Back to Hanoi

 We have an early light breakfast as 10 of our group are going to the cave, leaving the boat at 7.30. There are boats everywhere all going to the cave. We have leisurely morning repacking for our departure. When the group get back there is a brunch, which is practically breakfast. We skip this as we will also stop for lunch on the way back to Hanoi. We disembark the ship around 10 am for a 4 hour journey back to the city. While it only took just over 2. Hours to get here that was on the expressway, we will be going back via the highway, a longer and slower route, plus a stop for lunch and shopping.

The weather has been great, mostly sunny with temperatures around 28 degrees. The humidity has not been too bad, and Ann has not been concerned by it. The ships crew were great, so friendly and helpful. There a total of 28 guests on board, 16 in our group and 12 others, crew numbers nearly matched guests, and the crew did many roles. The scenery was amazing.

We head off back to Hanoi and after 2 hours we stop for lunch at a typical tourist shopping building. Inside there are workers weaving intricate designs that just look like paintings. There are also the usual bags, silk ties and shawls, clothing, confectionery, carvings and so on. Ann buys a carved figurine and then we are off to lunch. Lunch is a multi course event with chips as an entree, then spring rolls and sauces, chicken and salads, beef and noodles and then fruit.

Back in the bus and we get to Hanoi at 3.30. There are ten going on the vesper tour and six eating at the press club. Before that we have a tour of the bunkers below the hotel! These were only discovered in 2011 when the hotel decided to expand and put in a pool. They decided to preserve the bunker and not fill it in. It was built as safety for management and guests during the bombing by the USA. The bunkers are small and narrow only holding about 60 people, no more than two people side by side would be the width and only about 6 feet high.The concrete was about two feet thick. 

They also had photos of important people and celebrities who had stayed at the hotel over  the years, including Joan Baez and Jane Fonda and many powerful leaders including “Scott Morrison”

The meal at the Press Club was fantastic. We had a private room for us. We started with prawns and avocado, lettuce, and diced apple, then followed duck ala orange and a lovely mousse desert with fruit. Tomorrow we leave Hanoi for Saigon.