First off, I’m sorry we didn’t post last night. We thought we would have energy, but the jet lag got to us, so here is our first (albeit late) post from Vietnam!
We arrived in Hanoi at 11:00 am yesterday (Tuesday) feeling relieved to be done traveling. I must give EVA Air credit for making our trip here as easy and relaxing as possible, but there is no avoiding the fact that we have been on the move for four days straight. Upon arrival we found our way to the Visa on arrival office, which gave us our visa very easily and quickly, and then queued up in customs. Once getting through customs we knew where we needed to go (we planned ahead and booked a hotel for a couple nights), but didn’t exactly know how to get there. The public bus we had planned to take didn’t seem to exist, so we ended up on another airlines bus hoping they would bring us to the right spot. The hour long journey to our hotel in Hanoi’s old quarter was exciting, to say the least. The bus charged down the road with the horn blasting, skimming past motorbikes and cutting off cars that were driving slower than the driver wanted. The bus driver said that he could take us directly to the hotel, so we made our way from a big highway to large boulevards to smaller avenues, and eventually to Old Quarter’s absolutely tiny streets that no bus, or even car should have fit on, dropping us off at our hotel. Because of the inconvenience the driver went through getting us to our hotel he requested we pay more money than he usually charged. It cost us 90,000 dong ($4) each to get to our hotel.
We settled into the hotel, more than happy to realize that the air conditioning worked better than we could have hoped for. It is nearly 100º outside with 70% humidity, but it’s not unbearable. Whatever discomfort is felt doesn’t come directly from the heat, but rather the sweat, so once you get used to the fact that you will be sweating a lot more than usual, Hanoi’s weather is fairly nice. Also, a 1.5 liter bottle of ice cold water is 50 cents, which helps us stay cool.
Hanoi’s Old Quarter is quite crazy. The sidewalks are filled with people selling the foods or products they specialize in, and the roads are densely packed with motorbikes. Nobody stops at intersections, the vendors on sidewalks force you to walk on the road, letting the motorbikes skim by you with their horns blaring, and because everyone subscribes to this craziness it all works. While walking through the city it becomes very clear that the people here are very genuine. All the food is very cheap, and the prices are marked so locals and foreigners pay the same price. The people working in our hotel do a great job giving us unbiased information on different parts of the city, as well as help us organize what needs to be organized, and everyone is super friendly. Hanoi is totally hectic and different from anything we have experienced before, and it tires you out, but spending time here is very fun.
Today we decided to venture a little further into the city, towards Hồ Tây Lake and the government district, and saw a completely different side of Hanoi. The streets are bigger and more regulated. Government officials stand at many corners, controlling the area with AK47s, and the buildings are bigger and more influenced by the French than in Old Quarter. We also realized how expansive the city is. Because it is built on a flood plain, buildings cannot be too tall, as they would risk sinking or tipping over, so the city grows outwards. We had planned to go to the Ho Chi Minh memorial, but quickly saw that the line was about a mile long so we looked at it from afar and were happy knowing we wouldn’t be queuing all day long.
One of the best things about Vietnam is the food. Although we have only eaten a few meals here, it’s easy to get a sense of how good actual Vietnamese food from Vietnam is. Most Vietnamese restaurants in America don’t come close to doing this country’s food justice. The Banh Mi (meat and pickled veggie sandwich full of amazing sauces) we had for lunch today was one of the most delicious sandwiches I have ever had, and it came with fresh iced tea and small, flavorful bananas. We each paid 90 cents for this meal.
One of the other best things is how cheap Vietnam is. It is currently noon, and we have spent most of our time today walking and exploring the city. Even after buying a few bottles of water and eating two meals we have only spent about $4 each. We knew that this trip would be cheap, but didn’t realize just how cheap it would be. Meals never cost more than $2, water is as cheap (and cold) as can be, hotel rooms cost $15 max per night, and transport costs nothing as well. There is honestly no good excuse to not go here!
Today will be spent in Hanoi, and tomorrow we will leave in the morning to travel to Cat Ba Island in Halong bay, where we will be spending two nights exploring the island and hopefully taking a cruise of the bay. As always, if there are any questions or comments please put them below, and look out for photos in our PHOTOS section soon.