Today has been challenging. I slept really badly and so didn’t get up till late. The mattress in my funny airless little room is very firm, and I never do well on a firm mattress.  

Nonetheless, I was up at 10ish and had no particular timeline, so I made a plan for the day and headed out. It was raining; a short, very sharp, very welcome absolute downpour. The pavements are made of something highly polished. Slate? Granite? And were absolutely lethally slippery. Had I known it was raining I might have worn something other than flip flops – although then I’d have had wet shoes to contend with…

I bought a plastic poncho from a little man turning a lively trade in plastic ponchos, and scurried to a cafe for my morning iced coffee. At which point I realised that traveller’s tummy had caught up with me. I was beginning to think I’d escaped it..! So today has mostly been about being aware of where the nearest toilet is, and feeling a bit sorry for myself. 

Nonetheless, I pressed on with my plan, arming myself with coca cola to settle my stomach, and plenty of water. And a packet of Pringles for good measure. 

I went first to Hoa Lo Prison. Built by the French and used to hold (and torture) political prisoners, it was later adopted by the Vietnamese and used to hold captured US airmen (including Senator John McCain), who knew it as the Hanoi Hilton. It’s an interesting – if gruesome – visit, balancing history and propaganda such that it is, at least, easy to distinguish t’other from which. It’s mostly been demolished,now, to make way for a tower block, but the remaining prison is a national heritage site, containing a memorial to all the comrades of the party who were tortured and killed by the French. There’s an actual guillotine on display, with some fairly gruesome photos of its after-effects. You’ll have to take my word for it, though, as for some reason I can’t get my prison photos to upload. I’ll add them later, sometime.

After Hoa Lo, I wandered over to the women’s museum. The girls I met on the Halong Bay trip had spoken highly of this, and even though it hadn’t really registered in my research, it seemed like a good day to swing by. 

It was genuinely fascinating. It looks at women’s place in the many different tribes that make up Vietnamese society. It walks you through marriage traditions, childbirth and family raising – Mima and many of my lovely mumming friends would have been fascinated by this part. There’s a brilliant section on women’s role in the various periods of combat with the French and then the US – featuring some pretty badass military women, spies and politicians. There are sections on women’s economic roles and impact, both traditional and modern. And a gallery of fashion which, if I’m honest,was the least interesting section. But that could just be because I was feeling pretty ropey by then. 

So I pottered back into town to pick up some tickets for a water puppet performance that I’ve ended up not going to, and went to a proper restaurant to try some gentle food. I thought on the principles of the BRAT diet, I’d go for veggie pho – rice noodles in a lovely gingery broth with vegetables. Accompanied by apple juice and another iced coffee. It doesn’t seem to have done any harm, but I didn’t fancy sitting in a theatre for an hour and a half, so I came home to check in for my flight to Hue tomorrow morning. 

Couldn’t check in… The airline’s website couldn’t find my booking. A couple of frantic phone calls later, it turns out that’s because the local agent had transposed my names and made my given name into a surname… The airline said the only way I could fly was to get the agent to change the tickets. But, of course, it’s a Sunday evening and a national holiday, to boot…. Still. Just when I thought I would have to buy another ticket, the agent called and it’s all sorted. Phew! 

So, yes. A challenging final day. I’m going to spend this evening packing my bags again, and try to get some sleep. Hopefully my slightly dodgy tummy will be better tomorrow! 

It’s a shame, because today aside, Hanoi has been an absolute blast! If this was the whole of my holiday and I was going home tomorrow, I’d consider it a holiday very well spent. I’m super impressed by the city. There is so much to do and see; people are incredibly friendly and welcoming and I have genuinely not felt unsafe or uncomfortable once. At home, people were very “oh, that’s brave” about me travelling alone, but in Hanoi it has felt like a very natural thing to do. There has been little or no opportunity to be bored or at a loose end, and while arrangements haven’t always worked out perfectly, they *have* always worked out!

I can’t wait to see what Hue brings…😁 (I’ve just looked up the weather forecast. Hue seems to want to bring storms. But in Hoi An it’ll be sunny and 36 degrees!!!)