Hỏa Lò Prison (Hanoi Hilton)

Well, let’s just say that it wasn’t a pleasant place to stay. It appears that Senator McCain didn’t have a particularly enjoyable time as a prisoner of war. While the exhibits in the prison suggest that the men and women engaged in activities like playing basketball, celebrating Christmas, joking around, having family dinners, and sending and receiving mail from home, that is propaganda and this was a prison and they were prisioners of war. 

It’s a former French colonial prison in Hanoi, built in the late 1800s to lock up Vietnamese political prisoners. 

Later, during the Vietnam War, it was used to hold American POWs. Today it’s a museum: small cells, iron shackles, guillotines, and interestingly, plenty of info about French brutality and resistance. 

Women's Museum

This museum gave a very nice history of the people of Vietnam and their customs. It focuses on women’s lives across Vietnam—family roles, marriage, childbirth, fashion, work, and especially their roles in war and resistance. 

IIt was a pleasant experience because it offered a glimpse into Vietnam’s daily life rather than focusing solely on emperors and generals. 

This perspective prompted me to reconsider my approach to exploring new cities and countries. It wasn’t until now that we discovered a museum like this in Hanoi. 

As we travel into cities and countries, particularly the first city we visit, We’ll make it a point to find a logical list of museums that can guide us through the cultural nuances of the respective countries. 

This approach should help my understanding of the people and their way of life. 

Hoàn Kiếm Lake at night

We found out two things yesterday, one was that the French Quarter is a lot easier to walk around than the Old Quarter. 

Secondly, the streets around the lake are closed off to traffic on the weekends and you are able to promenade around the lake and enjoy the lights and other tourists walking around.

Additionally, I suppose a third thing is that the city appears to be less crowded on weekends. The roads are not as congested, and even the Old Quarter is not as challenging to navigate. 

A bit of foreshadowing