The Old Quarter of Hanoi has so much going on in the streets - it's jam-packed with hostels, shops, food stalls, markets, scooters, rickshaws and conical hat-wearing sellers. My favourite thing to do was sit in a bar, play cards and just watch the city live. The streets are lined with red communist propaganda posters, and almost every other stall is either displaying or selling pictures of their beloved Ho Chi Minh, their (deceased) communist leader.
There wasn't actually that many specific things to see or do in Hanoi, compared with other major cities, other than immerse yourself in the street life and enjoy, but the two things that made our list were definatly worth it. The first was Lan Ho Prison dubbed the 'Hanoi Hilton'. It was very moving, especially as you could visit the death row cells, and seeing as we visited on the day of New Years Eve we figured we needed to get out and cheer ourselves up pretty quickly.
So Beer Ahoy for a Bia Hoi! Bia Hois are local drinking venues dotted around Han Oi which spill out onto the streets and into the road. A beer is 4,000dong (13p) and is another great place to sit, watch the city and get steadily more pissed with other like-minded travellers. We started knocking them back at 2pm which seemed a fantastic idea until it was 7, we were already steaming, and no-where near the 12 o'clock New Year mark. We headed back to our hostel to take advantage of the free-beer-hour and that's where it all went a bit wrong......we peaked too soon and passed out by 11. Dammit! Schoolboy error! But seeing as Vietnam doesn't celebrate the western new year we didn't miss out on much (or so we keep telling ourselves) and had an amazing day....
and for the first time ever, was hangover free New Years Day! A trip to the Temple of Literature, the Dong Xuan night market, and another day marvelling at just how many things one person can carry on a shoulder stick or a bycicle, and we were done. Until next time.
THE VIETNAM VERDICT
I had wanted to write a really positive 'oh my god it was amazing' account of my time in Vietnam....but I want to be honest too. All in all I had a wonderful time and truly enjoyed my glimpse into Vietnamese life. I loved the culture, the food, the beautiful beautiful scenery.....but, in truth, I felt the place was danerously close to losing its charm. From an incredibly optimistic start to the trip I felt my enthusiam for the country wane, and continue at a 'take it or leave it' basis. This was a surprise, especially as the previous few countries I visited far outdid my expectations. I originally started to write about why I felt uninspired by Vietnam, but then stopped. It could get boring. And sound as though I disliked it far more than I did. I enjoyed it, it was beautiful, I'd recommend it if you were in South East Asia.....but there was a certain charm lacking. Of course, I only travelled the north and for a limited time, so I would love to go back to the South and what it can do to prove me wrong. So I say again.....until next time.......
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