Hanoi
Our second tour started in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam. We stayed in the Tirant Hotel and we took a Viator tour "Full-day Hanoi City Tour"
Tran Quoc Pagoda - Located on a small penisula on the east side of West Lake, Tran Quoc Pagoda is regarded as the most ancient pagoda in Hanoi with its history line of more than 1,500 years. The architecture of this Buddhist centre is a subtle combination between the solemn and beautiful landscape on the peaceful and quiet ambiance of West Lake's surface.
This is the entrance as we first arrived.
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Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex is an important place of pilgrimage for many Vietnamese. A traffic-free area of botanical gardens, monuments, memorials and pagodas, it's usually crowded with groups of Vietnamese who come from far and wide to pay their respects to 'Uncle Ho'. We had a short time here so we couldn't see very much, plus no photos were allowed inside the Museum and the Mausoleum.
This massive building is the actual mausoleum that contains Ho Chi Minh\'s body. We joined the procession and walked through, seeing Ho\'s body encased in glass.
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Temple of Literature - The Temple of Literature is a Temple of Confucius in Hanoi. The temple hosts the Imperial Academy, Vietnam's first national university. The temple was built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Lý Thánh Tông
This is the entrance to the Temple
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Night Market - Like other Asian cities, Hanoi has a vibrant night market. Fortunately it was only about 2 blocks away from our hotel so we took a stroll up the street.
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The Sreets of Hanoi - The high point of Hanoi was probably just walking around and seeing how different things are. Huge numbers of motorcycles and pedestrians everywhere, street vendors, etc, Crossing the street can be an experience--we were told that once you start walking, do not back up!
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