Thang Long

 I've made more of an effort in Hanoi to get out and see things.  Part of this has been making an effort to meet people and interact with humans, something I really didn't do in Bulgaria or Georgia.

As a result, I actually have things to say sometimes because I'm going places and doing things.  

Last Saturday, I went to Thang Long Citadel.  As a quick note, in Vietnamese, the "th" is closer to a T sound than an English "th," so it's closer to pronounce this as Tang Long.  Not perfect, but closer.
A historical site, world heritage since 2010, Thang Long is kind of an epicenter of ancient and modern Vietnamese governance, having been (as I understand it) the seat of several dynasties stretching back through the Ly Dynasty in the 11th century.  The Ly Dynasty, among other things, actually codified some of the earliest laws in Vietnamese history.  Artifacts at the site date back even further, some all the way to the 7th-9th centuries.

 The album link, as usual - I will only be calling out a small portion of the things I saw, and I have some 58 pictures from the day.

There are various depictions around the site of how the area may have looked during its prime.  Work is still ongoing to excavate the area and find more; archaeology is an interesting field in that sometimes, active sites will actually be left 'unfinished' because as technology advances, relics and information that could be lost with current methods might be found with future ones.  (This tidbit brought to you by Milo Rossi.  For those interested in entertaining and informative archaeology, his is a youtube channel I can't recommend enough.)

Even with some of the smaller and more temporal buildings lost to time, the scale of the area is impressive in itself.  That picture was taken from atop this gate which itself is only about halfway across the complex.  The gate is accessible, and for whatever reason I found the water runoff management to be interesting enough to deserve a picture...but not much else up here.  The topmost tier that you can see is also accessible, but by some of the steepest stairs I think I'd ever seen.  

Also on the grounds, constructed in 1967, was Bunker D67, a military command post with an underground bunker nearby to protect from the several, and severe, bombing raids during the American War (for obvious reasons, they don't call it the Vietnam War here like we do in the USA).  Within this underground space, artifacts of the war are displayed in much the way they would have been set up at the time, or are displayed on shelves and in cases.  As a mild computerphile, I was particularly intrigued by the typewriter layout and how similar it is to the familiar QWERTY.  The development of that layout would be its own interesting rabbit hole were I so inclined.

I am currently not so inclined.

A few of the structures around the complex were repurposed for museums, displaying printing blocks, clay artifacts, roof tiles, pottery/ceramics, as a copper cannon, and other decorative elements that once adorned the larger structures in the area - structures that are either no longer standing or have been remodeled in one way or another over the years.  After all, we're talking about political occupation across five or six major dynasties spanning a full millennium.  Changes definitely took place.

Speaking of a full millennium, Hanoi had recently celebrated its 1000 year anniversary as the political center of Vietnam (having largely been chosen as the capital in 1010).  A few ancient-styled creations, including a bell and an enormous drum had been crafted and dedicated for the event, and were on display here.

Further into the complex was Hau Lau, or the Ladies' Pavilion, another sizable structure flanked by a lovely courtyard (including this well).  Here again were incredibly steep stairs, which were necessary for vertical scaling when the rooms are so tall.  I found it very intriguing, and it's another rabbit hole I could probably plumb.  Honestly, the consistent takeaway from this area was have I mentioned that I am just such a tall human?
Within this topmost tier is a temple/shrine where photography wasn't allowed, so obviously I don't have any pictures of that. 

Vietnam is an interesting place for someone of my height, as I've shown more here than anywhere else I've been.  Heck, my companion for this trip (visible in a couple pictures) is about 4'10, and while that's short even for a Vietnamese person, it's still closer to the scale for which this country is built than my towering giant frame.

But it's also just generally an interesting place.  Their ability to fit things on their motorbikes is, of course, legendary.