We arrived in Hanoi after a long journey consisting of two taxis, three trains and three flights on the 12th November 2015. Our hotel, Charming Hanoi II was situated in the Old Quarter which we found to be a good base for exploring.
The streets were a swarm of motorbikes, cyclos (tuk tuks) and cars. We learnt what people meant by risking your life every time you cross the road (chaos does not come close). As outsiders we really could not fathom that any rules of the road existed, so our policy was ‘just go’!
The city was full of Vietnamese drinking very cheap beer (15p upwards, which you can imagine Dean was more than happy with!), eating Pho (noodle soup), rice, turtle or deep fried chicken feet at all times of the day and either manning shops or busying themselves delivering oversized goods on their mopeds.
We made the most of the reasonable prices (100,000 Vietnamese Dong is about £3) with a Salt Stone Massage each and I also convinced Dean to stop for a beer whilst I had a pedicure too!
Hoan Kiem Lake, served as a central point for us. At night the pretty lights made it feel special, so much so local bridal couples were posing for pictures. We thought it was odd that there were so many couples, so after Googling the answer it turns out that it is tradition for brides and grooms (usually between 15-16 years old) to have there photos taken the day before the ceremony so they can be displayed at the wedding itself, oh and Nov-Dec is wedding season!
Anyway whilst we loved seeing the delights of Hanoi, a few days was enough. We thought London was busy but it’s not a patch on this place!
The Snow Adventures 