Back in Ha Noi ...

We didn't have much time left in Ha Noi so tried to see as much as we could during the day. One of the visits took us to the One Pillar Pagoda (photograph above) where  the pagoda is supported by one singular concrete pillar which looks like a lotus flower blooming on a stem. This is a replica as the original pagoda was razed by the French military as they abandoned the country in 1950s. Today, you can go to the top and make special prayers especially if you're attempting to have a baby (or at least this was what I was told).

Another place that we visited was the Temple of Literature which reflects the Vietnamese esteem for education and literature. In the past, that was where Vietnam's best and brightest gathered in the compound of temples, pavillions, courtyards and dorms to study the master's teachings and obtain recognition.

 

The above photograph shows the Garden of the Stelae, a home to some of the country's most precious relics - ma,es pf tje 1,306 doctor laureates, who achieved fame between 1442 and 1779n have been captured and inscribed on 82 stelae (with details of the name, birthplace and sometimes even the age with 16 being the youngest and 61 the oldest). Interestingly these stelae and turtles were entombed in sand and concrete by the authorities during the Vietnam War to protect them against the bombing.

When we were there, we saw groups of school children who were also there part of their school trip and it was suppose to be good luck to rub the heads of the turtles. The stelae were meant to inspire the children to study hard and achieve what many others have done in the past.

At the Temple of Literature, I came across these wooden figurines that were replicas of wooden puppets used at the Water Puppet show that we were going for later in the afternoon.

Below is a huge drum that was found at the side of the Thai Hoc Hall which is an ironwood-timbered museum and sanctuary for the veneration of three great Vietnamese kings.

We didn't manage to cover the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum as there was a long queue of visitors so will have to kiv that for the next trip there.

Tien, our local guide, asked if we wanted to visit Cafe Smile and support the establishment where orphans were saved from the streets and taught different skills and they worked in this Cafe upon completion of their training.

We were impressed with the whole concept and we went in to have Vietnamese Coffee with milk (photograph below). Becsause we were due to have lunch, we didn't pig in there though the menu looked really tempting.

A must see in Vietnam would be the Water Puppet Show. Water puppetry is a thousand-year-old Vietnamese performance art with deep roots in the wet rice agriculture of the Red River Delta. What you will see would be puppets carved from fig wood painted and lacquered in bright colours, splashing about on a watery stage as they enact skits drawn from Vietnam's folklore and history.

Photograph above shows the watery stage before the start of the performance. The water puppets were accompanied by an orchestra of musicians and cheo (popular opera) singers (as seen below).

Just to note that you need to pay a small token  on top of the entrance fee if you want to bring in your camera or video cam but it's worth it yes. Only frustrations I had was trying to figure out how to take the photos in the dark without the flash.

These puppets can be as tall as 102cm (40 inches) and weigh up to 16kg (35 pounds) and are attached to buoyant wooden base of float that oplows along just beneath the water's surface.

It's amazing how expressive these wooden puppets can be as the puppeteers work the different parts of the puppets like them marionettes.  Above is part of the skit from Le Loi's return of the magic sword to the golden tortoise of Hoan Kiem Lake.

What I also love are the colours from the puppets and though the songs are sung in Vietnamese, you don't need to understand the language to understand the show.That's how it should be, shouldn't it *grins*

Below is a photograph to show how huge the watery stage is and the water puppets in comparison to the stage. We were fortunate to be seated on the second row and would have been better (for photo opportunities) if we could seat on the front row as I have photographs with people's heads, hands and cameras in many of my shots :o)

Below is a shot of the puppeteers hard at work maneuvering the heavy puppets. It's sheer hard work to make it all look so easy.

At the end of the 45 minute show, the puppeteers wade out from the stage so that us audience can show our appreciation of their performance! Nice!

In Ha Noi, we stayed at a hotel located in the Old Quarter and that is an awesome place to walk around. Lots of shops and things to see and eat if you're daring enough. What is interesting is how the streets are named for the merchandise (hang) that they used to make or sold during imperial times. The way to see the place is just to walk and not worry about getting lost!

Below was a rush shot of an old lady existing the market that was opposite the hotel we stayed in. The plan was to get up nice and early to take some shots but usually I ended up going to bed pretty late and that meant having problems getting up in the morning!

I still have many things that I have not seen in Ha Noi, let alone other parts of Vietnam and I would definitely like to come back again some day. The last few visits this year to different places in Asia has opened my eyes (nice and wide) to the many awesome places to visit that didn't require me to travel half a day to get to to enjoy. And as I have shared with many of my friends, the next year or two, my travel will probably be limited to within Asia and I am so looking forward to it ...