Last Tuesday I arrived back home to Australia from a whirlwind trip to Vietnam. Since arriving home I’ve been a bit of a foggy headed zombie and it’s taken me a little while to find my bearings & ground myself. Going back to work & the usual daily grind is definitely a difficult task after overseas travel, but I’m finally feeling energetic & focused enough to jot down a bit of a blog post for you all. I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to travel to Hanoi for a work conference, but I really made the most of it by staying an extra couple of days. After a long flight from Brisbane – Singapore, Singapore – Hanoi and an absolutely hectic bus ride to my accommodation (my bus hit a young boy on a bicycle and then was consequently rear ended by a motorcyclist – thankfully everyone was okay) I couldn’t wait to arrive at the hotel and just relax and soak it all in! During my stay I was blessed enough to be ‘put up’ at the JW Marriott & it was fantastic…
“Pho”
First Things First: First impressions of Hanoi? From the air it looked incredible, so green & mountainous and then the clouds gave way to the most brightly coloured rooves & houses. I was beside myself with excitement. Once we hopped into the bus, it was another story. The traffic was insane, the roads were narrow and bumpy and the streets were dirty & cluttered. Electrical cords and power lines hung from trees and poles in menacing bunches like thick spaghetti. Thousands of mopeds sped past with everything from TV’s to extra large Bonsai trees strapped to the back. The symphony of horns had to be heard to be believed and as previously mentioned our bus had an ‘incident’. Traffic conditions are, to put it bluntly, mental. I was definitely not in Australia anymore…Hustle and bustle honking? Tick!
When I wasn’t attending work functions, I spent the majority my trip by wandering through the streets of the Old Quarter. I love to explore and people watch and this was the perfect spot for it. The streets were cluttered and the footpaths were ‘parking lots’ for scooters/mopeds and then on the flipside the amount of fresh produce splayed out on the footpath was incredible. Everything from lettuce to the most vibrant coloured passionfruits, fresh meat, sweets, flowers, paintings & the usual tourist souvenirs. This part of the city was the hive, people bustling everywhere, vendors galore & every which way you looked there was a photo opportunity . Mind yourself wandering down the alley ways, mopeds will try and squeeze through even the tiniest of gaps! I finished off my afternoon with a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake (or ‘Lake of the returned sword’), which is just a hop skip and a jump away. Late afternoon is the perfect time for a stroll as the sunshine shimmers on the top of the water. I wandered along taking in the sights of ‘Turtle Tower’, The ‘Huc’ Bridge and all of the charicature artists & food vendors.
In stark contrast I then went on a bicycle ride through the countryside, which was one of the highlights of my trip. The rice paddies seemed to roll on forever, there were no horns & everything had a calm stillness about it. We took the opportunity to stop by a local kindergarten and the children were absolutely adorable, they got so excited when we took a photo with them & they got to see themselves on camera! Two cheeky little boys kept following me everywhere on their bikes as well. As I rode through the villages I saw water buffalo, ducks, flowers, children playing, carpenters crafting magnificent furniture & cooks serving up large bowls of Pho. The village was so alive & despite many of the families being considered poor, I have never encountered such friendly & genuinely happy people. It was simply infectious! I couldn’t help but smile when children ran up to me and said ‘hello!’ and then squealed0 with delight when I said it back! The whole day was so eye-opening. I felt so lucky, these people had a lot less than me and they were so happy. If I have so much, what on earth could I ever have to be sad about?! Traditional/cultural experience? Tick!
I topped off my mini vacation with a lunch time boat cruise around Hạ Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site with an area of 1,553km. Ha Long Bay has around 1,969 limestone ‘islands’ jutting out every which way, fishing villages float upon the greenest water in the middle of nowhere, caves are nestled in the sides of giant limestone islands & junk boats chug past loudly. Somehow it still feels like you’re a world away from everything. Words truly fail to describe the beauty of this picturesque location. If I had to pick just one word it would be ‘magical’. Add Hạ Long Bay to your bucket list, it truly is a must see. Travel tip: If you have the time book an overnight cruise to truly enjoy the beauty of this stunning location. Picture Perfect Postcard experience? Tick!
“The Rat Pack” Spotted on our way back to Hanoi from Ha Long Bay.
A few tid bit insights:
- Vietnam is still considered ‘Third World’ however, to be precise, it’s considered a ‘developing country’.
– Hanoi is not a pedestrian friendly city, it is ruled by mopeds & even though you’re on a pedestrian crossing don’t for a second think that they will stop for you to cross!
– Hanoi is dirty, I’m not going to sugar coat it. There’s rubbish lying in the street, people urinate freely & there’s dirty water in the gutters. I’d advise you to take hand sanitiser with you and be selective/sensible with where you choose to eat (unless you have a cast iron stomach).
– Toilet paper goes in the bin, always. Unless you’re in a really nice hotel, prepare yourself!
– If you don’t like eating meat, vegetarian dishes can be extremely hard to come across! I found the ‘Happy Cow’ app super helpful once again!
– When grabbing a taxi always be sure to ask the driver to turn on the meter or you’ll end up being scammed.
– Be firm but polite to vendors & rickshaw bike riders. I had an incident where I was told $200,000 dong and then they pestered me after I’d paid them for $300,00 dong. Don’t be intimidated, stick to your guns.
I’ll leave you with a few shots from ‘Le Mat’ (Vietnams Snake Village)…
Love & Light,
