Up Up and A Hue

We have been very busy and somewhat out of touch since the last post.

Spent a very busy day touring Hanoi: the Ho Chi Minh Tomb (he is there, in a glass case, embalmed--quite eery); his house and bomb shelter where, after visiting, you hit the shops and restaurants with a huge "Have a Pepsi" sign (wonder what he would think about that?); an hour at the Temple of Literature (what was the point?), a lecture on Vietnam history just for us (vaguely interesting, but it was like being back in college), a visit to the prison used by the French and then used for American POW's, (John McCain's uniform and parachute and a video on how humanely they treated Americans, right), and ending with a water puppet show (definitely a first--yes the puppets are controlled by people behind a curtain as they retell Vietnamese legends in and under water). The most interesting comment came during the lecture when the lecturer told us that in his new year address the head of the government said that the role of government is to "regulate, not control." This is seen as a huge acceptance of a more open marketplace. In fact, Vietnam is referred to as the communist country with a capitalistic economy (we passed the largest Samsung manufacturing plant in the world). At the same time, in the morning we would hear morning announcements on the loudspeakers around our hotel, reminding people of things the government wants them to know. Still, an interesting, congested, bustling city.

The next day and night was spent at Halong Bay. We slept on a boat (fun, again) and toured the caves and rock formations that make up this UNESCO-protected site, deemed one of the world's seven natural wonders. It was beautiful but incredibly cold; the temperature got so low they closed school the next morning in Hanoi -- no heaters in the classrooms.

Going right to the airport, we just landed in Hue, for more touring in central Vietnam, the feudal capital. Met by a lovely guide. Tomorrow, the Perfume River.