Vietnamese Whirl Part 3 – City Life - Hanoi Hubbub

In another life, and if I were 30 years younger, I could see myself living and working remotely here in Hanoi.  Despite the frenzied traffic and the occasionally heavy smog, this place has a vibrancy to it that I loved…and some of the most friendly and laid-back city dwellers I’d ever encountered.

Their skill at seamlessly weaving in and out between cars, bikes and pedestrians without losing pace was a marvel to behold and amazingly we never witnessed an accident, or indeed anyone getting upset or frustrated (apart from two ladies competing on price at their adjacent beauty parlours in the Old Quarter…” spa wars” perhaps??!!).  We soon realised that walking anywhere was not the best idea, but fortunately cabs were plentiful and ridiculously cheap, although even in the relative safety of a taxi we had our eyes closed most of the time!

The amazing choice of restaurants and bars on offer and the wide range of vegan and vegetarian options made eating out far easier than I had anticipated.  On our doorstep we had German, Korean, Italian, Japanese, Indian, and even an Armenian restaurant, and found several great Vietnamese eateries catering for both our diets.  Prices were incredibly reasonable too – but I think if I lived here, I would need to take advantage of the local gyms and pilates classes to keep the weight off!

After a few overcast and rainy days, the weather turned bright and sunny again and we considered ourselves fortunate, especially since the south of the country had been hit by successive typhoons bringing heavy rain and flooding. The locals however, considered this “cold” and Ian’s shorts and t-shirt combo earned him a few amused looks.

We spent the following few weeks slowly exploring our local area interspersed with forays into the Old Quarter to see the sites. To get an overview, we took a ride on the Hop On, Hop Off bus which did a loop of the main attractions – not something I would usually do, but it seemed safer than negotiating the traffic!  Setting off outside the water puppet theatre (which looked like a Vietnamese version of Disney’s “It’s a small world” ride) we edged our way along the route, glad to be above the hubbub.  Making notes of areas to return to, we finally alighted outside the beautiful old French Opera House.

The French colonists had a lot to answer for, but they did bequeath this part of town with some stunning properties, many of which had been re-purposed as grand hotels, or government buildings. After a quick ciabatta and a latte at the Italian cultural centre (as you do!), we made our way over to the Hoàn Kiếm Lake where we discovered an interesting photographic exhibition.  Hoàn Kiếm translates as the lake of the restored sword and the “sword” in question was apparently restored by a golden turtle – and not by the lady of the lake, as per our Excalibur legend!  In the centre of the lake was a small temple, aptly named “The Turtle Tower” which was inaccessible, but created an interesting focal point as you wandered along the lakeside.

Slowly navigating the heart of the Old Quarter, we discovered streets dedicated to different trades, such as Hang Bac (silver merchandise), Hang Ma (paper products) and even one offering bamboo ladders of differing shapes and sizes (Hang Up???). This busy area was also home to lots of hostels, bars and souvenir shops, but on the way back we stumbled upon a couple of colourful local markets selling everything from cooking equipment, toys of all descriptions, to joints of meat and herbs and spices.

One of the most recommended sights was the Temple of Literature – or as it should have been called the temple of “knowledge” – as it was built to honour and teach the wisdom of the Chinese Philosopher, Confucius.  Set amongst several courtyards and gardens, it boasts some magnificently detailed ancient pagodas.  It is obviously still significant to present day scholars, as it was teeming with young graduates, posing for photos in their gowns and hats!  It was probably not the best day to be visiting, but made for some interesting  photo opportunities.

Not far away, in the centre of a vast square, was the enormous stone mausoleum dedicated to Ho Chi Mein, Vietnam’s revolutionary leader.  It actually contains the mummified remains of “uncle Ho” (which are apparently sent to Russia each year for annual re-embalming and maintenance).  We gave it a miss however, since the queues lining up at the entrance went around the block. Instead, we kept the red flag flying by visiting the huge statue of Lenin in Thong Nhat Park.

On the hunt for some cheap tee shirts for Ian, we stopped by the massive Don Xuan market on the way back, only to find it chock full of winter coats and woollies  – with hardly an inch to spare between the stalls!

The busy, crowded streets of the Old Quarter could feel quite oppressive at times, but we managed to find a few peaceful spots around the lake – including a great little taco place, where Ian tried a “chip” burrito and I treated myself to a huge serving of coconut ice-cream. 

We were fortunate enough to be able to intersperse exploring the city with another side-trip, this time to Cat Ba Island, where we could chill out in the relative quiet of the national park for a couple of days (see next blog).

Having just finished reading “The Women” by Kristen Hannah (the Vietnam war seen through the eyes of a US nurse and thoroughly recommended) I was drawn to visiting the notorious Hoa Lo Prison  (nicknamed “The Hanoi Hilton” after is was used to detain American POWs).  Only the main entrance and some administration buildings remained, but housed an interesting museum mainly focused on the lives of the French revolutionaries incarcerated here.  Hard to believe that the prison remained operational until its 1993 demolition, as Vietnamese dissidents were also placed here after the release of the US airmen.

We couldn’t complete our fascinating stay in Hanoi without experiencing the thrill of “train street”. Constructed over a century ago, the train tracks were built between narrow streets, with houses inches away from the locomotives as they steamed past. Over the years, this turned into a prime tourist attraction as cafés and bars opened providing intrepid tourists with the thrill of sipping a coffee in one of the most dangerous locations in the world.  Too sensible to brave a ringside seat, we opted for the view from the upstairs balcony of one of the numerous bars. 

We were informed that the train’s arrival was imminent, but ended up waiting for almost an hour – praying that the delayed/cancelled train wasn’t replaced by a bus service as in the UK! As an ex-train driver, Ian couldn’t believe I’d made him sit and wait over an hour just to watch a train go by, and I had to put up with him moaning about “health and safety” for most of it! I kept myself amused by trying a Hanoi speciality – Egg Coffee – which sounds disgusting but was actually quite nice.  The excitement mounted, as finally seats were moved away from the track and we could hear the warning whistle coming down the track.  The huge locomotive chugged by to great applause, and it was one of the most bizarre spectacles I’ve ever witnessed!

As we walked back along the sleepers to the road crossing, an old lady grabbed me and started shouting something in Vietnamese.  Thinking she was trying to drag me into her café, I pulled away but as I followed Ian, who had ducked down a side alley, another train came rumbling down the tracks!  She only trying to warn me to get out of the way and I almost had a very close encounter.  Typical… you wait for ages and then two trains come at once! 

Once the adrenaline had worn off, we made our way back to the Hoàn Kiếm Lake, where the surrounding roads had been closed off to traffic for the night.  It was really nice to be able to stroll along without watching out for oncoming vehicles – although the kids seemed to be enjoying practising  future manoeuvres on their toy cars and bikes! The lakeside concourse was full of balloon sellers, street food stalls and families enjoying an evening stroll which made for a carnival atmosphere – a memorable end to our stay in this chaotic but characterful city.

Next Stop: Escape to the country…