We arrived in Hanoi after a flight from Los Angeles, with an overnight (unplanned; we missed our connection due to mechanic issues on the plane) stay in Tokyo, and took a cab to our hotel, the Sofitel Legend Metropole, a 5 star hotel built in 1901. The staff was amazingly attentive from the time we stepped out of the cab until we departed two days later. The Sofitel is such a beautiful hotel, peace and tranquility in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city. The hotel is conveniently located and you can walk so many places from here. The grounds, pool bar, restaurants, rooms were all perfect.
The city of Hanoi is a mixture of ancient and modern, a meeting of East and West. It's known for the graceful colonial architecture, frenetic streets filled with motorbike traffic, lovely parks, ancient temples, and peaceful lakes.
The second day we had a tour of the Presidential Palace grounds and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. This is when my body decided to faint! We were standing and listening to our guide and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the pavement looking up at my husband, a Vietnamese man, and some of our group. The Vietnamese man was the President's personal physician, who had come out to assist. He checked my vital signs and recommended I go to the International Hospital. Instead, my husband and I went back to the hotel and I rested for the remainder of the day.
Unfortunately, we missed the rest of the Hanoi tour, including seeing the Hanoi Hilton, made famous during the Vietnam War, and the puppet show that evening. But driving through the city when we departed, we were amazed at all the bicycles and motor scooters. There were entire families (up to 5 people) riding on one scooter. Crossing the street is very interesting! No one pays any attention to stop lights, so it's constant traffic. We were told to just walk straight across and people would slow down or go around us. That was pretty scary!
I did spend the rest of our trip with a black eye, a big bump on my forehead, and skinned knees!
The city of Hanoi is a mixture of ancient and modern, a meeting of East and West. It's known for the graceful colonial architecture, frenetic streets filled with motorbike traffic, lovely parks, ancient temples, and peaceful lakes.
The second day we had a tour of the Presidential Palace grounds and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. This is when my body decided to faint! We were standing and listening to our guide and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the pavement looking up at my husband, a Vietnamese man, and some of our group. The Vietnamese man was the President's personal physician, who had come out to assist. He checked my vital signs and recommended I go to the International Hospital. Instead, my husband and I went back to the hotel and I rested for the remainder of the day.
Unfortunately, we missed the rest of the Hanoi tour, including seeing the Hanoi Hilton, made famous during the Vietnam War, and the puppet show that evening. But driving through the city when we departed, we were amazed at all the bicycles and motor scooters. There were entire families (up to 5 people) riding on one scooter. Crossing the street is very interesting! No one pays any attention to stop lights, so it's constant traffic. We were told to just walk straight across and people would slow down or go around us. That was pretty scary!
I did spend the rest of our trip with a black eye, a big bump on my forehead, and skinned knees!
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