Hanoi Winter- Feb 2016

Hanoi has got to be one of those crazy amazing places where chaos rules the day.

The people are everywhere, the food is sold in every corner, hidden coffee shops just waiting to be found, and the best of all, the traffic.

There are no rules to the traffic in Hanoi. One has to just close eyes(ok, don’t do that literally), say a prayer, keep your fingers crossed, check your rabbits foot, and step off the curb. Keep a steady pace and you will get to the other side in one piece. Hanoi is 95% bikes and they will just zoom around the pedestrians. Does it make me wonder though, was the term “why did the chicken cross the road” created in Hanoi? Though I can imagine the chicken owner asking his wife this in bewilderment, no sane chicken would take that journey.

And PS. Don’t cross by this rules on Malaysian roads.

Food in Hanoi, is a plenty, every corner you turn, you can find a peddler or café. The first day we were there, we did get a bit lost with the food. I mean this literally, we went Into a restaurant, and they placed a plate of a few items and we had no idea that the items are supposed to be joined and rolled into a popiah and eaten with the sauce on the side. But as all good things go, once we learnt our way around the Vietnamese food, we were enjoying it massively. Fish with Dill (Cha ca thang long), Pho ga/bo(which we had in different shops, trick is to add extra lime and spicy chili, and then it’s better than our local kuey teow soup!), Bun Nem(basically popiah), Bun Cha(Bun Cha Ta), and my absolute favourite, Banh Mi. Fruits and Desserts are also all great, with peddlers all over Old Town. In fact the fruits seller outside our hotel (Gia Thinh) sold the best, RM5 for a cup of mixed fruits with yogurt, milk and coconut milk.. it should be called heaven in a cup.

Bun Cha

heaven in a Cup

Coffee cafes are in every corner. A specialty of Hanoi, we had to go into the maze of Old Quarter with our guide to try the EGG-celent Egg Coffee(Giang Café). First time in our lives did we have to sit on stall tiny stools(not very easy as I am a baby elephant as compared to an average viet lady). Hanoi people love to sit on this little stools , and they are placed very close to one another and the best part. All coffee drinkers eat kuaci with their coffee. I kid you not, it’s a cultural thing to do here. Anyway, the egg coffee is made by whisking the egg till its frothy and is poured over the coffee. Drink It hot if you don’t like the eggy smell in your coffee. There are loads of coffee cafes strewn all over Old Quarter and beyond, and we were excited when we found a hidden spot- a rooftop café overlooking the lake. We almost missed it and had to round the street few times before we found it..we needed to go through a fabric store, down a small alley which opens into a courtyard and up flights after flights of stairs until the rooftop(Café Pho Co)

Tired of Coffee? Try the Hot Choco

Crime in Hanoi is there, be it in any country. So do beware especially when leaving the bank or the money changer. The banks opposite the lake do change RM to VND, but it’s still best to carry USD and change it there. On Sundays the banks are closed, but you can exchange at most goldsmith shops in Old Quarter. I would recommend the Money Changer at No 9, Hang Bac(Gold Smith Shop), a stone throws away from Gia Thinh. Taxis tend to overcharge here, the Mai linh cabs are ok, but on our last day, we travelled by Uber which was pretty easy too.

The younger people in Hanoi do speak English, so trying to speak to an older person would just include finger pointing, sounds of monkeys and tons of head nods and shakes. We had taken a tour with Hanoi Free Tour Guides, we had one guide in the morning. He shared with us Vietnam’s culture and heritage and gave us his honest politically correct views of the “socialist party” leading the country today. He is an engineering student learning English and German with hopes of furthering his education in the west, and it was interesting to share and hear his young opinions. The second half of the day we had Dung, a medical student studying locally. Though a little more reserved, he was more than happy to talk and teach us about the Vietnamese cuisine and left us with a few much needed pointers on what to eat and where. I would definitely recommend this Guides for anyone visiting Hanoi, as there is no fee apart from a donation made to the organization.

Guardians to the One Pillar Pagoda

The truth is spending 5 days in Hanoi is just not enough. Some people were a little surprised that we would spend that many days there without visiting Ha Long Bay, but I found there was much to do and see around Hanoi without the rush of travelling to another place. Take a stroll around the Hoan Kiem lake, (though end of winter, the flowers were blooming)the weather is perfect for walking. I could have just sat there for hours with a book, the water is just peaceful. The women’s museum and the prison are both worth a visit, teaching us of the times and tirade this beautiful country went through during the war.  Seep in the knowing and enlightening aura of the  Temple of Literature, wonder at the actual size of the Old Citadel, where does it end? Say a prayer and the oldest Pagoda, Have a coffee on a ferry turned-café by Highway Coffee near the Pagoda.

Unique Bonsai Gardens of Hanoi

Ferry Coffee

Sit by the Cathedral, enjoy a coffee at La Place while the church bells ring during mass(btw, visit during Mass on Sunday, church is closed on other days).Get lost in the maze of the 36 streets that make up Old Quarter. Its always surprising where the next corner might take you. Buy a ticket, grab your seat and enjoy the unique water puppet show.

La Place Coffee and Toast

Shop,eat, relax, unwind and let the Turtle tell you it’s tale.