• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Kiwi Country Girl logo

  • Start Here
    • Our story
    • Family
    • Travel
  • Recipe Index
  • Farm & Garden
    • Farm
    • In the garden
  • DIY & Crafts
  • Shop
  • Free Downloads
    • Freezer Meal Storage Guide
    • Free 1 Week Meal Plan
    • Bread Baking Ebook
  • Blog
  • Join The Kiwi Country Homestead
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Farm & Garden
  • DIY
  • About
  • Shop
  • Join The Kiwi Country Homestead
  • Free Downloads
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Travel » Vietnam part I - Hanoi

    Vietnam part I - Hanoi

    Published: May 20, 2015 · Modified: Jul 27, 2015 by Laura · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Is it possible to be homesick for a place that is not your home? If so, I am majorly Vietnam-sick.

    IMG_4220

    Asia had never really been somewhere Josh & I were that keen on visiting, but when a friend of mine told us she was getting married in Bali we decided to make the most of the trip and go someplace else too. After a bit of research we decided that Vietnam was the place for us...and we couldn't have been more right. Vietnam stole our hearts from the minute we stepped out of the airport in Hanoi.

    I'm going to drag this out over a few weeks and only cover 1 city per post because it just would not do justice to our trip or to the incredible country of Vietnam to rush through. So if you're looking for a recipe or farm post, I'm sorry - please come back later in the week!

    Driving into Hanoi from the airport was a complete change of scenery. Take a couple of country bumpkins from a place where a couple of cars drive down the road per hour and send them to a city of 6 million people in a third world country, with 4 million motorbikes (scooters) and you have got some Class A culture shock!

    We were booked on a tour with Intrepid Travel but didn't have an airport pickup arranged. There was a guy holding an Intrepid sign but when we approached him he seemed super nervous so we figured he was just trying to make a quick buck! So once we avoided the fake greeter we grabbed a taxi - TIP: if you are ever in Vietnam make sure you negotiate the taxi fare first - not a big deal around town but for longer trips such as to and from the airport agree on a price. It should cost around US$10 for a sedan and is about a 30 minute trip.

    Once we were settled into our hotel we went exploring! There is so much going on and the people are just so busy! There are small shops everywhere that are separated into streets all selling one particular item - shoes, clothes, phone cases, fruits & vegetables, chicken (and chickens!), beer. It took us a while to figure out the pattern - we actually just thought it was weird that there were so many competing shops all together! I actually think a lot of families own a few stores in each street and kind of work together that way.

    IMG_7828

    IMG_2315

    IMG_7844

    Trying my hand at being a local!

    IMG_4222

    IMG_2325

    IMG_7841

    IMG_7842

    The power lines look safe right? Ha!

    The most important lesson we learnt in Vietnam was how to cross the road. Walk out onto the road, regardless of how many cars/motorbikes are coming at you and slowly but without hesitating, walk right across the road. The vehicles WILL move for you! It was really scary to start with but by the end we were practically doing it with our eyes closed. It helps to remember that they don't actually want to hit you! There will be a lot of tooting, but it's friendly "I'm here" tooting, not angry tooting!

    We walked right down to Hoan Kiem Lake in the centre of Hanoi and had a beer at the City View Cafe - probably the most expensive beer in Hanoi but at $3 a bottle it hardly broke the bank! And the view was totally worth it.

    IMG_7832

    IMG_7835

    IMG_7830

    IMG_7837

    That night we met up with our tour group - it was honestly like something out of the Amazing Race...such a mixed bag of people and it couldn't have been better. We had fellow Kiwis, Aussies, Americans, Germans and even a token Irish!

    On of the absolute best things we did was getting up at 5.30am for Laughing Yoga in the town square, right by the lake. Yoga is a relatively loose term for this wake up routine that the locals do every single morning. Our guide described it to us as a way to wake up and make you happy. Well, that's exactly what it was! We were in a large group, copying a couple of ladies at the front doing ridiculous moves and poses, pulling faces, massaging each others backs and forcing ourselves to laugh. It was absolutely hilarious, but I'm telling you, it worked! We were all genuinely grinning the whole way through, as were the locals. If I lived in Hanoi I would make this a regular thing for sure!

    Probably the funniest part was when we were in a massage circle towards the end. Josh, who is over 6ft tall was behind a teeny old lady who was less than 5ft tall and about 80 years old! He took it really easy on her when he was massaging her (such a gentleman) and then told me later that when they switched, she grabbed him around the middle, bent him over so she could reach his back and just went for it! I think she probably felt a little ripped off!

    The locals were extremely friendly and came up and gave us all hugs at the end which was lovely! If you are ever in Hanoi, I couldn't recommend this more.

    IMG_7853

    IMG_7858

    IMG_7861

    We then took a bus to Halong Bay for the night (but that's a story for another day) and returned to Hanoi the following afternoon.

    Back in Hanoi we did a little more wandering around and I bought the cutest and most comfy pair of pants I've ever owned - elephant pants!! And you wouldn't believe it, but in a crazy, bustling city of over 6 million people (not including tourists) we somehow bumped into a girl from NZ that I nannied with in London and her husband who Josh went to school with! Not only is New Zealand a small place, turns out it really is a small world!

    IMG_2321

    IMG_2184

    IMG_7847

    IMG_7848

    We spent the evening trying the local specialties - egg coffee from Giang Cafe in the Old Quarter which is an indescribable drink! It is either coffee or chocolate but with an "egg" topping made from eggs, condensed milk and sugar. Our guide also said there was cheese in it but I'm pretty sure he either had his words totally mixed up or was just pulling our leg! It was creamy and almost marshmallowy and absolutely one of the most delicious drinks I've ever had. Now to try to recreate it!

    IMG_2329

    Elephant pants!!

    IMG_2330

    We went for a ride around the Old Quarter & French Quarter in an "electric car" - basically an oversized golf cart which was the perfect way to be amongst all the traffic....but safely! Dinner was at the one of the dodgiest, dirty looking places I've ever seen, let alone eaten at - Bun Bo Nam Bo Cafe! Our guide walked us in and I am sure my face was super skeptical! He assured us though that it was fine and that the rubbish on the floor was a good sign - it means the restaurant is busy as it is customary to throw your rubbish on the floor! And he was not wrong. The food was absolutely incredible! There was no choice, it was Bun Bo or nothing - as you can see from the picture they just have an epic production line of bowls on the go that we could see from the balcony above. And it was goooood! Rice noodles in a beef type broth with vegetables, bean sprouts, coriander and peanuts! Yum!

    IMG_2353

    IMG_2352

    To sum up Hanoi in 5 words? Vibrant, friendly, bustling, tooting, craziness! It was one of the coolest cities I've been to and it just gave me a good feeling.

    After an incredible night and couple of days in Hanoi we boarded an overnight train to Hue. Hanoi absolutely blew my mind and was the perfect introduction to Vietnam.

    « Vanilla Almond No-Bake Muesli Bars
    The Easiest Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Laura!

    I live on a farm in rural New Zealand with my husband Josh, our kids Sadie, Macey & Finlay and our black lab Sage. We're all about simple & delicious, family friendly recipes that are made from scratch as well as tasty treats! Read More…

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Multi Cooker Recipes

    Bowl of bacon bone and vegetable soup on table with slice of buttered bread

    Bacon Hock and Vegetable Soup (slow cooker and instant pot)

    White rice in a bowl with Crock Pot Multi cooker

    Multi Cooker Rice (Instant Pot)

    Shredded chipotle chicken in a bowl

    Multi Cooker Shredded Chipotle Chicken (instant pot or slow cooker)

    Plate of hard boiled eggs

    Multi Cooker Hard Boiled Eggs (Instant Pot)

    Pan of devilled sausages with mashed potato

    Devilled Sausages

    Whole pumpkin in instant pot/multi cooker

    Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree (Multi Cooker)

    Popular Recipes

    Pan of devilled sausages with mashed potato

    Devilled Sausages

    Overhead of bowl with potato salad, chives and tea towel in background

    Easy Potato Salad Recipe

    Homemade beef burger with fries in the background

    Homemade Burger Patties (Josh's secret recipe)

    Close up of scoop of cheesy mince pasta with herbs on top

    Cheesy One Pan Mince Pasta

    My all time favourite Carrot Cake recipe - loaded with grated carrot, crushed pineapple and crunchy walnuts and smothered in cream cheese frosting, this will become your favourite carrot cake recipe too! | thekiwicountrygirl.com

    My Favourite Carrot Cake Recipe

    Homemade Burrito Spice Mix (or taco seasoning) - the perfect blend of spices to make your favourite Mexican meal in minutes! Perfect for beef burritos, nachos, chicken strips for tacos, refried beans or anything Mexican! | thekiwicountrygirl.com

    Homemade Burrito Spice Mix (with free printable labels)

    • Recipe Index
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact me

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As a Mighty Ape Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Email
    • Print