Oi Gioi Oi! Hanoi!

Old Town Hanoi

The old town in Vietnam's capital city is a seething mass of motorbikes, street food, shops, peasant fruit sellers, cobblers, knife-sharpeners, and tourists. It felt like everything was for sale, with entire streets are dedicated to specific items like shoes or bags. That tradition dates back to the 13th century, when the 36 guilds in Hanoi each took a different road to ply their products.

Street Food

I spent my first 24 hours in this city just wandering around, slurping down bowlfuls of delicious food wherever I went. There was the Bun Cha Nem Cua Be Dac Kim, grilled pork patties, noodles, fresh herbs, and crab spring rolls. And Banh Ghoi, fried pastries stuffed with vermicelli, mushrooms and pork. And Bun Oc, the traditional snail noodle soup. And Bun Bo Nam Bo, beef and noodles and garlic and bean sprouts and lemongrass and green mango. All so very tasty.

Alleyway

Every inch of pavement is taken up, with armies of hawkers, street-food cooks, banana sellers, massage purveyors, beer-drinkers, tea-slurpers and fellow pedestrians. Not to mention the people eating at all hours perched on tiny children's stools, the piles of hot coals and cooking paraphenalia, the baskets of vegetables and the rows of parked motorbikes vying for space. This means you have to walk in the street, hoping the motos or buses don't knock you over. It is exhilarating, overwhelming and terrifying all at once.

Shoe shop street?

I could have spent a week just getting lost in the hustle and bustle of the old town, but as I only had two days, I quickly pottered round some of the sights as well. I didn't go to see Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, where "Uncle Ho" himself is on display, preserved in a glass sarcophagus. But I did go to see the Temple of Literature, a Confucian temple where huge groups of local debutantes and graduates dressed in traditional ao dai gather for group photos.

Photo shoot at the Temple of Literature

I also took a tour of the "Hanoi Hilton" prison, the old French colonial jail where John McCain and other US pilots were kept during the Vietnam war. McCain's flight suit is actually still there, on display.

"Hanoi Hilton"

And finally, I woke up at 8am on Sunday morning to catch a 9:30am showing of the ancient Vietnamese art of water puppetry.

Water Puppetry

For at least a thousand years, rice farmers put on shows like this in their rice paddies. Now, you can see modern puppeteers maintain the art form at the Municipal Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi. Here's a little of what it looks like.


Water Puppets from Tina Cone on Vimeo.

The puppeteers hide behind the green screen until the grand finale, when they pop out to greet the crowd.

Water Puppeteers

Hanoi was well worth a visit, for the bustling streets, the beautiful crafts, the historic sights, the puppet show. But most especially, for the food. I just wish I brought elasticated pants.

Oi Gioi Oi! (roughly translated, it means OMG!)