Time changes things, but Hanoi has managed to effortlessly maintain its lasting allure. Such as the ‘magic’ of ancestor worship: a room kept at home with a small altar in front of which people bur
n incense, feeble whiskers of smoke – known as ‘invisible stairs’ – that connect the Earth to the heavens. Sometimes the smell reaches the street: these days orange and cinnamon are the fashion. There is still much ‘old’ Vietnam in Hanoi, a place where women lower their eyes if they sense a glance in their direction, yet instead hold their heads high when their country needs them. A unique city museum is dedicated to women, as is a beautiful statue of ‘Mother Vietnam’ by renowne
