Hanoi in One Day!

April 23, 2026|Rick Juliusson

With only one day in Hanoi - a sprawling city of 8.6 million people - we have to prioritize. First priority is getting to my language school for the refund of 45 million dong I overpaid. My trust in humanity remains strong - the owner is there and happy to see me. The other reward is the maze of narrow alleys and tight turns I navigate in the 40 minute walk there, passing the “One Pillar Pagoda”, the Hanoi Flag Tower, and the shot-down American B-52 bomber immortalized in the tiny Huu Tiep Lake outside her office.

The Hanoi Flag Tower (Cot Co Ha Noi), built between 1805 and 1812 during the Nguyen Dynasty, survived French destruction and is now a symbol of national independence

"One-pillar pagoda," built in 1049, rebuilt in 1955

Hanoi in One Day - B52 — View from the "B52 Café." A plaque elsewhere describes the Vietnamese people's experience of these bombers: "In Haiphong, the B52 carpet-bombed a petrol station, a cement factory, Le Chan and Hog Bang streets, and the residential areas of Thuong Ly. Entire families were killed in their own air-raid shelters, still in the position of shielding themselves from the bombs. Meanwhile, the Thuong Ly residential area was razed to the ground. From the other end of the bridge, the only thing that one could see was the blazing fire and a billowing column of smoke from the burning petrol station covering a corner of the sky."

Train Street Food

Back in the main tourist areas, a single day in Hanoi still allows for plenty of good food opportunities. We enjoy colourful breakfast noodles at the even-more-colourful Hidden Gem Coffee, a mediocre lunch on “Train Street” - a narrow residential street where trains pass just inches from cafes and homes - and are forced to choose among donuts such as Salted Egg Cream Floss and Truffle Bacon.

Imagine sitting at these tables when a train whizzes by

Google translate says that "nhong" = "deer." I'm not so sure

"Hanoi Hilton" Prison

A visit to the remains of Hỏa Lò Prison (aka “Hanoi Hilton”) is a lesson in perspective/propaganda and the old adage that the winner writes history. The first section about torture and inhumanity is all about the cruelty of the French Colonialists. When transitioning to the American War era, the highlight is how humanely the Vietnamese treated their American guests. Certainly not the US portrayal I grew up with, such as the movie Hanoi Hilton that left the horrific impression I carry with me into the actual site 39 years later.

The French would put Vietnamese prisoners in this can with dirty water then bang it incessantly as a torture device

"In 1972, there wre over 400,000 individual and 90,000 mass bomb shelters in Hanoi. Each citizen had access to at least three bomb shelters: one within their home, one at their workplace, and one outside on the street"

American pilot prisoners portrayed as happy, healthy and active.

"Aside from books, notebooks, and their red scarves, wartime schoolchildren often carried straw hats, first aid kits, and bamboo stretchers with them"

"Last year was full of glorious victories. This year the forefront's sure to win still bigger ones. For Independence, for Freedom, let's fight so the Yanks quit, and the puppets topple. Forward! Fighters, countrymen! North and South reunited, could there be happier Spring!"

Water Puppets

No, our day in Hanoi isn’t finished yet! To celebrate my birthday we buy front row VIP tickets to the famous Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. The history dates back over a thousand years to when rural farmers would celebrate the harvest with puppet shows right in harvested rice fields, which could be filled with water to create a watery stage. The traditional music is spellbinding, as is the intricacy of the puppets made of buoyant fig wood and painted with lacquer. Over a dozen puppeteers stand semi-submerged behind a curtain, skillfully maneuvering the puppets using bamboo sticks and strings.

Beer Street

We finish up our one very long day in Hanoi at a fancy rooftop bar with my language tutor and her roommate. She brings the birthday cake, we buy the way-overpriced drinks. Walking home through Old Town Hanoi, we discover that our hotel is just one block away from the infamous “Beer Street” (see video below, which is just a few steps of the several-blocks long mayhem.) How ironic that one of our last experiences in this billfully harmonious country this Miller Beer commercial jungle of drunk tourists.

Somehow this is the essential equipment in our hotel stairwell

Hanoi in One Day - taxi — Final taxi ride to the airport - Goooood Bye Vietnaaaam!

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2 Comments

Ken Green on April 23, 2026 at 3:22 pm

Fascinating—as always? Eager to learn where to next…..

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Lynda Juliusson on April 23, 2026 at 3:52 pm

Your posts about Vietnam have been amazing. I have never wanted to go there before but this looks like it would be an amazing experience. I think I may start planning. I know it will be a different experience than yours as I am not quite as adventurous, lol. It is now definitely on my list. Beautiful.

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