With the help of Google and my lonely planet book my girlfriend Chau I decided to check out some of the sights of Hanoi being a bit of a history buff i started at the closest museum to where i was staying the B52 victory museum. This mostly outdoor museum contains the wreckage of a B52 shot down over Hanoi as well as a lot of other military equipment used during the war such as SAM missiles, AA guns, fighter jets and helicopters. Everything is labeled in English and most have a bit of information about the history of that particular piece of equipment.
The museum isn't near the old quarter of Hanoi (where most tourists locate themselves, and ill talk about in my next post) so was very quiet which made it a lot easier for photo opportunities.
Inside the wreckage of a B52
what remains in the lake of the B52 above. this is where it crashed after being shot down
We next moved onto the HO Chi Minh mausoleum that is so famous in Vietnam, as the name suggests this is the resting place of Ho Chi Minh. Walking around the large square in front of the mausoleum i can't help but notice how clean and immaculately maintained it is and with the ever present soldiers and police presence this is clearly sacred ground. The sheer size of the mausoleum is also very impressive and I'm told you can normally go inside between certain times in the early hours of the day, alas there seemed to be some maintenance going on during my visit so was unable to tick this off my list this time.
Outside Ho Chi Minhs mausoleum
Next was the Ho Chi Minh museum located behind the mausoleum, after a small entry fee we were exploring the life and times of Ho Chi Minh himself. The place is packed with photos, statues and exhibits. Moving around the museum it can be hard to tell how much is propaganda and how much of it is true though it was still very interesting as it did provide a lot of insight into the man that was Ho Chi Minh including his early life in Europe all the way to his death. Is definitely worth a visit if in Hanoi.
Hoa Lo Prison was next on the list known during the war as the Hanoi Hilton, entering through the original guard house for the prison that was originally built by the french to house political prisoners i get a bit of an eerie feeling about the place. Though we're told much of the prison has been knocked down there is still a lot here to see. Moving through the original rooms there are some really well done exhibits on display and shows just what is was like for those unfortunate enough to be locked up here. one room in particular has figures on benches along the sides of the room locked my their legs to a bar unable to move around. IMG_0730.JPG
Most of the prison does concentrate on the Vietnamese under French rule though towards the end of the prison we come across an exhibit about when Americans, Australians and New zealander's were incarcerated here during the war. Like a lot of things in these kind of museums there is a lot of propaganda to be seen (such as how american prisoners spent their days playing tennis) but is still really interesting. at the end of the room there is a flight suit and i am informed by another tourist that this was John Macain's flight suit that he had been captured in after being shot down, for some reason the exhibit did not say this.
John Macains flight suit
Next on the train was the Vietnam Military History museum, arriving through the gates you are immediately met with a hand array of military hardware, if this is what your into this is the place to visit. Immediately to our left upon entering we are met with a soviet Mig 21 that according to the signs was responsible for shooting down 14 U.S aircraft.
Mig 21
Moving onto the main building you are met with Soviet Tanks that were used during the war by the vietnamese and are pretty impressive in my mind. Moving through the exhibits the museum showcases much more than i expected, the history goes back to the wars with the Chinese and moves forwards the war with the U.S. As we move on though we realise that some exhibits are not in english so gets a bit annoying and when there is info in English it doesn't give you much to go on.
Heading back outside we wander upon some more tanks and vehicles mostly of American design and some planes on display including Ho Chi Minh's Personal plane
Ho Chi Minh's Plane
Next to all this equipment is the Hanoi flag tower which is part of the Hanoi citadel that was built during the 1800's, being part of the museum we are told we can climb it great! we filter up the narrow passages and stairs and arrive at the top to full views of the city.
Flag tower
After all that it was time for a beer!
thanks for reading in my next post ill be talking about the old quarter in Hanoi where there is still much to see and do. Until then thanks again fellow steemit peeps!