You don’t see the 1000 year old history of Vietnam’s capital everywhere, but you can feel it. It is one of those fascinating places where you can experience the past and the future in the present. Time changes by the minutes. French colonial architecture, Internet cafes, art-galleries, temples, pagodas, markets, Tradition and High Tech closely together. Hanoi was the first station of our Vietnam journey. Unfortunately we had a bad start, because the flight with Austrian airlines was not very comfortable and good served, and our luggage was delivered 3 days later as we arrived. In addition the weather was not comfortable, too. It was cloudy, a little bit rainy and cool. But beside these bad conditions we liked the mixture from old and a new immediately. The 3.5 million city has many faces. The city centre with its ochre-coloured houses has the flair of a little French town. Present at all here is naturally Ho-Chi-Minh, whose mausoleum is a great attraction of Vietnamese Peoples and tourists. The literature temple is a rare example of traditional Vietnamese architecture. We are always fascinated by old temples. A favourite meeting place for young and old is the Huan Kiem Lake, which situated in the middle of the city surrounded by a beautiful park. The lovely old part of the town, named also 36 Pho Phuong (36 roads) is one of the most bustling and unusual quarters of Hanoi. Here you can buy everything from gravestone to silk wear. We were very fascinated and strolled crosswise through the small lanes which its tube- houses, the typical houses in this area. It’s hardly to believe that beside the many pedestrians, street traders, market-women, also the horrible traffic with thousands of motor-bikes flows at the streets. A popular place for the people is the west lake. Many families spent their weekend here. Boat trips or Picnic is very popular. A cultural highlight for us was the visit of the water puppet theatre. The Puppet show was very funny and should be a must for each Hanoi visitor. Vivien & Erhard Vivien’s und Erhard’s Blog