Today we woke up early in Hanoi after hours of plane time yesterday to enjoy the local cuisine of Vietnam for our breakfast. To our delight, we saw a mix of both Vietnamese and Western foods on offer. This was very refreshing due to the lack of variety we had experienced on the plane trip.
We started our day with a tour in golf carts around the centre of Hanoi. We went past lots of different shops selling all sorts of things and also had our first experience of Vietnamese traffic. It seems totally chaotic but by the end of the day we were becoming experts at crossing the road.
After changing some money, we arrived at a restaurant where we enjoyed our lunch consisting of a series of interesting and delicious entrées and many rice based dishes. We then made our way towards the Australian embassy. A new experience for many on the way was the amount of armed Vietnamese soldiers guarding the embassies. When we arrived we had an interview with four of the staff and learned about what an embassy does and how the Australian embassy improves relations with Vietnam. This was followed by an hour of free time to explore the city centre in small groups. Most of us wanderedaround discovering the foods and merchandise on offer at the street vendors. We were at times surprised by the poverty, the propaganda and the military force that was present throughout the city.
In the evening we saw the famous water puppet show. The puppets on long sticks moved over water while an orchestra played traditional Vietnamese music. It was quite entertaining.
Written by James Saint-John and Magnus Rodgers
Tomorrow we head for Mai Chau Village, where we will stay until Day 7 and build the house. We are uncertain about the availability of wifi there but will keep writing our blog and publish it as soon as we can.
Breakfast in the hotel
Golf cart ride
Our comfortable bu
At the embassy
The food is a highlight – whether Pho for lunch…
…or a banquet for dinner.