Hanoi: 17 – 19 June, and a few other days

We arrived into Hanoi early but not so bright and despite everyone’s warnings, still ended up paying an extortionate price for a taxi to our hotel. Luckily the warm welcome we received at our hotel, Finnegan’s Hotel, made us feel much better. Owner Viet, his wife and brother, were all so lovely and helpful. Viet really went out of his way to give us advice on different trips we wanted to do to Halong Bay and the North, and detailed instructions on some fabulous restaurants to visit.

So after a shower and a bit of a rest, we met up with our Canadian friends Ylan and Jerry and headed to Hanoi’s best ‘pho’ (noodle soup) restaurant (another of Viet’s recommendations). The queue went out the door and onto the street. This place is so popular that the neighbouring restaurants have just given up trying to compete; the busy staff could be seen running into neighbouring restaurants with steaming bowls of the delicious soup.

Once refuelled, we set off to explore the city in the stifling heat. We visited the Military History Museum, which was interesting, although rather propaganda-like.

For a late lunch, we were tantalised by the smell of chargrilling pork on the street and sat down to some delicious bun cha, a popular North Vietnamese dish. Bun Cha is served as a broth with fish sauce, sugar and vinegar, with chunks of the grilled pork and a few other veges. Alongside this, you are given a plate of cold rice noodles and the ubiquitous plate of herbs, added as per your preference. You dip the noodles into the broth little by little and slurp up, also tasting the delicious grilled meat as you go. It’s also common to order a side of spring rolls, also dipped in the broth. Writing this is making my mouth water…  

Another taste sensation we tried in Hanoi was ‘egg coffee,’ or cà phê trú’ng. I think this is a Hanoi specialty, although it’s not so well known. We tried ours at Café Giang, which is a family-run Hanoi institution. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but is a cute, if simple, little café once you make your way down the dark passageway. Basically it’s Vietnamese coffee – so with sweetened condensed milk at the bottom of the cup, followed by strong coffee, (and ice if, like us, you need to cool down), and on the top is a layer of foam made from egg (I think both the yolk and white). To enjoy, you take a spoonful of each of the three layers. The result is amazingly creamy, rich and sweet – I’ve heard it compared to eating tiramisu.

Hanoi is centred around the Hoan Kiem Lake, a popular hangout spot in the evenings, by which time the temperature has dropped enough to be comfortable. Walking around the lake, you encounter young couples canoodling, older people getting their exercise in or performing some bizarre hula-like stretches, families eating ice cream, and others playing badminton. From here, many of Hanoi’s main attractions can be reached on foot, provided you can withstand the heat and humidity.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Other sights we enjoyed in Hanoi included; the One Pillar Pagoda (not impressive at all – looks like a tree hut and about as exciting, although there is some story behind it from memory), the Temple of Literature (a lovely complex set amidst a beautiful park), and the Women’s museum (interesting and very modern). Walking around the old quarter one day, we decided to visit the nearby Opera House. Somehow we managed to mistake the Hilton Opera House for the opera house itself, and found ourselves wandering around the hotel a little confused! To be fair, the hotel was rather grand, and gave the impression it could once have been an opera house, although we did feel rather silly when we realised our mistake.

Using Hanoi as a base, the four of us went on two trips – one to Halong Bay and one to the North – each time returning to Hanoi and comforts of our new favourite hotel and hotel owner.