Pedestrians cross the streets at their own risk, and I had to hold my sister's hand while crossing, because she would suddenly scream and stop in the middle, thinking we would get hit. Believe me, that was real, ha ha.
This is a floating restaurant on the western side of the lake. Looks nice at night with all the lights with its reflection in the water.
This is the Water Puppet Theater at the Old Quarter. This is found on the eastern side, and puppet shows happen several times a day, although we did not go and watch as we preferred being outside.
There were also quite a lot of street performers and this group was performing Despacito at the time. They managed to attract a large crowd and a lot of people put money in their baskets. :-) They were quite good, actually.
This is the fountain at the edge of the Hoan Kiem and marks the Old Quarter. During weekends, starting from the fountain, there is a weekend market that stretches for 2 kilometers selling all kinds of goods until the entrance of Cho Dong Xuan market.
The market starts from 7 PM until 11 PM, so expect heavy traffic in the area. Locals and tourists alike throng in the area to shop and to buy foods.
Tents like this are set up and stretches for 2 kilometers like I said. We were unable to get to the end of it as by that time we were already dead tired. We walked quite a bit of the area though, so we saw all kinds of wares and food and we tried quite a lot of street food.
The next day was already our last and we went to this market in search of fresh fruits to bring home. It said this is a fresh produce market, but there was none to be found, because apparently this is a place to buy clothes, dried goods and other things except fruits, ha ha!
As we walked around, this was what we saw, sacks and sacks of dried goods and spices.
Took several pictures and then we got out, took a taxi to go to the market near Ba Dinh Square for the fresh fruits. There we bought several kilos of longan, persimmons, guavas, pears and other fruits to bring home as they were very fresh.
In the afternoon, we just strolled along West Lake, where our hotel was located. Sadly, it was too hazy to be able to take nice pictures of the area.
On our way to the airport, we saw this arches which were lighted so bright. Good thing I was seated at the front so I could take a picture, even though the car was moving.
This was a bridge that kept changing colors, so I also took a picture of it. Our flight was a red eye, so once we boarded the plane, we immediately went to sleep, and the moment we opened our eyes, we were greeted by this view below.
What a glorious view to greet us good morning, and to announce that we are back in the Philippines. Vacation over, back to everyday life. And here marks the end of my Hanoi adventures, hope you had a great time reading them as much as I had fun writing them.
Stay tuned for more travels!
For more travel articles, you can read them here.
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