Hanoi

We sadly left the beach behind and Hoi An and flew to Hanoi. If you ever travel to Vietnam try to go to Hoi An. The beaches are beautiful and the town is a heritage site and is lovely. Lots of people go just for the tailoring and to get clothes made. We didn't but did buy some beautiful silk ( or imitation they were only $2 each!) red lanterns for our CNY decorations. We also had some fantastic meals in town sitting on the restaurant balconies overlooking the river. It was lovely.


Here are some pictures of the town the famous Japanese bridge and the river.





Whilst the hustle and bustle of the town was nice, it was very peaceful at our hotel! Every night they had music for the dinners! And Isabella loved it! She was the only person who I think appreciated the dancing! She joined in and clapped when they stopped!




The Vietnamese people loved Isabella and several asked if she was Vietnamese! A lot of Cantonese people migrated to Vietnam a long time ago and she does have some typical Cantonese features, that can be found in the Vietnamese ( and also Southern China and Hong Kong!). In every restaurant or hotel or even shop, the women just come up and pick your child up, yes often without asking!! Isabella coped well with this as she loves attention, but always kept us in sight!. Only once did she get upset when a waitress picked her up and said say goodbye to Ma Ma and Ba Ba and tried to walk off with her! Isabella screamed for me and started sobbing! And that night she had a nightmare and cried out for Ma Ma in her sleep. Poor thing. I am so glad she is securely attached to us to cope with this. I can't imagine how parents with newly adopted Vietnamese children cope!

We also spent a morning going to the famous relics of My Son


We got to Hanoi in the evening and it was cold! Yep only 18-20 degrees Celsius which was cold compared to the beaches of Southern Vietnam. I was disappointed with Hanoi. It is the most polluted Asian city that I have visited ( and I have been to several countries and lots of cities!) my throat hurt from the fumes and pollution. Which I think you can see from the pictures of the hazy sky! So we did no running!

It was difficult to walk on the pavements from all the motorbikes parked everywhere! And crossing the roads was a nightmare! Some of the lakes were pretty! But our highlight was visiting HO Chi Minhs mausoleum, it was a surreal experience, being escorted by military guards to the open casket. Luckily Isabella behaved and the only words she said inside was 'flowers' which was all she noticed!