Hanoi's 1,000th birthday - the countdown begins!

Tomorrow is the start of a ten day celebration to mark Hanoi's 1,000th birthday. Vietnam's capital turns 1,000 years old next Sunday on 10/10/2010 (coincidentally also my 36th birthday!).

To be honest, as much as I love living in Saigon, I'm sad we're not in Hanoi at the moment as I'm sure the build up to next week's celebration would be fantastic.

Even over the last 12 months when we lived in the north, the excitement was clearly visible as the city underwent renovations to dress itself up for the big occasion.

To celebrate Hanoi's birthday I will devote a few posts over the next 10 days to some of my favourite places in, and memories of, Hanoi.

No better way to start off than with my memories of Hanoi's 999th birthday party!

I don't really like birthdays, and turning 35 years old didn't fill me with much excitement, but the fact that much of Hanoi literally shut down for an all day party on my birthday (despite it not being in my honour!) made it a day I'll remember for a long time to come.

On 10/10/2009, the People's Committee closed Hanoi's iconic Long Bien Bridge, normally reserved for motorbikes (and trains!), and opened it to the public for an all day festival.

Hanoi's Long Bien Bridge

The Long Bien Bridge stretches 1,682 metres across the Red River and has quite a chequered history.

Built in 1902 by French architect Gustave Eiffel (yes, the same Eiffel of the tower in Paris!), as the only access point at the time from northern Vietnam into Hanoi the bridge played a crucial part in the war against America.

Given its critical position in Hanoi, Long Bien was bombed a number of times between 1967 and 1972, rendering it completely unusable for periods at a time.

Today, only half of the bridge retains its original structure and due to its dilapidated state only motorbikes, trains and pedestrians are allowed.

For the city's 999th birthday the Long Bien Bridge Festival celebrated the structure that has held a prominent place in the hearts of the northern Vietnamese for more than a century.

Long Bien was turned into an art gallery for the celebration with many artworks hung along half of the bridge. Add to that the street entertainers, stalls and crowds of locals enjoying the chance to walk along the bridge without the traffic, and it was a great day out in Hanoi city.

Georgia and Shell on Long Bien Bridge

Long Bien Bridge Festival



Artwork on Long Bien

Georgia, Shell, Lotta, Darrin, Mackenzie and Rob

Mackenzie and Georgia loved the bridge's playdough artists



Team Somerville on Long Bien Bridge

It's a long walk!

Happy birthday to moi! Shell and me on the Bridge



{Saigon Snacks} Bun Bo Hue

It has taken me a few months, but I have found a Vietnamese "foodie" obsession to replace my northern cravings for Hanoi bun cha.

My new dish, and one that you'll find me eating at least once a week in the Vincom food court (yeah, yeah I know it's not exactly a grungy roadside street stall!) is called Bun Bo Hue.

Translated, this means beef noodle soup Hue style. The soup consists of thick bun (vermicelli noodles) with all manner of meaty bits (many unrecognisable to a foreigner!) floating in a rich, tangy broth. It comes with a serving of salad condiments such as lettuce, coriander and bean sprouts to add to the dish and, best of all, a generous helping of fresh chilli and lime which gives the soup a good kick.

Although three times more expensive than what you'll buy outside, for only 45,000 VND a serving, the aptly named Hue Delights food stall in the basement of Vincom dishes up a reliable version that's less likely to give tourists a tummy issue!

Bun Bo Hue

Hue Delights, Vincom Shopping Centre, Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1

Murtle the Turtle & Hair of the dog!

This morning there was a strange sight outside our house. The girls discovered a terrapin (turtle) wandering along the edge of the backyard.

Not really surprising given we live next to a river, but this guy had clearly lost his way. Worried that it might be dried out, who knows how long it had been wandering around our compound, I put it into a bucket of water so we could return it to the river.

Before we left for our Sunday swimming lesson we wandered along the boardwalk trying to find the right place to set it free. Problem was that the water was so far down our only option was to toss it from quite a height.

I was worried the turtle might have a heart attack before it hit the water, so for now we have adopted the terrapin (now christened Murtle the Turtle) until the tide is high enough to set him free.

On the way back to the house one of the compound gardeners came over to see what we had in our bucket. He told us that we should keep it and eat it once it was big enough! Ahhhh, no thanks!

Murtle the Turtle

With Murtle safely inside the house we took the girls for their Sunday swim class. There were a few very hungover parents who had been at the Sheraton AFL party yesterday!

Like troopers we backed up and met our friends Lotta and Darrin for Lotta's post-birthday lunch at the Mekong Merchant on Thao Dien. There's no better cure for a hangover than hair of the dog! (although poor Rob was so seedy that he could only stomach a milkshake!).

And best of all, after extensive renovations, Mekong Merchant has re-opened their kids/toy room. Yay!

Lotta and new bub Jonathon

Mackenzie and Rob

Lotta and me - a bit wet from this afternoon's rainstorm!