Hanoi Hilton, Hoan Kiem Lake & Water Puppets
From the Temple of Literature, we walked to our next spot, the Hoa Lo Prison. A few cabmen and pillion riders (here they are called xe om) waiting outside the temple try to lure us to use their services. Knowing better, we politely say no and walked away. The prison is located at Pho Hoa Lo street, about 1km away from the temple. Being autumn, the air was cold and crisp, and walking was sweat less.
The main entrance to Maison Centrale, of Hoa Lo. Literal translation means ”The Central House”, a word commonly used to denote a prison. Built in the era of French colonization over Indochina, it was a detention center for Vietnam revolutionists. It was later used by the North Vietnam Army to lock up and torture U.S. POWs during the notorious Vietnam war in 1960s. The convicts, mostly U.S. pilots dubbed the place as “Hanoi Hilton”, a sarcastic remark to reflect the horor it held behind its bars. Most of the buildings inside the complex had been demolished in the 1990s to give way to the high rise service apartment, leaving only the forefront structures converted into museum.
(Hoa Lo Prison: Admission 5,000 VND, 8 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. Tuesday – Sunday)
The entrance to the male detention room, used during the French colonization.
The prisoners were detained with a long latch, fastened to their legs. Imagine sitting unbudged on the same spot for days (or months), that must be dreadful. And the wall behind was a bit far to lean to.
The photo of the actual prisoners. With a wooden board locked around their necks and a handcuff, it was even worst.
The place to take a leak or a dump, in front of everybody. I wonder whether the only entertainment back then was to compare each other expressions!
Next, we visit the Cachot, the hell of hell. A dark and damp cell where the inmate sleep, eat and do his other worldy businesses at the same tiny spot. It was so small that I found it difficult to find better angle to capture the view. Cachot is the place you wouldn’t like to be lonely. The place is evil, I could felt the hairs raising on the back of my neck when I stepped into the room.
Excerpt from the information tablet.
A dummy prisoner sits behind bars in the Cachot.
A path leading to the other detention cells.
The ill-omen cell #13. Definitely jinxed!
A peek inside the cell. The dim lighting and eerie background music enough to gave us the chills.
We left the narrow corridor and the dark cells, bypassing the grilled window overlooking the small compound outside. A refreshing view, indeed.
A bas relief portraying the horor of the past.
From the Cachot, we walked to the second building where the relics of the U.S. POWs are kept. Most of the items on display are the photos of the inmates; U.S. Senator John McCain was one of them. Despite the many claims that the U.S. army held captived in the prison were being brutally tortured and interrogated, the photos that hung inside tells a different story. Most of the photos exhibit the inmates having a great time in the prison; some were playing guitar and reading, while others were seen playing basketball and chess. Whether it is true or not they are victims of systematic abuse, is totally up to individual’s judgement.
Out of the horor and the sadness the place held, a poetic message written by Uncle Ho himself in the spring of 1969 brought warmth and zeal to my heart.
“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!”
The prison was about to close by the time we finished with our tour, and a step outside the complex we spotted this uncle fallen asleep in his xich lo (read: cyclo).
A short walk in the cozy afternoon brought us back to the familiar landmark, the Hoan Kiem Lake.
According to the legend, during the Chinese occupation of Vietnam, the Commanding General at that point of time was presented with a sword by a divine golden turtle which rose up from the bottom of the lake. Using the mystical sword, the General managed to expelled the Chinese invasion and established himself as Emperor Le Thai To. Later, when the emperor was sailing on the lake, the golden turtle rose again and reclaimed the sword. Since then the lake has been known as Hoan Kiem Lake, or the Lake of the Restored Sword.
Vintage look of the iconic Turtle Tower. The legend is more of a King Arthur tales to me. Instead of the Lady of the Lake that provided the sword, it was a turtle.
Late afternoon, the lake was crowded; young people hanging around, jamming, playing takraw, picnicking. Couples find it a romantic place to express their loves, while the elders prefer it as meeting spot for a chit chat with their peers, over some Chinese chess or Tai Chi. The lake is also perfect for anyone who is searching for inspiration, cause they are aplenty. Or maybe, it’s a favourite and convenient spot to some others who need a break, reading books or newspapers. In few words, it’s really happening at the Hoan Kiem Lake.
We noticed that the folks here are very heatlh concious. Seeing them doing the simple workout is common everywhere. Even the food are mostly stewed, boiled and grilled, while deep fried food is very hard to find. The only fast food in town is the KFC, and the absence of others could also possibly contribute to the thin and lean figure of the locals.
We stopped at the Fanny outlet opposite the lake to sample the ice cream that is highly reviewed by Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor. The sushi ice cream that we ordered was just so – so, but it was my first time tasting the chocolate chili ice cream. It tastes weird, but yummy nonetheless.
Hanoi ubiquitous transport.
The time was just hitting 6pm when we stepped out of Fanny, but it was almost dark (sunrise is early in Hanoi). Since we have the water puppet scheduled at night, we decided to go back to our guest house to freshen up and get ready. On the way, we saw an elderly pushing his wheel-chaired wife across the street. Traffic in hanoi is maddening; there are no discernible traffic rules and they like to honk like it’s nobody business. The motorists rarely stop to give way to the pedestrians, not even to an old man and old lady in wheel chair. Crossing street is simply a leap of faith, and definitely not for the faint hearted. The art of crossing street in Hanoi is simply to walk when you see that the traffic is a bit clear (or they are still a distance away), and walk straight without changing your pace. The motorists will swerve around you like a flowing river, thus an abrupt stop of panic is absolutely uncool. If you are not bold enough, you could try our trick – to cross at the point where the street gap is the most narrowed (I bet everybody knows that!).
(By the way if you are curious, the old couple survived the stampede).
Later. We had a few hours before our show start at 9.30pm, thus we ventured out for dinner first. Our research of halal diner brought us to Nisa Restaurant at Hang Tre street, just a few hundred meters behind the Water Puppet Theater. DH can’t survive a day without rice, but for me tasting local food is quite another adventure so I ordered the Hanoi typical beef noodle – pho. Too bad they only have chicken pho, so that was my dinner that night (Muslim is a minority in Hanoi, so I guessed halal beef is hard to get). What makes me proud is that Nisa Restaurant is owned by fellow Malaysian living in Hanoi. The price is a bit expensive for a simple meal, but again, it might be because halal ingredients are very hard to get. The waiters could speak and understand malay so it was a great relief. Finally I managed to say what I want instead of using the sign language like what we did for the whole day.
The Water Puppet performance. The puppets are attached to a stick totally submerged underneath the green pool, and were manned by the puppeteers behind the screen. I wonder how the puppeteers managed to stand in the cold water throughout the whole show, one performance after another.
The musicians that accompanying the performance. The music they produced was simply amazing.
The story encompasses the day to day life of Vietnamese farmer such as paddy planting and buffalo tending, as well as the local legends. A must see in Hanoi.
(Thang Long Water Puppet: Admission 60,000 – 100,000VND, Show time 3.30pm , 5.00pm, 6.30pm, 8.15pm and 9.30pm everyday. Tickets can be purchased at the counter (it is advisable to book the tickets upfront as it tends to sold out). Location in front of Hoan Kiem Lake, next to City View Cafe, Hanoi).
End of Day 1.
>>Next: Ha Long Bay
