Youngs Around the World

Upon returning to Hanoi from our peaceful cruise on Halong Bay, we had a day-and-a-half to putter around the city before departing once again for Sapa. Our budget hotel was a tall, narrow building in the Old Quarter – a maze of noisy, congested lanes. We spent one full day exploring the area and quickly determined that to be sufficient.

Lacking the modern charm of its rival Ho Chi Minh City in the south, Hanoi’s streets were nonetheless bustling with industry and activity. The streets were crowded with honking, swerving motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrian traffic. The wide sidewalks were obstructed by parked vehicles, shop displays oozing out of narrow storefronts, hundreds of sidewalk vendors and sidewalk cafes with child-size plastic patio furniture at every turn. The streets were dirty and broken, though repair work seemed to be constantly under way. Deafening construction noise, particularly the shrill sawing of metal polluted the air. We passed through dizzying, colorful markets and a wide beautiful lake area in the center of town which provided a break from the maze of madness. Aside of the lake, there seemed to be no escape from the rattle and hum of the city. Our most interesting hour was spent sitting at one of the corner cafes with the kiddie chairs, drinking strong Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk, and watching the activity in the busy intersection. There were hardly any street lights in Hanoi so the hordes of traffic – moped, auto and pedestrian – wove carefully through the clusters of crossing vehicles, somehow managing to avoid collisions. We noticed a complete lack of road rage among the drivers. When two vehicles nearly collided, no rude words were exchanged. The two simply backed up and carried on.

Hanoi was certainly not one of our favorite cities. It was not a city that you could casually walk around. There was plenty to see but we had to be constantly on guard against vehicles of all kinds, coming at us from every direction. We were happy to depart for Sapa, where we hope to find peace, quiet and fresh air.

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