In contrast to the average pub-crawling backpacker, many Hanoians enjoy being early risers: the city wakes up around 5am and bustles with life soon after. Starting around 6am, masses of scooters swarm the streets, housewives raid the markets for the freshest fruit and vegetables, and sidewalk vendors begin to cook breakfast. But it is Hà Nÿi’s collective morning gymnastics, in Lenin Park and in the park around Hoàn Ki\m Lake, that are a sight especially worth getting up before dawn. Dating back to the 1950s when H· Chí Minh instituted mandatory daily exercise for all Vietnamese, Hanoians have long kept up the tradition of starting their day with a workout. Men stretch, meditate, and practice martial arts; hundreds of women collectively practice aerobics to energetic techno music; youngsters play badminton and various local sports; even elderly men and women calmly and carefully exercise in their pajamas. Hà Nÿi energetically greets the new day, as well as the occasional bedraggled, red-eyed tourist. The breathtaking view of the timeless Ngßc S£n temple reflected in Hoàn Ki\m Lake in the dim light of the rising sun is a sight well worth setting your alarm clock to a painfully early hour.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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