Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam and buzzing with life. The streets are crowded with people and motorbikes. Street cafes pour onto the sidewalks as the aroma of beef and chicken fill the air. Several friends and I enjoyed a few meals at these cafes, balancing on the small plastic chairs with our knees higher than the table, sipping soup and eating noodle dishes.

We passed our time walking around the city, bartering for fresh bananas and pineapple from vendors and enjoying the serenity of the haze-covered lake. We also visited the Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum, a large memorial to honor the highly celebrated Vietnamese leader followed by the Temple of Literature, a temple of Confucius and Vietnam's very first university!

One evening, I had the wonderful opportunity to enjoy traditional music, song and puppetry at a Water Puppet Show. This Vietnamese tradition dates back to the 11th century. When the rice fields would flood, the villagers would entertain each other using this form of puppet play.