Hanoi (2-5 Nov 12)

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Just 135km from Thanh Hoa to Hanoi on a good highway road, but it took over 5h!

I found out the hard way that when hailing a bus from the highway, you should try to spot one that is already almost full or at least reasonably filled, because otherwise the bus will just cruise around town waiting to fill up before it commences the journey. Because I was actually the first to board the bus, I had to wait a full 2h before my ride finally left Thanh Hoa proper!

But I guess I wasn't really in any hurry anyway. Finally arrived in Hanoi in the evening, and it was a quick motorcycle taxi ride to the Old Quarter, where most of the budget accomodation is. This was actually my third time in Hanoi, the first being in 2005 on my first backpacking trip to Vietnam, and the second in 2007 on a work trip. It's been five years since, and I definitely see differences. Hanoi is now even more developed and buzzing than before, and where there used to be just hordes of motorbikes, now there are hordes of cars too, so traffic is now even crazier!

And the area around the Old Quarter just seems even more crowded than it was several years back, with even more activity lasting later into the evening/ night. No doubt there are new shops, and more people, both tourists and locals. The recent economic development of Vietnam seems particularly telling from observing the changes in just a small area in one city. There's certainly no mistaking that I'm no longer in sleepy Laos!

So a couple of days taking in some of the sights that I'd missed (or forgotten) from my previous visits, and I'm off again, headed north towards the highlands of Sapa. But I'll be back in Hanoi again soon, because despite this being my third visit already, I haven't actually yet been to Halong Bay, so I've pencilled that in as a must-do this time round, when I'm back from the winter chills of Sapa in a few days. Stay tuned!

Stayed at Especen Hotel.

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Photos

Old Quarter
Kinda similar to what I remembered from several years back, only now with even more bikes, more people, and more lights and noise!

Roundabout at Old Quarter
Aka Hanoi's Picadilly Circus. Speeding bikes, jaywalking pedestrians, confused tourists and aggressive touts -- everything's a blur here, all the time!

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum
I got there just a little too late and it had already closed, so I wasn't able to enter. No photography allowed inside anyway so you'll have to go see for yourself too.

Ly Thai To Memorial Park
Eclectic mix of break-dancing teenagers, strolling couples, pensive elderly, and little kids on four-wheeled baby bikes.

Hoan Kiem Lake Temple
Which tells the story of the Vietnamese Emperor who defeated the invading Chinese with a magical sword, that was subsequently "returned" to the lake by a giant turtle.

Hoan Kiem Lake Temple
Embalmed specimen of the giant turtles that are believed to still inhabit the lake. Compare with the little girl looking wide-eyed at it!

St Joseph's Cathedral
I remember a late evening visit here the last time round, and sipping iced lemon tea sitting on one of those mini-stools at one of the cafes nearby.

Ho Chi Minh Museum
Had to content myself with this consolation prize instead.

One Pillar Pagoda
Inspired by the shape of a lotus flower on a stem, this 1000 year old temple was built by Emperor Ly Thai Tong in gratitude for his wife bearing a son after many childless years.

Ho Chi Minh's Stilted House
Austere and simple, apparently where he worked and rested.

War Museum
This outdoor display kinda resembled a scrapyard for Vietnam War junk, but showcased the actual vehicles and weapons that were used or encountered.

Run!
I happened to chance upon this. A small truck of uniformed men suddenly appeared next to a row of illegally-parked bikes in the Old Quarter, and their owners scrambled to move them. But it was too late, and the obligatory "fines" were paid on the spot, and straight into the men's uniform pockets. Law enforcement, Hanoi-style.