Hanoi Day Tour DIY & Lunch @ Highway 4 Restaurant

Continuation from Day 4 - Triple Breakfast in Hanoi ....

Feeling mighty satisfied and satiated from the heavier-than-average breakfast of Pho Bo (beef noodle soup), Banh My (baguette + pork sandwich) and Vietnamese coffee by the roadside, we retreated back to our guesthouse, and managed to charter a taxi to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, about 15 minutes away.

#A tip for the uninitiated - If you decided to ask your guesthouse to charter a taxi for you, like we did with the help of Hanoi Guesthouse, the taxi will charge a flat rate, for us = 40,000 Dong/RM8/USD2.30 for 6 people. The staff at the guesthouse will set a rate with the driver, hence all rates shown by the meter is negligible. The meter showed about 27,000 Dong only, by the way. But if you decided to flag your own cab, you're free to do so. But remember to ask before taking one, whether they use the meter, or flat rate. But given the fact that chartering a taxi big enough for the 6 of us was a rather daunting task, (more on that later, though we managed to squeeze into a sedan-size cab .... all FIVE cramped at the back! muahaha) we decided to let Mrs Linh made the booking for us #

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is a grand memorial built for the famous Vietnamese leader, Ho Chi Minh (duh, who else you expecting?) situated at Ba Dinh Square, the place where Ho read the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945, which established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. (source : Wikipedia).

First of all, strict regulations are imposed on the visitors, numbering thousands everyday. The mausoleum is opened from 8.00 am to 11.00 am, from Tuesdays to Sundays (unverified, but Mondays are definitely off to visitors), and half an hour earlier for both opening and closing times during summer. You must be dressed decently, meaning no shorts, mini skirts, sleeveless shirts etc etc. Rumours abound that the embalmed corpse is being sent to Russia for 2-3 months each year, for erm, "maintenance works" to preserve the body. Do ask your guesthouse or hotel staff to confirm before departing on your own.

Oh, and strictly NO CAMERAS ALLOWED inside the mausoleum. You've to surrender them at the entrance, whereby you need to go through a metal detector of sorts (like the one you've to go through at the airport), and no food & drinks allowed. Either hide them deep in your bag, or place them in the basket at the entrance, and claim them after (write your name or something). The cameras will be kept in a sealed bag, and transferred to the exit of the mausoleum. How safe? I can't guarantee, but all of ours were safe-kept perfectly.

The Presidential Palace - Off limits to the public

The queue to see the well-preserved corpse of Uncle Ho was intimidating, you have to walk two by two (kinda reminded us of school days .... those happy times ....), but moving at a steady yet not too slow pace. The serene and quiet surrounding was almost surreal (silence's a must, and definitely no laughing/singing/whispering of any kind, lest you intend to test the patience of the stern and DAMN unfriendly and downright RUDE guards). And trust me, they CAN be absurdly annoying to the point of igniting your fire ..... Patience my friend, is a virtue.

Are you seeing YELLOW yet?

Exiting the mausoleum, you'll reach another section with the residence (house on stilts, really!) Uncle Ho used to stay for a short period, behind a yellow-coloured, grand building named the Presidential Palace. Really humble leader, in my opinion. The house is facing a lake, providing much tranquility, not to mention a beautiful landscape to the place.

More Yellow structures .... guess Vietnam's like Malaysia in terms of choosing the 'Royal Colour' ...


The house built on stilts .... notice the throngs of visitors? It's a miracle the structure doesn't give way!!

One thing you'll notice straightaway is the number of Vietnamese visiting the attraction, easily over-numbered the tourists by a large margin. From school students to the blue-collars, they seem to have utmost respect to the late Ho Chi Minh.

The One Pillar Pagoda

After spending about two hours visiting the mausoleum and the residence, we followed the crowd, and reached the One Pillar Pagoda. (Read from Wikipedia HERE on the history and explanation on the temple ... my fuel's running low)

Ho Chi Minh Museum (click HERE for Wikipedia's always reliable take)


Erm, help translating anyone? Either stay away from the grass ... or else.

Further sessions of camwhoring ensued, at the square in front of the Mausoleum, populated by a field of lush, green grass ... until "disaster" struck.

The square is gargantuan in size, probably about the size of a football field. But to enter from the other side (not through the tough security checks and sour faces!), you'll get whistles blowing to ear-bleeding level instantly! It was indeed, a candid moment watching people searching high and low for the source of the whistle, and some even tried to out-run the whistle, dashing through the square at break-neck speed!

But none, I tell you ... NONE can be compared to this RIDICULOUSLY RUDE, ANNOYING, BIAS, PRICK of a guard. Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you .....

Hanoi's #1 Worst in Public Relations, Mr Sour Face !!!!!!

Scoring almost 100% on the score card for Rude Guards of The World, not only did he blow his whistle at us for using the tripod (erm, is that illegal?!) on solid ground, but after shooting the question of "Where You From?", and partly disappointed we're not Vietnamese as he initially thought (maybe Vietnamese can be summoned for using tripod?), he waltzed off in shame ..... until ....

We witnessed he voluntarily helped a couple of Westerners snapping photos (impromptu I tell you, though only sign language, no words uttered). Obviously still shaking in our boots (hehe), we refrained from using tripod again, and politely (you know Malaysians lah .... in foreign countries or to foreigners IN our country, we're at our most humble selves ....) asked the guard to assist us in a Happy Family shot. And guess what? He had the audacity to FLICK US OFF! Without even looking at us nor saying a word, he grumbled and shot us down (not with a gun la ... it's a figure of speech).

Geez ..... with no complaint forms in sight, we stole a few shots of the aforementioned Mr. Sucked-On-A-Lemon. Now, now ... where's the pair of clogs I need for some "tenderizing" of the pic?!!!

The Temple Of Literature

Sour notes aside, we left the square in a hurry as we were rushing to cover the Temple of Literature and lunch before visiting the Dong Xuan market for some souvenirs-shopping. Only to realise our 'wise' choice of opting to walk instead of flagging a cab took us a good 20 minutes or more to reach the aforementioned Temple.

Yup, that's a stone turtle staring back at ya ....

For a brief rundown of the place, refer to HERE. Also known as the Temple of Confucius (not Confusion, for the sarcastic ones ...) the temple was founded in 1070. Yup, almost 1000 years old!!!! But of course, after some restoration works, no less. Entrance fee is priced at 5000 Dong/RM1/USD0.30.

The Third Courtyard with the pond aptly named Thien Quang Tinh, or Well of Heavenly Clarity


Structures in and around the temple ....


The Drum and ....

The Bell

Our king (Malaysia's very own YDPA Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin) went on a visit to Vietnam last week or so, and beat the very same drum in the pic above, urging Malaysians to share their expertise to help the country develop rapidly. (Source : Bernama news) We were there 2 weeks too early though, else we could be standing side by side and shared the limelight. =)

Highway 4 @ 5, Hang Tre, Old Quarters, Hanoi, Vietnam

We rushed off to lunch, and mistakenly took a taxi specifically ferrying visitors of the Temple. Whoopsie. Bad news, as tourist taxis = Over-charging. A short trip (about 10 minutes or so) for 75,000 Dong/RM15/USD4.30. As soon as we arrived on Hang Tre Street, I signalled frantically for the taxi to halt, as the meter was ticking like crazy! Plus point was, we managed to squeeze all 6 of us inside the sedan-sized cab! Though comfort aside, I'm sure the others at the back were suffocating. (Morale of the story? It pays to be FAT!)

Nem Ca Xa Lo4 (Catfish Spring Rolls) @ 72,000 Dong/RM14.40/USD4

Highway 4 has a total of four outlets all over Hanoi (http://www.highway4.com/). Their specialty covers a whole range of food, from the most basic Vietnamese dishes, to the more exotic ones such as snails, clams, crocodile meat and more.

Worth-mentioning is their specialty, the catfish spring rolls. The fried catfish rolled in paper-thin rice rolls stuffed with herbs and greens tasted uncannily like McD's Filet-o-Fish, but paired with their wasabi soy dipping sauce, the combination is perfect, a tasty starter to tease the palate for more.

Cua Dong Rang Me (Soft-shelled Crabs roasted with tamarind)
@ 55,000 Dong/RM11/USD3.10

The soft-shell crabs were nothing that we're accustomed to. Baby crabs roasted to crispiness, it was a daunting task chewing on them, as the tiny claws and feet of the crabs can scratch your throat if you're not careful.

Clockwise from top left : Muc Nuong Sate (Satay-grilled Squid) @ 65,000 Dong, Hen Bam Xuc Banh Phong Tom (Minced Freshwater Clams with Prawn Crackers) @ 68,000 Dong, Cha Oc Son Tinh (Son Tinh Snail Patties) @ 78,000 Dong and Khoai So Le Bo (Fried Taro with Salted Egg) @ 55,000 Dong

The meal was far from cheap, by Vietnam's standards, yet not exorbitant. The corn drinks in jug was refreshing and thirst-quenching. The meal costed 461,000 Dong/RM92.20/USD26.40 for six.

Location : Highway 4 Restaurant @ 5, Hang Tre, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Cho Dong Xuan - Dong Xuan market

So, why were we rushing? To reach Dong Xuan Market before it closes at about 4-5pm, that's why!!! Seemingly THE shopping destination, the place was NOT your average shopping complex, resembling more of Perlis border shopping at Padang Besar.

Lots of clothes, accessories, bags, souvenirs, food etc etc .... perfect for all-under-one-roof shopping for cheap goods. But we merely bought souvenirs for fellow Malaysians back home, and some 3-in-1 coffee (Trung Nguyen's the brand, G7's the name of the coffee), and dried fruits.

Night activities recap to come in later post ...... for now, Motormouth's off-duty. ^_^