Getting into Vietnam was a struggle. Perhaps a foreshadowing of our life in Hanoi? We ended up staying in laid-back Luang Prabang, Laos another day, because only four of our six visas had finished processing, even though we had submitted them in plenty of time. So, our trip to Hanoi was cut a day short and my parents had to painfully purchase new airline tickets.

In Hanoi we stayed in the lively Old Quarter. Our hotel was overbooked, so the staff asked if we were willing to switch to a sister hotel – and receive a “special discount.” Which meant mom bravely hopped on the back of the hotel manager’s motorbike and into the chaotic Hanoi traffic to look at the other hotel option. To get an idea, check out the video. (please excuse the unsteady footage). We ended up sticking with our original hotel. Sidewalks are not for walking (that’s where the motor bikes are parked)–you walk in the street and traffic moves in all directions around you continuously. It’s crazy.

The rest of us got our first taste of the overwhelming traffic when we walked to the Hoan Kiem Lake and visited the Ngoc Son Temple. We also hit the major market near us, the Dong Xuan market, and were amazed at the massive amounts of things for sale that were very unusual to us — like aquariums full of live turtles to eat.

Sidewalks are not meant for walking.

We toured the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” (Hoa Lo Prison Memorial). As Americans, seeing their unique take on the events surrounding the Vietnam conflict was eye opening.

By far our most favorite activity in Hanoi was the 3-hour street food tour. Mom, H and I went one night and loved it so much that we made sure C and Dad went the following night. We got along really well with our energetic tour guide, Rosie, and the other couple in our group. Rosie joked around with us and talked with us tons which made the whole night a blast. Not to mention the food was absolutely heavenly. Our favorites were the egg coffee (just trust me), spring rolls, and bun cha. Some of the restaurants didn’t even look like restaurants from the outside. One woman we met (pictured below) makes rice paper wraps all day, probably making thousands of the wraps before closing the restaurant, moving all the tables and chairs to the side to make room for her eleven family members to sleep. Rosie would yell out “sticky rice!” when crossing the street, which gave us the cue to pay attention and walk close to her as we crossed the street. Though there’s no drinking age in Vietnam, Mom said no for H (15yrs) to try the “happy water”–a burning rice whiskey.

We were told that an event unique to Hanoi is the water puppet show. It’s an ancient theater performed by hidden puppeteers and musicians with interesting instruments. There was a pool on the stage, the puppet strings and poles were hidden by the water. The show involved splashing, flaming dragons, loud singing. Touristy, but definitely worth a stop.

One night, I convinced Mom and H to go out with me to Beer Corner, right near our hotel. It was energizing people-watching from our small stools outside the bar. The craziest part of the night was when we saw a large police truck coming, with some sort of announcement (not English keep in mind) playing over the loudspeakers. We learned earlier on our street food tour that sitting on the sidewalk to eat is technically illegal. I say “technically” only because it didn’t stop us or anyone else from sitting at tables and chairs on the sidewalk. But, that night the police came by to “enforce” that law. Immediately, everyone stood up, picked up their drink, stool and table off the sidewalk and backed up so the police vehicle could pass. We followed suit but not before being flooded with confusion and mild panic. As soon as they passed, everyone set everything back as if nothing had happened.

Our last morning in Hanoi was going to be simple. We were going to find an ATM and had our hearts set on grabbing one last delicious egg coffee. Of course, that’s not how it played out. We couldn’t find a working ATM or a single café that sold egg coffee. After trekking around town for what seemed like ages, we gave up. On the walk back towards the hotel, of course, we found egg coffee and a functional ATM easily. This is just a small example of how sometimes the things that should be easy, aren’t. Whether it happened because we were tired, or sick from pollution, or just because of the crazy ways of SE Asia, who knows, but it happens.

Quick tip from the Hollidays regarding Hanoi traffic: don’t ever stop. There’s a rhythm to it but you mess it up by hesitating. The motorbikes will swerve around you, don’t worry. Just don’t stop.

Quick tip #2: When we were in Hanoi, we really noticed the pollution. We all felt sick during our time in Hanoi and we believe it’s because of the poor air quality. All the motorbike exhaust takes a toll. We couldn’t go out for more than a few hours at a time because of this. However, we are so glad we got to experience a bit of this unusual country!

Next up the pagodas of Myanmar!