Another great day in Hanoi, but I am ready to watch the busy streets of Hanoi fade away to be replaced by open road. I can’t wait to get on two wheels!
After spending an hour or so completing our contracts for our rental motorcycles, which we pick up tomorrow, we headed out for our last day of exploring Hanoi.
Today we hit the big attractions:
– Hoa Lo Prison (aka Hanoi Hilton Hotel). You have to check out the prison given it’s historical significance, but it certainly isn’t a highlight. The exhibits largely focus on Vietnamese political prisoners. The most interesting part of the museum is the insight into the Communist Party of Vietnam.
– Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. We watched the changing of the guard at 3:00 PM at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Note: The HCM Mausoleum and museum are closed Friday’s.
– Tay Ho. We walked 1 km of the 17 km shoreline of West Lake and visited the Tran Quốc Pagoda, the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi. Reminder, it is poor taste to wear shorts or sleeveless shirts in a Buddhist temple so dress accordingly.
– Weekend Night Market Old Quarter. A typical street market selling various gadgets, clothes and toys.
– Dong Xuan Market. Crazy experience – worth a walk through of this wholesale goods market.
Great Eats:
– Cafe Pho Co. Egg yolk coffee. Creamy dreamy “Tiramisu” for breakfast? Yes please. Delicious!
– Hanoi Social Club. Foodie guides call out Hanoi Social Club for its funky atmosphere and great food. I can see why it is highly rated as the food is very good, and offers a nice change from the local fare. We feasted on a chicken roti wrap and a tempeh reuben sandwich, both delicious.
– Green Farm. Dinner was at the highly rated Green Farm restaurant in Old Quarter. This restaurant is also highly rated for a reason. The service was outstanding and the food (both Vietnamese and Western) is excellent. Again this caters to tourists, so although very good, lacks the experience of the establishments we enjoyed on our food tour.
– King Roti. Dessert was sweet buns from highly rated King Roti. These delicious buns filled with vanilla (our favourite), chocolate or matcha definitely hit the spot after a day spent walking.
Transport Lessons:
– Uber is by far the cheapest way to get around! 15,000 dong for a 10 minute ride.
So, not going to lie. I am terrified about tomorrow. Watching the utter chaos of driving the streets of Hanoi is mind boggling. Imagine a narrow road – just wide enough for two vehicles to pass. Just wide enough. Not North American wide, I’m talking the width of two cars plus a foot, period. Now imagine three dozen scooters, a handful of cars, several bicycles and pedestrians fighting their way through this street in both directions. No traffic rules, I mean none. You will see scooters driving into oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the street. Vehicles stopping without warning, or cutting directly across the path of traffic. Insane! Yes I am terrified of having to navigate this strange city, on a new motorcycle, with no discernible traffic laws, along with millions of other vehicles. Terrified. But hey, it’s gonna be epic!
Live Life Epic 