Hanoi, Vietnam
We left our hostel in Taipei on another rainy morning. We got to the airport early enough to find some coffee and snacks and use up our last few coins, BUT about halfway to the check in counter, Luke realizes we never printed our Vietnam Visas. Soooo good thing we arrived early, eh? Nothing feels quite as good as last minute travel paperwork, am I right? We found the help desk and they were amazing. We showed them the email on Luke’s phone and they were able to send it straight to the 7-11 in the airport where we could print it out. After we printed it, we booked it to the check in counter and made it just in time.
Day 1 of Hanoi, Vietnam (March 9th for anyone keeping track) was pretty chill. We made it to our hotel around 3pm, the staff was extremely kind and sat us down with a map along with many suggestions of things to do and see and when the best times were for it all. We walked around Hoan Kiem Lake in the afternoon and it was gorgeous! We discovered that it’s common for local parents to bring their elementary or middle school aged kids to strike up conversation with English-speaking foreigners. The first time it happened, we were a bit concerned and asked the girl where her parents were. Her dad was sitting a few feet away with his back turned, and he smiled and waved at us signaling everything was okay. We saw this interaction with many other foreigners and the kids were able to get great practice just by hanging out in the park! Pretty brilliant.
In Hanoi, we had to go meet and sign up with a travel agency to plan our next destination. which was bustling with people–both locals and foreigners. And it was gorgeous! The amount of greenery everywhere, mixed with the ancient building structures and a lake in the middle made for a very stimulating walk. We were there in the evening, so it was even more so with the nightlife bringing in thousands of people. There were music performances of all sizes, dancing, street food, balloons, you name it!
That evening we went to the Dong Xuan Market for a bit, then on our way back to the hotel, walked through some night life of thousands of people sitting outside in these tiny made-for-toddler sized chairs. It was jam packed but looked like a good time. We opted for a bit more space, with a Vietnamese special, Bahn Mi sandwich and a beer. Holy Bahn Mi, just writing about it makes me want another one. Bahn Mi is a famous Vietnamese sandwich made from a baguette, your choice of meet, and a variety of vegetables and sauces. Oh yeah, and it’s friggin’ delish.
On Vietnam Day Two, Hanoi was a bit hectic. We started our morning checking out the Trấn Quốc pagoda, and the Imperial Citadel. Neither were huge, but both had their own personality and were worth the visit. The line at the Ho Chi Minh Museum was way too long in the morning so we thought we’d swing by in the afternoon. Well, it was closed in the afternoon so we missed out on it, but who needs the Ho Chi Minh Museum when you’re planning to go to the real city anyway?! Instead, we opted for Train Street—a much more exciting venue!
Train Street is a very tiny street in Hanoi (maybe 10 yards wide) that is lined with small homes, each crammed right next to each other. There’s a train track that runs right down the middle of the road and the majority of the residents have made their homes into small businesses. Many of them offer drinks or snacks and some even have a table and chairs for people to sit at. Then about 10 minutes before the train comes, they pick everything up and tell everyone what to do…AKA, stand against the wall and don’t move. A few people put their phones down under the track to film it going overhead, but I dared to hold on to my phone and film it at about 6 inches away. Check it out.
Next on our list was the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel—a very low key tourist site, but even the smallest, least-crowded areas are usually worth the visit. This building was ancient. And when I say ancient, I mean it was literally the country’s political center for 13 centuries! There was a beautiful sunflower field around the perimeter, and a decent view from the roof, as you look out onto the Hanoi Flag Tower. I have to admit though, I was thoroughly entertained by a young brother and sister that were playing and teasing each other as it always makes me think of my siblings and me.
We finished our evening back at Hoan Kiem Lake, before grabbing our tickets and heading to our first overnight train for our next big adventure!!
