Fortunately we had taken the advice of our hotel reception and taken the outdoor trips to halong bay in sunny weather. On a dull and drizzly December day we looked for museums offering indoor experiences. We looked at the top ten things to do in Hanoi and this was one of them, easy to walk to in the old city where many hotels are situated. Your combined ticket takes you into two adjacent museums. We did the modern one first.
It's pretty grim. About the fight by Ho Chi Minh, first for freedom from the French, then against the Americans.
You might be surprised to hear 'against' the Americans. Having visited America in the Sixties, when some young Americans were trying to avoid the draft and / or opposed to the war in Vietnam, I somehow expected the sort of argument you might get in Wikipedia, or from the BBC, giving both sides. Silly of me. As somebody once said, history is written by the victors.
The Americans thought they were fighting the Vietcong and the Russian and Chinese communists. Now the country is united, the story is different.
(I started to look at all wars, from both sides. The Romans, The Greeks, WWI, WWII. The British have a romantic view of Lawrence of Arabia. I don't. But I am getting sidetracked.)
This museum is all about Vietnam.
Famine
First, famine was a surprise. I was not expecting that.
But, on reflection, war tends to bring famine. China had famine. Stalin had famine.
France also had famine. We are led to believe the poor were starving, unable to afford bread, and Marie Antoinette was so unaware of how the poor people lived that she said, 'Let them eat cake'. Previously somebody else had said that and it was later attributed to Marie Antoinette. In WWII the Dutch in Amsterdam were starving. In the UK the civilians had rationing of food, which continued until 1952.
French Guillotine
A guillotine is displayed. the French introduced the guillotine as a method of quick death, less prolonged than hanging.
I enjoyed the other museum about the previous years.
Americans
The French and Americans were not the only people involved in war. The Americans did not think they were at war with Vietnam. they thought they were helping the people in the south against the communists in the nort
Also many people, politicians and civilians, are against any war and every war, not only the pacifists.
For a complete change of mood, go to the other museum.
At the second museum, what immediately struck us was that Vietnam has been at war with somebody or other for centuries. The Chinese. The Mongolians. Who were their friends, their allies?
For a moment, I was tempted to advise tourists, don't visit the recent history first, start with everything chronologically. However, you might argue that you want to end on the happier note.
I loved the art and the statues.
For me, the absolute best part was the museum shop. Pretty silk scarves and necklaces, ten dollars (American dollars) or less.
Travel information
For hotels
booking.com
Comparison site:
https://www.clicktripz.com/rates/search/index
For airlines
travelok.com
vietJetair.com (Comprehensive list of budget airlines in Wikivoyage.)
For transport
https://www.grab.com/vn/en/
Language
Duolingo.com
(Remember to click on the sound symbol to hear how words are pronounced.)
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
Please share links to your favourite posts. I have several more on Hanoi, Halong Bay and Vietnam.
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