My life in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: ”I lost my heart in Hanoi”

Hanoi er en fantastisk by med liv i gaderne og det er ikke kun turister der præger aften-/nattebilledet, men vietnamesere der hygger rundt omkring i parkerne med musik, dans og hinanden. En flok drenge der hænger ud foran nationalbanken, kvinder der danser cha cha cha og andre rytmiske danse, danseskole ved Hoan Kiem søens bred, drenge der danser breakdance på pladsen foran Ly Thai To statuen, kærester der går tur rundt om søen osv. Og ja, så er der alle turisterne der primært præger gaderne med markeds-butikker og boder i den gamle bydel.

Den gamle bydel opstod som markedsplads ved siden af det kongelige palads, og siden 1300-tallet har bydelen haft den struktur den har i dag med gader, der er specialiseret i et bestemt håndværk eller bestemte varer. Den er præget af markedsbutikker og boder der sælger souvenirs, tøj, sko, tasker, keramik osv., ned af den ene gade efter den anden.

Førhen fortalte gadernes navn hvad der blev solgt i butikkerne beliggende på den pågældende gade, men efterhånden som behovene ændrede sig og nye varer er kommet til, svarer varegruppen ikke altid længere til gadens navn.

Efter krigene og indtil begyndelsen af 1990’erne forsvandt Hanoi næsten fra landkortet. Hanoi er en by hvor mødet med mellem en splinterny forbrugerkultur og de århundredegamle traditioner, lever i allerhøjeste grad og har det godt.

Alteret for forfædrene er stadig vigtigere end nok så mange fladskærme og mobiltelefoner, og at bygge nyt er hurtigere gjort end at ændre skik og brug. Diskotekerne lukker kl. 12 og betjente går rundt og tjekker at dette overholdes. Dog er der få indimellem der holder åben længere end tilladt. Det er de diskoteker som er villige til at betale betjentene for at holde åbne længere.

Vi spiste aftensmad på en hyggelig lille italiensk restaurant, som vi fandt i bogen ’Turen går til Vietnam’.

Det var et virkelig lækkert sted og hyggelig stemning. Herefter gik vi på opdagelse gennem mange gader og endte nede af en spærret gade med politimænd klædt pænt på i hvide uniformer. Vi spurgte pænt om vi måtte tage et billede af dem, og vi endte med at få taget et billede af os foran deres fine hvide BMW motorcykel. En sjov oplevelse, og endnu en lille ting der gør at man ikke har lyst til at tage derfra igen.

Hotellet vi havde booket – Rising Dragon Hotel, var virkelig også lækkert og personalet er vildt søde og behjælpelige. 3-stjernet for kun 120 kr. for 2 med morgenmad pr. nat, er nu heller ikke helt ringe. Lidt forkælelse skal der jo til indimellem. :-)

Næste dag nød vi at vi endelig kunne sove bare lidt længere end til før fanden står op. Virkelig dejligt!

Vi fik opbevaret vores tasker på hotellet mens vi gik på opdagelse i Hanoi by – primært den gamle bydel. Vi havde på forhånd planlagt hvad vi SKULLE se, hvad der kunne være fedt at se, samt hvad der kunne være aktuel at se hvis der var tid. Vi skulle flyve om aftenen tilbage til Ho Chi Minh City, og vi havde bestilt bil ud til lufthavnen der ligger 45 min fra hotellet ca. – billigere end med taxa.

Vi startede dagen ved Ho Chi Minhs hus ved Ba Dinh pladsen, der er magtens centrum. Herfra kontrol-lerede den franske kolonimagt de indokinesiske erobringer, og her udstikker kommunistpartiet kursen for Vietnams fremtid. Da der ikke er mange, der har råd til en fransk villa, benyttes de franske huse øst for Ba Dinh-pladsen mest af regeringen og udenlandske ambassader, bl.a. den danske.

Det var ved Ba Dinh-pladsen at Ho Chi Minh d. 2. september 1945 præsenterede den uafhængigheds-erklæring, han havde arbejdet på i ugerne inden, og erklærede Vietnam uafhængigt. Han satte præcise ord på, at både mænd og kvinder såvel som alle folkeslag er skabt lige.

Ho Chi Minh nægtede at bo i det palads, der blev bygget i 1900-08 som residens for den franske general-guvernør over Indokina. Han benyttede det kun til møder og statsbesøg fra udlandet og boede derfor først i en af de bygninger mellem paladset og mausoleet, der var beregnet til guvernørens tjenestefolk. I dag anvendes paladset kun til modtagelse af højtstående repræsentanter for fremmede nationer.

Ho Chi Minh boede fra 1958 og til sin død i pælehuset bag præsidentpaladset.

Herefter gik turen til litteraturtemplet, der blev grundlagt i 1070 af Ly dynastiet, og betragtes som Vietnams første universitet. Seks år senere blev Vietnams skole for konfucianske studier anlagt bag ved templet. Her studerede landets dygtigste unge mænd.

Mange unge kommer til templet for at tage billeder efter eksamen, og før eksamen for at klappe en skildpadde på hovedet. Dog fandt vi ikke rigtig denne skildpadde som studerende skulle komme for at klappe på hovedet.

Det var dog utroligt at se alle afgangseleverne stille op til billeder i de forskellige gårde ind til templet og foran pavillonen osv. Jeg vil vove og påstå at der var flere afgangselever end der var turister. Vi mødte nogle danske pensionister som vi kom i snak med. De skal rejse rundt i Vietnam i 2 uger, og startede deres tur i Hanoi, for at tage videre syd på og derefter slutte af i Ho Chi Minh City. De fortalte at de syntes at Hanoi virker kaotisk pga. de mange biler og motorcykler, men jeg må indrømme at efter at have boet i Ho Chi Minh i 3 måneder efterhånden, virker Hanoi mere fredeligt. Det er svært at forklare hvorfor jeg har denne mening, men jeg tror bare det skal opleves.

Vi gik en tur ned forbi banegården og videre til Hos Lo også kaldet helvedshullet.

Selvom mange i dag bor godt nok, kniber det med pladsen. I Hanoi i 1954 kunne hver person regne med 5,1m²beboelse, mens arealet i 1990’erne var faldet til 1,2m². Hver eneste dansker har ca. 55m² til rådighed, hvilket giver lidt stof til eftertanke. Det var dog utroligt at kigge til siderne når man gik over jernbaneskinnerne midt i byen, hvor tætte folk bor og man kommer til at tænke på, hvad gør de lige når der kommer et tog? Man skal i hvert fald ikke lige løbe ud af hoveddøren da den ligger lige ud til skinnerne, eller være overforsigtig med sin scooter når du stiller den ude foran huset. – Se billeder.

Hoa Lo – fængsel, må jeg indrømme skuffede mig en smule. Fængslede var beregnet til at 450 fanger, men husede ved kolonitidens ophør over 2000, heriblandt mange berømte vietnamesere. Det blev bygget omkring 1886 af franskmændene. Vietnameserne kaldte fængslet for Hoa Lo – helvedshullet, og det var i lighed med mange andre franske fængsler et vigtigt uddannelsessted for de revolutionære.

I 1960’erne og 1970’erne blev fængslet brugt til at huse overlevende amerikanske piloter og besætnings-medlemmer fra nedskudte fly. Amerikanerne gav fængslet tilnavnet Hanoi Hilton. Både vietnamesiske og amerikanske krigsveteraner ønskede at fængslet blev bevaret, men størsteparten er i dag revet ned og veget pladsen for to højhuse.

Det der skuffede mig mest ved denne turistattraktion var at det er så renskuret og derfor langt fra den virkelighed, som fangerne overlevede. Det kunne have været fedt at opleve tingene og bygningerne som de var dengang, som man virkelig fik et ordentligt indblik i hvordan det dengang havde været at ”bo” der, i stedet for den udstillede version med små film og billeder der får det til at lyde som om det var franskmændene der torturerede vietnameserne, og giver et indtryk af at amerikanerne levede luksuslivet i fængslet, mens vietnameserne led. Jeg må indrømme jeg syntes besøget her, gjorde en forvirret i omkring fængslet og fangernes historie.

Vi nåede også at besøge Thang Long Citadel, der er en af 10 verdens kulturarv i Vietnam. Her findes Hanoi flag tårnet, militærmuseet, Kinh Thien Palace og stendragerne, arkæologisk område osv. Vi sluttede vores sightseeing med frokost/aftensmad ved Hoan Kiem søen og et besøg ved Ngoc Son templet, der blev bygget i 1865 og er bl.a. viet til litteraturens skytsengel og til Trang Hung Dao, generalen der fordrev de mongolske invasionstropper.

I templet står en udstoppet skildpadde der døde i 1968, og menes at have levet i søen i 400-500 år. Og derfor er en ”nær slægtning” til den gyldne skildpadde, der hjalp Le Loi.

Endnu en gang var vores fly blevet aflyst og vi blev sat på et senere fly. Igen hørte vi vores destination over højtalerne hver halve time, og selvfølgelig med et andet flyselskab. Vi er efterhånden blevet vænnet til at man ikke kan regne med den afgangstid som man bestiller. Heldigvis var det ”kun” 3 timer denne gang vi skulle vente og ikke fire. Men det er stadig træls at vide at når man skal flyve, så kunne man næsten have været i Ho Chi Minh og en halv time fra at komme ”hjem” til hotellet og sove.

ADVARSEL. Flyv aldrig med Jetstar Pacific igen..!

//Translation

”I lost my heart in Hanoi”

Hanoi is an amazing city with life in the streets and it isn’t just tourists who influence the night picture, but Vietnamese who enjoys themselves in the parks with music, dance and each other. A bunch of boys who is hanging out in front of the Bank of Vietnam, women who dance cha cha cha and other rhythmic dances, a dance school by the Hoan Kiem lake, boys break dancing in the square in front of the statue of Ly Thai To, lovers who walk around the lake etc. And yes, then there are all of the tourists which mainly influence the streets with markets shops and booths in the old quarter.

The old quarter emerged as a market next to the Royal Palace, and since the 1300 century the district has had the structure it has today, with streets that are specialized in specific handicraft or certain goods. It is characterized by market shops and booths that sell souvenirs, clothing, shoes, bags, ceramics etc., down one street after another.

Previously the streets name told what was sold in the shops located on the concerned street, but as the needs changed and new goods have come to, the product category no longer matches the name of the street.

After the wars and until the beginning of the 1990’s, Hanoi almost disappeared from the map. Hanoi is a city where the meeting between brand-new consumer culture and the centuries-old traditions, living in the highest degree and are doing well. However, there are a few in between which holds open longer than allowed. It is the clubs which is willing to pay officers to keep open longer in order to have longer opening hours.

We had our dinner at a cosy little Italian restaurant, which we found in the book ‘The trip goes to Vietnam’. It was really a lovely place with a nice atmosphere. After this we went on an adventure through the many streets and ended down a blocked street with police officers dress nicely in white uniforms. We asked if we could take a photo of them, and we ended up getting our picture taken in front of their fine white BMW motorcycle. A fun experience and just another small thing that make you not want to leave.

The hotel we had booked – Rising Dragon Hotel, was really nice and the staff is so nice and helpful. 3 stars for only 120 Dkkr for two persons with breakfast per night, isn’t bad at all. A little pampering is a must once in a while. :-)

The next day we enjoyed that we could sleep a bit longer that before the devil wakes up. Really nice!

We got our bags stored at the hotel while we went exploring Hanoi city – mainly the old quarter. We had planned what we SHOULD see, what would be nice to see and what could be relevant to see if there was time. We had to fly in the evening back to Ho Chi Minh City and we had booked a car to the airport which is located approximately 45 minutes from the hotel – cheaper than with taxi.

We started the day at Ho Chi Minh’s house at the Ba Dinh square, which is the center of power. From here the French colonial power controlled the Indochinese conquest and here the communist party mark out the course for Vietnam’s future. Since there are many who can’t afford French villa, the French houses east of the Ba Dinh square is used mostly by the government and foreign embassies, including the Danish.

It was at the Ba Dinh square that Ho Chi Minh on September 2^nd, 1945 presented the Declaration of Independence, which he had worked on in the weeks before, and declared Vietnam independent. He put the exact words that both men and women as well as all people are created equal.

Ho Chi Minh refused to live in the palace, which was built in 1900-08 as the residence of the French General Governor of Indochina. He used it only for meetings and state visits abroad and lived therefore first in one of the buildings between the palace and the mausoleum, which was intended for the governor's servants. Today the palace is only used to receive high-ranking representatives of foreign nations.

Ho Chi Minh lived from 1958 until his death in the house on stilts behind the Presidential Palace.

After we went to the temple of litterateur, which was founded in 1070 by the Ly dynasty and is considered as Vietnam’s first university. Six years later, Vietnam’s school of Confucian studies was established behind the temple. Here studied the country’s most talented young men.

Many young graduates come to the temple to take pictures after graduation, and before the graduation to clap a turtle on the head. Unfortunately we didn’t found the turtle, which the students are supposed to come and clap on the head.

It was incredible to see all of the graduates pose for pictures in the different yards at the temple square and in front of the pavilion etc. I would venture and say that there were more graduates than there were tourists. We met some Danish senior citizens who we got into conversation with. They are travelling around Vietnam for 2 weeks, and started their trip in Hanoi, and then going south and will finish in Ho Chi Minh City. They told us that they think that Hanoi seems chaotic because of the many cars and motorcycles, but I must admit that after living in Ho Chi Minh City for 3 months now, Hanoi seems more peaceful. It is hard to explain why, but I think you just need to experience it.

We went past the railway station and further to Hoa Lo, also known as the hell hole.

Although many today live well enough, there is lack of space. In Hanoi in 1954, each person had approximately 5.1 m2 floor space, while the area in the 1990’s had fallen to 1.2 m2. Every Dane has around 55m2 available, which gives food for thought. It was incredible to look to the sides as we went over the railway tracks in the middle of the city, to see how tighten people live and you get to think about, what do they do when a train passes by? One should certainly not just run out of the front door as it is located right next to the rails, or being over-cautious with your motorbike when placing it in front of the house. – See pictures.

Hoa Lo – the prison, I must admit disappointed me a bit. The prison was intended for 450 prisoners, but housed 2000 prisoners at the end of the colonial, including many famous Vietnamese. It was built around 1886 by the French. The Vietnamese called the prison Hoa Lo - hell hole, and it was like many other French prisons, an important training ground for the revolutionaries.

In the 1960’s and 1970’s the prison use to house American pilots and crew members who had survived from the downed aircraft. The Americans gave the prison the nickname Hanoi Hilton. Both Vietnamese and American war veterans wanted the prison preserved, but most are teared down today and has given way for two high-raise buildings.

What disappointed me the most about this tourist attraction was that it is so scrubbed and far from the reality that the prisoners survived. It would have been cool to experience things and the buildings as they were then, so you really got a proper insight into how it was to live there back then, instead of the exhibited version with small movies and pictures that makes it sounds like it was the French who tortured the Vietnamese, and gives an impression of that the Americans lived the luxury life in prison, while the Vietnamese suffered. I must admit that I think the visit made me confused about the prison and the prisoner’s history.

We also visited Thang Long Citadel, which is the one of the 10 world heritages of Vietnam. Here you will find Hanoi Flag Tower, Kinh Thien Palace and the stone dragons, archaeological site etc. We ended our sightseeing with lunch/dinner at Hoan Kiem lake and a visit at the Ngoc Son temple, which was build in 1865 and is among other things dedicated to the guardian angel of literature and to Trang Hung Dao, the general who drove the Mongol invaders.

In the temple there is a stuffed turtle which died in 1968 and is believed to have lived in the lake for 400-500 years. And is therefore e near relative to the golden turtle, which helped Le Loi.

Once again our flight had been cancelled and we were rebooked to a later flight. Again we heard our destination in the speakers every half hour and of course with another airline company. We are gradually getting use to that you can’t count on the departure time, which you book. But luckily we only had to wait for 3 hours this time instead of 4 hours like the last time. But it is still annoying to know that, at the time you are flying, you could almost be back in Ho Chi Minh and a half hour from being “home” and sleep.

WARNING: Never fly with Jetstar Pacific again..!