Before stepping on to the soil of Vietnam, I knew nothing about the country. I have gained Vietnamese friends in Singapore, who gladly introduced me to the Vietnamese Baguette, some hot-and-sour soup, and snails. But that was it. Now, after staying here for a year, I have heard a lot about Hanoi and how people compare it to Ho Chi Minh City (which locals still call Saigon). I became curious and I told myself to visit this place as soon as possible. For 2016, the next holiday after the long Tet Holiday was the King Hung’s Day, April 15. Aha, it was no doubt the next thing on my mind.
Honestly, I did not quite understand the weather in Hanoi when we were there. When we woke up, it felt like it was going to rain soon but until sundown, the weather remained constant. It was just hazy and humid. Also, although Hanoi is much bigger than Ho Chi Minh City in terms of area, I personally felt there are much more attractions in Ho Chi Minh City. However, I only had a day to explore Hanoi so I may be wrong. The rest of the days, we spent it in Ha Long Bay.
We booked 2 nights with a unique Airbnb place due to its concept of having beds as wooden boxes such as in the photo below.
Places Visited
April 15, 2016
Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, and Turtle Tower
April 15, 2016
Old Quarter
We stayed in Old Quarter for 2 nights and while walking towards Hoan Kiem Lake as our first stop, I noticed that the roads were still empty. I had this impression that Hanoi roads will be really busy just like in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City where I live but probably in the early morning, the city is still sleeping.