Weather forecast: Hot and humid, overcast at first, then sunny. Temperatures ranging from 28c (82f) to 35c (95f). Temperatures will feel like 30c (86f) to 38c (100f).

Our last day in Hanoi before tomorrow we fly off to Dong Hoi and from there are taken to the Phong Nha Farmstay.

This morning we visited Hoa Lo Prison, which was known by US pilots shot down and captured during the Vietnam war as the Hanoi Hilton. It was originaly built by the French to incacerate Vietnamese who rose up against French colonial rule.

During the vietnam war the prison was used by the Vietnamese government to lock up US pilots who had been shot down. This included John McCain who later became a Republican Senetor.

We then visited the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long which was full of young schoolchildren who were a delight to see. The citadel which was built in the 11th Century was the hub of Vietnamese military power for over a 1,000 years.

Our final visit was to the Military History Museum which has lots of photographs and exhibits relating to the Chinese occupation of Vietnam, the French colonial rule and the US Vietnam War. Very interesting.

We had a restful afternoon before going to the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre.This is a traditional Northern Vietnamese art form. When the rice field flooded the villagers would us this type of puppet play to entertain themselves. The shows are performed by the puppeteers in a waist deep pool so it appears the puppets are moving over the water. See the video in the itinerary.

This is our last night in Hanoi so here are a few observations.

We have loved our time in the chaotic madness which is Hanoi. The traffic is totally crazy with every person for themselves but somehow it works. No one walks on the pavements as they are covered with parked motor bikes and scooters, people selling things and people sitting on very small plastic stools eating. So everyone walks on the roads where you face traffic coming at you from all directions. The Vietnamese are a very hard-working nation, most of those who we have met have two or three jobs, but they remain upbeat and friendly. We have been very impressed by the high levels of customer service we have met and the attention to detail. The Vietnamese don’t waste anything and everywhere you go you see people mending things and making things which we would just go to the shops and buy. One final amazing thing hardly anyone smokes. In the six days we have been here we have only seen three people smoking or vaping.