"Hanoi - City of Chaos and Horns" a Hanoi Travel Page by amytoh

First impressions lasts - the saying goes.

City a chaos - Forgot what traffic rules and etiquette you've learned/know. In Hanoi, only Hanoi traffic rules applies. Motorcyclist drive on whichever side they like and can even go against the traffic in one-way streets. Five foot ways are meant for parking their motorcycles/bicycles or for trading - never for pedestrians. If you go on the cyclo tour, you may find yourself stuck in the middle of a junction surrounded by motorcyles, other cyclos, pedestrians and the rare few cars in the Old Quarters.

Walking style - Even pedestrians have their own rule - poke or push the person in front of you continuously even if the crowd is not moving (which means you are stuck just as same) to get their way. I find this pretty rude and when I turned my around to stare at them, they continue poking/pushing like I didn't exist! Stepped aside to let that impatient bloke pass only to be confronted by another back-poking person. Aargghhh!!!!

Get earplugs - Horns start blarring from as early as 5am and goes on non-stop till at least midnight. So don't get rooms fronting the streets, especially if they are on lower floors. If you intend to do business in Hanoi, perhaps can venture into a horn selling business as they get worn out fast via frequent usage. Purposely took time out to observe traffic and noted that the din was created by Hanoian's passion to use the horn even for no apparent reason!

Food - Introduced to Vietnamese food while in Melbourne and liked it since. Taste of Vietnamese food in Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur is largely the same. Surprise, surprise - the taste of Vietnamese food in Hanoi is different! Probably it was northern. Soups are often luke warm (and got cold very soon due to the cold weather) compared to piping hot in places outside Vietnam. Noticed that the soups were boiled and poured into a large Coleman container (lid frequently left open to save hassle of opening/closing) and served until about to be finished before being refilled. Tastes are more acute. Still palatable but preferred the 'foreign' versions which IMHO are more to the south Vietnamese style.

Shopping - Generally very affordable. Mainly handicrafts and accessories, especially for the fairer sex. Clothings not so suitable as Vietnamese are small by size (some joked they are malnourished) and only winter clothings available when I visited. Need to check quality of goods carefully and if you buy too often from the same shop (make all your purchases at once from any shop), they tend to increase the price each time you ask or refuse to entertain your bargaining as they know your 'purchasing power' already. Malaysians beware as too many Malays went there for their shopping/stocking that some of the shopkeepers know the usual Malay words use for shopping/numbers and don't try to outsmart them by speaking in Malay amongst yourselves. Mandarin and Cantonese also they can guess what you are talking. So try speaking something like Hakka or Hokkien to avoid them understanding your private discussions. Shops also have tendency to quote unreasonable sky high prices to tourists and there are many not so honest people around. Made an ao dai but ended up with a tailor-made piece which is so ill fitting that the buttons were bursting at the seams. Yet the shopkeeper insist it was the correct measurement, looked very good on me and refused to change/make another (it cannot be altered). I spoke in a very stern manner to them via a Vietnamese girl who unofficially offerred to help translate and finally they agreed to make another and do some re-measurements. However, this time, it turned out like a loose night gown and I just gave up since I was to leave on that very day. Hard earned $$ wasted and hopefully someone could fit into it.

Lodging - Not value for money and understanding of English is mediocore at most non-international chains. Very basic but clean. Breakfast provided was a hard French loaf with eggs each morning. No choices and if order half boiled egg, it always come out hard even if you tell correctly to the only staff who spoke 'good' English. They insist that you hand them the key - so that they know when you are out and switch off the mains to your room to avoid electricity shortage. Good move but many times they forgot you've just asked for the key and you opened your door to a dark 'dungeon'.

Chua Mot Cot (One Pillar Pagoda) - Looks very nice and unusual from photos but a tad disappointing when you see the real thing. Not as grand as depicted.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - Very orderly and eerie place. Don't talk or laugh, otherwise the Communist soldiers will warn you - speaking in a exclaimation of fast Vietnamese which you would not understand but can sense their command to 'shut up'. From my guide's explanation and opinion, Communism is very good as it brought stability to their country and that's why Uncle Ho is so revered.

Museum of Ethnology - Something unusual for city folks but have seen many of this genre all over South East Asia. Nevertheless still worth a visit though the entrance fees is on the high side.

Temple of Literature - Vast grounds and very Chinese in character. Lost count of the number of stone turtles.

Old Quarters - Day 1 - Interesting. Day 2 - Good bargains Day 3 - Boring. Day 4 and beyond - Chaos and I can't stand it anymore.

Hoan Kiem Lake - Serene and peaceful - day or night.

Ha Long Bay - A painful slow and long ride to Ha Long City to be rewarded with a junk/boat criss-crossing exercise to reach your designated junk. Peaceful and windy four hour ride with meal on board. Visit some karst caves but if you've been to some in China, this is nothing spectacular.