Adventures in Hanoi
Greetings from Hanoi!
I have now been in Vietnam for about a week and a half. Unfortunately, I have only been in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, but in the long run it is for the best because I have been working on something exciting. I will share details on that soon.
Hanoi is a really cool city. The traffic is lawless and hectic and there is a lot of pollution on the streets from all of the exhaust from the motorbikes and cars. However, the fact that people don't stop at red lights and drive on both sides of the road is apart of the adventure. Crossing the street is always exciting.
Night market in Hanoi
There are many lakes here! It's actually quite nice, walking around the city. Like Ho Chi Minh City, this is a very walkable place, and the people are very friendly here. But, unlike Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi feels older. In the central part of the city is the Old Quarter, and the streets are more narrow and it feels more traditional. In HCMC, you don't really have that and it feels more westernized. In Hanoi, it feels more developed on the northern and western outskirts of the city. As soon as you head in that direction, you begin to see a lot of shiny skyscrapers that have been built recently.
Hanoi
Also, Hanoi is super cheap. You can get a ton of good food for a very good price. As someone who doesn't really like soup, I am adjusting to all the Pho shops...
Bun Cha at Bun Cha Obama
Here in the North, they have "egg coffee" and it is basically black coffee with a very thick (almost like pudding) mixture of egg and other things that make it taste delicious! I'm not really sure what it all is, but it's very tasty.
Today I went to the famous restaurant where Anthony Bourdain and President Obama ate a meal. They have the stools and tables and plates and bowls and utensils they used in a glass box, and there are photos of the visit everywhere. I ate the same food they did- it was very tasty! Obama filmed a segment for Bourdain's show, and when he came to the restaurant it was unannounced so it was a huge deal when he walked in. He made this place famous! Also, RIP Bourdain...
The table, utensils, and stools Obama and Anthony Bourdain used
The Vietnam adventures continue!
Zach