Hanoi - The Capital City

Unfortunately, we hardly slept on the night bus. We arrived in Hanoi at 5:30 AM and were kicked off the bus along with our luggage. The taxi drivers were so pushy that we decided to order a Grab taxi. At this early morning hour, we had no desire to negotiate prices, be ripped off by fake taximeters, or take unnecessary detours. Shortly after, we arrived at the outskirts of the Old Quarter. We had booked a nice room in a small hotel here for three nights. Unfortunately, an early check-in was not possible. We immediately regretted our plan to save a night by taking the night bus. Completely exhausted, we reluctantly went in search of a cafe. We soon discovered that even in a big city like Hanoi, finding a cafe was not an easy task. Fortunately, after a short time, we found a small place that served coffee and Banh Mi sandwiches. Refreshed, we went to the nearby park to pass the emaining hours. We walked along the lake and watched people doing their morning exercises. We were particularly impressed by the older ladies and gentlemen (some of them were probably 90 years old) who practiced Tai Chi. We marveled at their smooth movements and flexibility. We found a park bench and lay down. Unfortunately, this nap didn't last long either. The city police woke us up with loud clicking and grunting noises - apparently sleeping on public park benches is not allowed. We watched the hustle and bustle for a while and then decided to treat ourselves to another coffee. We looked at the clock in despair - 8 AM, time was crawling incredibly slowly. We still had six long hours until we could check in at our hotel. We wandered around the city for a few more hours, had lunch, and then returned to the hotel. Finally, at 1 PM, the torture came to an end and we could check in.

The next day, we visited a traditional house in the Old Quarter. Like all houses in Hanoi, this house was narrow. The reason for this is the high price of land. The interior of the house contained many beautiful pieces of furniture. It was easy to see that this house once belonged to a wealthy merchant family. We continued our tour and explored the local market hall (Dong Xuan). The assortment is completely tailored to the local population. The market covers several three-story halls. Everything from live turtles to counterfeit branded clothing can be purchased here at affordable prices. Personally, we didn't like the market very much. In some of the halls, there was almost no fresh air and it smelled strongly. We left the market and went to the nearby Long Bien Bridge. The railway bridge was built by the French in the early 20th century and extends over a length of 2.4 km. During the Vietnam War, the bridge was heavily bombarded by the Americans due to its strategic location. The Vietnamese repaired the bridge after each attack. Even today, the bridge is still used for train traffic. In addition to the railway, it is also used by pedestrians and motorcyclists to cross the Red River. The bridge is very rusty and doesn't make a very trust-worthy impression. However, restoration work is already underway. After visiting the bridge - there are no barriers and the tracks can be easily accessed - we followed the railway tracks a bit further into the city. Here, we encountered a little old woman (see picture). She was overjoyed to take a photo with Mathias. She wanted to look at the picture several times. The height difference is immense!

After dinner - a table grill with beef and vegetables - we plunged into the wild nightlife of Hanoi. Beer on the Beer Street is sold for 5000-7000 Dong (20-30 cents) per glass. Tiny plastic stools served as seating. However, we didn't stay there for too long. So we moved to a pub with regular chairs. Here, we coincidentally met a couple from England that we had met about a month earlier on a boat trip in Coron. When the police cleared the street and closed all the bars at midnight, we went to another club nearby. Shortly afterwards, this club was also closed and we were guided to the next club. The situation was completely absurd. About 30 people - some of whom had already had a few too many drinks - crossed a four-lane highway in the middle of the city at 1 am in the morning. On the other side, we had to climb over a fence and then cross the other four lanes. After that, we went to the industrial district where the Lighthouse Club was located. The best thing about the club was undoubtedly the view that could be enjoyed from the backyard. The building offered a wonderful view of the illuminated Long Bien Bridge. After a short time, we left the club. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough money left to take a taxi home. To make matters worse, it started raining, so we arrived soaking wet at the hotel after about 30 minutes.

We took it easy the next day. We enjoyed fantastic Vietnamese coffee and found an excellent street food stall just around the corner. A woman grilled meatballs on glowing charcoal. These were thrown into a broth together with fried bacon and celery. The soup was served with cold noodles and fresh herbs. Simply fresh and delicious! The meal cost about one Swiss franc per person. We spent the rest of the day writing the next blog post and organizing our onward journey to Ha Giang. We ended the evening with a noodle dish.

The next morning, we will continue by bus to the north. We will ride the Ha Giang Loop by motorcycle.