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Vietnam: Hanoi

Apr 16-18 2024 |


It was good to be heading back to Hanoi, a place I had been twice before, but only for short blasts of time. I arrived late in the day from Bangkok on Thai Airways. Though I was dreading the arrival process, there were no lines at immigration and my bag was there soon after I got to the carousel - it was Singapore Changi level fast. Got a Vinaphone SIM card, $18 for one month service. Then ordered a Grab taxi to Memory Hotel, which I had booked on Agoda. For about $12 a night, this place was a great basic local-style hotel, with AC and cable TV, quiet, clean, comfortable, right on the edge of old town near where the train famously runs right through town.



The next day I took a Grab bike to Rent-a-Bike to collect my Honda XR150, 4 week rental for $360. Their shop is located in a nice expat popular part of town on one of the lakes. From there did a bit of touring around the old town, got a feel for the bike. It had a great rack and bungy set-up, and my Rokstraps were a solid (and recommended) addition to the rack.



My main activity in Hanoi was eating, so I got my fill of Bun Cha and Banh Mi during my 36 hours in town. Was also pretty stoked to find a CircleK selling Paulaner beer (a brand I didn't see again in the next 3 weeks).


While still maintaining it's heritage and old-world charms, Hanoi is evolving, the political heart of fast-rising Vietnam. The one thing that really struck me as having changed from my first visit in 1999 was the diminished noise level - horn honking, though still absurdly over-abused, is now much less than back then, when "Hanoise" was an apt nickname for the place.






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