"the 2sues in the north of Vietnam" a Hanoi Travel Page by SPW

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Hanoi street

Decisions, decisions...

Despite the efforts of friendly Vietnamese cafe owners here in Melbourne we eventually decided to confine our trip to Hanoi and the north. This seemed more manageable than trying to skim over the length of the country in 2 weeks. It was also recommended as being quieter and more obviously French influenced than the south.
We considered tours and independent travel eventually deciding to go with a program that we put together in conjunction with a tourist cafe with links to Australia. Our reasoning was that their prices were reasonable and we would have someone locally who spoke English and understood Australian peculiarities. This worked out brilliantly, giving us time to ourselves as well as organised time on short tours to Sa Pa and to Halong Bay.

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Lake Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

Hanoi: a gracious city

It was sobering to drive along the road from the airport and be told that the indentations by the road were old bomb craters, the most apparent remnant from the war.
The city itself has both French overtones in the remaining colonial buildings and some of the tree lined boulevards and an unmistakable Asian feel, particularly in the Old Quarter with its narrow streets and shop houses. Lake Hoan Kiem in the centre of town is like the lungs od the city where there is peace although the traffic swirls around only a few metres away.
Motor and push bikes are the most common forms of transport and crossing the street is an important art to learn. Check that here are no cars or trucks coming and then step out, and continue to walk stedily to the other side as the bikes swerve around you. Stopping will spoil the riders' judgement and is more likely to result in accidents. White lines drawn on the road as pedestrian crossings are simply white lines drawn on the road and don't confer any safety.

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Prepared to party

Autumn Moon Festival

While we were there, preparations were underway for the Autumn Moon Festival, with some street decorations, and many stalls, paticularly in the Old Quarter filled with toys for children, moon cakes and lanterns. There were street parades in the evenings and the climax included fireworks over the lake.