I decided to take a day trip outside the city over the weekend to get some fresh air and a break from the city buzz. I went to Hoa Lu, which is in Nim Binh province 96km south of Hanoi. In travel time, it is about a 2 hour car ride.It is known as the ancient capital of Vietnam because in the 10th century the Vietnamese defeated the Chinese occupiers who had been in power for almost a thousand years.
It was absolutely beautiful, one of the reasons it was chosen as the capital because of all the mountains that surround the city which would have made it difficult for invaders to penetrate the area.
In terms of weather Hanoi hasn't been too hot, just really humid - but just going a bit south, the weather was extremely warm. I was silly and did not come prepared at all, no hat, no sunscreen, but least I remembered to bring water and toilet paper ...
I went with a small tour group and there were 4 French people from France who knew very little English. My good old French immersion came in handy, I ended up translating most of the tour and when the guide found out I knew some Vietnamese, so she kept asking me what the English words were for certain things. Juggling three languages, in which 2 I am not really that great in, was a bit tiring, but it made me really appreciate languages. Everytime people talk about Canada (locals and foreigners), they say it's the country with 2 languages except there is a misconception that everyone in Canada speaks both French and English. Because I could speak in French and Vietnamese, I was able to meet more people and help out. It made me appreciate Canada having 2 official languages and it is nice to know we are known for that.
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