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Day 49- Temple Cat

So today is my last day in Vietnam and I am honestly so sad about this. This afternoon we catch a flight over to Laos. Vietnam has been completely different to what I expected. I have laughed, cried and everything in between. Scroll down for my what I learnt and highlights! However first here is how we spent our last morning!

We got up nice and early to finish exploring Hanoi. When I first got to Hanoi I thought I would hate it. Our hostel was in not the nicest area however after exploring I realised that there is a huge wealth of culture and beauty! This continued today. We started off by paying a visit to the Hoa Lo Prison which was constructed by French colonists in 1896. Covering 12908m2 it was one of the largest prisons in Indochina at the time. It was used by the French to hold Vietnamese revolutionaries. After the French left Vietnam it was used by the Vietnamese to hold American pilots during the Vietnam war. It has now been turned into a museum which has original artefacts including one of the guillotines used by the French to behead Vietnamese people. It also contains a memorial to those who died and an exhibition focused around the youth of Vietnam. 







After this we took a trip to see the Pagoda which is on the Ho Hoan Kiem (lake of the sword restored). People believe that a sacred sword was buried somewhere in the lake after being returned to the tortoise genius of Ho Luc Thuy. There have also been many appearances of turtles in the lake by both locals and tourists. We also saw the cutest little temple cat. 







On the way back to the hostel we stopped at a recommended cafe for a traditional egg coffee which is coffee made with the yolk of an egg. 



What I learnt in Vietnam:

  • I learnt huge amounts about the war both the life for the Vietnamese during the war and also the ongoing effects for the people. 
  • Vietnam is more developed than Cambodia 
  • Animal welfare is not a top priority.
  • Vietnam has better waste management than Cambodia 
  • Vietnam is one of 5 communist countries. 

Overall I am desperate to go back to Vietnam. I feel like there is still so much to see and discover! I loved Hoi An and Hanoi. Vietnam surprised me in so many ways!


I have put some highlights below! 

Hoi An 

Caving 

White Buddha 

Water puppet show 

Motorbike tour 

Kissing rock 

One pillar pagoda 

Bamboo boating


Woman’s museum 



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