Hanoi was the icing on our cake communist. We all know the "remnants" of communism with its exalted lines or buildings, concrete and flexibility Stalinist are one. Know that there is still a country of irreducible or we can "live" communism of the big time.
Having had some disappointments with the Vietnamese immigration to Cambodia, which we had so kindly bestowed on a non-extendable visa for 15 days at the cost of one month extendable visa, we had to make a new Visa to Hanoi. We went to the immigration service of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The Department of Immigration is located in the embassy district. But unlike the luxurious embassies and banks that populate the neighborhood, the building of immigration is at the end of an alley in back during Chinese store, which ends in a supermarket parking lot. After finding the entrance near the trash, you can access the service dedicated to "foreigners", but surprisingly there is not a single foreigner in the queue. We explain our case to the immigration officer. Unknowingly, this is the beginning of a magical tour into the fabulous world of the communist administration. Nothing to do with communism Lao which at best should consist in his hammock in red paint and the international whistling during the nap, Vietnam is not kidding with those things. The officer says he can not issue a visa. Hmm ... strange ... it is with immigration and we can not do a visa. We asked for more information. The officer said we already exceeds we can not do the visa, the only possibility is through a private travel agency, and then ignore us completely and we turned back to make us understand that we must go. He is very unpopular in the administrations of this kind of student voice to protest, to ask too many explanations, or even think. Despite the "impertinence" of such an act, we ask for explanations. The officer Pissed off us back to his head, has two wickets of his own. We start our full story: Embassy of Vietnam in Cambodia, which has put our money in the pocket, multiple attempts to have a sterile new visa ... She pours the same as his colleague: it is not possible a visa to the immigration office, you have to pay a travel agency (very expensive) to be our "sponsor", that is to say formally guarantee that goes well leave the country ( but they still have doubts?) and unofficially, legalize a system of extortion to the "Vietnamese". In bad Communists, irritated ... You should know that it is the leader who received us, and like any leader, she has something special, a "special trick". His is to call a french speaking interpreter to make us understand that we should leave. The interpreter also grant our request and tries to do something. In retrospect, the officer was the only person interpreter polite and efficient this service. It therefore calls his superior and, thanks "to good relations between France and Vietnam" (thankfully they have won a Dien Bien Phu ...) it might be a visa through a procedure CALLED "special case". Of course, this procedure is exceptional and we should not stirred up the thing is that here you have to pay an agency to do everything in your place and there is no question otherwise. We begin to fill out the "special case". This is an hour and that is we still have not seen a single foreigner, only Vietnamese working for the travel Agancs come with 50 passports, deposit, and leave with 50 others. It is believed take the right end, when the interpreter comes and tells us that her boss complained of behavior. We returned to see the chef who holds out a phone and also turns the head with contempt for not crossing our eyes. She seems upset and "wounded" in the administrative sense. At the other end, a Vietnamese speaking french does not bother to introduce themselves and explain that the chief did not like us to do so much fuss, it has even been "shocked "by our behavior. I said she expected a letter of apology to her and the immigration service of the socialist republic of Vietnam. He adds that our visa application will be considered by a special commission which, if it accepts our apology might be to do the visa, but nothing is less certain. Finally, it warns us and asks us to stop this immediately or you may be fined or even be expelled from the country ... On this, there is obviously a half turn and closing the door behind us the limits of laughter. Insane ... Otherwise, when you do not spend 2 days trying to arrange a visa, we can still see two or three interesting things in Hanoi. There are so Hoan Kiem Lake , above which a nice little red bridge joins a small sacred island to the shore, and "the temple of literature", a former university placed under the watchful eye of Confucius . 
In the alleys of the Old Quarter of Hanoi, you can also drink beer deemed the least pressure dear world, called Bia Hoi by Viets. 10 euro cents the half, only it is obviously not private. A good place for Vietnamese for once! 
Finally, we went through an agency for our visa, and simple to buy train tickets, given that's also, he can not do it directly at the station, and "he must go through an agency" as we have been re-told ... Next destination: The Halong Bay !
Peace of Hanoi (20m a highway motorcycle) ...
Temple of Literature, under the aegis of Confucius
In the alleys of the Old Quarter of Hanoi, you can also drink beer deemed the least pressure dear world, called Bia Hoi by Viets. 10 euro cents the half, only it is obviously not private. A good place for Vietnamese for once! Lane's old quarter
Finally, we went through an agency for our visa, and simple to buy train tickets, given that's also, he can not do it directly at the station, and "he must go through an agency" as we have been re-told ... Next destination: The Halong Bay ! 
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