Hectic Hanoi
On our first night in Hanoi we watched the Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown episode for Hanoi and he had a great quote near the end that we didn’t understand immediately but grew to embrace.
“One of the great joys of life is riding a scooter through Vietnam; to be part of this mysterious, thrilling, beautiful choreography, thousands upon thousands of people: families, friends, lovers; each an individual story glimpsed for a second or two in passing sliding alongside, pouring like a torrent through the city. A flowing, gorgeous thing; as you ride you not only see, you hear, a hundred intimate moments in miniature. You smell wonderful unnameable things cooking issuing from storefronts and food-stalls; you hear the sounds of beeping, laughing, announcements from speakers, the put-put and roar of a million tiny engines.”
- Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown: Season 4, Episode 5
The two words that we would use to describe Hanoi are Chaos and Charm. As our first stop in Vietnam we were initially taken aback, and even a bit put off by the pure chaos we experienced. From countless motor bikes to people to businesses just trying to coexist in this city, it was very overwhelming at first.
We both said, had this been the first place in Asia we had visited we might have left Asia immediately. But by now we are pretty seasoned travelers, we drew upon everything we have experienced and learned, and just rolled with it.
What we learned most about Hanoi, and Vietnam as a whole is that you have to just roll with it. You can’t control the chaos so you just need to be prepared, embrace it, and keep it moving. Literally and figuratively.
One of our first nights we watched from our 7th floor window as the streets flooded intensely during a sudden hard rain. The cars, and brave people on motorbikes, would drive through the water and either stall out and/or flood the surrounding businesses with their wake. We watched intently as the mass of several dumpsters floated around in the waist deep water spilling all their contents everywhere. As Houstonians we weren’t specifically concerned, just more interested in how people handled it. We watched the neighbors being flooded by careless drivers band together to block the road and prevent any more wake flooding. It was chaos and it was crazy. And all we could do was watch.
When three nights later we were caught out in another intense downpour we knew what to expect. It didn’t make sloshing thru the VERY questionable flood water any less “ick” but we embraced it, rolled with it, and took several showers after.
Once we embraced the chaos, we could find the charm. Each street felt like a new and beautiful blast from the past. A mix of modern and colonial. Asian and French. Loud and quiet. Old and new. Clean and dirty. Whether it was the restaurants and cafes with balconies overlooking bustling streets or hidden alley speakeasies there was something to enjoy in every nook and cranny. It wasn’t without faults. Nothing is. But there was nothing more entertaining than sitting out and enjoying the city moving by, living and breathing.
Some of our favorite sights.
Traffic: Vietnam traffic is infamous. There are no rules. People don’t stop at lights, and most of the time there just aren’t even lights. People drive on sidewalks. It’s probably the true embodiment of chaos. They say to cross the street in Vietnam you need to close your eyes and walk. You can’t hesitate and you should never ever stop or move backwards. You avoid the cars, and the bikes will avoid you. It took some getting used to but by the end we were assertive and direct street crossers. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart though.
Bike Ingenuity: There are many instagram streams dedicated to all the bike hauls on Vietnam streets. It was a daily laugh to see bikes (motor and pedal) drive by piled high with anything you could think of. From tires, flowers, food stalls, washing machines, you could see it all. One time at a cafe balcony we watched a guy load an entire concert set up worth of gear: two large speakers, a huge amp, 3 or 4 tech bags and a couple tripods, then tie it down and quickly zoom off into the madness. We were rarely fast enough to catch a photo of these marvelous occurrences, but they were always a sight.
Lanterns, Lights, and Lush Streets: Wandering the streets we were treated to many lantern and light displays on every corner. They were charming and relaxing and really added to the beauty of the city. In addition to the lanterns and lights the streets were always dotted with trees on every side. There was no shortage of wandering vines and beautiful greenery.
Propaganda speakers: Less a sight and more a sound. We learned that Hanoi has recently brought back their propaganda speakers which broadcast messages across town daily. Once such set of speakers was found on a pole across from our apartment and every day at 6:30am and 4:30pm we would hear the sounds of Vietnamese news announcements ring through the streets. Not exactly a Muslim prayer call, but an interesting sight nonetheless.
The MOST hard to find speakeasy we have found…of many we have sought out. This one had us stumped, largely due to Google Maps terrible directions (its no secret here we have a love/hate relationship with Google Maps) but also it was down a dark alley where residents were coming and going largely minding their business. We eventually traversed a dark stair before having to knock on a completely unmarked door before we were admitted to this epic definition of a speakeasy.
While in Hanoi we did two other places in Northern Vietnam which you can read about in their own posts.
There are a few other popular places to visit in Northern Vietnam that we didn’t make it to this time:
Sapa - The only place it snows in Vietnam! So we are told. We didn’t make it there on this trip.
Ha Giang Loop - While we were in northern vietnam Ha Giang was getting INUNDATED by rains that were causing massive mudslides on this VERY popular tourist spot. We were not going to do this famous roadtrip anyways but we would not have been able to if we had planned on it.
P.S. Vietnam is the only country we have been to thus far which had a “robust” visa process. You must apply (online) and get approved before you can even travel (whereas most other places had visa on arrival options), and you must specify your entry and exit date and, more importantly, the location of entry and exit. You can’t deviate your entry or exit location which isn’t super backpacker friendly but we made it work.