Hoa Lo Prison Museum - Hanoi Hilton

This museum was no hotel. Looking back in time is always interesting. The original site of the famous "Hanoi Hilton" Hoa Lo Prison is where Vietnamese and American prisoners were held.

Towards the end of the 19th century, in an effort to contain the growth and development of popular abti-colonial movements amongst the Vietnamese community, the French government of Indochina reinforced its apparatus of suppression by strengthening the police force, developing the court system and constructing an extensive network of prisons. Opened in 1896, Hoa Lo was the largest of the French prisons in the north of Vietnam, others built at Cao Bang, Son La, Lai chau and Hai Pong. Built on the site of what is believed to have been a former craft village, Hoa Lo Prison quickly became a place where thousands of patriots and revolutionary fighters were imprisoned and tortured, both physically and spiritually. Many Vietnamese sacrificed their lives here to secure the independence and freedom of the nation.

Following the liberation of the north in October 1954, Hoa Lo became a state prison and henceforth used to detain criminal offenders. From the 5th August, 1964 until 31 March, 1973 it was also used to detain American pilots whose aircraft had been shot down over Hanoi whilst bombing or attacking the north Vietnamese people. The Americans prisoners gave Hoa Lo the nick name "Hanoi Hilton".

We hear a lot about the American feeling on the war between Vietnam and it is interesting to see the other side to the conflict of the years gone by. In the small section on the American prisoners you see a number of photos of the American being held and some of their items that they had while detained here. In many of the photos you can see the men smiling which makes you think was it a reaction to having a photo taken or where they told to smile at the time by the prison guards?

One location, different reasons to hold people, only a small part of the original prison is left standing due to new buildings taking up the land. This museum, even small gives you a look into what life was like within the walls.

Picture: How the original Hoa Lo Prison looked before parts where torn down for land development

Picture: How the Vietnamese prisoners where held

Picture: One of two guillotines that the French colonialist used to cut the heads off from the revolutionary patriotic soldiers

Picture: A part of the prison

Picture: The apartment block Hanoi Towers over shadows the museum

Picture: A bed of one of the American prisoners

Picture: Some electrical wiring in the prison

Halong Bay

We decided to take an over night trip to Halong Bay which is about a three hour drive from Hanoi.

With a bit of a rough start to our trip as our driver was an hour late we made the dock in time to get transported to the Jasmine Junk which we where sailing on while visiting the bay. The weekend was overcast which we had a bit of a storm on Saturday night but it didn't interfere with the sailing at all.

Over the two days we sailed on the bay stopping at a local beach for a swim, a visit to a floating fishing village and the last stop was a visit to a cave which was home to some large rock formations. It was a nice break away to see such a natural beauty of Vietnam.

I always find it interesting to read about the local legends in the different countries and according to local legend, long ago when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend the land. This family of dragons began spitting out jewels and jade, which turned into the islands and inlets dotting the bay, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders. The people defended their land and formed what later became the country of Vietnam. After that, the dragons became interested in peaceful sightseeing and decided to stay to live here. The place where the Mother Dragon flew down was named Ha Long, the place where the dragon children attended to their mother was called Bai Tu Long island (Bai: attend to, Tu: children, Long: dragon), and the place where the dragon children wriggled their tails playfully was called Bach Long island (Bach: white the colour of the foam from the wriggling tails, Long: dragon, Vy: tail).

Some more information about the Bay is that Halong Bay is bordered on the south and southeast by the Gulf of Tonkin, on the north by China and on the west and southwest by Ca Ba island. The bay has a 120 kilometre long coastline and is approximately 1553 square kilometres in size. The bay consists of a dense cluster of 1969 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, which rise spectacularly from the ocean. The Bay is host to two ecosystems, a tropical moist, evergreen rainforest's ecosystem and a marine and coastal ecosystem. The islands are home to many birds and mammals including bantams, antelopes, monkeys and iguanas. In 1994 Halong Bay was listed as a World's Natural Heritage by Unesco for its outstanding universal aesthetics value.

Picture: Carving on the boat

Picture: The boat we stay on

Picture: Two ladies selling items to passengers

Picture: Paige and the captain

Picture: Bernadette & Ben on top deck of boat

Picture: Bernadette and Paige on top deck of boat

Picture: Local floating fishing village

Picture: Children from fishing village

Picture: A part of Halong Bay


Picture: Ben, Bernadette and Paige in the lounge area on the boat

The Water Park

Always on the look out for something new to do we thought we would pay a visit to the local water park. Being a weekend when we went the park was full of many local people with their families. The water park was well set out and over all it was better then I expected. Paige had a ball going down the different slides. I think next time we will go on a week day when its not as busy.

Picture: Paige going on slide

Picture: Ben and Paige coming down a slide


Picture: Paige on the small slide

Picture: Paige on another slide

Picture: Bernadette & Paige floating around the parks man made river

The Ethnology Museum Hanoi

Having lived in Hanoi now for a couple of months we thought it was time to start and visit one of the museums here to learn more about the culture in Vietnam.

We were surprised at what we found and how interesting the museum was.

Information about the museum from the Internet.........

"The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is a valuable centre for the exhibition and the preservation of cultural heritages of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. To date, the Museum has collected 15,000 artifacts, 2,190 slides, 42,000 photographs, 237 audiotapes, 373 videotapes and 25 CD-ROMs. It is also a centre for ethnographic research employing many experts on the different ethnic groups. People come to the Museum just not to visit or entertain, but also to learn about these ethnic groups, their cultural diversity and the uniqueness of each group and region, as well as traditional values throughout the Vietnamese country.

The artifacts of the Museum are not only priceless antiquities, but many are everyday objects, such as knives, baskets, garments, flutes, pipes and mats. These objects reflect tangible and intangible cultural heritages of the communities, representing lives and creative activities of the people. Thus, artifacts of the Museum are so varied that they are organised into different collections. The Museum has 54 collections of each individual ethnic group. Functionally classified, there are collections of clothing, jewellery, of agricultural tools, fishing instruments, weapons, household utensils and musical instruments. In addition, there are collections of artifacts related to the various religions, beliefs, wedding ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and other social and spiritual activities.
The outdoor exhibition area is only large enough for the most popular architectural styles to be represented. Already presented are the Ede long house, the Tay stilt house, the Yao house half on stilts, half on earth, the Hmong house whose roof is made of pomu wood, the Viet house with tile roof and the Giarai tomb. There are future plans to present the Bahnar communal house, the Cham traditional house and the Hanhi house made with beaten walls. Between the houses, there are trees indigenous to the area of each house, zigzagging paths and a meandering stream crossed by small bridges. The outdoor museum is being realised step by step".

Picture: Paige and Ben sitting outside the museum

Picture: Paige looking at a bike display of cane items

Picture: A display on the stages of making of traditional hats

Picture: Bernadette & Paige standing next to a large clay pot

Picture: A display of traditional skirts

Picture: A display of a traditional dress

Picture: Ben & Paige standing in front of one of the a traditional houses

Picture: Ben , Paige & Bernadette sitting in a traditional long house

Picture: Looking down inside a traditional long house

Picture: A traditional burial tomb

Picture: Information on family altars

On The Road

Picture: Bernadette & Paige on the move

Hanoi is a city that lacks car parking space so many local people ride scooters as they are small, cheap to run and will fit a family of four on quite easy if you know how. So as I say I will give most things ago when living in a new country. Isn't that what its all about?

There are many rules about owning a scooter here which I wont go into in this blog so the next best thing is to hire one.

Asking as many expats as I could I did some research. "Excuse me I see you ride a scooter is it rented" I would asked other expats when I had the chance too in a store or on the street. My research paid off as an expat put me onto a man who rents scooters, all you need is your passport, an address, rental fee and sign your life away so to speak.

There I was in the small shop talking to the owner seeing one of the 'Honda Waves' and agreeing on what time he could deliver to where we where staying at the time. I am adventurous but not crazy, there was no way I was going to ride through the heart of Hanoi never having any experience on a scooter before trying to find my way home. In Hanoi anything can be delivered and scooters are no exceptions.

When the scooter arrived I was given some instructions and the rental man wanted to make sure I was happy with the bike. I decided to ask our house keeper to give it a test ride as she rides her own scooter, "All Ok very good" Hien said.

With the instructions running around my head about the gears, breaks and steering I sat on the scooter to get a feel for it. By this time there was Paige yelling I want to ride it mummy, three security guards all trying to speak in broken English to me offering advice, as well as Hien giving advice. 'No pressure whats so ever' I thought and I took off very slowly to cheers from everyone. I just went around the small parking area a couple of times and decided with everyone watching it was time to let the excitement calm down.

An hour later I decided to give it another go without everyone watching. With a check list completed; wheel lock off, kickstand up, gear in first and checking brakes off I went around the car park again with no one watching or so I thought. It was a good way to get used to the scooter and at one stage one of the other guards come over and offered some advice which I welcomed. Feeling more confidence it was now time to hit the road.

Through the front gate I went to a cheer from the guard at the gate, round the corner and onto the road. With the wind blowing in my face, the sun shining I was flying, "I'm the Queen of the road" I never thought 15km per hour would seem so fast.

After a couple of days after getting used to the scooter I took Paige for a ride. She just loved wearing her helmet and the special belt that goes around her waist and me to keep her secure while riding on the back of the scooter.

Getting my scooter licence

Things comes to those who wait. The process of getting a scooter licence here is quite a long one, paper work, medical, and driving test, what was I thinking?

The paper work, which I was lucky to have one of the ladies Tuyet from the companies office arrange and fill out for me. I just had to supply eight passport photos with me wearing a shirt with a collar, my passport and my local car licence which was done previous as I had an Australian drivers licence so a simple paper work process.

The medical, which I had to do a full medical in one of the local hospitals. Taking two hours and four departments later which included a dental check, eye check, throat, nose, ear check and a breathing check and he I was thinking it would be just an eye examine.

There was even special forms that had to be filled out. With no surprises about my health and after each check was completed I was given the ok. When it came to the last section of the medical a staff member decided that she had to get permission from her manager as they had never seen an expat before. I couldn't believe the fuss, maybe they thought my heart was different or my blood was a different shade of red, anyway I got there in the end and once again Tuyet was there helping, she couldn't believe the fuss either. For me it was an experience that I think I will always remember.

The driving test, couldn't I just pay that bit extra no questions asked? I thought as I stood in the line to start the process. I was told I had to be at the testing place by 8am which I was no thanks to a taxi driver that didn't have a clue, so this wasn't the best start to my day. With Tuyet once again helping me we approached a large garage that was filled with people waiting to have their name called, I think about 300 in total where waiting, hmm I thought "this is going to take a while". We checked out the numbered list, I was number 127 "my lucky number" I hoped or should I say "I prayed". Half an hour went by and my name was finally called seems all the expats the whole three of us had to be all done together so we approached the bench and had to sign I think I counted seven pages of yet more paper work.

Once completed the lady grunted at us to follow her, Tuyet said we had to pay for the test so we went up three flight of stairs in double time trying to to keep up with the lady where we found another two ladies and a man checking paper work and taking the fees. Another half an hour went by and while chatting quietly myself and one of the other English expats was told to shut up by this rude power hungry woman. I felt like walking up to her and slapping her. She was so rude to even the local people pointing and talking rudely to them, she didn't have speak English for me to understand what she was saying I could just tell by her tone. By this time I was so nervous and felt like backing out but once again we where on the move to another location which turned out to be the testing area. On approach to the area I notice about 50 other people all waiting , "Just shoot me now" I thought as everyone watches everyone else do the test "What pressure" I thought. I am so glad that the English expat and I got talking as we talked through a game plan which I think helped me in the end. One after another we saw the people tackle the driving coarse. The coarse consisted of riding around a figure eight which was about 1 meter wide, then along a white line which was about a metre wide as well, around some painted cones and then along a section with small speed humps.

No going out the lines and your feet can not touch the ground on the coarse I was told or point will be deducted. By this time my hands where sweating, I felt sick and to be honest was asking myself "what was I thinking". "Bernette Playsord" I heard "well that must be me" I thought so I approach the scooter that was supplied with my helmet on and sat down. I went through my check list in my mind; kickstand up, gear in second, break on and to be honest there was no where to run. I was just about to commence when the man giving out the scooters out pointed to the gear and waited me to go in third, with a look from me and the words "Are you joking" I said "no" and then the judging panel over on the side line then said over the loud speaker to "start". "Shoot me now" I think I was thinking..

Off I went a bit shaky but as I entered the figure eight I found my self say a loud "revs, revs" which helped to get the bike in the motion I wanted and made me focus, it all happen so fast and I was at the end of the coarse and was totally relieved and I even punched the air in glee not knowing if I had passed or not but I was so happy with my run that it didn't matter and no matter what I could always do it again now knowing what to expect. I parked the scooter and headed over to the judges on the side where Tuyet was waiting for me. Papers where signed and then I asked Tuyet "did I pass?" and her smile said it all, I had passed. I was so happy, I think I had the biggest grin on my face.

What a process to go through from start to finish, paper work, medical, and driving test if I knew then what I know now I think I would of completed the process anyway as the feeling of finally getting my scooter licence will be something I wont forget.

Picture: How much can Bernadette bring home on the scooter?

Villa Plumeria

Welcome to our house "Villa Plumeria", named after the frangipani flower which is our favorite flower. Seems people like to give their homes names in Hanoi hence Villa Plumeria which we decided to call ours.

We live in an area which is call Tay Ho (Ho Tay) which is located about 4kms from the city. The area is a mixture of big and small houses, new and old. It is an area where many expats live alongside the locals who all seem very nice. A smile is a smile here and warms your heart when you see the happyness in their eyes.

Our street is located one street away from West Lake and on the opposite side of our street there is a large pond so the area seems quite open.

So let me tell you about "Villa Plumeria. Our house is set back from the street and surrounded by other houses as most houses are here in Hanoi, you walk down a long drive way and on the right hand side of the front door there is a small plunge pool and on the left hand side of the front door is a small area with garden bed that we have planted a number of plants.

The house has four levels; ground floor has the living room, kitchen and dinning room. The first floor has two bed rooms with two bath rooms. The second floor has two bed rooms also with two bath rooms. The third floor has a second living room with another bedroom and laundry/ bathroom and the fourth floor has the open roof top area with great views.

It has taken a while to get used to having so many stairs (79 in total from the ground floor to the roof top) I am so glad we had the movers carry all the boxes up to the different levels.

I think we have settled in well and have enjoyed being in the house so far, we have found the area very quite and have been pleased with our choice.

Picture: View from left hand side of our gate

Picture: Right hand side view from our gate

Picture: View of pond across the street from our front gate

Picture: Looking down at our front gate from the house

Picture: Looking up at the front of the house

Picture: Ground floor outside front door

Picture: Ground floor garden bed and sitting area

Picture: The plunge pool

Picture: Paige swimming

Picture: One view of living area

Picture: One view of living area looking down to the driveway

Picture: View looking from kitchen to dinning room, the pool is located on the outside of the window

Picture: Paige and Hien our housekeeper standing in the kitchen

Picture: One of the bathrooms

Picture: Paige's bedroom

Picture: One section of the roof top area

Picture: Part of the view from the roof top