Day 7 Wednesday Apr 23: Hue to Hanoi Flight at 6.45AM, checked into apt, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and his stilt house; the Presidential Palace; the nearby One Pillar Pagoda; Chua Dien Huu Pagoda, Phu Tay Ho pagoda, Ngoc Son Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda

Hue to Hanoi Flight at 6.45AM

CHECKED OUT

As posted earlier. at our Hue apt when we were paying cash and settling our bills [room rent plus taxi from Da Nang to Hue, Taxi to Imperial tombs the next day] the previous evening, they said they'll check our room before we are given the ok to leave. We had a very early flight to Hanoi at 6.45AM. They asked us to come down some 10 minutes earlier.

See the clock in the pic showing 5 AM. at the hotel reception as we wait to leave with our bags!

The guy went up and checked and was down in a couple of minutes. Basically they had some snacks and drinks which we had not touched [actually had placed them all out as we needed to use the small fridge for our stuff], bath robes also, so it was all good.

We take pics when we check out always!

Viet jet flight was on time and we landed in Hanoi. Our host was in touch on whatsapp and he was waiting to check us in when we got to the old quarter by grab taxi from the airport

CHECKED IN TO HANOI APARTMENT

MIGO HOUSING BEER STREET, OLD QUARTER

The apartment was spacious, AC and a pedestal fan were great, the geyser for hot water was fine, the host had even left some oil and salt for cooking. The location in the old quarter was very convenient too.

Our host was in touch on whatsapp and he was waiting to check us in when we got to the old quarter by grab taxi from the airport . It is a private apartment in a building with a lift that opens right into the apartment. The ground floor has a hair and beauty salon. The host explained how to open/close the shutters outside [if needed] and how to authorise the use of the lift and go to our apartment. It was all pretty easy. There was also a small box with a code to put the key in when we checked out [or collect the key when we checked in the next time]. We stayed in the same apartment three separate stays. On our 1st visit we left behind a bag when we went off to Sapa for 2 nights and then when we came back our bag was in the apartment and our host had left the key in the box and gave us the code. Everything was so smooth. Then after a day stay there, again we went off to Ninh binh for two days/1night, our host again obliged us by keeping our bag and he put it back when we came back for the last segment of our stay. We very much appreciate the host for his clear communication and courteous behaviour and we would heartily recommend this to everybody

Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi

We took a Grab to Ba Dinh square.

The guards there were pretty obnoxious

Presidential Palace behind the gates.

Bamboo grove...

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Final resting place of Ho Chi Minh. He spearheaded the revolutionary movement against foreign colonial powers, particularly the French and later the Americans, and ultimately paved the way for Vietnam's liberation.

One Pillar Pagoda

Set within a courtyard behind the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, the One Pillar Pagoda is a wooden temple, perched atop a single stone pillar rising from a lotus pond,

it was originally built in 1049 by Emperor Lý Thái Tông. The emperor, dreamed of a divine bodhisattva handing him a child while seated on a lotus, built the pagoda as a tribute to her—and shortly after, he had a son.

The Wooden Shrine: Accessible by a short stairway, this tiny sanctuary is adorned with statues and a colorful altar.

Chua Dien Huu Pagoda

Chua Dien Huu Pagoda is located near the Ho Chi Mausoleum and Presidential Palace. The famous One Pillar Pagoda is part of the same temple complex, although with a separate entrance.

Chua Dien Huu Pagoda was built in 1049 at the same time as the One Pillar Pagoda. Chua Dien Huu Pagoda itself is a small temple consisting of a courtyard and a single building which hold several shrines.

In the centre of the courtyard at Chua Dien Huu Pagoda is a statue of Quan Am

RED LACQUER AND GOLD LEAF DECOR

The main shrine in Chua Dien Huu Pagoda is dedicated to Avalokiteśvara.

Emperor Lý Thái Tông saw Avalokiteśvara in a dream giving him a baby son whilst sitting on a lotus flower. This inspired him to build the temple with a lotus pond and the One Pillar Pagoda.

also has shrines to Confucius and Guan Yu, the Taoist God of War, indicating the Chinese influence on the royal court in Vietnam.

Unfortunately the museum was closed

Phu Tay Ho Pagoda

Built in the 17th century, Tay Ho Temple is located on the West Lake in Nghi Tam village, about 4km in the west of the capital city. It is a sacred monument complex where prayers are answered

Tay Ho Temple worships Lieu Hanh Goddess (Mother Lieu Hanh or Mother of the Nation). Lieu Hanh is one of the four immortals of Vietnam. Mother Lieu Hanh is Quynh Hoa, a princess of heaven, who was banished to earth due to breaking a precious glass.

On earth, she traveled, explored many places, then stopped at Tay Ho Island, discovered this charming place.. When Phung Khac Khoan went on a boat trip on the lake, he met Princess Lieu Hanh. Together they wrote the poem “Tay Ho Ngu Quan” (West Lake Senses) which still exists today.

No one knows how long Princess Lieu Hanh was there, only know that when Phung Khac Khoan returned to look for her, he could not find her. To relieve the nostalgia, he set up a temple for her.

The lovely West Lake

Took a Grab taxi back

Ngoc Son Temple / Jade Mountain temple

It is a historic temple located on an islet in the heart of Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi

According to the stelae at the site, Ngoc Son Temple’s construction started in autumn of 1841, under the reign of the Ly Dynasty. It worships Van Xuong De Quan (Wenchang Dijun), a Taoist deity that brings happiness and wealth to scholars. It is also dedicated to General Tran Hung Dao (1231 - 1300), who defeated the Mongols in the 13th century.

Connected to the shore by the picturesque The Huc Bridge (Morning Sunlight Bridge

Nghi Mon Gate is the entrance to the complex, with 2 columns and walls engraved with Chinese letters on both sides.

Dai Nghien Gate

Dai Nghien Gate is located at the entrance of The Huc Bridge, near the Pen Tower. On top of the gate is an ink pot. The pot is carved from blue stone, lying on the back of 3 stone toads as if they are 3 firm legs for the pot. In the center of the pot, there is a poem of 64 Chinese letters by the famous writer Nguyen Van Sieu.

On the morning of the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, when the sun rises, the stone feather pen atop the Pen Tower will cast its shadow over this ink pot.

The main area includes 2 temple buildings sitting next to each other. One building worships General Tran Hung Dao and Van Xuong De Quan, with their statues displayed inside.

Hoàn Kiếm Lake...

Hoàn Kiếm Lake

This hall displays the preserved bodies of 2 big turtles that once lived in Hoan Kiem Lake. They are placed inside glass boxes for preservation and reverence.

These turtles hold significant cultural and historical importance in Vietnam, particularly in relation to the legend of the lake's mystical turtle. According to folklore, a magical turtle surfaced from the lake and returned a mythical sword to Emperor Le Loi, who led Vietnamese forces to victory against invaders!