EVEN MORE HANOI!

During our visit to Hoa Lo Prison (perhaps better known by its nickname--the"Hanoi Hilton"- given by American POWs interred here during the war), I was stopped in my tracks by this picture of a female prisoner held by the French for her revolutionary actions against the colonial government. For one, she looks, in my opinion, remarkably like my good friend Map. Something about this woman's vacant stare prompted me to ask myself: could I do what she did? Is there anything that I believe in so much so that I would sacrifice my personal freedom to achieve it? So many of my personal heroes are people who have done just this, but I will honestly admit that I just don't think I am there yet. Despite my slight disappointment that I have yet to become an individual with particularly strong convictions, I'm not too worried about my wavering dedication. In order to determine what I am passionate about, it is imperative that I keeping learning and seeking out new experiences!

The severed heads of anti-French activists during the early twentieth century

During the Vietnam/American War (I really cannot decide on which term I feel more comfortable using, as the war is referred to as the American War here and I am writing this blog from Vietnam while simultaneously being informed of a new historical perspective that has challenged much of what I learned about in history class), John McCain was a prisoner at the "Hanoi Hilton". In the early 2000s, he made a visit to his former place of captivity, an act of compassion which, although I still am not a fan of his politics, helped me to see the former presidential candidate in a more human light.

This is one aspect of the Vietnamese tourist boom that continues to unsettle me: the ever present souvenir shops. It is not that I am opposed to the purchasing of gifts for family and friends, but I am just not sure that a former prison where countless individuals suffered and lost their lives is the place for a shop of this nature.

Original Prison Door

In the 1940s, prisoners escaped through these sewer drains

A sight I will sorely miss

Hoan Kiem Lake

Vietnam Museum of Ethnography, probably one of my favorite museums that I have ever been to.

In the yard behind the museum, they had many recreations of the traditional dwellings of the ethnic minority groups of Vietnam. Walking on this floor made of bamboo in a house that was many feet off of the group made me exceedingly nervous!

A ritual funeral tree at the Museum of Ethnography

Previously mentioned house with bamboo floor

I found my dream bedroom in one of the display houses at the Museum of Ethnography

Water Puppeteers at the end of the performance (expect videos soon!)