But there was a practical issue to consider. It had been four days since I had even changed my shirt, let alone taken a shower. That needed to be addressed. We couldn't officially check in to our hotel until noon, but I was hoping we could talk our way into an early arrival if they had a room available. When we arrived at the hotel, the door was locked. Never a good sign. But in a charming take on the Vietnamese custom of living above your store, the 20-somethings that run the hotel apparently live in a couple of apartments in the basement. So one of them came to open the door, and thankfully allowed us to check in early. Mimi gets the credit for that one.
After a shower, a nap, and another shower, we set off for some coffee. The cafe we found happened to be next to an indoor market that was as exotic and bustling as we expected from an indoor market in the heart of Hanoi.
Our plan for the day was to just wander around Hanoi and get a feel for the city. But we had two specific destinations in mind. The first was Hoan Kiem lake. The lake has some symbolic significance in the myths of ancient Viet Nam. But these days, it's mainly a gathering place for leisurely strolls and scenic views. It's Hanoi's version of Central Park. On Sundays (the day we happened to be there), the road that loops around the lake is closed to traffic so that pedestrians can mosey around.
Well, it's closed to almost all traffic.
A couple of genius entrepreneurs had set up a booth to rent remote control (!) toddler cars, so the south side of the lake was disproportionately adorable.
As an aside, when Aimee asked one of the parents if she could take a photo of her kid, the mom looked at Aimee like she was crazy. "Um, duh. Of course. Why would you ask to take a photo of my child?" And then that mom took a photo of our child.
We walked around Hanoi for another hour or so, and our next stop was decidedly less charming.
The Hoa Lo prison complex has played a pivotal role in several historic events over the past 100 years. It's most famously known to Americans as the Hanoi Hilton, the North Vietnamese prison for American pilots shot down during the war. John McCain is the most famous former inhabatant, but he was only one of many. In fact, the first American ambassador after we re-normalized relations decades after the war was a former prisoner here.
I'm guessing that the AC units weren't there during McCain's time, but the electrified wire on the roof probably was.
Most of the prison was knocked down as part of Hanoi's post war rebuilding, but there's still quite a large section remaining. The building is now a museum divided into three section. The first section is dedicated to the building's original purpose: a French prison used to contain (and frequently torture and kill) political insurgents during the occupation.
The main room above was the first level of imprisonment. The rooms got progressively more gruesome as we walked towards the dungeon. That's where the most successful/dangerous freedom fighters/terrorists were held. Clearly, the Vietnamese people and their French occupiers had different definitions of patriotism. But after walking through the giant steel doors and looking at the original prison guillotine, it's hard not to take sides.
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| A preserved section of sewer used in an attempted escape. |
The entrance to the second section features a placard describing the circumstances.
In case it's hard to read, the key sentences are, "During the war, the national economy was having difficulties but the Vietnamese government created the best living conditions that they could for the US pilots. They had a stable life during their temporary detention periods." The museum then features a collection of photos and relics that make Hoa Lo seem more like a country club than a prison.
While the NVA treated their American prisoners far better than the French treated the Vietnamese, I think that McCain (bottom left in the last photo) might have a different take on the characterization of imprisonment there.
For a fascinating story of a far less famous prisoner, read this story of a US sailor blown overboard and brought to the prison. I came across it as I was doing some background research on the prison. It's incredible.
The third and final section opens with this poster.
The room it leads to features photos of teachers in front of classrooms filled with adult students. The photos were quaint and homey, and it seemed like that section of the museum was intended to showcase the emphasis on education in modern Viet Nam. It wasn't until we were walking home that I realized what those photos were showing. It was a very sanitized portrayal of the infamous "reeducation camps" set up by the Vietnamese government after the war. The camps were intended to give anti-revolutionary insurgents one last chance to see things the way The Party sees them. But far too frequently, the camps just turned into prisons with nicer sounding names.
War is ugly, and one of my main goals for this trip is trying to explore that period's history without judgement. I wasn't there, and it's impossible for any one person to understand the full depth and context of one of the most complicated conflicts in modern world history. So instead of me trying to come up with a unifying theme or a satisfying conclusion to this post, I'll leave that part to all of you and just end with a photo from our dinner that night.
Humanity, I think we're going to be ok.
