As I mentioned in the last post, Hanoi is insanely busy but not pushy like Saigon. It’s hard to put a finger on why it’s different, but it’s probably a bit more upper class in some respects and is certainly more beautiful. In the middle of the city is an enormous lake complete with a beautifully designed bridge that looks a treat lit up at night.
Since this was our last full day in Vietnam, we decided to see as much of Hanoi as we could and then have a special last dinner. We split the day into 2 – sight-seeing in the morning with a bit of markets action and then water puppets in the afternoon.
We’d seen on Top Gear that there’s a wrecked B-52 bomber from the war still in a lake in the city somewhere. We caught a taxi and made our way out there. We found a few interesting bits and pieces hidden in the backstreets of Hanoi – very much off the tourist track. Walking down tiny alley ways really opens the mind to what the real day-to-day life of a local is. Open-air butchers, markets, eateries, hair salons… it’s a microcosm for the greater Vietnamese way of life.
We found the B-52 in it’s original state from when it was shot down in the war – complete with torn fuselage, floating wheels and a small monument spouting the skill and determination of the locals to resist the forces of the West. It’s a pretty sobering sight and something certainly worth seeing, albeit not the easiest thing to find!
I should point out that today was a particularly hot day. Every day is humid it seems, but the 32degree temperature and 90% humidity just make for an energy sapping environment. We decided walking was the best method of travel, which wasn’t overly clever, but considering it was the national holiday and there were literally people everywhere, it was probably the easiest option. We walked past the river, the pagoda then decided some last minute shopping was in order.
The market of choice this time was 4 floors of markets, albeit only the bottom floor was any good. We split up and made our own way around and decided to meet up a bit later. This provided a great opportunity to explore more of the city, interact more with the locals and in some ways, kind of made me disappointed we hadn’t done more of it. Deb and I ate at a street-side cafe with the locals, conversed where possible and went off the main streets to find more hidden treasures buried behind the main roads.
The funny part of Hanoi is that it’s more western and affluent than anywhere else we saw in Vietnam, yet it was also the capital of communist North Vietnam before the reunification. That can obviously be put down to it now being the capital of Vietnam and the types of people it attracts being more capitalist and educated.
We had seen Fanny’s Ice Cream in Saigon and saw there was another palor up here in Hanoi, so of course we had to try that being the immature people we are. It was surprisingly good and great way to beat the heat. The water puppets provided a great opportunity to sit in uncomfortable seats and test to see if you exhibit a precondition to strobe-lighting and the resulting seizures that accompany it. The water puppets are a well-known tourist attraction and the theatre is at least cool. After a lot of walking, it meant that all but Hannah had a healthy dose of the head bobbles as we dozed on and off throughout. The actual puppets were very clever, but we needed a nap more. We realised a proper nap was in order, and given that’s what the locals did at that time of the day, we convinced ourselves we were being at one with the people.
We were given a tip from a couple of Australians we had met on the cruise about a really nice restaurant with views of the city. It was pricey, but given it was our collective last day, we splurged. Steak, salmon and lamb were the popular choices along with Coopers Sparkling of all things really made the dinner special. Afterwards, just walking the backstreets, we bumped into the same people plus a bunch of the others from the cruise, all just sitting at a curb-side “pub” I’d guess you’d call it drinking fresh beer. We decided to stay and drink the 25c pints until the publican ran out of his 5th and last keg for the night.
Deb & I, along with our new friends Gary from England and Martin from Poland, decided to kick onto the Dracula Bar around the corner, owned by a Romanian. Obviously. We had a drink there, had a chat to the Romanian owner and showed off our fluent (cough) Romenesti and our night came to an end.
Could definitely spend more time in Hanoi – lots to see and really had a good vibe to it. Another highly recommended spot.