Hanoi - Part One (Live Action Frogger)

If you had asked me two years ago, Vietnam would easily have been among the least likely places I’d travel for a family vacation.  In part, due to the historic relationship between the Americans and Vietnamese, but mostly because it’s really far from the US and I never imagined it offered anything worth travelling that far to enjoy.  We recently returned from a five day visit in Hanoi and Halong Bay, and I now realize how shortsighted and narrow minded I was. 

Streets of Hanoi

Vietnam is the eastern most country on the Indochina Peninsula and is home to more than 90 Million residents (making it the 13th most populated country in the world.)  It's about 1/30th the size of the US, with about 1/3 of the population.  Do the math, it's pretty crowded.

Hanoi is the second largest city in Vietnam and is over 1000 years old.  It's home to about 6 million people, and by my account, every one of those people travels by bicycle or moped just outside the front door of the hotel where we stayed, on a daily basis.   Honestly, I’ve never seen so many people traveling in so many different directions at the same time!

Live Action Frogger

But that seemingly chaotic energy was one of the things that I really enjoyed about Hanoi.  After experiencing insane driving in places like Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, I thought I had seen it all…but Hanoi somehow took it to a new level.  Cars, buses, bicycles, mopeds etc. all managed to travel the streets of Hanoi, dodging each other, and people on foot, with ease. Though, admittedly, very few actually appeared to follow a common set of rules.  

We learned late in our visit, “everyone respects everyone else and so you move slowly, maintain your speed and direction and everyone adjusts to avoid hitting each other”... well, at least that's what our guide, Johnny, told us on our final day in Hanoi.  But, he also told us the reason people wear face masks as they drive all over town is to keep from getting a tan....not because the city has a slight pollution problem.  So, take Johnny's guidance with a grain of salt.

Either way, our frantic, frogger-like hopping across the street through traffic clearly wasn't the correct technique. Instead, walking slowly, directly INTO traffic and maintaining a consistent speed is the best way to avoid bodily harm or death.  (Caution – don’t try this at home….unless home is Hanoi)  

Unfortunately, we didn’t meet Johnny to get this advice until our final day in Hanoi, so you can imagine the number of expletives screamed at us during the rest of our stay.  This video really won't do it justice, but hopefully gives some sense of what the scene in Hanoi is like.  You may be able to pick out a few expletives in this clip as well:

Unaware of the appropriate traffic “etiquette”, we still managed to successfully navigate and explore Hanoi without incident.  On the evening of our arrival, our group of 12 (Ludts, Bergstroms and Burnetts) walked the city to find a good place for dinner.  The tallest of our crew, Scott, led the way (though we all stood a head taller than most Hanoi residents) to The Gourmet Corner where we enjoyed dinner with a view over the entire city.  Dinner was quite good, especially with a menu that catered to the adults’ desire for local cuisine and the kids’ desire for chicken nuggets and pasta.  While I enjoyed saying the name of Jennifer's dish (Bun Bo Nam Bo - go ahead and say it...it's fun to say, right?), I preferred the taste of mine (Bo Ong Vau) - or grilled bamboo beef.  

Street Vendors

After dinner, we spent a short time exploring the night market.  It consisted of many of the same "treasures" we've seen in other parts of Southeast Asia, including t-shirts, hats, national flags, and every imaginable, cheap, breakable toy your kids could ever want.  There were a number of interesting handmade items, but we found that the selection and quality in the surrounding stores was much better.  Besides, we were all pretty beat from a day of travel and headed back to our hotel, The Elegance Ruby Hotel, to put the kids in bed and prepare for an early morning, four-hour car ride to Halong Bay. 

As usual, we selected the Elegance Ruby Hotel because of its top rating on Trip Advisor.  After a few short hours there, we understood fully why previous guests raved about it.  The staff was exceedingly friendly, welcoming and eager to provide anything we needed.   We were met with a “good morning” upon reaching the tiny lobby every day, and at breakfast the staff was attentive and accommodating.  Cooper loved the attention to detail when he ordered his daily pancakes - with both syrup and chocolate.  Sophia loved the multiple juice options and fresh croissants.  The front desk staff also offered to track down stamps and to mail postcards back to friends and family in the US, probably because directions to the post office would have been impossible.  They were also very helpful in identifying an appropriate guide (Johnny) to show us around the city on our final day in Hanoi. 

The rooms were very clean and spacious and the beds were very comfortable (which I understand is rare in Hanoi hotels).    The kids loved the balloons that sat on each bed when we arrived and the hotel had a small living space on the second floor where we spent two nights enjoying a cocktail and game of cards.  Though the staff was reluctant to join us in our card game (when we asked) they were quick to bring a bucket of ice to keep our beer and wine cold.  Without question, I’d highly recommend the Elegance Ruby Hotel to anyone visiting Hanoi.

In the morning, we all enjoyed our breakfast, packed up our bags and prepared for the long drive to Halong Bay.  But before we left, we took a few minutes to explore the busy alleyway just outside the door of the hotel.  This was truly one of my favorite parts of our visit to Hanoi.  

Just outside the door of the Elegance Ruby Hotel, Hanoi

The evening before, this alley was bustling with small shops, local street food and the regular flow of mopeds and bicycles zipping by.  In the morning, it transformed into a thriving market with fresh produce sold right on the street, off the back of a moped, and from the occasional basket carried over the shoulders of tiny women walking the street.  In addition, chicken, meat and seafood of all (literally ALL) varieties was being chopped, ground and wrapped.  In some instances, the market was an extension of the existing clothing or shoe store.  In one case, meat was being chopped at the counter of the “Rent a Bike” kiosk.  In nearly all cases, this market existed directly outside the doors of people’s homes, who lived either above or behind the shops they worked at.  It was truly amazing to witness.

Street Market with Fresh Produce...

...and More Produce

Rent a Bike....Get a Free Kilo of Beef??

After we all had a good look around, it was time to climb into our pre-arranged transportation and settle in for the four hour drive.  The next part of this adventure was about to begin...next stop, Halong Bay!

The Friendly Elegance Ruby Staff Helping us with Luggage