The Vietnam Airlines flight from Seoul to Hanoi went pretty smooth, unlike the chaos at airports in Europe, it took about 15 minutes from check-in to gate. This included a 5-minute wait for luggage to clear security.

It was dark when I landed in Hanoi. Generally I don't like that, it's difficult to orientate yourself and somehow feels a bit hostile, when arriving at a new place.

The pre-booked car took me directly to my hotel, ... well it was a Saturday, so a large part of the Hanoi Old Quarter is made into a giant pedestrian zone, so I had to walk the last couple of hundred meters through the Saturday night crowds.

Hoàng Thành Thăng Long

The next day I headed to a nearby museum called Hoàng Thành Thăng Long. (empirical city of Thang Long). It's more like a large area with multiple musea and exhibitions, either about Vietnamese culture or the war.

Same like last time, it's interesting to read all the history of the war from the Vietnamese perspective, where the Americans were the occupiers.

The area used to be part of a large fort-like structure and was the capital of the Ly-dynastie in the 11th century.

During the Vietnam war, the bunker below one of the buildings was used to lead the war.

Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum

A couple of days later I visited the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, for a welcome air-conditioned afternoon. The museum is spread out over three floors and contains traditional and modern art.

Hanoi streets

Every day either around lunch or after dinner I wandered the streets of Hanoi, mostly in search for food :P but also to take some photos here and there.

Ngọc Sơn Temple

A Confucius temple on a little island in Hoan Kiem Lake, which happened to be open this evening.

You have to pay for entrance, but it was a nice escape from the crowds.

It turned out the crowds where here for a reason, the Hanoi marathon.

Canton Assembly Hall

Tucked away in the Old Quarter was a gallery showing modern art. It's free to visit and it was open late at night when I passed it.