Sightseeing in Hanoi

Today Wed the 13th was a full day of sightseeing, with the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, a site of pilgrimage. The building was constructed from materials gathered from all over Vietnam. Modeled closely on Lenin's Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh lies at rest in this Vietnamese version. Then to the house on stilts, where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked from 1958 until his death. Its construction and decor illustrates the importance of simplicity and modesty to this Vietnamese revolutionary. The building is elegantly crafted with lacquered and polished wood, in the traditional style of a communal house on stilts.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Hoi Chi Minh's Study at the house on stilts.

We then saw the One Pillar Pagoda, originally built in 1049. The temple is lotus-shaped and is situated in the middle of a water-lily pond.

One Pillar Pagoda

Alter and offerings at One Pillar Pagoda

Next to the new Ethnology Museum, dedicated to the ethnic minorities of Vietnam, this museum has wonderful displays primarily of the people in the high country.

Then to the Temple of Literature, the site of the first national university dating back to 1076 and one of Hanoi's best-preserved ancient sites with a walk to the Fine Arts Museum, housed within a large colonial building, where we will see contemporary Vietnamese art and handicrafts.

Temple of Literature

We had a great lunch at the Koto Resturant. It is part of the KOTO Foundation which provides training for people to work in hotels and restaurants. They recruit youth, aged 16–22, from at-risk or disadvantaged backgrounds and train them to work in the food and service industry.

After lunch to the new Ethnology Museum, dedicated to the ethnic minorities of Vietnam, this museum has wonderful displays primarily of the people in the high country.