Hello Hanoi

At late evening we were finally complete and enjoyed our reunion extensively, exchanged news and were provided with souvenirs from Australia. The next morning, after a long-awaited sleep and a lavish breakfast with a great view over Hanoi, we started the day refreshed.

First, we went to the travel agency for our upcoming vacation section to coordinate the final details. The positive impression we already had from the websites and contacts was definitely confirmed and the excitement even greater.

While enjoying another excellent coffee, we made a plan for the day and then headed straight to the next destination. Combined with a walk through the Old Quarter, we went to the French Quarter for the Women's Museum. While we got lost in Vietnamese culture there, time flew by. This resulted in us having to hurry in the end to get to our booked Free Walking Tour on time.

The tour started at the Jade Temple, which we had already visited yesterday. However, our tour guide Ha made sure that the second visit was also worth it, as she could tell many interesting historical facts and legends. The route took us through the Old Quarter - with its 36 streets, each named after the goods originally sold in the respective streets. Today, the division is no longer so strict, but sometimes a 'focus' can still be recognized. We were led to the largest market in Vietnam via the so-called 'Beer' street, which will turn into a pub mile in the evening. From there, we went to the oldest bridge in Hanoi, the Long Bien Bridge, which is still crossed by trains and countless mopeds over the Red River. After a guided tour of Hanoi for two hours, we slowly approached the end. But before that, we made a short stop at the only remaining gate of the former city wall. The end of the tour was a visit to the coffee shop where we had already been the day before. So, we said goodbye here to start the next tour after a short break in the hotel.

Fortunately, at the hotel, it turned out that our next tour guide Minh picked us up 45 minutes earlier than originally planned. So, we immediately set off again - for the street food tour... and it was something - in 4 hours, we ate our way through all the typical foods from Hanoi, including snails and mussels. Always in small street kitchens that we probably wouldn't have entered otherwise. We finally capitulated more than well fed - even though we would have gladly accepted Minh's offer and tried more, it simply didn't fit into our stomachs anymore.

We didn't miss having a nightcap in the transformed 'Beer' street, where instead of mopeds, tables are everywhere in the evening and people crowd around them.