As we toured the Ho Chi Minh complex in Ha Noi, I shot many photographs. One of which involved trying to capture the grill of a vehicle through a glass window. In doing so, I found myself with too many things in my hands, so I stuck the marketing brochure I was handed at the gate into my mouth. Here's my tip: don't ever press coated paper between your lips, let it sit and then rip it off.
Yup, I tore off the interior of my bottom lip. The paper had stuck. Here is a photo of me standing in front of the presidential palace, with my bottom lip stinging and bleeding, yet I managed to eek out a smile.
You may note I am wearing my Active Rain Localism shirt, which I received as a gift for supporting communities in Sacramento. It wasn't the right thing to wear, in hindsight, as many tourists gawked at the GUN pictured on the front! I had overlooked the image and chosen the shirt because it had long sleeves, which was appropriate attire for the situation. Generally speaking, long sleeves and long pants should be worn inside holy places in Asia and Europe. Fortunately, I wasn't arrested.
We were snubbed at the entrance to the complex because a group of preferred visitors arrived after us. They were very important members of the Communist party. As a result, our group was separated, and we missed the briefing from the tour guide about etiquette for viewing the mausoleum. In fact, I had forgotten that Ho Chi Minh was even in the mausoleum, but then I recalled the controversy surrounding his remains. Apparently, Uncle Ho -- as he's affectionately called by the Vietnamese people who supported him -- left a will, designating cremation and asking that his ashes be sent elsewhere in Viet Nam. However, in the "best interest" of the people, the government put him on display.
Guards stood at the entrance. My husband was ordered to drop his arms to his sides as we walked up the steps. It was a solemn and silent procession of people. It dawned on me at that point that we were actually going to view his body. He is embalmed, lying under low light in a separate room. Out of respect, of course, we did not attempt to shoot any photos. Whether a Vietnamese person politically supported the beliefs of Ho Chi Minh is not relevant. Even those who opposed him still show respect when speaking of him.
Although Viet Nam is a communist country, its economics seem to be based on capitalism. Vietnamese people are also free to choose their religion. Many people own a business, and the streets are dotted with gift shops, store fronts and services. Above is a gift shop at the Ho Chi Minh complex. You may note the Barbie on a bicycle at the bottom -- she zoomed around in circles.
We toured the usual tourist stuff, including the One-Pillar Pagoda. This is an ancient Buddhist temple that sits on a stilt over a lake, supported by one lone pillar that is supposed to resemble the lotus flower. I can envision that, can't you?
Above is a photo that shows how many structures in Viet Nam allow for incorporation of nature. Instead of cutting down trees that grow too close to a building, like we do in Sacramento, the trees are embraced. That's pretty cool, don't you think?
Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
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Elizaebeth - looks like a wonderful trip. Too bad you had to go so far to learn that little lessonm. Hopefully the recovery will be rapid!
Jeff
Elizabeth: I love your travel stories. Your sense of humor about etiquette, and the small stuff that happens along the way, like ripping the skin off your lip, is just my speed. I am glad you didn't snap a photo of Uncle Ho. Would have been creepy to see reproduced in a photograph.
Hi Elizabeth,
I enjoyed your photos and your post. Thanks for sharing your experiences and glad to know that aside from stinging lips, the trip's been great.
Mary
Great to see you back. I can just hear a home inspector whining about how vegetation causes water condensation and damage when it is too close to a wood structure.
I'm with you about the nature thing, though. I hate how developers scorch the earth when they build a subdivision and then leave you with a couple of lame saplings, forcing you to wait decades for decent foliage.
Great photos, and thanks for the update from over there.
Featured @ Club Chaos
See what you did? You made me spill my tea from laughing so hard about your shirt's icon. I can't get gun envy out of my mind (LOL). Now I have to go out and hand paint some Localism swag (LMAO). Yup... will have a very interesting motiff to go with that butterfly before the end of the day (in oil paint - ROTFL). P.S. Sorry about the lip thing. Bummer... :-)
Wow! What an exotic and unusual place to "vacation". Thanks for teaching us all this stuff and shariing the pictures. Didn't know that about Ho Chi Minh and his body still being there.
How cool Elizabeth for you to bring us the accounts of traveling to Vietnam. I immersed myself in every word and photo. THANKS!!! The Localism shirt was a riot.
We all have to learn the hard way too bad about the bloddy lip. Love the photos.
Well, unfortunately our first few days in Viet Nam were overcast, so the photos weren't as brilliant as I had hoped. However, when we get to Ha Long Bay, the sun comes out.
As for the lip thing, I should have known better. But I was too engrossed, shooting photos. It was like the light bulb went off the second I tugged at the brochure but it was too late. Owie.