buildings in hanoi

ngoc son (jade mountain) temple is dedicated to tran hung dao who defeated a force of 300,000 sent to invade vietnam by the mongol emperor kublai khan in the fourteenth century.

view of thap rua (turtle tower) in ho hoan kiem (returned sword lake). note the particularly socialist-looking building in the background.

this building is the outside of the temple of literature, vitenam's first university. if you graduated, you got a huge turtle statue.

this pagoda, aptly named the "one pillar pagoda" is perched atop the one pillar as shown.

one of these things is not like the other.... pictured above is the opera house in all it's european-esque splendor.