I flew in on AsiaAir from Chiang Mai, Thailand to Hanoi, Vietnam, and I spent four days before going out to Halong Bay, and upon my return, I stayed another four days in Hanoi.
I first stayed in the Old Quarter at The Renta Hotel at cost of $19 a night, but I decided not to return there because I could feel the coil springs in the mattress which made for an uncomfortable sleeping situation. I suggested they get mattress toppers for more comfort for their guests.
When I returned from my 3 day trip to Halong Bay, I stayed at the AncyrA Tam Tam Hotel for $17 per night with a much more comfortable bed with spotless accommodations.
I was last here in 2013, there were a lot more bicycles and now there were more motorbikes and cars which made for more crowded streets.
It was amazing to see how the motorbike drivers could make impossible loads possible. Here is a reel I made of some of the motorbikes and the loads they carried. I forgot to photo one of families of 4 riding one motorbike though. Click here and enjoy:
Impossible Loads--Made Possible
After checking in, I made my way down to the Hoan Kiem Lake and crossing the red Huc Bridge to the Ngoc Son Temple on the little island.
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At the north end of the lake, I passed by The Martyr’s Monument that says “Determined To Die for the Birth of the Nation” in Vietnamese.
The Hanoi Water Puppet Theater, which I have seen twice, is next door. Here is a link to the one hour show on my YouTube channel.
The Hanoi Opera House is a short distance from the south end of Hoan Kiem Lake.
I headed to a balcony restaurant for a lunch of Pho Ba while watching the weaving traffic below in the Old Quarter.
It was fun walking throughout the Old Quarter to see all of the outdoor cafés and beer bars along with the weaving traffic of bikes, motorbikes and cars. It also seemed like every third shop was either a tour/money exchange office or a spa/massage parlor.
The Heritage House was a fully restored merchant house in the Old Quarter.
After that, I visited the nearby old medieval East Gate
I continued on to the Long Bien Bridge and Train Station. that were repeatedly bombed during the American War and continually rebuilt it during the War.
On the way back from the bridge, I stopped by the multistory Dong Xaun Market.
One day, I stopped here for a haircut which included a shampoo both before and after my haircut and it cost just 150,000 dong—about $6.
After going to the Hanoi Railway Station for my night sleeper train south to Dong Hoi in a few days, I decided to check out a popular Instagram spot called “Train Street”.
The trains are scheduled to pass by 10 times a day. The food merchants that line the tracks have lavishly decorated it with colored lights and lanterns. Most of the people wait for the trains by ordering drinks and snacks. Some laid down coins on the tracks and picked them up after the trains passes by.
On Sunday evening I stopped by the Hanoi Night Street Market and saw lots of items mostly clothing for sale. I ended up buying a pair of dark glasses for 150 dong to replace the ones I lost. While there. I noticed this fellow was wearing a rejected Versace jacket. Check out the spelling.
On Monday,/ I planned to visit Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and his nearby Stilt House. Unfortunately, both were closed on Monday.
When I returns about noon the following day, they told me the Mausoleum was open just from 8 to 11AM, and the Stilt House wasn’t open until 1:30PM. At least I saw the outside of the Mausoleum and added a picture here of the Stilt House from my last visit here in 2002.
The Presidential Palace was closed.
On the way back I visited the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long which was the hub of the Vietnamese military for over 1000 years.
It even included a below, ground bunker that they used to retreat to during US bombings.
My favorite dinner place was Madam Hien’s in the Old Quarter with a fusion of French/Vietnamese influences. When I was last here in 2014, the restaurant was the Tamarind and had a French/Vietnamese cuisine.
My usual breakfast was Banh Mi with egg and pate, hot Vietnamese coffee and a mango smoothie for just 92,000 Dong—$3.60.
After visiting Hanoi for seven days with drizzling rain and temperatures ranging between 50 and 60°, I was looking forward to taking the 7:20PM sleeper train south 10 hours to Dong Hoi where it might be warmer and drier.
The sleeper train carriage unit I was on, had a pair of triple decker bunk beds. Fortunately, I was on the bottom bunk. My other bunk mates were from the Netherlands, Japan, and Vietnam. Before sleeping for the journey, we shared a bunch of fruit the Vietnamese woman shared with us.
