Hanoi!

Jenny and I arrived in Vietnam on Christmas Day for a 10-day trip throughout the country. We started our journey in Hanoi, which is the government center of Vietnam and is also known as a "little Paris" in Asia. The French used to control Vietnam between the 1860s to the 1940s, and you can still see the French influence all over the city, from the buildings to the food. We got to see a lot of fun sights in our time here, and we had so much good food! Here are our pictures, hope you enjoy!

This is at the Temple of Literature, also known as the first university in Vietnam. It is over 1,000 years old! Students used to come to the university and sit around the water, listening to their teachers tell stories and spread wisdom.

This center walkway was reserved for the elite in society, mostly kings and top scholars.

I took a rest at the entrance to the temple.

After the Temple of Literature, Jenny and I sat down for some "pho bo" - a warm noodle soup with beef - and Vietnamese spring rolls. It turns out that Pho Bo has the same ingredient that is used in Tamiflu, so it helps you when you are feeling sick! Which was very good, since Jenny caught a bad cold while in Vietnam!

This is me at the Hanoi Water Puppet Theatre. The water puppets are a famous folk art form in Vietnam. They perform three shows here a day. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip!

These are the water puppets doing the "Fairy Dance."

More from the water puppet show.

This is a very famous historical landmark in Vietnam. It is called the Maison Centrale, or the Hoa Lo Prison. Most Americans know it as the "Hanoi Hilton." During the Vietnam War (or the American War, as it is known in Vietnam), this is where the Vietnamese held the American pilots whose planes had crashed over North Vietnam. Senator and Presidential Candidate John McCain was a prisoner of war here from 1966 - 1973.

This is the beautiful Hanoi Opera House. This was built during the time of French rule in Vietnam, and looks very similar to many of the buildings in Paris. Many government buildings, houses, and nice hotels are built in this same style.

After a day in Hanoi, Jenny and I left for Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Sight just off the eastern coast of Vietnam. I will post pictures from that trip in my next post!