TP Trails

In addition to exploring Hanoi itself, we also used the city as a transit hub to explore Halong Bay and Tam Coc (near Ninh Binh). Initially we wanted to see Sapa as well, but unfortunately weather and time constraints didn’t allow for it. Our northern Vietnam schedule consisted of four days in Hanoi, two days in Halong Bay (on an overnight cruise), four days in Tam Coc, and another couple of half days in Hanoi for travel/transport. We’ve focused on our time in Hanoi below; see our separate blog posts for Halong Bay and Tam Coc.

It was a bit chillier in Hanoi than it had been anywhere we visited up to this point. Pants and jackets were a must as we walked around the city. We stayed in the heart of Old Quarter (Hoan Kiem area) at the Bella Rosa Suite Hotel & Spa (note there are multiple Bella Rosa hotels, but we stayed at the one on 11 Cau Go). The hotel was nice – we booked the cheapest available room, so our window faced an interior atrium. Other than that, everything was perfectly nice and clean, and the staff was very helpful. We arrived late in Hanoi from Phong Nha on the first night, so we just walked to the corner for some food at Nom Thit Bo Kho. The food was fine, but we were charged a tourist price (not totally surprising since we are in the tourist area).

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We spent our first day just walking around the Old Quarter, got some mediocre bahn mis at a random corner shop and a coffee at Industry, which is just east of Ho Bay Mau Lake. It was a slow-paced day but followed by a fun night! We went to 4Ps Pizza, which is the pizza chain we had first tried in Ho Chi Minh City – just as tasty as the first time we had it! On the weekends, the roads around Ho Hoan Kiem Lake are closed for cars/motorbikes and become pedestrian only. There were a lot of people hanging out and many performance groups set up – performing dance groups, a salsa dance group, high school guitar/choir groups, solo and group singers. Several groups were playing a hackey-sack like game with a toy made of washers and feathers (jianzi?). In addition, there was a French festival of some sort set up on the east side of the lake with many French-themed booths and a stage with live musical performances. There must have been a VIP ticket available because there were some roped off sections where alcohol was being served. We hung out for a few songs and then kept walking. There was a larger festival happening (possibly called Dam Ca Tinh-Chuan Chat Men) at the north end of the lake, with a huge main stage. Here it appeared that hey had some big-name stars singing. We watched four big stars (Soobin Hoong Son, Toc Tien, Tuan Hung, and Noo Phuoc Thinh) cycle through over about 1.5 hours, each singing about five songs. All were singing mostly in Vietnamese, but English was thrown in randomly every now and then. Beers were being sold at small stands along the streets. The advertising was ridiculous with Hanoi Beer signs on the big screen more than the performing artists. Overall, it was a great time! And the best part – the festival was free!

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The next morning, we decided to visit the Hao Lo Prison. The entrance fees were 30k VND each, and we sprung for an audio tour (has two headphone jacks, so only needed one) for 50k VND. The focus of the museum is of Vietnamese revolutionaries held here during French colonial rule (1890-1945ish). There is also a small section dedicated to the American POWs that were captured and imprisoned during the war. Overall, the prison museum tells the stories in a very pro-Vietnamese light, but the information is presented clearly, and the stories were very interesting. There was also a temporary exhibit on foreign anti-war sentiment (Vietnam War) around the world, similar to pictures and stories of protests displayed in the Ho Chi Minh City War Remnants Museum. We spent about 2.5 hours at the Prison in total.

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After the museum, we got some lunch at a restaurant called New Day, which was recommended by our hotel. The food was fine, but a bit pricey – we wouldn’t rush back. Patrick had read that people/restaurants sell beer (bia hoi) out of kegs along the street sidewalks. The beer is apparently brewed daily by locals and is only used on that day (unregulated beer, doesn’t keep). So, we set out to find one of these makeshift spots. We found one at the southeast corner of Pho Ma May and Dau Duy Tu. A guy had some plastic chairs and tables set out on the sidewalk with a keg selling beer for 5k VND (20 cents/glass). And the beer tasted pretty good! With a sidewalk bar, there are obviously no bathrooms, so we could only drink here for so long! We moved on to an actual bar for happy hour and enjoyed another few rounds until dinner (pho on the street).

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We had put off making a decision on Halong Bay for too long and dedicated this morning to figuring out what we were doing (evaluation process here). Once we decided on the cruise, we set off to find their offices to book (hoping to get a deal if we booked in person vs. online). Google maps took us to the Orchid Cruise office in a weird apartment building about an hours’ walk from our hotel. When we got there, the office was closed. After some more online searching, we discovered that we could book at the La Siesta Hotels, one of which was only a block from our hotel. Oh well, we always enjoy a good walk! Along the way, we saw a lot of orange kumquat trees being transferred, often on motorbikes, in preparation for Tet (Lunar New Year). The markets were also selling many Tet trees.

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For lunch, we stopped at Bun Cha Tuyet (Bun Cha 34 on 34 Hang Thn) for bun cha – there were no seats, but of course that wasn’t a problem. They just pulled out another plastic table and stools! It was delicious – highly recommend! And only 106k VND ($4-5 USD) for two bun chas, two spring rolls, and two teas. After lunch, we stopped by La Siesta Hotel to book our Halong Bay cruise. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and relaxing.

We had a few other half days in Hanoi between our trips to Halong Bay and Tam Coc and before flying back to Thailand. Mostly spent wandering, eating, and drinking. Some of our favorite food spots are below:

• 4Ps Pizza – it’s embarrassing how many times we went here for dinner. Pizza that rivals our favorite spots in the US.
• Bun Cha Tuyet – mentioned above and located at 34 Hang Thn. Delicious bun cha, well worth a visit!
• Little India Restaurant – Patrick loves Indian food, and this was down the street from our hotel. A little expensive, but the food was tasty.
• Bami Bread – delicious, well-priced bahn mi sandwiches. This may be a chain, but we visited twice!
• Bahn My Duc Long Kebab – Kebab sandwiches, similar to a gyro but with a different thin bread and variation on the filling.
• The Note Coffee – multiple story coffee shop covered with sticky notes left by other guests. Cute shop with a great view overlooking Ho Hoan Kiem Lake.

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