Hanoi

Organised chaos

Our first hour in Hanoi was too much to handle, we quickly retreated back to our hotel at 3pm for the rest of the evening. Setting foot in the Old Quarter is a hectic experience. There are literally hundreds of motorcycles driving everywhere as well as being parked on the footpath so you have no choice but to walk on the road. There are people everywhere doing everything. Selling merchandise, drinking tea, eating lunch, feeding their children, fixing electronics, cutting up meat, rinsing vegetables from the water mains, scrolling social media or just sleeping. It is hard to know where to look and walk.

After two days we began to feel more comfortable, like we became a part of the intricate, organised chaos machine that is Hanoi. When crossing the street, you just have to go, making sure you don’t walk in front of a car. Scooters however will simply drive around you, as long as you don’t suddenly stop or speed up your pace.

We soon realised this ‘crazy’ city is actually incredibly organised. Each street has a dedicated theme of what they sell, often gaining the street name after that. There’s individual or clusters of roads that sell the same thing, clothes, shoes, bedding, coffee, lighting, zippers, beads and even mannequins. I love looking at the photos we took of the streets as there is so much happening in each one!

Bún Cha

Hanoi’s dish is Bún Cha. Fatty coal grilled pork, grilled pork meatballs, rice noodles, fresh mint, coriander, salad greens in a sugary vinegary limey – cold – broth. Served street side, eaten with communal wooden chopsticks. Not something I would go anywhere near back home.

After watching several Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown and No Reservations where he speaks so highly of Hanoi’s Bun Cha, we knew we had to try it.

We tried our first bún Cha at the restaurant Anthony Bourdain took President Barack Obama to on his trip to Vietnam. The restaurant featured on the television show and the memory of the two of them eating there still lives on. The tables and chairs they ate at are in a sort of shrine with many pictures on the walls.

We ordered the Obama Special: 1 bún Cha, 1 seafood roll and 1 Hanoi beer. I ordered my first one without the pork which was almost offensive. The seafood rolls were very good.

Our third and best bún cha was at a little roadside shop where we spotted a man grilling the patties and pork belly over hot coals at 11am. We made our way back there for lunch and it was one of the best meals I have had in Hanoi. We were full until dinner time, all for $2.50.

The best meal in Hanoi so far – literally cooked on the roadside.

Dogs

Being a dog in Hanoi is dangerous. Easy to get hit by a scooter and some are on the menu at restaurants. We quickly learned the Vietnamese for dog meat is Thit Chó. The old rumours that you might eat it by accident are very untrue. Dog meat is expensive, served specialty restaurants and it is unlikely someone will serve it to you posing as something else. We’ve seen a couple of these restaurants and are completely uninterested in learning more about this type of cuisine for obvious reasons.

The pets here are so friendly and the ones that do have owners are well looked after. Our guest house had a beautiful dog called Lucky who joined us for dinner.

Beer

We stayed close to Beer Corner which is a busy intersection with places that sell beer and snacks (a lot of chicken feet) on the side of the road. It was around $1.20 per beer for Hanoi Premiums. It was fun just watching people, and motorbikes try and drive down the very narrow roads.

The next best thing to Beer Corner is Bia Hoi. It is freshly brewed local beer that is delivered in a keg each day. It contains no preservatives so only lasts 24 hours. They are served in glasses which have been ‘washed’ with dodgy looking water in a bucket the gutter, but for 30 cents a glass it’s pretty good. We met a nice man from Seattle and had a few Bia Hois over an hour.

Coffee

The coffee in Vietnam is incredible and so different to what we are used to back home in many ways. The beans are roasted in butter which gives them a taste like we have never tried before. The Vietnamese style coffee is brewed in a small slow drip filter called a phin. Coffees out cost around $1.80 and are traditionally served either hot or iced with sweetened condensed milk. So good. We purchased our own phins from the market for 60 cents each and bought some ground beans to make coffee when we don’t want to go out for it.

Egg coffee is the next thing we had never tried before. It is black coffee topped with a foamy, creamy mix of whipped egg and condensed milk. They are delicious but very rich, more of a dessert or treat we think.

We aren’t too keen on trying the weasel coffee for a range of reasons. Google it.

Hoan Kiem and the Water Puppet Theatre

Hanoi is based around the Hoan Kiem lake. We walked around multiple times and it was a good way to help orientate us around the city.

We attended a water puppet show at the local theatre close to the lake. Water puppetry is an ancient Vietnamese art dating back to the eleventh century. The show was in Vietnamese, telling myths and legends. It was difficult to know what was going on but we really enjoyed seeing how the puppets were made to move, the live music and singing. The other highlight was seeing the team of sumo wrestlers watching the show in the front row. We didn’t take our camera to this so the photo quality isn’t as good.

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long

The Citadel in Hanoi was previously a safe space for the royal family to live. During the Vietnam war the area became a political centre where many meetings were held in an underground bunker. When it was escavated in 2004, relics were found as far back dating as the 6th century. We visited during the Vietnamese new year so lots of celebrations were happening around the complex.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

We prepared well to visit the body and former home of Ho Chi Minh. No camera allowed, modest clothing, no loud voices, no obscene language or gestures, no chewing gum, calm and quiet at all times. This enforced by armed guards in perfect white suits all the way from waiting in line to finally seeing Ho Chi Minh to the exit gates.

The line to get in was about a kilometre long but moved quickly the whole way. When seeing Ho Chi Minh himself we could not stop and the line continued moving as people looked and paid their respects.

The grounds were spotless and very concrete. His former home and presidential estate was beautiful. We were allowed to take photos in a certain area, watched by security – note the formal poses haha.

Train street

On our 7th and final day in Hanoi we checked out the train street that runs through a neighbourhood. People live in the houses next to the tracks and are sure to quickly move their washing and toys minutes before the train moves at full speed. We didn’t get to see the train come through but we did get to travel on a train through this street on our way to Hué.