Vietnam in the Monsoon

We arrived in Vietnam at dusk on Wednesday, flying in over hazy skies from Singapore and descending into a full thunderstorm which lasted for around 2 hours. Our first introduction to Vietnam was therefore a wet one and although the first two hotels we tried were full, we managed to find refuge in a third in the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter.

The following day, somewhat rested but still suffering from the effects of jetlag, we set out exploring, trying to ensure that we didn't get hit by the seemingly thousands of motorbikes bearing down upon us. In order to cross the road here, it is necessary to simply edge out into the traffic and let the motorbikes and bicycles go around you as you walk. If such a thing is at all possible, the driving here is actually worse than in Morocco! (Although it is possibly less dangerous, given the small number of cars).

After checking out some temples (including the Temple of Literature, where a university was founded in the 11th Century AD) and Hoan Kiem Lake in the centre of Hanoi, we decided to book our train tickets for the 16 hour ride south to Da Nang. After being told to change queues at the train station at least 5 times, we were finally able to ascertain that because of a tropical storm which had recently ended in Central Vietnam, the trains had been cancelled and later dates were all booked out as people had been rescheduling their trips. (More on this in a later post). So we decided to head for Sapa in the north instead, which is where we are now.

To cap our culturally-rich and amazing day, in the evening, we watched a performance of the world-famous water puppet show in a theatre opposite the lake (see video below).