Day four: Hanoi

Last day in Hanoi for a short while.

More rambling, this time out towards the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum complex just west of the old quarter. As we didn't quite manage to get up before noon the mausoleum itself was closed which, on balance, not too bothered about; not really sure I want to see a forty-odd year old corpse in the flesh, so to speak. More annoyed that we'd buggered about at the Citadel / taking calls from client (triple time for that call, my lad) and so arrived at H-C-M area in time to see them close Uncle Ho's house and museum. Which isn't open on a Monday when we're next/last here. Grrr.

What was open is the One Pillar Pagoda, dating from 1050 or so, just round the corner, and shown as currently constructed on this very page. I say currently as the parting gift of the French when they left in a bit of a huff in 1954 was to destroy the 900 year old pagoda. Hearts and minds, mes amis?

Liberté, égalité, fraternité. Et aussi démolition.