ELDER SAGERS

Dedicated to my family.

Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is the most popular and attractive city of Northern Vietnam where you will definitely end up visiting on your trip. In comparison to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi continues to try and retain traditional Vietnamese culture in all the corners of the city and therefore you will get a more authentic feel while you're here. Almost all parts of Vietnam are accessible from Hanoi because you have road, rail and air routes.

An Aerial View of Hanoi City (Source)

The Long Bien bridge connecting Hoan Kiem and Long Bien was designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the same man who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Statue of Liberty in USA. The area surrounding the bridge is home to some of the poorest households.

An interesting fact about Hanoi is that the houses are tall but very narrow because property tax is based on the width of the building. Due to this characteristic, the name given to these houses is 'tube houses'. This taxation law was introduced in the 19th century by the French.

Not found in the southern parts of Vietnam, dog meat is pretty common in the northern city of Hanoi.  Who would want to think of eating a 'man's best friend'? You will initially find this weird and wrong, however, when it comes to difference in culture among countries, you will realize that nothing is right and wrong.

Ho Chi Minh, the beloved leader of Vietnam and an important political figure in world history, died in 1969 due to heart failure. As soon as this happened, officials began planning his preservation and a team of scientists were flown into the country secretly to start the process of embalming. In 1975, peace agreements were officially signed and the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum where his body is embalmed, was inaugurated. Today, the mausoleum is open for tourists and locals to visit and honor their cherished 'Uncle Ho'.

Originally known as the Luc Thuy lake, today it's known as the Hoan Kiem Lake because of a famous legend in 15th century. One of Hanoi's many interesting facts, a fisherman named Le Than once caught a sword in his fishnet. Later, he gave this sword for Le Loi, a leader in the Lam Son insurrection against the Chinese invaders.   Continue on next page...

One day Le Loi climbed a banyan tree, and to his surprise, found a jeweled hilt that belonged to the sword given to him by Le Than. Using this magical sword, Le Loi won the battle. After becoming the king of Vietnam, one day a Golden Turtle God appeared on the surface of Luc Thuy lake and asked Le Loi to return the sword to the Dragon King. The turtle god took the sword, went back into the lake and hence today this lake is called Hoan Kiem lake or 'Sword lake'.

Vietnam's most traditionally significant and best entertainment show is the water puppet show in Hanoi. Water puppetry in Vietnam dates back 1,000 years ago, introduced by the Ly Dynasty. Original shows were performed in actual rice paddies of the Red river of northern Vietnam where the expert puppeteers stood in waist deep waters and entertained the local rice farmers.  Continue on next page... 

 Today, just with the change in setting and location, these shows have become universally entertaining for everyone visiting Hanoi. Rural Vietnamese customs, culture and traditions like fishing, harvesting and village folklore are well represented in these shows.   Continue on next page...