North Vietnam - Hanoi - Day 2

Vietnam's telecommunication and power-line, with french influence fading in the background. 

Hanoi must have known our arrival, Nha Tho Lon (Big Church) a.k.a St Joseph’s Cathedral welcomed Peter and I with huge bell chimes at 5am! Not a glimpse of sunrise, yet. My mind turned to Melbourne, it would be 8 in the morning. Back to the chimes I became immersed with romantic feelings of family ties to Catholicism – it felt nice for 5 minutes. The bells were ringing 15 minutes on – enough of the welcome already! I want my sleep. Poor Peter, having sleep deprivation fell into count with the bells. He assures me there were over 200 ding-dongs lasting over 30 minutes. I assume no-one in Hanoi required wake-up calls.

Peter was unable to get back to sleep due to the Cathedral bell reverberating, he decided to walk the streets before the crack of dawn. I, however, managed to get back to snoring once the chimes were over.

39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân,
Hàng Bạc, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội,
Vietnam.

Upon his return, Peter was pleased with what he saw on his reconnaissance mission. At breakfast (inclusive in our hotel stay rate), we discuss our priorities of the day: 1) ask reception for a local map and recommendations. 2) talk to reception about best ways to travel to Sapa.

Staff at Church Legend Hotel have impeccable customer service: friendly, helpful and polite. Providing us with the hotel’s map of Hanoi city centre, they highlighted us to have the famous egg coffee on the other side of the Turtle Lake. First priority, sorted.

Street vendor simple setup. A tin can
converted to a coal cooker and a DIY
bench to serve.

With the map in our hand, we were to beeline it to Café Giang. But before we did, I wanted to eat a bowl of congee from this laneway vendor, who was overcrowded with locals spooning her goodness in their mouths last night. Never had I tasted this silky smooth thick rice liquid, normally I cooked mine not as thick and the rice somewhat intact with cracked pepper. This lady’s bowl was rich but light at the same time. Her pork floss reminded me of my mother’s pork floss – the OG. Our bowls were licked clean. 

Congee with cracked pepper, Chinese donuts, and pork floss.

Looking up, feeling filled and satisfied. I watched locals pulled up on the motorbikes ordering the opposite vendor’s baguettes. Peter, mentioned he would like to try one of those the next time we’re hungry and close by. I nodded in agreement.

Café Giang is hidden away in a narrow corridor off Nguyen Huu Huan Road. If you are not watching for the Café Giang – Egg Coffee sign, you’d miss it. I almost did. I assumed for its renown backstory the coffee shop would be a big in-your-face frontage – I was wrong. It is a humble coffee shop that has stayed in the same humble spot its founder began whipping up his decadent egg coffee for the Hanoians 40 years ago.

Top floor of Cafe Giang. Always full of local hipsters sipping delicious coffee in this open space.
Uber cool and wasn't even trying.

I like to think I know a bit or two about coffee. I enjoy my coffee just as much as I love drinking red wines. I often refer coffee to wine as it is, if not more complex than wine. It helps coffee drinkers appreciate it complexity i.e. there are over 1000 coffea plant variety, and over 800 tasting profiles; furthermore, there are more steps to achieving a finished coffee beverage, and much more laborious than making wine. Yet wine has a superior status.

Hot Egg Coffee - Cafe Giang

Café Giang’s egg coffee is sexy as Monica Belluci. The silky voluptuous liquid circulating on my tongue was like tasting a decadent tiramisu in Florence, Italy. I was so surprised that anything could come close to my grandma’s egg coffee that was passed down to my mother. This was superb! Made differently to how my mother would make it for my father when I was a little girl.

I'll be back tomorrow.

Continuing on our “getting lost in the city”, we came upon crazy traffic at Cau Go, Hien Dinh Liet, and Hang Giay intersection, North of Hoan Kiem Lake. I reminded Peter to trust and just walk – motorbikes, bicycles, cars, and truck will swerve around you. I walked ahead of him, only to turn around and see him try to calculate his steps. Obviously, Peter chickened out [laugh]. I yelled over, ‘Come on Peter! Just walk!’. Wolah, Peter made it over unscathed and unharmed. Very proud and alive 😊

Hoan Kiem (Turtle) Lake - native Banyan (aka Bodhi) tree, thirsting the water of the Turtle Lake.

Strolling along northeast of Hoan Kiem (Turtle) Lake, beautiful native trees eloquently extending their limbs to kiss the peridot lake. A Vietnamese young lady wearing a lovely pink ao dai caught my eyes. Ao dai is a traditional Vietnamese dress/costume – it is the most elegant and feminine traditional dress in the world, me thinks! I couldn’t help but photograph the photographer and his muse.   

A photoshoot at the footbridge to the Buddhist Temple on Hoan Kiem Lake.

Wandering around north of the Old (French) Quarters, we found this antique shop (92 Hang Bac Street, Hanoi) that excited my desire for connection to my heritage. There was a ceramic cup from the Minh Dynasty 16^th Century, bowls from the Tong Dynasty 10^th Century, and a jar dating back 2000 years old depicting patterns from the Dong Son culture. My inclination was to possess a piece of my Vietnamese history, however, the better of me chose to let go, as these artefacts represent all Vietnamese people and should be kept within Vietnam under the care of a mensch.

Locals are selling Vietnamese relics
& artefacts to make a quick buck.
Whilst Hanoi recently celebrated its
millennium (1000 years). 

At first, this pipe in a form of a man and woman having sexual intercourse gave me the giggles. Then pondering the fact that this artefact is 300 years old, it goes to show that throughout history whether it be sexual; racial; political; or religion, we humans swing between liberation and oppression. It is fascinating to realise that 300 years ago, in Vietnam, this pipe represented a time where certain people felt sexually liberated. Fast forward to today, some countries consider sexuality a taboo, whilst other countries proudly project their sexual liberation as a revolution. Both look back at the near past and believe their counterparts were either too rigid and oppressing sexual rights; or too sexually crazed, like animals that needed to be tamed. The reality is, we live in cycles, waves, and swinging pendulum, nothing is permanent. What we think and feel today can change tomorrow. What we do have are these artefacts that hold history and tell us who we are: back then and today, and most likely a reflection of the future.

Moving onto quieter streets, you get to “people watch” the locals, as they go about their day-to-day living. Ironically, I see them through rose pink glasses, their way of life is wonderful and romantic. Frankly, their day-to-day operation would be similar to what I would be doing back in Melbourne – working to live. However, I have the opportunity to fly overseas and experience fresh air, escaping my daily grind.

Getting things done, the Vietnamese way - the old school way.

I see a Vietnamese man is climbing up a bamboo ladder with a paint roller. I comment to Peter, that back home this would never happen without council approval, fees, loads of scaffolding, road blockage and signage to the wazoo. The level of bureaucracy in Melbourne is ludicrous. Though safety is not paramount in Vietnam, things get done and without delay.

Address: 1 Hang Manh Street, Hanoi.

Back towards our hotel, I was starving. When hungry, a little person like me has to eat within 10 minutes, before I get the shakes. Scoping the corner street ahead I saw these two local hipsters eating by the front on low timber chairs. I looked at Peter suggesting he’ll have to try squatting again, but at least these chairs were an upgrade to those tiny plastic blue stools.

Similar to what we ate yesterday, dipping meats and salads in the pork-fish broth. This eatery provided more substantial dishes of their tender grilled pork and  their specialty crab meat rolls (fried spring rolls). In a empty bowl, you fill it with vermicelli noodles, meats and salads. Then you can choose to either dunk your chopsticks holding the content into the broth; or you pour the broth over your bowl and eat – either way, just as tasty and refreshing. The grilled pork was well balanced in subtle salty-sweet flavours, juicy bites they were, and melted in my mouth. I have a weakness for rice paper fried spring rolls, combined with my favourite shellfish meat – crab. I could not stop crunching on them. So good…
                   

Grilled pork in broth, crab meat
fried spring rolls, vermicelli
noodles, loads of salad,
and the pork-fish broth to dip.

Full and satisfied, we toddled back to our hotel ready for a good night’s rest. However, we almost forgot! Our plans to Sapa tomorrow evening…better talk to our hotel receptionist. A relief to see Thanh at the desk upon our return. He had been expecting us regarding our Sapa travel plans that we mentioned to him this morning. Peter, Thanh and I sat by the back waiting/seating area of the hotel. Thanh had already made contact with his connections and gave us some options.

We instructed that we were only looking to go one-way without a return ticket, as we were planning to go on down south from SaPa to Son La. Thanh suggested to do an overnight tour – starting from SaPa and hike to a Mong Village named “Lao Chai” & "Ta Van", where we would be hosted by a local Mong family. Peter was a bit apprehensive about the hike, however, Thanh assured us it would be an easy hike “no worries”. We agreed. Thanh said he would organise and confirm everything by the morning. We would need to be at this hotel 8:30pm tomorrow night, to be picked up and taken to the main train station. Our driver would then direct us onboard our train carriage with all proper documents to the train conductor. Awesome customer service! In the morning, we needed to pay for the one-way overnight train ticket for 2 persons, and for our homestay hike tour. The amount for the two of us came to AUD250.

SaPa was now sorted. Time for sleep.

Sometimes, you just have to look straight ahead, smile, and walk. Never flinch. 

Thank you for enjoying the read and following my journey in North Vietnam. To read more, please click on North Vietnam - Hanoi Day 3
Or you can start from the beginning by clicking North Vietnam - Hanoi Day 1 

North Vietnam - Hanoi - Day 1

"One of the gladdest moments in human life, methinks, is the departure upon distant journey into unknown lands. Shaking off with one mighty effort the fetters of Habit, the leaden weight of Routine, the cloak of many Cares, and the slavery of Home, one feels once more happy." -Richard Burton, Zanzibar

A back street in Hanoi, Vietnam

A visit to Vietnam had been on my wishlist for some time, and for many reasons - Vietnamese DNA is in my blood; my family and I were directly affected by the Vietnam war, and the desire to search back into my roots. I love my food and Vietnam has some of the best food in the world, and, the coffee industry in Vietnam has a history in my family. On this trip, being able to find my grandparents' (my mother's parents) roots in North Vietnam, prior to the civil division, was very personal and emotional for me. 

I often find travelling alone, quite lonely, especially in places that are bursting with flavour, culture and life - it is wonderful to share a common moment with someone who is willing to absorb the zest of life. 

Peter and I waiting in transit at Singapore Airport.

Peter was my former boss 15 years ago, guiding me to achieve City of Yarra 2005 Young Citizen of the Year Award. Peter has become a dear friend, and mentor ever since, with much wisdom to impart. Peter's favourite book is "The Quiet American" by Graham Greene - a story about a love affair with Vietnam. He admires Vietnam's resilience and love its rich history and culture, knowing this, I knew Peter was the best travel companion to travel through North Vietnam. 

My advice when travelling through Vietnam, or any place in the world, is to travel with someone who can speak the lingo - it makes all the difference to your experience, you can either have a "window-shopping" experience, or you can sink your teeth in and take a tasty bite of the country, savouring every note.  

Letting go the need to control the minutiae of life has been a cultivating 36-year achievement. I used to travel with precision, now I observe; listen, and allow the universe to unfold itself to me.

Peter, on the other hand, wanted to book our flights and know details of our itinerary 6 months prior to our adventure. There are good points to researching about the place you are visiting i.e. laws, climate, travel safety issues etc. It was a delight to me, Peter was able to trust my method and go with the flow...you can teach 64-year-old new tricks!

We both agreed to travel light – backpacker style: one medium backpack, and one daypack each. Especially travelling through VN on local modes, backpacking was the best decision ever.

In seconds, google maps showed hotels with
prices - so convenient for travelers on-the-fly.

Landing in Hanoi on our first day of our 3-week adventure, Peter left 95% of our travel decisions to me! I had not booked any accommodation and had no international roaming to make phone calls or easy contact. I knew I wanted to hire our own car to do a road trip around North VN at our leisure. From the airport, we hopped into a taxi straight to Hanoi Urban Transport Management and Operation Centre (16 Cao Ba Quat Street, Hanoi) to obtain a temporary VN driver’s licence. We wanted to do the right thing in order to be covered by our insurance. Unless you have documentation proving you have been living in VN for more than 3 months, the office will not give you a temporary licence, no “buts” about it.

We had to switch to plan C. It began to rain heavy – argh! With our waterproof windbreakers and our backpacks, we started walking up the main streets searching for a mobile telecom vendor. It didn’t take long to find a gentleman selling domestic sim cards – I purchased a 18GB data only micro sim for 200.000VND (the locals say 200VND, short for 200,000VND). In my rusty Vietnamese I asked him to install it for me, which he willingly did. We were now online and connected!

Loading up Google maps, I studied our location to the Old Quarters by Lake Hoang Kiem – it was close, but too far to walk carrying our load. And besides, it was raining.

French architectural influence in Hanoi, "Old Quarters".

It took seconds to hail a taxi. My handy Vietnamese requested to go to the road running parallel the Lake. After some to and fro discussion with the driver, we decided best to go down Nha Chung Road. The taxi man dropped us off on the corner of Nha Tho Road for 20.000VND. He advised this area is full of hotels and very popular with tourist. He was right! Tourist and foreigners were getting amongst the locals in the Old French Quarters.

My excitement began to rise as I knew in that moment our Vietnam adventure had kicked off. I started searching “hotels” on google maps with my current location. A myriad of hotel options popped up across the map, from affordable to luxury. Gotta love Google Maps App!

Hitting the cobblestones on An Trieu, we cold-call boutique hotels. The first hotel gave us their nightly rate, only to up their price once she knew I was a Viet Kieu (Vietnamese foreigner). We chugged down to Church Legend Hotel and they gave us a reasonable price of 35USD/per night for on-the-spot booking. With that price, we got an awesome view of the Old Cathedral.

View of Nha Tho from our hotel room. Nha Tho means Church in Vietnamese.

After offloading our bags, and having a cold shower (literally, because, most hotel rooms have their own hot water system – you have to remember to switch it on if they haven’t), we cobbled the nearby streets. Hanoi is full of life – tourists and backpackers immersing in culture, traders wheeling and dealing, and cooks feeding hungry mouths.

Busy food vendor - 52 Ly Quoc Su Road, Hoang Kiem, Hanoi

Peter and I were on the hunt for authentic Hanoi northern dishes. I made a policy to stay away from touristy eateries/restaurants. I looked for street food traders that had local people eating in hoards or queueing up to order their takeaway and scooting off on their motorbikes.

Cua Hang Banh Goi – 52 Ly Quoc Su, Hoang Kiem, Ha Noi, was our first choice. I chose for us by pointing at a couple’s dinner, ‘I’ll have what they’re having.’ It was light, clean, flavoursome, everything you should expect from Vietnamese cuisine. Banh Goi is a Northern dish, an interpretation or alternative to the cha gio (spring rolls), as the meat filling is pretty much the same. You eat by dipping your meats and salad (herbs) into the light fish sauce broth. Simple. Easy. Delicious.

Banh Goi - the light broth is at room temperature instead of piping hot. 

Buddhist Temple on Ly Quoc Su Road

We continued on Ly Quoc Su Road and was wowed by the noise, its people and atmosphere. A quaint Buddhist temple caught my ears to their songs of prayer. I love the humbleness of its exterior, not like some prominent and ostentatious sister temples around. You can feel their sincere intentions in their prayer.

Smiling from ear to ear at our luck to be travelling through North VN. I could feel my day to day stresses and routine melt away from my neck, shoulders, and back muscles.

As we were heading back to our hotel, we took the small alleyways that were alive with street food traders serving hipster locals good tucker. Small kid-size plastic blue stools were lined up along the narrow alley wall. In Asia space is not a commodity like in Western culture, they do with what space and resources they have at hand. Being told to sit up close to others provides a westernised person (like us) a dose of humility…there is no such thing as personal space here.

Peter not happy squatting! LOL

Peter sat awkwardly unable to find his sweet spot…white men can’t squat! [laugh] The lady host kept hassling Peter to move in to allow a walkway. Peter's knees were up to his ears!

Nem nuong.

Nem nuong is different to how I know it back in Melbourne, Australia. This was simple with no colour or enhanced bold flavours, it allowed the meat to be itself. I enjoyed the added glass noodle through it, giving a textural feel. And the sour mango with chili salt is absolutely fabulous, a healthy snack, and dessert alternative found throughout VN. So simple, so effective. Yum.

Sour mango with chili salt, dried grilled fish with chili sauce, and cassava chips.

Please continue to enjoy reading my journey through North Vietnam by clicking on this North Vietnam - Hanoi Day 2 link.