For the love of Pho

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi is CHAOS: rooster wakeup calls at 3 am, the constant beeping horns of a million scooters, traffic lights that are more of a suggestion than rule and humidity like Mississippi in August. AND it is fabulous! The people are welcoming and the history and culture dates back thousands of years. While the city itself is gritty, the surrounding areas offer gorgeous scenery.

Halong Bay

FOOD

Food in Hanoi is crazy good and cheap - I didn't pay more than $5 for a meal. Breakfast was included at the hotels. My favorite foods were Bun Cha (what Obama ate when he was there) and Green Papaya salad with dried beef. I did eat Pho (pronounced Fa) at a famous location and it was delicious. I loaded up with the ever present fresh chilies to keep the stomach bugs away. That advice was given to me by one of my guides.

Bun Cha, my new favorite noodle dish

ACTIVITIES AND EXCURSIONS

I spent seven days in Hanoi and with a tour guide, I did:

•a tour of the Temple of Education and Ethnology Museum - Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups.

• a day trip Tam Coc through rice fields and limestone karsts, visited a local family farm, then canoed through caves in Trang An. This was the only group tour on my itinerary, but I ended up with a solo tour because the group of five canceled at the last minute. Because it was only me, Vuong, my tour guide suggested I rent a scooter instead of riding a bicycle so we could go farther. But, the scooter would be an upgrade of … $6.

• a street food tour in the Old Quarter

• a one night luxury cruise in Lan Ha Bay (the cleaner version of Halong Bay)

Halong Bay

INDEPENDENT ACTIVITIES

• I booked a photoshoot at Hoan Kiem Lake through Airbnb Experiences (my hotel was less than a minute to the lake). I prepaid for this while still in the U.S. but it was only $32.

• I took a GRAB scooter and visited a less touristy section of train street recommended by my Airbnb photographer. Otherwise, I walked around the Old Quarter taking in the sights, sounds and smells.

I either walked or used GRAB when I did activities on my own. GRAB is Southeast Asia's UBER and is super cheap, especially if you take a scooter. One big difference is you pay in cash in Vietnam. Vietnam is a cash society.

ACCOMMODATIONS

I stayed at the Au Coeur Hanoi Hotel. The room was good and the staff was great. This was a last minute switch from from an Airbnb that I booked prior to the trip, but the WIFI was too slow for my video calls. My travel designer, ThuyLinh was so responsive that within an hour of telling her I needed to switch accommodations, she found me a new hotel and arranged for the tour guide to get my luggage from the old place and transfer it to the new hotel while I went in a Cyclo ride around the Old Quarter. That's some responsive service.

In Halong Bay, I cruised with Orchid Cruises Trendy class. It was pricey at about $400 for the night. The room and the boat were gorgeous and there were only 20 cabins total. The food was quite good

Hoan Kiem Lake

CULTURE and CONNECTIONS

Hoan Kiem Lake is an oasis in the midst of the chaos. Because it was so close to the hotel I went there for walks and to people watch. On the weekends the streets around the lake are closed off from traffic. The locals are into fitness, I saw 70-yr old women and men doing serious calisthenics. At one point on a walk I heard some LOUD Latin music and came upon 30 older Vietnamese women doing Zumba. Of course, I joined in and they high-fived me. LOL

Most of the travelers I met who were not Americans were spending at least 2-3 weeks in Vietnam. Many were traveling throughout Southeast Asia for 4-6 weeks. What are we doing wrong?