HANOI

I visited the beautiful Vietnamese capital during a solo trip across the country in 2006 using public transport, train, plane and bus from Hanaoi to Saigon with many beautiful excursions. I thought that I would like Saigon, the southern and more western capital, more than the austere northern capital but instead the opposite happened. In fact, having visited Saigon during the Christmas period, I was struck more by the modern skyscrapers and shopping centres, the boutiques exceptionally decorated for the holidays (like in Bangkok), many more lights, Christmas trees and Santa Clauses and when I arrived in Milan When I returned, it seemed to me that I was in a dark and miserable place by comparison. Apart from this, Hanoi has a delightful historic center with narrow streets full of life with its little restaurants where you eat sitting on low plastic chairs and low tables, there are many small hotels where I also stayed and where they got me a whole series interesting excursions for which I paid about 200 dollars (to Sapa on the Chinese border to see the Sunday market when the Hmong Flower women arrive in their colorful costumes, to the nearby beaches of Bac Ha,to the south Ninh Binh where you sail in a rowing boat driven by women along a beautiful river with lotus flowers, surrounded by high mountains with caves and above all Halong Bay which is considered one of the wonders of the planet, with its magical pinnacles inside a bay that looks like a large lake, with an island and a beautiful cave, we have sailed on a characteristic wooden boat with a beautiful terrace from which we enjoyed the incomparable view). The city is teeming with thousands of scooters that you have to try to avoid when crossing the streets without trying to run but walking slowly because they are the ones who avoid you otherwise you will get hit. I saw the extraordinary show of the puppets that are operated by operators who are immersed in water and who only come out at the end of the show. I went to see the large mausoleum of the old president Ho Chi Minh, the one who defeated the USA in the 70s, then the "one pilar temple" that is a small temple supported by a single pillar in the center and finally the beautiful temple of Literature, the first university in the country dedicated to Confucius, a beautiful red wooden structure with a lot of beautiful vases containing flowers and bonsai. And how can we forget the romantic lake in the center with the beautiful red bridge, weeping willows and a small island with the Turtle tower and another island that houses the jade mountain. It is believed that in Hoam Kiem Lake a young fisherman thought he had caught a large fish but instead it was a sword that he gave to Le Loi, a leader who had led the Vietnamese people to rebel against Chinese domination. In fact, by brandishing that sword he managed to defeat the occupiers and became the first Vietnamese king. I have excellent memories of this city which remains one of my favorites in Asia.

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