A Treasure Hunt in Hanoi: Part 2

Click here to read Part 1 of this post if you haven't already.

Angela's next clue told her to find "Vietnam's former Communist leader, who gave his name to a city in the south," which led her to the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. She was also told to look for an umbrella.

Nope, not this one.

How about the umbrella near the flag?

This clue told Angela to find another flag, near the Ho Chi Minh Museum.

The Ho Chi Minh Museum with flag in front.

Next we went to the Temple of Literature, a Confucian sanctuary devoted to learning, knowledge and scholarly pursuits.

Angela had to go to the Courtyard of the Sage Sanctuary, admire the tree sculptures and find the next clue under a small red pagoda.

There it is!

Upon leaving the Temple of Literature, we next had to find a pet cafe.

Angela and I went to several pet cafes in Seoul, though they were mainly filled with dogs and cats. This was a slightly different pet cafe...

...one with reptiles!

There was also the occasional rodent.

Angela had to show some bravery to get her next clue, which was hidden in one of the reptile tanks.

Passing a statue of Lenin on our taxi ride to the next destination.

The final clue was in a plant pot outside a spa. Before following the clue, we went inside and treated ourselves to a herbal bath and massage.

Heading back through the Old Quarter to reach our final destination of the treasure hunt.

...a fancy dinner at Co Yen restaurant. Angela ate a tasty chicken-based dish.

I decided to try Tis sa cau nuong rieng me, or grilled crocodile meat with fermented rice and galangal. It was my first time trying crocodile. It had the texture of chicken but the taste of fish. Not delicious but enjoyable enough.

The pretty view from our table.

After dinner, the waiters and I brought out a cake, and we all sang Happy Birthday to Angela, with many of the other customers joining in.

With the treasure hunt finished, we soon headed back out onto the hectic streets of Hanoi.

And that was it for Angela's birthday. Overall, I think she was very happy with how it went, and we spent the next day lazing around and eating junk food in our hotel room, which was fun. Apart from a daytrip to Ha Long Bay (which we'll look at in my next post), we didn't do a whole lot else in Hanoi, except run some errands like posting a bunch of stuff home and buying a new plug for my laptop. The treasure hunt alone, though, helped ensure that we'll always remember fondly this city and its many sights.