Cowbright: Last Day in Hanoi

Vietnam, 2012

Since our trip to Halong Bay didn’t pan out, we decided to use our last day in the city to do a little sightseeing. Along with another Fulbrighter from CA (serving in Singapore) we decided on the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, a 20 minute or so cab ride from our hotel. We learned that Vietnam has 54 distinct ethnic groups that are recognized by the Vietnamese government, each with its own language and lifestyle so there was a lot to see there. I wisely decided not to pay the camera fee because I knew most of it would be behind glass. We spent maybe 2 hours touring the building and grounds. All I can say is I never knew that bamboo could be used in so many different ways!

Next we headed to the oldest university in Vietnam (1076) the Temple of Literature. It consisted of 5 courtyards with well-manicured gardens, walls inscribed with the names of scholars and several altars to Confucius and his disciples. It was crowded – anything but serene.

Temple of Literature, Hanoi

one of five different courtyards

joss sticks (type of incense) upon entering shrine

Since I can’t read Vietnamese, I have no idea what most of the flower “writing” meant. I did learn that the giant stone tortoises were inscribed with the names of 1306 men who were awarded doctor laureates. The Vietnamese regard the turtle, dragon, unicorn and phoenix as holy (?) creatures and symbols of long life.

Confucius himself

giant tortoises bear the names of many scholars

this thinker says "gig 'em!"

What I didn’t realize is how Confucius is revered almost as a god! We actually saw people praying to him! The temple was like most others – over-the-top ornate with incense burning and even money thrown on the roof outside the window where Confucius and his disciples are enshrined. I read that Confucius “championed strong familial loyalty, ancestor worship, respect of elders by their children (and, according to later interpreters, of husbands by their wives), and the family as a basis for an ideal government.” He also expressed the well-known principle "Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself." Hmm…seems like I’ve heard that somewhere before…


praying to Confucius?

After the 2 museums we took a cab to another part of the city where mountains of fabrics were sold, then ate a late lunch in a vegetarian cafe and enjoyed a fattening dessert at a different restaurant on our way back to the hotel. The sun never came out during our week in Vietnam, but we enjoyed what will probably be our first and last time to this famous city. Another popular tourist attraction which we decided not to see is the other “Hanoi Hilton” - the prison camp where John McCain spent 5 ½ years as a POW in captivity in 1967.