This past week (Feb 23rd to March 4th) was spring break at NUS. Like many exchangers, I used that time to travel to other countries. My friends and I made travel arrangements for Vietnam and Bangkok, Thailand. We had originally planned to travel through as much of Thailand and Vietnam as we could. As I have mentioned in one of my earlier posts, expectations do not match reality when it comes to traveling. We quickly realized that traveling to both countries was not feasible as we would be spreading ourselves too thin. Unfortunately, we had already booked flights for Bangkok and decided to visit the temples and night markets in the city for one day. While we were able to experience many of the main attractions Bangkok has to offer, one day simply is not enough time to truly appreciate the city. Nevertheless, my friends and I flew to the first of five cities on our itinerary: Hanoi.
Hanoi
Located in the northern half of the country, Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam. Upon exiting the airport in Hanoi, I felt like I was back in Boston. The weather is significantly colder in Hanoi than it is in Bangkok and Singapore with an average temperature of 60-65 degrees. The most memorable attraction I visited was the Hỏa Lò Prison. The Hỏa Lò Prison was used by French colonists in the early 1900s to imprison Vietnamese people and American soldiers in the Vietnam War. It was shocking and saddening to see how small and isolating the cells in the prison were. While Hanoi has numerous attractions to offer, it is more often used as a location for accommodation due to its central location in northern Vietnam. Many tourists take day trips to other regions in Vietnam including Sapa Valley, Ha Long Bay, and Ninh Binh. Due to time constraints, I was not able to visit Sapa Valley and Ha Long Bay. I know that in a future trip to Vietnam, I will make sure to explore those regions.
Ninh Binh
If any of my exchange friends are reading this post, they will know what phrase I have said the most throughout my trip in Vietnam: "I love Ninh Binh!" Ninh Binh is a small city located two hours (by train) south of Hanoi. Ninh Binh's landscape consists of limestone cliffs and paddy fields. In Ninh Binh, my friends and I took a four hour boat ride through caves and the limestone cliffs, ate delicious food from the friendliest restaurant owners, climbed hundreds of stairs to breathtaking views, and more. I also learned how to ride a scooter on my own for the first time. I have previous experience being the passenger in the back of the scooter as a family member took me around places in India. I was initially nervous about balancing and falling while riding the scooter. However, after a brief lesson from a friend who had greater experience riding the scooter, I was soon speeding down the dirt paths and highways. I loved every aspect of my trip in Ninh Binh and eagerly describe my love for the city to any ear willing to listen. My only regret about Ninh Binh is that I wasn't there for a longer period of time.
