Hanoi, City of Peace

Fire Breathing Dragon

We keep saying Hanoi has a lot to offer, being flexible and adventurous will allow you to experience some unexpected phenomenal stuff. We really don't research areas a lot before arrival, even then we meander and happen upon things. For instance, the water puppet show,  a great local entertainment telling a number of folklore stories using puppets in a water-covered stage. You can also find live jazz music and performances at the Opera house. And don't forget the infamous Hoa Lo Prison which was built and used by the French for political prisoners, and then by the North Vietnamese for American prisoners during the Vietnam war. This is the prison where John McCain was held. If you are open to it there are always people who want to chat or snap a photo. 

I'm not sure if the city sleeps at nights but you can always find someone sleeping on their motorbike during the day

Then there are the folks who want to take pictures with me but are nervous or too excited about it when I accept. This has been happening throughout our trip but especially in Laos and Vietnam.

Vietnam has some really narrow buildings, as a result of the tax structure implemented by the French during their colonial rule and road frontage.  Some of these narrow buildings have survived a long history, they get higher and built around. Here are some of our favorites in Hanoi...

5 individual buildings, 3 of them the width of the small car length

In the old section of the city, streets predominantly cater to one type of product. There's a street for BBQ, for Bars, for iron/metal work, for Chinese herbs, for coffee, for toys, for shoes, for sunglasses, for underwear, for sportswear, for watches, you name it, there is a street for that.

And, this post will not be complete without again mentioning the traffic. Though we are used to it by now, it still baffles me to see the mass of motorbikes taking off from a stop light. It's like watching the start of a Tour De France stage. The fact that there is hardly any stopping entering a roundabout, entering traffic from a cross-street, making a U-turn, or driving the wrong way to be on the side for your next turn, we've not experienced any road-rage, swearing or yelling when a driver is cut off. So many horns beep as a hello, or I am next to you. Everyone just moseys along at a pace that allows them to be flexible in adjusting to the traffic in front of them. Pedestrians too, follow the same principle before crossing the street. You wait for a slow-down in traffic then slowly cross the road winding your way through the traffic moving at a steady predictable pace. The one rule of thumb is, do not stop unnecessarily. You are more likely to cause an accident if you do.

The trick is not to stop unless it's absolutely necessary.

Neither the road crew nor the traffic takes a pause.

Next up: Overnight train to Sapa...