I was so excited for my friends, Chiara and Lauren, to experience Vietnam with me on my grand adventure! The first part of our itinerary had us starting in Hanoi for 2 days and then heading east to Ha Long Bay for an overnight stay on a traditional bay boat. We hadn’t really planned out exactly what we were going to do each day, but getting them here was step one!
I’ve had two months to acclimate to the time change, but Chiara and Lauren- not so lucky. They were such champs when I met up with them at our hotel. Even after more than 20 hours of travel, they were still in good spirits! We knew the rest of the afternoon was going to be spent leisurely walking around, and I was tasked with making sure they didn’t fall asleep until at least 9pm, which was a struggle for them starting in the early evening- but they made it!
Thanks to the wonderful effects of jet lag, they were up early the next morning, so we started our day with a nice breakfast at our hotel and then went to a local coffee shop to try iced coffee, Vietnamese style. I am not a coffee drinker, but Vietnamese coffee has found a way to my heart. And it may or may not be due to the sweetened condensed milk they pour into the bottom of the cup. Sweet, creamy coffee goodness- oh man, it’s delightful.
After our coffee fix we decided to do some exploring around the city. We started with a visit to Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum, which we could only view from outside, as the space is closed from mid-September through December each year for repairs and maintenance. Oh and Uncle Ho’s body is flown to Russia to basically have a makeover…every year. We were, however, able to walk through the gardens around the mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, and the Ho Chi Minh museum, which gave us a deeper look into his life and his importance in Vietnam’s fight for independence.
Later in the evening we walked around Hoan Kiem Lake, which is in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. Legend has it that Emperor Le Loi came across a shining metal bar when visiting a friend, who said he found in the lake- then known as Thuy Quan. Le Loi asked to take it home and moulded it into a sword. All of a sudden two words appeared on the sword, “Thuan Thien” (meaning “Heaven’s will”). Le Loi knew the sword was a gift from heaven and used it in battle. After peace was established, Le Loi was on the lake and a tortoise rose to the surface and asked him to return the sword to the Dragon King. Le Loi threw the sword in and the tortoise took it and dove down into the water. From then on, Thuy Quan became Hoan Kiem lake (“Lake of the Restored Sword). The tortoise is one of the four sacred animals of Vietnam, which is why it appears in many stories and legends. The other animals are the dragon, unicorn and phoenix.
Sunday, 10/09, we were up early for our four hour journey to Ha Long Bay. The ride was really nice and I spent most of the time staring out the window at all of the rice paddies and mountains. As we approached the marina where many of the boats dock, we learned a little bit about the area. Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the Gulf of Tonkin and is made up of over 1,600 limestone islands. Tourism to Ha Long Bay started in 1990 with only 6 boats cruising around and has now grown to over 400 boats. Unfortunately, starting in 2020, tourists will no longer be able to stay on the bay overnight in boats. This is most likely due to the fact that they are trying to decrease pollution in the area and build up the economy on the beachfront towns.
Once we got on our boat, we put our stuff down in our room and headed to the dining area where we were fed what seemed like a 12 course meal. Soup, chicken, pork, rice, salad, veggies, fruits, and I can’t even remember the rest. We sailed for about 1.5 hours and then docked by the Sung Sot cave- the largest cave in Ha Long Bay. After exploring around, we sailed to a nearby beach where we walked (more like ran) to the top of the hill for panoramic views of Ha Long Bay at sunset. Lauren and I swam for a little bit and then headed back to the boat to shower up and prepare for our next 12 course meal. After sufficiently stuffing ourselves, we tried our hand at squid fishing- failed pretty quickly- and then relaxed and headed to bed.
Our next morning started early at 7am for breakfast and then some kayaking around the bay. The water was a bit rough from the passing cargo ships, but was still at lot of fun! The best part was kayaking near one of the limestone cliffs and seeing monkeys right by the water! After kayaking, we checked out of our room and slowly started the journey back to the marina. We watched a fruit carving demonstration and learned how to make spring rolls. We ended our journey with another massive lunch before getting back in our car to head back to Hanoi.
Overall I think Ha Long Bay is a beautiful site to see, but I absolutely think tourism has started getting the best of it. These boats are on a tight schedule and have certain sights that they all go to. Therefore, mostly everywhere you go is pretty crowded, which takes away from the beauty of the entire place. I still think it’s a nice place to see, but maybe a day trip is long enough!
Back in Hanoi, we relaxed in the afternoon and walked around the Old Quarter at night and had dinner at a great restaurant called New Day, which our hotel manager recommended to us. It was really cheap and all of us enjoyed our meals.
With two more full days in Hanoi, we decided to go to a few more museums around the city. Before we started our day, we walked towards the lake to a cafe that was known for serving delicious egg coffee. Egg coffee is a Hanoi specialty prepared with egg yolks, condensed milk and Robusta coffee. Basically it tastes like a delicious tiramisu. We walked down this narrow alley before coming to an opening and a lady ran over to us to assure us we were in the right place. We placed our orders and proceeded to climbed a few stories to a rooftop deck that overlooked Hoan Kiem lake. Was a great way to start our day!
Our next stop was the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. There are 54 officially recognized ethnic groups in Vietnam and this museum focuses on the different cultures and traditions of these groups. The museum is both inside and outside, housing artifacts, textiles, and even traditional houses modeled after the architecture of the ethnic minorities that you can walk through. This was definitely one of my favorite spots in Hanoi!
The oldest university in Vietnam is in Hanoi, so our next stop was to walk through the grounds known as the Temple of Literature. It was founded in 1076 and at that time only those of born into nobility were allowed entrance. At the beginning of the school year and in May during exams, many students come to rub the head of the giant tortoise statue which is believed to bring good luck.
Around the corner from the Temple of Literature is a restaurant called Koto, that I had read about on one of the maps our hotel had provided us. This restaurant’s mission is to provide hospitality and life skills to disadvantaged youth in Vietnam. Chiara, Lauren and I can all agree that this was one of our favorite meals in Hanoi. The food was delicious and the entire staff was so pleasant and friendly. Definitely a place to try if you ever visit Hanoi!
That night we decided to venture out to Bia Hoi- the beer street in Hanoi. “Bia” means beer and “Hoi” means air, so basically it’s like fresh draught beer. It is a really light beer that is crisp and clean. I’m a fan of wheat beer and this was really enjoyable!
Our last day in Hanoi was spent relaxing, doing some gift shopping and later in the afternoon, a food tour! We were greeted by our guide, Rose, at our hotel and we started our walking tour. We ate so many delicious Vietnamese dishes and had a wonderful time getting to know Rose. There is no better way to learn about traditional cuisine than to eat with the locals! I absolutely recommend taking a food tour, whichever city you’re in! We ate dishes such as Bun Cha, Banh Mi, Banh Cuon, and more egg coffee.
I really loved walking around Hanoi, even though every time you cross the street you feel like you may not make it to the other side. It is filled with a lot of charm and the history was fascinating to learn about. While we were sad to leave Hanoi, we were excited to explore our next destination: Hoi An!
Great photos. Great adventure! Keep it up. The world is yours!
Thanks, Karol!