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The Perfume Pagoda
The pagoda, or rather an accumulation of several pagodas about 40 miles southwest of Hanoi, is considered one of the most beautiful places in all of North Vietnam. The pagodas and shrines are set in and around numerous limestone caves. The grounds are a favourite destination for Vietnamese pilgrims.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
The mausoleum, built from 1973 to 1975 in a style similar to that of the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow, is located at Ba Dinh Square, where Ho Chi Minh publicly declared Vietnam's independence on 2 September 1945. Right after his death, on 3 September 1969, Ho Chi Minh's body was embalmed by a team of Soviet experts. Visitors to the mausoleum are expected to behave with due deference.
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The One Pillar Pagoda
The One Pillar Pagoda is one of the few Vietnamese monuments that date back to 11th century, when the first Vietnamese Empire achieved independence from China. Unfortunately what you see is not the original building as the pagoda has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. The most recent reconstruction took place in 1955 after French colonial forces had blown it up before their retreat in 1954.
The Temple of Literature
This pagoda and the surrounding complex have played a prominent role in the history of Vietnamese thinking. It was been built, in 1070, in honour of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, whose teachings have influenced Vietnam almost as strongly as they have shaped China.
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The temple was, for many centuries, the place where exams for the rank of Mandarin were taken. These exams lasted for 35 days and were extremely difficult. In 1733, for instance, only 8 out of 3,000 candidates passed the exams.
Halong Bay
Halong Bay, located about 110 miles east of Hanoi near the most important North Vietnamese port city of Haiphong, makes for a fantastic trip from Hanoi. More than 3,000 islands, islets and limestone rocks rise from the waters of the bay. The coast is rocky and dotted with caves and grottoes with their ancient stalactite and stalagmite formations. Halong Bay has a dramatic and romantic quality and has for centuries inspired Vietnamese poets.
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