Day Two

Ho Chi Minh was dead. The combination of chemicals and lighting gave the impression Uncle Ho decided to take an afternoon nap. The former president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was on display in an ornate glass casket, his head nestled peacefully in a pillow, his hands resting comfortably on his lap. Someone just needed to shake him awake. You almost expected him to roll over and wave. This was perhaps the best way to familiarize with Hanoi.

Sunday marked the official kick off of the 2010 APRISE Vietnam and Malaysia Study Tour. Everyone arrived, settled and mostly acclimated to the time zone. None of us were really free of the effects of transcontinental travel. Our day was planned with various stops at important cultural landmarks, the first being the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh.

Like previous Communist leaders – Lenin, Stalin, Mao – Ho Chin Minh’s body was embalmed after his death and turned into an attraction.

Led by our guide, Tuan, we lined up outside a security checkpoint. We weren’t allowed to carry cameras, cell phones or backpacks. Once through the metal detector, our things thoroughly inspected, we were directed to the main line into the mausoleum. Hundreds of people already gathered for the chance to see the interred body. No one spoke. Guards in full military regalia supervised us as we slowly marched towards the entrance. The line snaked around the viewing room where the body was laid to rest. The Soviet sickle and hammer along with the Vietnamese star adorned the wall behind the transparent casket. Ho Chi Minh was illuminated in an ethereal light, his skin otherworldly white. A strange unease lingered in the room under the watchful gaze of the guards. We nervously observed the body and allowed the line to push us towards the exit. There was no time to reflect on what we saw until we were outside again.

Our next stop was the Presidential Palace Area where Uncle Ho once lived and oversaw the country. The grounds were lush with green and French colonial architecture. The buildings were preserved much like the deceased president. The rooms were left in the same conditions they were almost 50 years ago. The atmosphere was more relaxed as families snapped photos and gazed into the tiny pond to search for fish. The main attraction was the House on Stilts that the former president built to signify the link between North and South Vietnam.

We hopped back on the bus and rumbled towards the Temple of Literature where scholars have been educated for the past millennium. Dr. Huu Ngoc, a former soldier in the People’s Army of Vietnam, historian and writer, spoke to us about the country’s thousand-year history, which Ngoc split into different eras based on who the Vietnamese were interacting with: Chinese, French, United States, just to name a few. He also shared with us his books about American culture and Vietnamese folklore. He had many insights into the wars with the French and the United States, human rights, Vietnam’s role in the global marketplace and the future for the country.

Our excursion wrapped up at Hoan Kiem Lake in the French Quarter where we all climbed into cyclos, or bicycle rickshaws, for a leisurely tour through the tiny streets of Hanoi. The area is known for its 36 streets and 36 wares – each street is devoted to a different product. Back alley shops and tiny road-side noodle cafes slowly passed as we made our way around the old quarter. Buses and motorbikes brushed dangerously close to our human-powered vehicles, but we all returned to the hotel unscathed.

We topped the day off with a dinner at the Ly Club where we celebrated the conclusion of our kick off extravaganza with the fusion of traditional Vietnamese delicacies and French cooking. The five-course meal left us with satisfied appetites and droopy eyes. We departed the restaurant to head back to the hotel to sleep.