What The Edsalls Are Up To: Hanoi, Vietnam

Note: My blog is not cooperating tonight so I'm not sure if the layout below is going to be at all appealing or easy to read. Forgive me if it's difficult to follow!

We had a short 2-night stay in Hanoi, but we made the most of it. We booked our trip through a travel company called Trails of Indochina. They arrange travel throughout Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It was wonderful for us with the 2 young kids, as all our transfers were arranged and our guide and driver zipped us all over town to a bunch of great spots.
Tip for travelling with kids: I snap the kids' photos at the start of any day out so that in the very unfortunate event that they go missing, I have a very recent photo of them. (A good idea at theme parks and zoos, all that stuff)

So, with a photo snapped in the hotel lobby, our day began with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where Uncle Ho, the father of modern Vietnam is on display, more than 40 years after his death. I was a little anxious going in there with 2 small children. They demand complete silence as you view body, and I was unsure how the kids would react to the whole experience. But, the mausoleum was very cool and peaceful and not at all scary. Just before we walked in, I tossed an imaginary bubble into each of the kids' mouths, and they were COMPLETELY silent the whole time. Score! Here's the family... and some strangers that our guide included.

Next stop, The Museum of Ethnology. Sounds like a blast, right? Well it was! Lots of Vietnamese culture and stuff for the kids to climb on and explore.

Toys on a stick, made right before our eyes with clay made from rice powder. Amazing!

Embroidery art, cooking, traditional homes, etc. A really worthwhile stop for us that we all enjoyed.
Lunchtime- a favorite dish here in Hanoi is noodle soup with beef or chicken called pho (pronounced "feuh").

Across the street was a temple on the grounds of what used to be a university. Photo op.

Next on the agenda was a Cycloride tour of the Old Quarter. T and I enjoyed the character of our surroundings.

The kids enjoyed a nap.

Next stop was The Hanoi Children's Palace. When booking our tour I requested activities that would be real and relevant to our kids. This was a good stop and I hope they take more western tourists here. It's a program for city kids to take after-school and weekend classes in foreign language and the arts. They offer 60 different subjects for school age kids. We had so much fun!

And not just on the games and rides.Our little family was invited into the English language classes to help out.

D jumped right in with other 5 and 6 year olds, answered their questions, and participated in the activities.

Last activity was a 60 minute show at The Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. Water puppets shows are a unique Vietnamese experience. Really entertaining, especially for the kids. Would love to have a behind the scenes look. The puppeteers are behind that curtain a system beneath the water controls the puppets that move and dance on the water's surface. It was a fun and interesting show.