Hanoi and Home

And a reflection of our time in Vietnam

07/30/2023

Read on to the end for some closing thoughts about our trip.

Return to Hanoi

We took a taxi from our lovely beach home to the airport in Danang. It was surprisingly easy to take a domestic flight within Vietnam. The short one-hour flight got us to Hanoi without a hitch. We took another taxi about 40 minutes to the San Grand Hotel deep within Hanoi's old quarter. This was the same hotel where I started the trip.

This time we had two connecting rooms. DD#2 was thrilled to have her own room yet again!

We were hungry for lunch so we treated ourselves to Cha Ca Thang Long. This is a restaurant with one item on the menu. The fish cooked at the table is delicious! I stopped here during my solo time in Hanoi and knew the family would enjoy it.

DD#2 and I found a nearby spot for our final manicures. Why not?

We did some shopping and found a few last souvenirs to bring home. I was getting pretty good at bargaining for prices in the shops. DD#2 makes friends everywhere.

DH and I finally checked out the fabulous rooftop bar at our hotel. It was so cool watching the scene change from day to night.

We returned to our favorite street food in all of Vietnam. I ate at Bun Ca Sam Cay Si four times! It cost less than $5 for an entire family meal that was astonishingly delicious. The fish dishes were unlike anything we ate in all of Vietnam.

Last full day in Hanoi

I managed a three mile run around the lake. It was such a hot day! The city uses its speaker system to broadcast news and music in the mornings and evenings. These speakers are left from the war when important information would be delivered to citizens.

We returned to our favorite coffee place where we watched traffic from the balcony above. Here are a few last pictures of the mighty motorbikes in Vietnam. It is amazing what they can haul around. One had a whole cleaning supply store on her bike!

We went down an alley to a hidden spot for some famous crab-based soup. Bun Rieu Hang Luoc didn't disappoint. So unique! The locals seemed happy we tracked the place down. It was about $2 for all this. This was another spot highlighted by YouTuber Mark Wiens.

We finally witnessed our first accident. A motor bike hauling a bunch of beer fell sideways with a crash as the bottles littered the street. He couldn't quite make the turn with that heavy load.

We were feeling hot and a little homesick so we took a taxi to a new location in the city beside a large lake. I had tracked down a couple craft breweries that were air-conditioned and offered a little taste of home. The best pretzel bites and onion rings we'd ever had!

We found a Safeway! Nope, not the case. They used the logo for just another teeny tiny random convenience store.

We ended the day with our favorite local ice cream.

Goodbye Hanoi!

We had a fabulous final breakfast with one of the best views in Hanoi. San Grand Hotel was such a treat for ending our trip. I'm going to miss the tropical fruit the most.

Last Vietnamese coffees. The coffee culture was phenomenal in Vietnam. Completely unique and so delicious and affordable. I had a my first and last coconut coffee at the same shop, Nosan Coffee.

We found a few last-minute souvenirs, got pedicures (not DH) and had a final lunch before taking a taxi back to the airport. The food is amazing but our taste buds are craving Mexican and dairy products!

The flight to Hong Kong was short and easy. We checked into a Marriott that cost about five times as much as a night on the beach in Vietnam.

Our flight home was so long yet uneventful. The Hong Kong Airport was a highlight with its modern shops and ridiculous size. It's definitely one of the biggest airports I've ever encountered!

We are feeling grateful to be back in our hometown where the weather is warm yet dry. Keep reading for some of my closing thoughts about Vietnam.

Random things about Vietnam

Conservative, Communism, and National Pride. Vietnam may have as many flags as the United States. The people of Vietnam proudly display their flag everywhere. People are generally well-groomed and dressed conservatively. Men have short well-maintained haircuts and you don't see women wearing bikinis on the beach. No one in Vietnam is on the streets asking for hand-outs. Vietnamese people work incredibly hard and some definitely have it rough. It is common to see elderly Vietnamese people selling fruit or other items from a meager basket on the street. But no matter how poor, they are hustling. I had never visited a Communist country before and it was striking to see the lack of wealth and the lack of homelessness. People seem to have what they need. There aren't tons of over-the-top fancy cars and shops. If you do find those high-end brands, the stores are empty or only have foreigners inside. I felt so spoiled and lucky to have the money for little luxuries in Vietnam. Massages, nail care, higher-end restaurants, and attractions like amusement parks and parasailing were a fraction of what I would pay at home. Yet most Vietnamese cannot afford these things. I had mixed feelings about wealth but in the end, I hope I did my part by spending a month's worth of my income in a country that needed it. I hope I helped a lot of people by participating in their economy and its services.

Garbage - sadly, this country has a long way to go in terms of garbage management. It is often hard to find a wastebasket so people are accustomed to throwing trash on the ground. Shopkeepers often sweep the trash onto the street for the service to pick up. Unfortunately, it isn't picked up as often as it should be. I really hope they change their trash situation and develop different habits. It is sad to see so much trash all over beautiful landscapes. It is not just a city problem. Here is some along the beach.

Cute kids - the little children are so happy to run out and yell "hello!" whenever we come by. In rural Vietnam, they especially loved giving high fives as we passed on our bicycles. They are so cute!

Kindness - we were treated so wonderfully by Vietnamese people. They were generous, helpful, and seemed genuinely happy to have us in their establishments. We didn't experience the kind of "hard-selling" behavior that is often the case in third world countries. People might offer their services but would stop when we said no thank you. Even if someone could not speak English, they would use google translate or find a way to get their message across.

Safety - I never felt unsafe even for a moment in all of Vietnam. People mostly kept to themselves and I never felt like someone might rip me off. I was always given correct change and prices were always posted and clear.

Water and Toilets - This is another country where the water is unsafe to drink and septic systems can't handle toilet paper. We were happy whenever we saw places that offered filtered water that we could use to refill our bottles. Sadly, it was mostly buying lots of bottled water. Vietnamese people use a "bum gun" which is a nozzle by the toilet that is like a bidet. We were often running out and asking for more toilet paper.

Early Risers - Vietnamese people seem to love the very early morning, probably because it's cooler! I loved seeing how many people were out in force exercising around Hanoi's famous lake and on the beaches at sunrise. The same thing happens in the dark evenings. The beaches and paths are full of people. Afternoons were like a ghost town as people retreated to their fans and shade during the heat of the day.

Exercise and Heat - I missed my regular exercise more than anything else on this trip. I was gone a month and only ran three times! The heat and humidity was so intense. We did walk quite a bit most days and would just drench our clothing with sweat. Escaping to our air-conditioned hotel rooms was such a relief! I learned that hiking, running and being able to do what I want outdoors is really important to me!

Music - So many places played weird re-mixes of American classics. The mixes were pretty terrible and I'm not sure why they didn't just play the original versions. I most enjoyed places that played actual Vietnamese music.

Driving - On my goodness, what a topic! The motorbikes in Vietnam were like nothing I'd ever seen. We were all over Vietnam and never really saw an accident so their system is working. On the major roads, people drive relatively slowly. This is why it took so long to get from point A to point B. Driving around 50 mph was fast for them!