My Solo Trip to Hanoi, Vietnam

I arrived in Hanoi at 9 30 at night and the moment I stepped out of the airport I was hit with heat, humidity, and chaos. There were drivers everywhere waiting to pick up passengers. After a bit of searching I eventually found mine. My hotel was conveniently located in the old quarter. Once I had checked in I took a shower and went straight to bed. Breakfast was included at my hotel and was probably one of the best hotel breakfasts I've ever had because of the variety. I had a delicious bowl of pho almost every morning. It was time to venture out onto the streets of the old quarter. The first thing I had to learn was how to cross a street because the traffic doesn't really stop for you but I watched other people cross first before trying it myself and it didn't take too long to figure out. You go at a steady pace with no sudden starts or stops and the motorbikes will just weave around you. It's actually pretty amazing how it just works. Right next to the old quarter is Hoan Kiem Lake, a large lake surrounded by beautiful shady trees that provides some respite from the heat and busyness of the city. Locals love to hang out here whether they're dancing or taking photos or just having a moment to themselves. I spent my early morning walking around the entire lake. After the lake I headed to Cafe Din to try my first egg coffee. Egg coffee was said to have originated right here in Hanoi at Cafe Giang where the owner developed it when there was a milk shortage in the 40s. Apparently Cafe Din is run by one of Mr Giang's children. Egg yolk is whipped up until it's foamy and combined with the coffee. It was sweet and creamy and didn't taste eggy at all. Most tourists stay in the old quarter when they visit. This area was the historic residential and commercial center also known as the 36 streets. This refers to how each street was historically specialized in one specific guild or trade. Many of the streets are still like this with corresponding street names. I walked up the streets of the old quarter until I reached Dong Xuan Market, a large wholesale market originally built by the French administration in 1889. After an afternoon nap I headed out for a street food tour. We started it off with some Vietnamese rice wine and then spent three hours trying almost 10 different food items. I would highly highly recommend doing a food tour as I definitely tried things I wouldn't have necessarily tried on my own. We ended the tour with what was probably my favorite food of evening, coconut sticky rice ice cream. I still dream about it. What's great about being in Hanoi on the weekend is that on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings many of the streets in the old quarter turn into pedestrian streets and street performers will set up in various spots. It is very lively and definitely something you should experience if you get a chance to. It was raining the next morning. I took a Grab which is basically the Uber in Vietnam to get to my first stop of the day. The Temple of Literature in Hanoi was built in 1070 and is dedicated to Confucius. The Imperial Academy, Vietnam's first national university, was established here in 1076. Nowadays it seems it is still a popular place for holding I then walked over to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. Construction began in 1010 and continued over subsequent dynasties. It was the seat of Vietnamese power until the capital was moved to Hue in the 19th century. Unfortunately this site was generally underwhelming for me. I think that a lot of the original buildings are no longer here. The thing I actually found most interesting here was the building and bunker that the People's Army of Vietnam used as headquarters during the Vietnam War. A short walk away, Con Café is a popular communist era themed coffee chain in Vietnam that originated in Hanoi in 2007. They are known for their coconut coffees which is what I ordered. For lunch I headed to the popular Banh Mi 25 to grab a Vietnamese sandwich. First opened as a street stand in 2014, it has since expanded to two other locations on the same street that provide more seating. Since I always have room for dessert I then went to try some chè, a traditional Vietnamese dessert. Not totally sure what I got but it was refreshing. I spent all of Sunday morning in museums. The first stop was Hoa Lo Prison, also known as Hanoi Hilton. This prison was originally built by the French to house political prisoners and then later used by North Vietnam for American prisoners of war. This museum is well worth a visit. Next I went to the Vietnamese Women's Museum which focuses on the roles and contributions of Vietnamese women throughout history. It covered women from the many different ethnic groups of Vietnam and definitely left me with a sense of the strength and resilience of Vietnamese women. By the time I was done I was super hungry so for my late lunch I went to a place called Hidden Gem Cafe. It feels like a little oasis tucked away in the busy streets of Hanoi. It is quite big inside and everything is built and decorated from recycled materials. I strolled the pedestrian streets of the old quarter in the evening as it was Sunday and the last time I'd be able to enjoy them without the crazy traffic. I found the Bia Hội corner where you can get what's probably the cheapest beer in the world. Bia Hội is a drop beer brewed daily and super light and refreshing. On Monday I headed out for an overnight cruise in Ha Long Bay with the company Indochina Junk. When we got to the docks we took some tender boats out to the big ship. I had booked the Dragon Legend boat which was a bit fancier than the other boats but I felt that it was worth it. After an introduction and safety briefing we checked into our rooms. At 1pm lunch was served. All of the food that was served on this cruise was incredible. By the mid-afternoon we had sailed into Bai Tu Long Bay just northeast of Ha Long Bay. We stopped at an island for our first excursion, a visit to Tin Can Son cave which was actually only discovered in 2004. On the same island there was a beautiful sandy beach where we took kayaks out on the waters around the limestone islets. The waters here were extremely calm making it really pleasant to kayak. The second morning on the cruise we headed out on rowboats to see Phung Binh floating village, a fishing village that was first established in the 19th century when fishermen started settling in the area. A program implemented in 2012 to combat pollution from the fishing activities has relocated many of the residents inland so that the residents that remain now rely primarily on tourism for their income. On the way back to Hanoi we stopped at Nguyen Duc village to see a water puppet show. Water puppetry is a traditional Vietnamese art that uses puppets on long bamboo poles to tell stories of village life. After returning from the cruise I had one more night in Hanoi. I grabbed a delicious bowl of beef pho at Pho Tin and then went to get the coconut sticky rice ice cream one more time. I ended the night at the rooftop bar of my hotel with some excellent views of Hanoi. I was set to fly out the next day but not before taking a fun ride on one of the Grab motorbikes and for my final meal in Hanoi I tried out a delicious bowl of Bun Oc or snail noodle soup for less than three dollars Canadian.