My adventure to Hanoi ( Part 7 ) NGOAI O Restaurant- Hanoi's best kept secret

CHAO MUNG DEN HANOI !!

( Welcome to Hanoi )

It was Tom, our guide's turn to bring us to a good local restaurant ... where the locals dine. He wrote down the name of the restaurant for me... it was NGOAI O Restaurant. One thing that made me want to see this place was how he described the place... It was like eating in the countryside... Upon entering the restaurant --- the decor of the place was very ethnic with the hut and bamboo furniture.

The restaurant is so small -- it had only a few tables inside.. but I noticed that the people dining were all locals... To me that was a good sign !!  I was going to have good Vietnamese cuisine at very low prices. I asked our guide to do the ordering since he frequents this place with other tourists who wants to sample good Vietnamese cooking..

My adventure to Hanoi ( 4 ) Visiting UNCLE HO'S Mausoleum and Museum

CHAO MUNG HA NOI !

( Welcome to Hanoi ! )

Let us now walk to the HO CHI MINH Mausoleum and Museum...

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was modelled after the Mausoleum of Lenin in Russia. It is located at BA DINH SQUARE--- one of the few green and unoccupied areas of Hanoi. Many important events take place at this square. The most notable event that happened at this square was on September 2, 1945 -- Ho Chi Minh read the Vietnam Independence Declaration. It was also in this square where the funeral of Ho Chi Minh was held. The building is dedicated to house Ho Chi Minh's preserved body and a place where the locals express their admiration and gratitude towards their national hero. It is popularly known among the Vietnamese as " UNCLE HO'S " Mausoleum. It was built in 1973 and finished in 1975.

The construction of this mausoleum was against the will of Ho Chi Minh. As he passed away, he wished  to be cremated and his ashes to be scattered all over the country.