We landed in a different world. It’s not the beach and it isn’t the wide boulevards and modern new skyscrapers of Saigon.
Our taxi took us out of the airport and along highways passing through a blanket of verdant rice fields – interspersed with new, tall, modern houses and the occasional junky little corner shop.
Instead of a major highway or freeway taking us into town, we entered Hanoi along a thin, winding street leading to the town center. As we reached the middle of town, houses became nicer and businesses became diverse. However, most everything remained in shop houses and buildings of no more than five stories, often with French facades.
It wasn’t until we made the left turn into the old quarter that it became the Hanoi I imagined. Narrow streets packed with businesses, shops of all kinds and people shopping and eating on the sidewalks. It’s hustle and bustle in a very Southeast Asian chaotic, but leisurely sense.
Like so many Asian cities, Hanoi has everything in districts or areas. Our hotel seems to be in the kitschy glass figurines and lamps district, while streets house the stationery, toys, patisserie and fruit selling districts. Find anything you want so long as you know which block it’s on.
A few blocks from us is a park with a lake Ho Hua Kiem and just past that the Song Hong River.
Hanoi is a different Vietnam from what we’ve yet seen. It’s a city with more culture – both in a deeply Vietnamese sense and French colonial. Manicured parks, lakes, greenery, French architecture littering the city – it’s what you might expect of a city from which the French ran their Indochine colony during its latter 45 years.
We’re excited to spend the weekend exploring this very different piece of Vietnam. Much like with Saigon, we have no specific plans other than to take in the feel of the city – which appears much more beautiful.
Of course, we’re told that the people are as different as the environments. Because Vietnam was separated into multiple kingdoms and national partitions for much of its history, North and South grew different characters. Supposedly, the people of Hanoi aren’t the ardent entrepreneurs and globally outward people of the South. Tradition and hard work matter here and have shaped the cultural character.
We’ll soon find out.
It’s all a very different landscape and orientation than this morning when we woke up to our sea view through the giant windows of the Light Hotel in Nha Trang. To the best of our knowledge, Nha Trang is the end of our beach going on this trip. We’ll see the South China Sea again in Hong Kong, but with a very different feel and character to the environment. No more waiters bringing cold drinks to our lounge chairs and cabanas.
Nha Trang was a peaceful, uneventful week. We made no effort to explore, see or do. We went to beach clubs to eat, work and relax during the day and walked the town at night to find various interesting places for dinner.
The highlight, oddly enough, was a wine bar and creperie owned by a Frenchman from Brittany. He maintained an impressive wine cellar, made fantastic gallettes and most importantly, barbecued camembert with bread. I never saw this even in France. But rest assured, it was so good, we went back for it twice. Paired with a wine of the Frenchman’s recommendation, Emily found it one of the most unique delights of our travels – and something she plans to make at home.
From here on out, we’re back to go, do, see, explore. It’s all cities, all culture, all the time until June 27th. Now we have to go dive into Hanoi.
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