Arrived in Hanoi three times

We initially used Hanoi only as a stopover to get to Ha Long Bay and then take the train to Ninh Binh. We spent one night in Hanoi each time.

After returning from Ninh Binh, we stayed here for another 2 nights. Our last two nights in Vietnam.

Hanoi is bustling and when we first arrived, we were a bit overwhelmed. Maybe because we arrived by night train, had little sleep, and our taxi driver had an accident. He was constantly looking at his phone, the driver next to him was not paying attention either, and that's why there was a collision. But hey, we neither stopped nor did anyone get out - no, we just continued driving.

However, at second glance, you can really fall in love with the capital of Vietnam.

Early in the morning, you can observe a huge hustle and bustle of Vietnamese people practicing Tai Chi around the lake in Hanoi. People of all ages, with or without music, are here fully motivated and convinced to carry out various exercises. We recommend everyone in Hanoi to take a look at this, even if you have to get up early. We couldn't help but smile. Our favorite exercises were 'clapping your hands and then clapping your whole body' and 'clapping the tree', whatever that was supposed to do;).

Hanoi is a huge spider web of countless small streets. In the famous Old Quarter, it's quite funny that all streets are named after something that is exclusively sold on that street. So, for example, there is a shoe street where only shoes are sold, a fabric street where you can get everything for sewing, and so on. In some streets, there were piles of adhesive tape rolls and in others, metal bars.

In addition, we visited the following in Hanoi:

The Women's Museum

A museum about the role of women in Vietnam. I'm usually not a fan of museums, but I also wanted to go there. Incredibly interesting interviews with Vietnamese street vendors. At the same time, it is very, very sad to hear the life stories and how hard and long the women work daily for a small amount of money. There was also a great exhibition by the photographer Rehahn - an incredibly great travel photographer! I love his pictures and in the Women's Museum, his portraits of Vietnamese grandmothers were displayed. Beautiful and if I should have extra money at some point, I would be happy to invest it in one of his works.

Hanoi Hilton (Lukas was alone here)

A prison built by the French in the 19th century when Vietnam was a colony of France. It was also used by the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War to hold Americans captive. Only a part of the entire prison has remained, where primarily it is reported how badly the poor Vietnamese were oppressed by the evil French and how well the Americans had it with the Vietnamese, even though they had nothing themselves. So, once again, very one-sided propaganda, as is often the case in Vietnam, but still interesting when you know what's behind it.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (Lukas was alone here too)

A large complex operated in honor of Ho Chi Minh, the founder of present-day Vietnam. To avoid getting into the crowded tourist area, it is advisable to arrive early. Nevertheless, there were already a lot of Asians there at 8:30 am to visit their Uncle Ho. Lukas was almost as curious as the embalmed Ho Chi Minh himself, as at this time there were hardly any other Western people to be seen. After a real procession past the body, which is preserved and thus visible to everyone, we went to the site where many former living spaces and souvenirs of Ho Chi Minh can be visited, which are an absolute must for every Vietnamese. For Lukas, not only the things to be visited were interesting, but especially how the Asians flocked to and through this place.

Water Puppet Show

In the past, such Water Puppet Shows were performed in rice fields because they were submerged in water. They thus refer to a millennia-old tradition. The puppets are made of waterproof fig wood and usually last 3 to 4 months with intensive use. The admission cost 4.50€ for a one-hour show.

We have to admit that the whole thing was pretty freaky and we often couldn't help but laugh. Furthermore, we did not understand anything since everything was in Vietnamese. Too bad we can't upload videos here, otherwise you would immediately understand what I mean. Nevertheless, we can definitely recommend this fun, especially for the price. However, we don't need to watch it again a second time. ;)

Other than that, our time in Hanoi mainly consisted of strolling through the streets. We discovered great things and, for example, walked along the train route that every train enters in Hanoi. It passes incredibly close to houses and it was beautiful and crazy at the same time to look at. In addition, there were plenty of great street food stalls in Hanoi with Pho, Pho, and more Pho, and often you sit here directly in people's living rooms to eat. By the way, we always looked pretty silly and like elephants.

In the end, we can say that we really liked Hanoi a lot and it definitely has more charm than Saigon.

Wow, now it's time. Almost 4 weeks in Vietnam are over and when we initially pointed to Hanoi on the map, which seemed so far away, we are now actually here and tomorrow our flight to Laos will depart.

Vietnam, you are simply beautiful and incredibly diverse!!!

Thank you very much for all the great moments and experiences you have given us.

Goodbye Vietnam...off to Laos.