Bienvenue à Hanoi

Hanoi is all about its streets and tiny alleys. Flooded by motorcycles, people, beer, coffee and food, they’re the essence of the Vietnamese city. 

Once I’ve reached the Old Quarter, I was completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the colorful houses along the streets and by the pointy traditional Vietnamese hats that were popping out from everywhere.

Careful not to die in an early car accident, we reached the hotel in the heart of the Old Quarter before starting to wander around the city with only one objective: to blend in and try as much local food as possible while enjoying the bustling streets.

After travelling Asia for a while I am quite used to certain street scenes such as people playing traditional chess or smoking huge bongs with who-knows-what inside, but I was really surprised when I noticed a guy cooking on an improvised kitchen on top of a very unstable roof next to the road.

First food stop: Bahn Mi 25. Awesome sandwich with authentic french bread, raw veggies and pork/chicken. I wish I could have taken it back to Singapore. And by “it” I don’t mean the sandwich, but the whole Bahn Mi 25 place.

After food, the real exploration of the Old Quarter began. Also, we got tricked by a lady into buying some pineapple she was selling. It turns out that one was of the sweetest pineapple I’ve ever tasted. Speaking of “always look at the bright side of life (whistling )”

Although it is a very nice and diverse place to visit during the day, it’s not less interesting at night, when tiny alleys are light up by feeble lamps and the weekend night market gets flooded with people and food (see the title picture above to believe).

However Hanoi is packed not only with big touristy market, but it has some great small local markets as well that can be found quite randomly in the middle of the street.

Now let’s talk about my favourite thing about Hanoi: coffee. I can’t believe I’m saying this but Vietnamese coffee is probably better than Italian coffee (joking, I don’t want to get killed by my fellow countrymen). Even though Egg Coffee is amazing and a very new experience for the tastebuds, the normal black vietnamese coffee takes the crown as best coffee of the trip. Moreover, if you’re lucky enough like we were, you are able to find some exquisite cafes or caphe’ mainly popular amongst locals.

Or alternatively you can splurge at some french cafes before having a haircut on the side of the street looking over a giant tree. Pretty badass, I know.

Also, if you think that the french-vietnamese duo ends at cafes and baguettes, you’re dead wrong. There is the french opera, la maison central (aka the Hoa Lo, aka the Hanoi Hilton) where american pilots POW were held, the crepes and the list goes on and on.

At the end of the day it’s all about the people.

Like the guy that goes around with a war helmet and smiles at you when you take a picture of him.

Or the one that enjoys his late supper right on the street in what, you guessed it, is the healthier place possible.

Then there is the guy who keeps stalking you until he gets you on board his rickshaw, quite funny at the beginning, a tad annoying after a while.

In Hanoi, especially in the Old Quarter, there is something new behind every corner. One moment you are sipping a coffee in a french-like cafe’ and the moment after you find yourself in front of a very patriotic ancient gate.

The only deja vu during the wandering around the streets is the sight of policemen (or vigilantes?) that can be spotted literally everywhere carrying their batons around or resting in a corner.

Another widely liked place in Hanoi is Hoàn Kiếm Lake, whose sweeping winds are great for someone living in Singapore like me. Oh yeah, the lake is quite beautiful as well. Not as much as the wind, but it’s decent too.

Near the lake, on the way to St. Joseph’s Cathedral, we stopped by a very nice small restaurant for lunch. And I have to say, both the place and the food were quite impressive.

Right after lunch, hunger stroke again. This was a common thread during our stay in Hanoi.

However, first, a stop at the National Museum of History was due (not too long though, hunger is not going away).

Somehow while travelling I tend to get tired quite early in the evening. Could it be for the 15 and more kilometers walking? Or maybe it could be that my body is asking continuously for a siesta after the food fiesta (I feel like a rapper with this rhyme). Either way, after the museum it was time to relax for a bit. And what better place is there to relax than one of the best Pho places in town?

The great thing about this place is that it is filled with locals and thus is not one of those cheeky tourist traps.

Eventually, there was only one day left before going back to the red dot. Not many things were left to see and, after visiting the Vietnam Military History Museum which was definitely not as good as the Saigon one, we went for a quick visit to the Fine Art Museum, whose lacquer art pieces were simply stunning.

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Last visit of the trip was to the Temple of Literature, a chinese-like temple. There, some kind of celebration was happening, with students flocking in from everywhere and asking to take pictures together.

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Time to go home.

Au revoir Hanoi, see you next time.