We left The Wyndham Legend Hotel in Halong Bay at 11.00 am with yet another driver who didn’t speak English so it was a very quiet journey to Hanoi in a converted Transit van which could have comfortably seated ten people. Consequently, Lynne and I were spoilt for choice where seating was concerned. The strange thing was that I had naturally expected to travel via the same route as our previous journey from Hanoi airport which took three and a half hours. This time however, the journey took a little over two and a half hours and comprised of nothing but motorway which was straight for as far as the eye could see. Unlike motorways at home in the UK there was only light traffic on the road too, so absolutely no hold ups.
I had looked up Hanoi on Youtube as I always do looking for hints for what to see and do and only succeeded in making us both worry that we might not like it. Most of the Youtube videos I managed to find devoted most of their time to giving tips on how not to get ripped off and how to survive the traffic. Having loved Halong Bay and it’s people so much we wondered if a big city might be a bit brash, so it was with a degree of trepidation that we approached the city. As we entered the city it was obvious that it was massive and the nearer we got to our hotel the more hectic the traffic became. After leaving the Wyndham Legend in Halong Bay we both felt slightly disappointed with our first sight of the Sunline Paon Hotel in Hanoi.
This didn’t last long though because the people at check in were so charming and the hotel, although small was equally charming. Within ten minutes of arriving, all our doubts disappeared. The room we had booked was classed as a Business Room with a lake view. I’m including a photo of the lake view and if you keep in mind that the lake is about three blocks away, that should explain what you’re actually seeing!
Ok, so definitely no lake to be seen. Lynne and I found it highly amusing that they could class this as a lake view but we deemed it not to be worth complaining about as it’s blindingly obvious that no room in the hotel could possibly have a lake view! By way of consolation the room itself is lovely. It’s clean, the wifi is fast and the air con works, what more could you want? Also we need not have worried about whether or not we would like Hanoi. From the moment we stepped out of the hotel for our first walk we fell in love with it. It’s noisy, smelly, dirty and chaotic. Qualities I’ve come to love in my 30 years married to Lynne!😂 Anyhow, we both loved it instantly. I had watched videos online about how to cross the road. There are thousands of motorbikes and scooters everywhere. It doesn’t matter how many there are on the road, the way to cross is to step out and keep moving at a steady pace and all the bikes and scooters will find their way around you. I have to say I found the whole experience quite exhilarating. We tried to avoid crossing when buses or bigger vehicles were coming but when it was just bikes there was never really a problem. The first time we tried crossing was on a large main road which might easily accommodate five lanes of traffic. There were literally hundreds of motorbikes and scooters coming at us but we took the leap of faith and stepped into the traffic. All we had to do was keep walking at the same pace and sure enough we got to the other side unscathed! Brilliant! It’s a bit nerve wracking the first time but such fun, I kept wanting to cross just for the sake of it. The only downside is the heat. Within minutes of leaving the air conditioned comfort of the hotel we were dripping with sweat. That’s a level of humidity I hadn’t experienced since Lynne and I spent a holiday in New York in July sometime in the mid 90s. This time we sat on a bench for five minutes or so and I had the feeling there were bugs on my legs but it was just beads of sweat rolling down. During our four night stay I showered almost every time we returned to the hotel.
After our first road crossing adventure we returned to the hotel to freshen up before going out again to find somewhere to eat. The busy road we had crossed earlier that afternoon was closed to traffic and there seemed to be a huge party going on. One of the girls at the check out at the hotel in Halong Bay had told us that the weekend was the best time to visit Hanoi and now we could see why. All the roads around the lake were closed to traffic and it looked as if the whole population was out having a party. We soon found out that this happens for three nights every weekend. There are street performers everywhere with crowds of people watching. Areas of the road are sectioned off and children ride around in small electric vehicles which represent everything from fire engines to JCB diggers. The kids obviously love it and it’s refreshing to see the spectacle of entire families out enjoying themselves. Given the fact that there are tens of thousands of people on the street I can honestly say that not once in the time we spent there over the three nights of the weekend did we see any kind of aggressive behaviour and I’m sure it’s a safe bet that no one got stabbed. A stark contrast to life in the UK these days. As we reached the far end of the lake we came across a young group of musicians headed by a guy on electric violin. They had a large crowd watching them and for good reason, they were brilliant! The guy on the violin was incredible and made it look so easy but there was also a young lad on guitar who had the chance to solo every now and then and he also was brilliant. He and the rest of the group looked all of 14 but they were so good we spent a good 40 minutes there watching them. I was reluctant to walk away while they were still performing, but after a busy day of travelling we were both hungry so we left to go and find food. It didn’t take long to find an amazing restaurant which looked more like an old fashioned gentleman’s club inside. We ordered drinks and then food. This was the first restaurant I’ve ever been in that gives you the menu on an iPad. I had a large plate of grilled octopus. The plate is actually the pan that the food is cooked in which I suppose saves on the washing up! Strange that it’s described as grilled octopus but it comes in a pan which suggests that it’s actually fried? Whatever, It makes me drool just thinking about it. Lynne shared some of my food whilst waiting for hers to arrive. It was only after a few minutes that we realised my plate (pan) also had small chunks of fried pork which was unfortunate as Lynne is vegetarian and wouldn’t knowingly have eaten any of it. It was a pity we didn’t notice sooner so that I needn’t have shared my octopus with her! Selfish as ever, that’s me!!
I must say I always feel slightly guilty when eating octopus as we constantly hear how intelligent they are. Whilst on the Halong Bay cruise, our guide pointed out a boat that was on its way to fishing for octopus. You could see that the boat had a whole string of lights hung out and apparently they sail into dark caves and then switch on the lights and the octopuses immediately come to them. The poor old octopus has the misfortune to be so delicious, which makes it irresistible, but if all you need to do is shine a light, they can’t be that clever can they? Well that’s my justification for eating them and I’m sticking to it. Anywhere we go that has octopus on the menu, that’s what I’m gonna be eating! The restaurant was called Si Cuisine & Mixology and the service as we’ve found everywhere in Vietnam was amazing, they just can’t do enough for you. As we were eating we could sense two waiters hovering close by ready to jump in if we needed anything. Anywhere else I would find that quite disconcerting, but in Hanoi it seems perfectly natural.
After eating we walked along the west side of the lake watching all kinds of street performers along the way and when we reached the top, or north end of the lake we came across the street market. Once again the street is closed to traffic and market stalls are set up for the full length of the street which seems to go on for ever. It seems like there’s nothing you couldn’t buy there. Lynne bought a pair of bluetooth earphones for the equivalent of about £7. I know you’re supposed to barter for everything in Vietnam and we had been warned against getting ripped off, but really, when the prices are so ridiculously low anyway, it’s difficult as you end up feeling like you’re robbing them! On the way back to the hotel we took a slight detour from the street market and found ourselves in a the middle of a crowded street food area. This was even more crowded than the street market and progress was slow as we fought our way through the crowds. Everywhere there were people sitting on tiny plastic stools eating the various offerings from dozens of different street food stalls. Back in the cool of our room we were left to reflect on our first experience of Hanoi and the simple fact is, we absolutely love it. It is uncomfortably hot and humid and each time we’ve returned to the hotel I’ve made straight for the shower. I can’t remember when I ever had beads of sweat rolling down my back whilst simply walking around but I would happily endure the heat and humidity to spend more time here. We both slept well that night in spite of the cock crowing somewhere outside our window at the crack of dawn.
Our first full day in Hanoi began with the usual ritual of trying to work out how the hotel’s buffet breakfast works and where everything is. Initially we couldn’t find a free table anyway so we went for a short walk in the hope that there might be a free one when we got back. The breakfast was pretty standard fare really and having eaten, we soon made our way out with the intention of finding Hanoi’s train street. This is a very narrow street with a railway track running the length of it. I had heard that the train only comes through twice a day and we set off on a long walk hoping to see the train come through at 3.30 pm. The long walk entailed expending lots of sweat and making lots of strangely enjoyable street crossings. I know it probably sounds childish and I can’t really explain it but as I said before I found the idea of stepping out into the chaos of Hanoi traffic with all it’s inherent dangers ridiculousy exhilarating. I’m not sure Lynne was quite so thrilled about it but I just grabbed her hand and went anyway! She really had very little choice about it and had to trust in me not to get us both killed!😂 The following image is taken from film which I managed to get of us crossing a moderately busy road. The view is actually of the oncoming traffic with us being more or less in the middle of the road at that point. I wish I’d picked a better moment to film as there were other occasions that we crossed through much heavier traffic than this.
It took ages to get to train street and we badly needed drinks when we got there. Walking along the railway track, there are lots of small cafes and bars set up on the track. Tables, chairs, the lot! About five minutes before the train comes, they rush round and move everything to the side and warn all their customers to keep well back. I had seen this whole thing previously on Youtube but nothing prepares you for the moment the train comes through. It’s big and it’s fast! I thought it might just come trundling through at a sedate pace but the reality is that it comes through scarily fast and being so close you get a real sense of how big and heavy and unstoppable it is! This next pic is five or ten minutes before the train.
Whilst waiting for the train Lynne and I sat at the trackside having a beer and enjoying the breeze from a large fan that the lady serving was kind enough to switch on for us to help cool us down. As if proof were needed that people do really live here, there were some children playing across the street. They were teasing a small dog which appeared to be chasing them back into the house every time they ventured out. I think it made for a delightful photograph which could only have been better if I’d been able to get the dog in the frame too but it was at that moment that he chose to disappear.
Speaking of dogs, it seems that the Vietnamese people love their dogs and during our time here we saw literally hundreds of people with dogs. They seem to favour what I think of as small toy breeds and we saw them everywhere we went. Maybe they like to have dogs that they can carry easily. Hopefully it’s not because they fit into the pot easier! It took about three minutes for the locals to clear the track and a minute or two later the train came thundering through. Within minutes of it passing, the chairs and tables were back in place and life carried on as if nothing had happened. You have to admire the people there who manage to eke out a living from the tourists who come from all over the world to see something as simple as a train passing through a residential street. They don’t appear to have much but I don’t think I ever met nicer people! Just by way of a side note, the train isn’t just a tourist novelty either. Lynne filmed it passing by on her phone, and watching the film later, I counted 14 carriages.
During the long hot and sticky walk back to the hotel we started noticing the things you would never expect to see in the UK or even Europe for that matter. First was a dental practice which was no more than a shop front where you could have watched the dentist pulling teeth from the pavement outside. I can’t imagine you would ever see that In England. Not long after the dentist I saw a man getting a haircut in the street while the mad Hanoi traffic honked and hollered it’s way past. I tried to get a photo and the guy ended up giving me the evil eye. I’ve never been good at street photography, you never know how people are gonna react and me being a bit of a shy shrinking violet it makes me kind of nervous!
We saw an old man taking a wizz at the side of the road too. In broad daylight with no shame at all, although he did try to turn his back when he saw Lynne approaching. Can’t say I blame him, he’d probably heard of her tendency to bite! We were about 30 minutes walk away from the hotel when the heavens opened and we got a hint of what I imagine a monsoon must feel like. We had absolutely no way of protecting ourselves from this sudden downpour but it wasn’t long before people appeared selling flimsy plastic macs. We got conned for the first one which cost 50,000 Dong which is roughly £1.75. We bought a second one a few minutes later for 15,000 dong which is about 50 pence. By then it was absolutely howling it down and my main concern was for my camera, it’s a professionally rated camera with supposedly weather proof sealing but there’s no point in allowing it to get wet needlessly. Back at the hotel, in spite of just having had a free shower outside the first thing I did was to shower again before having an hour to chill before going out to eat.
I had read on Trip Advisor about a restaurant called Poke Hanoi which got really good reviews. Apparently Poke refers to a type of food but not just in Hanoi because I’ve since found that they have them in Kuala Lumpur too. Anyway, I digress. We walked to the restaurant at the southern tip of Ho Hoan Kiem (the lake) and after negotiating our way through lots of kids driving their miniature fire engines and police cars and Lynne narrowly avoiding getting run down by a small JCB, we found it at the end of a narrow alleyway and up a number of flights of steep stairs. Once inside you get to choose what to have in your bowl. It’s all very healthy, being mostly vegetable and fruit based, along with a choice of salmon or shrimp and sticky rice. As usual the service was lovely. I know they’re in a service industry and expected to be nice to customers but nevertheless the warmth of the welcome we get everywhere we go is quite exceptional. An hour later and we were ready for more walking. We headed back to the street market area but there seemed to be even more people out on the streets than the previous night, it was Saturday night after all. The whole place was heaving with people and we decided against walking the length of the street market as it looked a bit like a football crowd. Unlike the previous night we took what we thought was a more direct route back to the hotel rather than fight our way through the street food areas. Putting the route into google maps we discovered that the route we had previously been using to get to the lake and all the surrounding attractions in Old Town Hanoi was probably three times as far as we actually needed to walk and this time we were back at the hotel in a fraction of the time.
The next day we planned on walking to the Temple of Literature. Being such a literary giant myself (sic) I felt it incumbent upon me to pay a visit to Hanoi’s shrine to literature thereby condemning Lynne and myself to another sweaty day of walking. We had only been walking for ten minutes when I made the mistake of telling Lynne she had a stain on the top she was wearing. I knew instantly that we would have to go back to the hotel so that she could change. Secretly, I was glad of the chance to change my own T-shirt as the one I was wearing was a touch on the snug side and I was already sweating profusely. After the false start we set out again with the best of intentions but soon came across a coffee shop called Note that did egg coffee. I don’t know exactly how egg coffee is made but it’s creamy and thick and delicious. The cafe is completely decorated with small post it notes and everyone is encouraged to leave their thoughts on the walls, windows, anywhere you can find space. Some of the messages are profound, others are just “so & so was ere” kind of thing but one of the most amusing was a typical English wit who wrote “don’t go to Blackpool UK, it’s shit”! Brilliant, couldn’t have put it better myself.
This was the day when we came across another Vietnamese phenomenon, polite young people who want to learn. First time was a young man who was obviously a student. He approached us and asked if we spoke English and if so would we mind him asking some questions in English because it was part of his study to learn and converse in English. We were only too pleased to accommodate him and couldn’t help laughing when he asked where we were from. When we told him we not only spoke English but were from England too, he did a little dance and could barely contain his excitement. I have to confess that for a few moments I wondered whether he might be leading to some sort of con trick but he turned out to be totally genuine and I had to admonish myself for being so cynical! It was a pleasure to have that all too brief interaction with a young guy who was so obviously keen to learn. Later in the day the same thing happened again with a younger boy who asked most of the same questions and was just as keen. They both said they wanted to go into engineering and I couldn’t help admiring their determination to learn a language that would obviously be hugely beneficial to them in their future careers. Coincidentally we spoke to a taxi driver in Kuala Lumpur about learning English and he explained that in engineering there are some words for which there is simply no translation in Malaysian and I imagine the Vietnamese would probably have exactly the same problem.
On reaching the Temple of Literature we opted for the audio tour and entered the ancient complex to start the tour. The audio tour was actually very good but I must say I found being bombarded with a lot of old Chinese names and dates a little meaningless and I’m sure I haven’t retained even a small part of the imparted knowledge in my tiny brain. Consequently we just wandered round looking at the wonderful old buildings with Lynne saying “if only they (the bricks) could speak” like she always does whenever we go to Stratford! The Temple grounds do provide a wonderfully peaceful respite from the manic pace of the huge city that sits beyond it’s ancient brick walls and it was an enjoyable afternoon despite listening to a commentary that I had very little understanding of. Maybe I’m not as big a literary giant as I thought I was! I’m including a couple of other images from the Temple grounds for no better reason than I liked the photos anyway without any real clue as to their significance, so here they are.
After leaving the tranquility of the temple grounds we set off on another mammoth trek back to the hotel. I forgot to mention that on the way there we had gotten hopelessly lost for a short while. I use google maps on my phone all the while but I think it’s fair to say I don’t get on with it at all well. Sometimes it’s hard to get your bearings and to work out which direction to go in. We sorted it out eventually but not before a couple of needlessly long diversions. Lynne bought a fan from a lady outside the temple before we entered so she was ok but I was left with my bodily fluids leaking from every pore and orifice. Yeah, sorry, too much information!
The walk back was just as hot as ever but we managed to navigate the route without getting lost this time. As we got back into the thick of the busiest parts of the old town, Lynne was approached by one of the fruit sellers who we had done well to avoid so far. This one was clever though, with a big smile she looked at me with my camera and said “you want photo” and before we knew it Lynne had her fruit carrier (couldn’t think what else you would call it) on her shoulder and the woman’s hat on her head. This was all done so quickly and with such good humour that it was impossible to say no.
Needless to say we had to buy some pineapple too which I thought was expensive but I suppose it was a few moments of fun and we got an amusing photo out of it too.
That evening we went back to Si Cuisine & Mixology to eat. I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. The call of the Octopus was just too strong! It was a different experience this time though, the service was just as good but the place was full and they now had loud music playing which I would have to say wasn’t much to my taste and in amongst the various so called rap songs we heard, there seemed to be a lot of choice language with the N word most in evidence. I think it’s safe to say they wouldn’t get away with that in the politically correct UK these days! The food was as good as before though so we walked back to the hotel happily satiated but not before we had to give English lessons to two young girls who asked if they could speak to us in English. Just like the two young guys previously, they wanted to ask all kinds of questions for their school work while their proud parents hovered in the background. The girls were about 9 or 10 years old and very keen to speak English although one was clearly much better at it than the other. After 10 minutes or so talking to them we were about to leave when their parents asked if they could have a photo of the girls with us. I still find it difficult to comprehend how friendly the people are in Hanoi and these people were visibly proud to have their daughters speak to us.
I still have one day to cover before we had to leave on the Tuesday to go back to KL but we spent most of the day just mooching around with Lynne buying a few small gifts and we stopped by the Note cafe again for some of their delicious egg coffee. The girls in there remembered us from the previous day and thanked us for coming back. Once again, such lovely service which I never get tired of. We also stopped for ice cream at one of the street food vendors. Lynne and I shared a coconut ice cream which was as close as we ever got to street food. We had arrived in Hanoi fully intending to try the various street foods which I’m sure would be wonderful but we found such lovely restaurants and at such ridiculously low prices that we couldn’t resist. As we were returning to the hotel in the late afternoon we were approached by a young man outside a restaurant called Chestnut Central. He was very polite and charming and he succeeded in selling the restaurant to us and we promised to return in time for happy hour where we could get two drinks for the price of one.
I have a last couple of photos to share which give a taste of what life might be like in Hanoi. First one is not an uncommon sight in Hanoi as entire families get around on small motorbikes. I’m assuming this is a father and his kids and not a kidnapper although the boy immediately behind him doesn’t look too happy!
In amongst the general chaos we came across this small shop with it’s immaculately arranged display. One can only imagine how much care it takes to arrange everything here so perfectly. It certainly stood out amongst all the other shops which mostly have a character all their own and that’s being kind.
After a short break back at the hotel to freshen up we ventured out again to go to the Chestnut Central Restaurant. As soon as we got there we went up to the roof for drinks at the Chestnut Skybar. Lynne had a Sex On The Beach (the drink) and I ordered a Daiquiri. We hadn’t been there long when the lad that we’d spoken to earlier that afternoon came to say hello and to say how pleased he was that we came back. Obviously loads of people probably say, yeah, we’ll be back, and never do. When we ordered food they set up two small tables for us so that we could stay outside at the skybar with amazing views of the city lights twinkling into the distance. I had ordered a huge plate of king prawns and the waiter very kindly offered to peel them for me. I was only too happy to accept as I’ve never found a dignified way of eating prawns without getting in a mess. He put on a pair of plastic gloves to peel the prawns whilst informing us that he has to do the same thing for his girlfriend even though he’s allergic to prawns. Once again, service above and beyond the call of duty! Later during the evening the young lad who had invited us in earlier in the afternoon and whose name was Lucas, came over and we had quite a chat with him about where he came from and his family and all the places he would like to travel to himself. Thanks to Lucas and the prawn peeler whose name I didn’t catch, we enjoyed another wonderful evening.
As we were half way through the meal, Lynne broke her glasses. So, bearing in mind it was around 9.00 pm by then, she decided we should go to an optician after eating and get some new ones. I was sceptical to say the least given the time and the fact we were flying back to Kuala Lumpur in the morning. Nevertheless, we found an optician which was still open and cutting a long story short, they put her old lenses in new frames and then made a new pair with a different prescription for distance. Unbelievably the total cost was $32. Not only that but they delivered them to the hotel later that night to save us hanging about!
As you may have gathered Lynne and I both loved Hanoi but the highlight of our week in Vietnam has been the warmth and friendliness of the people. I can’t speak highly enough of them and it is my fervent wish that Lynne and I will be able to return to Vietnam at some point in the not too distant future!
If there is anyone who’s read this far without slipping into a coma, congratulations and thank you. You obviously have a greater threshold for boredom than I would have thought possible!
Wandering Wildman 