Hanoi Travel Diary

Photos by Leon and Yours Truly

So, finally we get our first travel diary. Hanoi was not so much the plan, as Halong Bay was. We got into Noi Bai International Airport at 8AM in the morning, after a one-hour trip a little too early from Danang. We had no plans, no hotel booked, nothing. We just wanted to go to Halong Bay and stay the night at the cruise. But...that didn't happen. We realized that we needed to book a tour to do that, and all the tours headed out only once at the same time each morning. We took an airport bus into the city center and proceeded to find out all the fast-paced chaos that was Hanoi, booking a room while we were in the bus.

After a trying, super tiring morning, in which we basically skipped breakfast in exchange of finding the cheapest tour operator possible, finally we made our way to our hotel, which was the biggest relief of our trip up until that point, where, seriously, nothing went right. They took one look at our haggard, sweaty selves, no baggages to speak of, and upgraded our room for free to a large suite around 2 hours before the actual check-in time. We were asleep before you knew it.

Three hours later, we were out again, finally getting some food, and cramming in as much of the place as possible. Hanoi is definitely not for the faint of heart. It is fast, confusing, and takes a lot of getting used to. Scooters just race in and out of the streets at the same time people cross. And there are a lot of people. Just after we took some obligatory outfit shots along the beautiful St. Joseph's Cathedral, we found out just how busy the streets were, with it being the time children left school. It got too much so we had to leave and go to another place, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, which was more peaceful. The locals at once seem like they have somewhere to go and all the time in the world at the same time.

I can't say Hanoi is one of my favorite cities, but it was a different thing entirely, and yeah, I would go back again someday. Or I could go to Ho Chi Minh next time, book another five-hour trip, this time to Mui Ne, or take a five-hour bus to Vientiane. Haha. We generally don't plan anything. So, do you like my Hanoi Diaries? Let me know as always darlings - Che


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