Headed down to breakfast at 6.30am and the spread bought back all the memories of fantastic breakfasts in Vietnam. We started with juice, fruit, toast, baguette, eggs, pastries, tea/coffee. Spoke briefly with staff and found out that yesterday and the next 2 days are a holiday as May 1 is Unification Day – they are celebrating 40 years since the North and South Vietnam joined. We headed out for a quick orientation walk to the market to see if we could find the gold shops to change our money. We came back and the many shops around us were just starting to open. We got ready for our morning tour with Hanoi Kids and darted across the road to get a local SIM card. After setting up our phones we were met by Ms Ha and Mr Dat who were to be our guides this morning. They were both University students who volunteer with Hanoi Kids to take foreigners on tours so that they can practice their English. They both spoke excellent English and at times put us to shame. They took us to the Temple of Literature. It is Hanoi’s oldest University. It was founded in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius and was the main centre of education for Vietnamese mandarins who were educated there for several centuries. Ms Ha and Mr Dat were very knowledgeable and shared freely with us. From here we caught a taxi to Hoa Lo Prison. It was built in 1896 by French colonialists to hold thousands of Vietnamese patriotic and revolutionary fighters. During the Vietnamese War part on of the prison was used for captured American pilots who were shot down in North Vietnam. In 1993, to meet the development requirements of Hanoi Capital City, the government decided to demolish part of Hoa Lo Prison to construct Hanoi Tower. The remaining area was turned into a historical relic site. We decided to walk back to the hotel past Hoa Kiem Lake which is in the historical central of Hanoi and is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as a focal point for its public life. There were lots of tourists and locals around the Lake. There was plenty of evidence of Unification as there were many old and new pictures displayed around the lake. We arrived back at the hotel and said goodbye to our 2 new friends. After lunch we set up Kevin’s AFL live streaming so he can watch every AFL game while we are away. Later, we headed out for a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake. The temperature had risen to 36C and fortunately there was a breeze on one side of the lake. It is 1.8km around the lake. Got back and decided to have a few drinks to quench our thirst. Grabbed some ice from the kitchen and settled in for a few quiet ones. Kevin was watching the footy of course. Sat out on the balcony and watched the street as dark came in. We headed out to Neway Restaurant for tea. This was recommended by Ms Jan at the hotel. Was a basic Vietnamese Restaurant and we ordered a set meal which included Pho soup, spring rolls, and a main beef/chicken with rice and a yoghurt to finish off. We each had a Saigon Beer and the total cost VND $260k which is AUS$16. We chatted to a couple from England who were sitting next to us. After the meal we wondered around the back streets to the night market street and headed home. Early night as we were still tired from all our travels.
