Relaxing trip in Hanoi

After the Bangkok trip with family during the CNY holiday,
I have started another relaxing trip to Hanoi with my 2 buddies, YenCheng & Charles
We had planned the trip since the begining of 2010,
Have been planning for several months to start our adventure journey to explore this little country

It was an exciting traveling by eating different food, explore new things, gain knowledge etc
I can't wait to share the 5 days stories with you all.
Come, lets enjoy the pictures from the trip ya...


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We arrived in Hanoi after 3 hours flight.
It was morning 930am (830am Hanoi time)
I felt very tired and sleepy



After checked in the hotel, we had our first meal/lunch nearby the hotel.
They named it as Bun cha.
Argghh...I dont really enjoy it.





And then, we walked around the city while waiting the Maison central open



Had sugar cane from the street, unexpected sweet and nice.
I love it!!



The Maison central was a prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for politial prisoners
and later used by North Vietnam for prisoners of war during the Vietnam war
It only costs 20,000 VDN (RM3.00 only)



This is the original gate back to the years



It was a bit scary to visit because of the music and the quiet atmosphere inside



I pretty like the hand craving wall behind me.



The underground sewer door. where the prisoners used to escape from the jail.
Me and Ejie were wondering how skinny they were during that time..





After the Maison Central, we started our next spot to the Temple of literature
It is Vietnam first university and functioned for more than 700 years
The entrance only cost 10,000 VDN per person (RM 1.50)





Touching the turtle head..wish I pass all my MBA subjects in the coming sems.



Touching its tummy can bring me more MONEY...



The main entrance of the temple



Tea time! Too hungry!
So we just grab some sausages from the street.
It tasted very good, I can't stop myself to have 2 pieces!





The long Bien Bridge
It is a historic cantilever bridge across red river that connects 2 parts of the city of Hanoi









We had a simple light dinner after the sightseeing
Pho, is the most popular food in Vietnam.
It is the same kind of kuai tiao soup in Malaysia, but the taste of Pho is much more better.
You can add Lime, or different chili powders as condiment



Late night at 8pm, we shopped again at the night market.
I was a bit blur in the pic coz just woke up from a little nap after the light pho dinner





Other than Pho, french bread is another popular food in Vietnam
You can get this bread easily from everywhere in Hanoi.


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2nd DAY!!!




The hotel prepared pho ga (means pho with chicken) for our breakfast
I personally prefer pho bo with beef coz I dont really like the chicken smell ^^
Looking forward to my pho beef in the coming days!



This is the hotel where we stayed, Little Hanoi
It costs about USD20/night and it is managed by the Japanese.
We think it is not very worth the price as the building and facilities are pretty old in the hotel





After the light breakfast, we arrived at the Jeti where we are going to start our 2 days 1 night Halong Bay trip...
It took about 3 hours drive from the city to the Jeti







The weather is very cold and windy, was only 18-20 degrees everyday



Yippi Yippi!



Cold till we shaked at the roof in the boat



Half way the Halong Bay journey, we stopped at a pretty cave
Sorry, I cannot recall the name of this cave.
But I was really impressed with its beautiful







After the pretty cave, we walked to another cave, Dau Go Cave











The main entrance of the Dau Go Cave



After the visits to 2 different caves, we went back to the boat
Doing nothing, but only chit chatting, drinking and puff puff-ing
Halong Bay is quite a boring trip, but yet you can take the chances to relax your mind from the city


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3rd DAY!!!

Woke up early morning for the breakfast
This is the bed I slept on the boat





The new Australian friends we knew from the trip
Nice to meet you both Jackie and Eddie



After the breakfast, we just hang out at the roof top and took some pictures.
Darn, it was freezing...





And then we had some fun outside the boat while waiting for the other passengers







And then, we continue our photo shooting.....



That's the lonely stone







Yeaaaa...we are finally back from the boring Halong Bay trip.
We visited St. Joseph's Cathedral, the oldest church in Hanoi



Hungry and tired
We had Pho again as our dinner
This time I got my Pho bo...and it was superb!
And the below snakcs were not bad too...



Banh Beo



Banh Bot Loc



Banh Ram-It, my most favourite!

After the heavy meals, we sight seeing in the Hanoi city







Ngoc San Temple,
The famous place of historical and cultural interest at the heart of the city of Hanoi
The entrance only cost 10,000 VDN per person (RM 1.50)









Sight seeing till late night.



End my day with a local Hanoi beer


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4th DAY!!!




I love to have black coffee in Hanoi.
It smells very good but not bitter at all
You can try to get the famous black coffee from any convenient shops in Hanoi
The coffee brand is G7, only cost 20,000 VDN (RM3.05) for 15 small packs.



After breakfast, we visited Ho Chin Minh Mausoleum



Not allow to take any pictures inside the HCM Mausoleum
And this is the building of HCM Mausoleum



The Presidential Palace located just next to the HCM Mausoleum
Only cost 15, 000 VDN (RM2.30) for the entry



After walked around the Presidential Palace, you will end up the One Pillar Pagoda
This is the unique of Hanoi



Finally, we came to the Ho Chi Minh Musuem where you can learn the history of Ho Chin Minh
Yes, I have to admit that Ho Chin Minh is really the HERO of Vietnamese
Note: It only cost 15, 000 VDN for this entrance (RM2.30)





The main entrance of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, President House, One Pillar Pagoda and Ho Chi Minh Musuem



Lunch time!
I tried this fried pho, and it tasted pretty good



Yogurt with coffee on ice, it is superb yummy



Visited to Quan Thanh Temple/Pagoda after lunch







Before the puppet show, we hang around at Xuan Dong market.
You can get some cheap souveniers from here, but most importantly you must have strong negotiating skills ya...



Walk around before the puppet show started



Here is the puppet show
This is a MUST watch show in Vietnam
Cost 40, 000 VDN (RM6.15) for the show
You can book the show through your hotel agent



We had Kebab for our tea time after the show



Dinner time at Quan An Ngon
According to YenCheng, it is a must come place for dinner in Vietnam
No doubt they have lots of variety of Vietnam food.



Beer is our daily drinks in Hanoi before bed time



After dinner, we had supper nearby the street
This time we had BBQ food


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5th Day!!! THE LAST DAY!

Yes, finally we are going back to KL today!
Can't wait for it!



Pho bo, Pho bo, Pho bo, I am gonna miss you!



Waiting for the check in....Hippopo is leaving lu....



Hehe, another sign on my travel passport



Did you guys have a good time?
I did! And I look forward to my next destination...
Shanghai? Australia? Korea?


The End of the Report....^^