We pulled up at Hanoi station at 4.50pm...far too early! We all had an okayish night...the air con was playing up and we all woke up at some point during the journey very cold! I was very grateful again that we made that purchase of the silk sleeping bags :-)

We arrived back at The Essence hotel at 5.30. We were all in need of a shower and a change of clothes!

6.30am breakfast then off to the Hoi Chin Minh Mausoleum. A surreal trip. Very strict security in place, all bags are scanned. Soldiers dressed in white uniform everywhere! No cameras allowed. Long queues to get in but we are all forced to move along quickly . No talking allowed as we made our way to see the embalmed body of the man himself .The room was guarded by 6 soldiers. The whole "walk"'around the body lasted less than a minute.

Next stop the Ho Chi Minh museum. Disappointing. Not enough information about his personal life, and some parts were more like an art gallery, all a bit ad hoc!

Next the Temple of Literature, the oldest complex in Hanoi. It was established in 1070 during the Ly Dynasty. Founded in honour of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, it served as a centre for higher education. Today, a lovely open space to walk around.

Lunch at the local eatery of New Day again. Emma and Damian love the spare ribs with chilli and pepper...we ordered 3 plates of it and they finished every last rib!

After lunch kids declare no more sightseeing! Emma, and I decide time for some pampering. Her and I have a pedicure (our feet are still slightly black from Sapa mud!) Jake was given the option of another foot massage or go with Damian to the supermarket. (Damian is obsessed with foreign supermarkets!)
Jake chose the former :-)

A walk back to the Hotel. Kids saw man making "design your own" wooden stamps. They designed their own and 2 hours later we went to pick them up...amazing!

3.30pm..A boat ride on the West lake - not quite the Serpentine, but was fun.

Then a drink in the Sofitel Plaza, in its well know, summit lounge on the 20th floor with a panoramic view over Hanoi city...Interesting view of the traffic jams!

Dinner at Southgate - modern fusion and delicious! Emma particularly enjoyed her duck confit.

Back at the hotel now. Its been a long day and we are all very very tired!
Watching the BBC world news as I type ...feels like Olympics fever at the moment :-)

Tomorrow afternoon we fly to Da Nang, our last leg of this wonderful trip.
There we will catch up on our sleep...

Px