Old town Hanoi, Vietnam

We landed in Hanoi for some rest and relax. . . nope, the streets are just as crazy as Bangkok! After passing through security and collecting our bags we took the city bus into the ‘Old Quarters’ of downtown Hanoi. The streets were tiny, and we hadn’t learned how to walk across yet without possibly getting hit every time. After we found out that ‘don’t stop, don’t’ run’ rule we were on our way. (Hesitate = Hit by scooter!)
We had a lovely stay at our hotel ‘3B Hanoi Hotel’ and we soon began to get climatized to the chaotic streets.
There were so many highlights! We enjoyed walking around town, we viewed some famous pagodas, and were rained on harder than we ever have before! But most of the time the weather was just humid and hot, and that gave us ample time to trot around the city, drinking ice/hot coffee, eating Vietnamese subs, and having pho!
We visited the famous railway street (photo below) and took lots of beautiful photos. We also enjoyed seeing the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, walking through the parks, visiting the observation deck with a panoramic view of Hanoi and examining the old French style villas.
One of our favorite stops was the Hanoi Museum of Ethnology, where we learned about the 54 different ethnic groups that live in Vietnam. The museum was well done, with small-scale and large-scale models built by the tribes themselves.
After spending a few days in the hectic Hanoi, we decided to take a train into the countryside, and visit Ninh Binh.Read more