21. Stop Hanoi, Vietnam

On Monday, 20.01.2020, I flew from Hue to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, in the late morning. I arrived after 1.5 hours and was freezing, as it was only 20 degrees here in the north. By the time I got to the hostel, it was early evening, so I went out to eat with my roommates and ended the evening at the hostel bar.

The next day, after a proper hangover breakfast (the evening lasted a bit longer than planned), we set off to explore the city. We passed by a beautiful temple that we also visited inside. Once again, I noticed all the colors and attention to detail.

Our destination was the 'Train Street', a very narrow alley known for passing trains. We sat down in a cafe and waited for the spectacle to begin. The locals were excitedly jumping around, urging us to stand very close to the wall. Obviously, the train has a schedule - and keeps it - so we knew exactly when the train would come. From a distance, we heard the loud honking and shortly afterwards it passed by us. Much bigger, louder, and faster than expected, the spectacle was over in 1 minute.

Afterwards, we walked along Hoan Kiem Lake. However, it was not particularly beautiful, it resembled a green sludge and smelled accordingly. In the 15th century, a golden turtle is said to have handed a sword to a poor fisherman from the lake, which made him invincible. Accordingly, the tower in the middle of the lake is called Turtle Tower.