Millions(literally, our driver said every household has 2-3) of motorbikes zoom past structures from the ancient and the colonial period, exuding a sense of harmony between timelessness and modernity. Upon arrival we headed to our hotel, the Sofitel Metropole. Built in 1901, the hotel is fashioned in French-colonial style and has been visited over the decades by notables from Charlie Chaplin to Putin(and now our dynamic duo!)

Our first morning in Hanoi we headed to Ba Dinh Square to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh is considered the primary force behind Vietnam's struggle for independence. Revered and loved by all the people(I doubt we could find one person to speak ill of him even if we tried), shrines to him exist all over the city.

Next, we saw the stilt house of Ho Chi Minh (also affectionately known as "uncle Ho"). Ho Chi Minh lived in a very simple home, believing that the palace( also on the grounds) was too extravagant for him. Although there was very little decoration, there was a very large portrait of Marx and Lenin that hung above his desk. After a short walk we arrived at one of the city's most recognizable icons, the One Pillar Pagoda. Built in the 11th century, it had to be reconstructed after it was burnt to the ground by the French in the 1950's. Our next stop was the temple of literature, the first university.

Later in the afternoon we visited the scenic Huc or "Sunbeam" bridge-the view of the lake from here was so picturesque! We aren't quite sure why, but everyone discouraged us (even locals outside of the hotel) from walking around the city too much-thankfully there were ample cabs.

The most interesting location that we visited today was the Hoa Lo Prison, a place that American soldiers gave the tongue-in-cheek nickname the "Hanoi Hilton". The prison was constructed during the French-colonial period and the exhibit emphasized the abuses that were inflicted upon the Vietnamese people at the hands of the French. A smaller portion of the museum was dedicated to the American period in which downed US pilots, such as John McCain, were detained. It is not surprising that the abuses of this period were completely glossed over in the exhibit. On one of the signs it said that the Americans were very lucky to be imprisoned by the vietnamese people.