The Streets of Hanoi

We got to Hanoi in the afternoon right when the evening rush hour was about to start. The traffic was nothing like I’d ever seen. We’ve been to India and that is pretty crazy but I’ve never seen so many motorbikes. Luckily, the hotel picked us up from the airport so we didn’t have to navigate through the chaos for the first time on our own.

We stayed at the Hanoi Elegance 3. I can’t say enough great things about the service here. Anything we needed, they provided. One of their staff even walked with Darsh to get a Mobile SIM card and when we left they dropped us off at the train station, checked us in AND made sure we got to the correct cabin. Really I would recommend this hotel to anyone. They actually have 4 hotels (Elegance 2, 3, 4, and 5 but 2 and 5 have the best location). The rooms were nice and clean and the breakfast was lovely....tons of fruit, veggies, cereal, bread, eggs, and traditional Vietnamese food....all this was included and the room was only $60/night. But more importantly they helped you with anything and were so, so friendly. They totally “get” what customer service is all about. :)

The main tourist area (Old Quarter) of Hanoi is pretty small and is walkable….in terms of geography anyway....navigating the chaos is another story. There pretty much are no rules on the streets – motorbikes, cars, bikes can go anytime and in any direction. The millions of street vendors selling beer and pho adds to the difficulty as well. I seriously felt like I was playing Human Frogger....I thought about that one Seinfeld episode more than a dozen times.... It’s funny though how the human mind adapts to things. The first night I was petrified and let Darsh lead the way, hoping that crossing the street would not be the end of me. The next day, I could hold my own, weaving through the mess of the streets. You learn that the worst thing to do is to stop, slow down, or hesitate. You just have to use every single sense at all times and keep walking! If you’re really freaked out though, you can also get taxis for cheap or get a motorbike ride…..people will try to sell you rides pretty much every second. I have to admit this does get a bit annoying after a while but you have to give them credit for trying to make a few bucks! :) One day we had lunch at Highlands Coffee on the third floor of a building near one of the main Hoan Kiem Lake intersections. It gives you a great view of the traffic frenzy below.

The two sights that left the biggest impression on both of us were the Hoa Lo Prison Museum (aka Hanoi Hilton) and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Walking through the Hoa Lo Prison was a little freaky. You could see the tiny cells the Vietnamese political prisoners (and then later American prisoners) were held in and the various torture tools used by the French (and later the North Vietnamese Army) were on display. It’s so sad and it really makes you think about everything these prisoners (and the rest of Vietnam and those fighting) went through.

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex includes the former Presidential Palaces and homes but most importantly it is the final resting place of Ho Chi Minh. His corpse (somehow preserved but controversial to whether it really is him) is in this large glass container for everyone to pay their respects. The guards are extremely protective and apparently there are rules you must follow which they don’t explain to you. I got in trouble three different times by the guards for having my sweatshirt wrapped around my waist, then my hands in my pocket, then for holding my sweatshirt in my hands. It wasn’t until the guy in front of me got in trouble for scratching his face that I figured out it might be something to do with raising your hands (although still doesn’t explain the sweatshirt wrapped around my waist…..) Anyway, even though I was scared of the guards it was a neat experience to see how much respect the Vietnamese people still have for Ho Chi Minh.

Luckily there weren’t too many sights so we were able to just walk around and soak it all in. There are so many different smells and sounds everywhere you go. The Vietnamese people are always on the go and they work really hard. Women work all day in shops or selling street food. And the men we saw, well I hate to say it, but they seemed to “attempt” to sell motorbike rides but often were found eating and drinking beer on the street corners. I know that we were only in the tourist areas and not in business/working districts so I'm sure there were men working in factories but on the streets it seemed like it was the women who were really hustling…. Go girls! :)

The Vietnamese love to eat and there are always a ton of options for food – anything from street food to European bistros to pizza/pasta. Some of our favorites were Quan An Ngon (totally packed with locals and tourists serving upscale-ish street food in a nice garden, 69 Bar Restaurant (just ok Vietnamese food but in a chill, loungy space in a historic house), and Tamarind Café (great smoothies and spring rolls….good place to catch up on blogging and picture uploads!). The most memorable meal we had was at KOTO which is a not-for-profit Restaurant/Service Industry Training School for former street kids. The food was really good – Asian Fusion and the service was excellent. I had the best smoothie ever – pineapple, passionfruit, and lime. More importantly, the restaurant really seemed to be committed to it’s cause of providing opportunities for kids to have a better future. It’s also right by the Temple of Literature so it’s a perfect stop after sight seeing. We also chilled out on the street corner drinking a beer at Bia Hoi junction (Pho Ta Hien and Pho Luong Ngoc Quyen intersection). It was kind of fun drinking cheap beer with locals. Perfect way to rest your feet after a long day!