Hello Hanoi!

Who:  The Sisters Peters (Maria and Sarah) and me!

On the streets of the Old Quarter.  Sarah on the left, Maria on the right.  I traveled with both of them to the Philippines last year, and I am going to Africa with Sarah this summer.  The 3 of us travel very well together.

Not my best look, I know.  But you can get a little bit of a feel for Hanoi here; I don't think it's what most people would expect, what with it's many lakes and trees.  I'm on a bridge crossing the lake located between the French Quarter and the Old Quarter.

What:  A Thanksgiving getaway to Hanoi, Vietnam. 

When:  Umm, Thanksgiving.

Where:  Umm, Hanoi.

Why:  Our primary goals were shopping and eating, and we did a lot of both.  But mostly, we just wanted to get away, and we had all heard great things about Hanoi.

How:  We flew China Airlines direct from Taipei to Hanoi.  I am growing weary of China Airlines.  I cannot eat fatty dark meat chicken and rice one more time or I will projectile vomit all over the airplane.  We stayed at the Sheraton Hanoi, located about 2.5 kilometers from the Old Quarter.  It was very nice and did not make me nauseous in the least.  (Oh lord, I'm becoming a travel snob.)

Highlights:  The food was deeeelicious!  We had 3 very fancy dinners (gourmet Vietnamese) and we ate lunch each day at small local cafes.  We loved both kinds of meals.  I had the best pho of my life; I ordered it 3 times over the 3 days we were there.  Shopping in Hanoi is also great, though it took us a while to find the good spots.  There's fabulous laquerware, paintings, silks, bamboo items, lanterns, etc.  Most of all, however, I enjoyed sitting at a lakeside cafe in the Old Quarter at sunset drinking banana smoothies and chatting with Sarah and Maria.  At times I couldn't tell if I was in Europe or Asia.  Hanoi is a fascinating combination of both.

Front porch of fancy dinner #2, Bobby Chinn's.  Bobby went to culinary school in San Francisco.  Can you tell from the hookah pipes?  The place was entirely red velvet inside; it was the trippiest experience I've had since I left New Orleans.  But it was darn good food.  Bobby played only early 90s rock music.  All 3 of us felt like we were back in college, only with more money.  At no point during the evening did I feel like I was in Hanoi.

The first page of the beverage menu at Bobby Chinn's.

Cafe on the lake, just before dusk.

Lowlights:  Traffic and pollution were horrendous, so much so that I don't know that I could live there.  It was much more difficult to get around the city than I had expected, and we all suffered from some minor sinus issues.  I'm sure you can see the smog in all the pictures.  Another downside to the weekend - though not Hanoi's fault - was that I was extremely tired.  I went into the weekend tired, and I slept horribly throughout the weekend, so I wasn't too keen on sightseeing and learning about Vietnam.  I didn't even go to the Water Puppets show, which was top on my list of things to do in Hanoi.  Finally, people were helpful enough in the touristy areas, but they were rather cold and distant in general, especially in comparison to Cambodia or the Philippines.  Then again, the U.S. didn't try to invade either one of those countries.  Well, actually we were in Cambodia a bit, but that was just to get to the Vietnamese troops hiding out there. Anyways, back to my point.  They were not rude, but they were not friendly either.

Master Electrician desperately needed in Vietnam.

Final Verdict:  Hanoi is a really interesting city.  At times, I felt right at home because it was so Asian:  scooters, rice, noodles, concrete, buddhist temples, etc.  At other times, I felt right at home because it was so Western:  baguettes, a French Quarter that was very New Orleans-ish, lots of cheese everywhere, Croque Monsieur every morning for breakfast, a super cool old Catholic Cathedral, etc.  It is such a cool combo of French and Asian.  While Hanoi is a unique Asian city, I would only suggest a visit there if you're also planning to go elsewhere in the country.  Before I leave Asia, I will take at least a one week trip to northern and central Vietnam - I'd like to take a river cruise near Halong Bay, and I'd like to tour around Hue and Danang as well.  It is a fascinating and beautiful country that I would love to explore further.  Most of all, I'd like to spend some time learning about the French Occupation and the Vietnam War; we never got to that part in history class.  Overall, I can't wait to go back to Vietnam.