Hanoi Old Quarter
I really can't say enough good things about Hanoi. I expected it to be a bit different and not too touristy. But I didn't expect it to have such charm. Beyond the veneer of cacophony lies an almost decadent indolence. It's hard to describe. There's the French influence, so it's perfectly acceptable to while away an afternoon over coffee and pastry. Many aspects of the city are pre-industrial, so there's not a sense that time is too short and one must hurry. And even though it's a big city, the Old Quarter has a village feel to it. Yet it's no Colonial Willamsburg faux city, performed for the benefit of tourists. It's lively and quite genuine, almost anti-trendy. And the people are open, friendy, and willing toshare their city with you.
Hanoi Sights
The sights in Hanoi are not all that worth seeing, at least when compared to eating, drinking, and just being in the Old Quarter. A temple here, a pagoda there, and there's that mausoleum. For my tastes, nothing really 'wow'ed me. The Temple of Literature came close, but even then I lacked the sense of Vietnamese history for it to be meaningful to me. Don't get me wrong, there's stuff to do. And if you've got the time, then by all means see the sights. But don't go hungry or thirsty in doing so.
Water Puppets
The tourist hating part of me placed the water puppet show high on the list of what to avoid. But as I've grown older I've been able to admit to myself that if I don't live there then I am a tourist. And I'm glad I didn't snob my way our of seeing the water puppets. The show's less than an hour. The music and performance is live. And it presents images of Vietman that you'll recognize when in the countryside and remember when you're at home. There's a good bit of humor. And although the narration is in Vietnamese, you don't need to understand it -- much like you don't need a voice-over for cartoons.
