Hanoi is the current capital of Vietnam. I did not walk around in the city by myself. Like most of us, I was still afraid to cross the street alone. No one wanted to be hit by a car or moped on the last two days of the trip, though they emphasized the accident rate was extremely low. Almost everyone followed the guide as a big group walking through the old town to the hotel, and that was the only area we saw in details while on foot. The landmarks such as Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, we just had a glance from the bus.

However, the visit to the Hoa Lo Prison Museum gave us a strong impression what an important role Hanoi had played in the Vietnam War. While looking at the photos of John McCain among the other prisoners of war who spent years in misery there, regardless of who's Republican or Democrat, at that moment everybody's heart just sank. The most extraordinary case was Captain Douglas B Peterson, because 30 years later he returned to Vietnam as the first U.S. Ambassador. Can't imagine what went through his mind when he left footprints on the Vietnamese soil again.

We went to two villages near Hanoi to see how the locals live and what they do for a living. We met people of all ages. I hope from my photos you can tell how cheerful they were to greet us.

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