Chinese New Year’s Eve (Wednesday pm)

This is a big deal here.  Think Christmas and New Years and the 4^th of July all rolled into one.  We noticed today that lots of things were closed, and were told that we shouldn’t expect ANYTHING other than the hotel to be open tomorrow.  That’s fine, we could use a down day.

So as we were walking back from the Water Puppet Jamboree, we note that the crowd is starting to gather around the lake.

We’re talking “Times Square on December 31” crowd.  Scooter parking was at a premium, and there were zillions of little kids, some dressed up and others just dressed warm.  Lots of grandparents and extended families out.

On one of the squares we went by, there was a music group setting up for a free show.  People – especially teens and young adults – had been there all afternoon doing those things that people in that age group do to kill time before the “big event.”

We didn’t see where Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin were broadcasting from, but you just know that they (or their genetic equivalents) were high in a building somewhere doing color commentary about the event.

So we were going to grab some supper and then watch the fireworks over the lake.  It’s supposed to be a great show and, what the heck, we’re here already.

Then we found out a little drawback to our plan.

The fireworks don’t start until midnight. Yup, like waiting for the ball to drop in Times Square, the big event doesn’t happen until 12:00 a.m. and then it’s over in just a few minutes and those bazillions of people want to find their way back home.

We had a little conference to discuss this in detail.  Option 1 was to go stand in a crowd for a little better than 5 hours – with no food (apparently you were supposed to pack a picnic lunch, but nobody told us that) or drinks OR BATHROOMS while waiting for the fireworks.

Or we could go back and go to bed, figuring that we’ve seen fireworks before and would have a chance to see them again.

Signing off for tonight, folks.  If you want to find out about fireworks in Hanoi, you should go to the internet for pictures.    Then share those pics with the rest of us. 

Here is a link to a USA Today story that explains the significance of Chinese New Year.  It is very much in line with what our guides have shared with us throughout the trip.

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/tet-festival-vietnam-23114.html