To All,
Today we enjoyed our first full day in Hanoi. The morning started off with breakfast at the gorgeous Meritus Hotel, followed by a tour of Hanoi on foot. Ho Chi Minh's preserved and "heavily guarded" body was the first stop of the morning. It was amazing to realize exactly for what the man we were staring at had been responsible. Only a few of those things were mentioned in the pamphlets that were sold by the guards. Next stop was at a temple, built some 800 years ago, which was dedicated strictly to the great minds of the time. Graves at the temple included the major thinkers who lived between the 14th and 18th centuries. The on-foot expedition was capped off with a trip to Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the "Hanoi Hilton" (which initially served as a prison built by the French against the Vietnamese). Unfortunately, today Hoa Lo Prison is literally a Hilton hotel, where most of the original prison was destroyed. However one of the cells in which American soldiers were held, still stands. According to signs on the wall American prisons were treated with the utmost dignity; and while being held captive they played volleyball, cooked, and received presents from their family. Dubious. At any rate it was absolutely fascinating to see the kinds of conditions in which they were held. At the completion of the tour Mr. Dang gave the OK for students to travel in large groups downtown to shop and explore. However, I don't think there was a soul amongst us that did not take advantage of the great pool, gym, sauna, steam room, or other perks of having been upgraded to the Meritus "Club" level. Thanks Mr. Dang.
Chris Dahan
