Hanoi

I got into Hanoi yesterday in the late afternoon and, driving in from the airport, there was a red sun setting in the west.  Clearly an omen.

I understood that Hanoi still showed French influence and was a more provincial, smaller city than Saigon.  Maybe ... but it just seems more crowded to me.  Several million fewer people but in a smaller space with narrower streets.  I think they are approaching gridlock here.

I hired a guide to give me the one day tour of all the sites of Hanoi today.  We visited a famous pagoda and then went to Ho Chi Minh's tomb.  It was a little eerie, of course, but I was surprised that I enjoyed the complex.  There is a museum to Ho Chi Minh and the house he lived in.  He built a beautiful little house on a lake and you would never know that you are in the middle of a city.  I did wonder if Ho Chi Minh ever drove new cars.

We visited a museum about the fifty four different ethnic groups in Vietnam and also the Temple of Literature which housed a university (well, the Vietnam equivalent of one) starting in 1070.  It was quite peaceful and interesting.  Then we went to the Hanoi Hilton which was very disturbing.  The original prison was built by the French and used to house "political prisoners" until 1954.  Most of the exhibits showed the French inhumane treatment of the Vietnamese.  Then there were two rooms dedicated to the US POWs and the theme was how wonderfully they were treated and how they all came to see the error of their thinking and to appreciate the wisdom and compassion of the North Vietnamese.  Sadly, this is the only information that is given to the Vietnamese.  They laid on the propaganda just a little too thick for me.

The most interesting thing that happened today was on the way to one of the museums.  The taxi driver suddenly slammed on his brakes.  I looked up and saw nothing in front of the car.  Then the taxi behind us ran into us.  Some men went to the empty road in front of us and picked up a motorbike.  Then they helped a woman to her feet from right in front of our bumper.  She appeared to be in her 50's.  I'm not sure exactly what happened but apparently she fell down in front of us and our driver avoided running over her.  The woman dusts herself off, gets back on her motorbike and drives off.  Our driver gets in a shouting match with the driver of the other cab, and my guide translates and explains.  The other driver is at fault for not leaving room (which no one does and it works as long as no one has to slam on their brakes).  But the other driver does not offer our driver enough money - only about $5.  He insists that that is all he has.  Our driver is upset because his car is damaged and won't accept the $5.  My guide tells me that the other driver should pay $40 or $50.  And of course, no one wants the police because then it will cost more.  Finally the other driver comes up with some more money - maybe $30 or so - and we all drive off.  No exchange of phone numbers and pay more later.  The entire incident is resolved on the spot.  Our driver remained upset because the company will only pay $10 toward the damages.  He will have to pay the rest and lose the use of his car (and thus no income) for a couple of days.

I looked at the car when I got out.  The taillight was not broken but the bumper and rear right panel were smashed pretty good, and I'm not sure the trunk will open.  In what world can this damage be fixed for $50?