PART 1. Hanoi
The plan was simple enough. A couple of days in Hanoi , then take the overnight train to the hill resort of Sapa, then 3 days to climb Mt.Fanxipan and get back down again, then drive to Dien Bien Phu for 2 nights before flying back to Hanoi.
First stop in Hanoi, the ‘Hanoi Hilton’.
This notorious prison held American pilots who were shot down over North Vietnam during the Vietnam War (or the American War as the Vietnamese call it). The POW’s nicknamed this prison the Hanoi Hilton. One of the more famous inmates was John McCain (recent US Presidential contender) whose flying suit was on prominent display.
During the French colonial era the prison housed Vietnamese political prisoners and criminals in harsh conditions.
I’d never seen a real guillotine before. Efficient no doubt
There are plenty of famous attractions to see in Hanoi.
The streets in the Old Hanoi Quarter are full of character, colour and energy. There was talk about Old Hanoi being recognised by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site but it seems there are no plans to proceed with that proposal. Let us hope that this district can escape the developers’ wrecking ball for many years to come.
The Thrifty Traveller 
It seems that the photos and text have had quite a overlap. I have enjoyed many of your other articles. Cheers Sten
Thanks Sten. I switched to a new WordPress theme on my blog recently to make it easier to read on mobile devices but it seems to have messed up the formatting of some of my old posts. I’ll have to get around to reformatting them at some stage.