Hanoi

Feb. 21st – 23rd & March 7th – 10th: We stayed in the old quarter of Hanoi 3 days before and 4 days after our 13 Day Far North Loop. Our hotel, La Siesta Hang Be, was a small boutique hotel, which just opened 10 months ago. It was a comfortable place to relax and a great location to explore the Old Quarter.

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the commercial, cultural, and educational centre of Northern Vietnam. Hanoi has so many interesting sites to explore on foot or, of course, on the back of a scooter.

On our way from the airport to our hotel, we passed the flower market. Even though it was 10:00 p.m. there were thousands of motorbikes parked at the market and along the roadside for kilometres before and after the market. Our driver said that these people would resell the flowers in Hanoi. The next day there were flower vendors everywhere.

We toured Hanoi with Vespa Adventures.

We rode over the Long Bien Bridge, a 100+ year bridge which spans the Red River. Other stops included a coconut treat at West Lake and a visit to a small temple at Huu Tiep Lake. We finished with a tea ceremony.

We also did a walking tour with Hanoi Free Walking Tours which is a student – run organization. We had 2 young guides who were so much fun. We wandered the streets in the old quarter, and then took a Grab to the Temple of Literature and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (the museum was a good introduction to some of the ethnic groups we would see on our 13-Day Loop). We finished with a visit to one of our young guides’ favourite coffee shops.

We were in Vietnam for 33 days (1 more day than we had planned due to a 1 day delay in our flight to Malayasia). The Vietnamese people we met were so welcoming, hospitable, and caring. Although we enjoyed everyone we met in Vietnam, there were a few people who touched our hearts. Hien and Phuong from La Siesta Hoi An, Phu from our 3 day motorbike tour and Josie and Hung from our 13-Day Loop – thank you for taking such good care of us.