You Me and Tuscany: One Week in Vietnam: The Streets of Hanoi

As I boarded a plane to Vietnam, I knew nothing more about the country other than that the people had endured years of war and that it was the home of some tasty noodle soup named Pho. I also had zero idea of where in Vietnam I was headed. Zack planned out this entire trip; partially because I was preoccupied with other things at home and partially because he naturally is the itinerary planner out of the two of us. As he planned, he decided to keep the itinerary a secret from me as a fun way to celebrate my birthday. It wasn't until I had my boarding pass in hand at the airport, that I was aware of where we were headed first. So basically, he "whisked me away" to Vietnam! I know what you're thinking... Zack is the sweetest husband ever and this is just way too romantic. Well, the first part of that is absolutely true... he is the sweetest. And the second, well... if you consider being whisked across some of the craziest streets in the world, dodging motorbikes left and right (hoping you come out alive) and dripping with sweat as make your way through dusty street vendors, than yes, how romantic. :)

We stayed right in the old quarter of the city, and spent most of our time exploring that area. We had three days in total, which originally was only going to be two. Our original plan to go to Halong Bay on the third day was cancelled because of a typhoon that came through. We decided that two days was plenty enough for us... the weather was so hot that it made walking around a struggle.

The sweetest of husbands on a whisk-me-away trip to Vietnam :)

The first stop on this surprise adventure was Hanoi. After a surprisingly long journey from Thailand to Vietnam (there are no direct flights from Chiang Mai), there's no way you can't be jolted awake upon arriving in this city. The streets are alive! From food stalls with plastic chairs spilling over the sidewalks, shops and stores so full that their products are overflowing out the front, barber chairs (it's crazy how many haircuts are actually happening on the streets!) and countless motorbikes with full family's riding about, life seems to happen ON the streets.

There was never just a FEW of anything in Vietnam!

We could hardly fit down this alleyway!

Just down a side street, you'll find countless places to eat.

Such an interesting mix of old architecture amongst the chaos

Shops spill out onto the street. Purses even seem to be growing on trees!

A common site around the old quarter in Hanoi is this: Men drinking beer.

Just one of the many places to get a quick trim.

A highlight of our time here was the street food tour we took part in the first night we were here. We signed up through our hotel, thinking we'd be with a group of people. Instead, it turned out to be just the two of us with our guide! We had such a good time talking with her about living in Vietnam and she brought us to some local food spots where we enjoyed food that we may not have otherwise tried while we were here. We even stopped at one of the local beer corners for a "home brew". Here in Hanoi, you can find locally brewed beer everywhere you go. In fact lots of restaurants brew their own! For a whopping 20 cents, they'll fill your cup. It wasn't too bad either- just a typical light lager. We stopped a few times throughout our day there for a little break from the heat ;)

I noted however, that unless we saw other tourists enjoying a beer at these local joints (which we didn't except for one time), I was the only female. It almost made me feel uncomfortable at times. This led me to having a quite lengthly conversation with our guide about what it is like to be a female in Vietnam. She told me how she was one of 5 children- 4 of which are girls. Her parents didn't intend on having 5 children, however it was very important to them to have a son. Finally, after baby number 5, they were "graced" with a boy. In traditional Vietnamese culture, males in general are much more valuable to parents. This can be quite problematic for families who can't afford to raise 5 children, but keep having children in order to have a boy. It's not that I was hearing about this for the first time, but I think it just hit home for me when I was talking to someone almost my age (she was a few years younger than me) who was obviously not valued as much as her younger brother. When she took us for a beer, I knew this was something she normally wouldn't do. I asked her if it was okay for me to have a beer and she said it was fine because I was a tourist. For Vietnamese women however, it would appear that they were poor or a.. how did she put it... a slut (pardon my french). For men on the other hand, the more they can drink, the more they are a real "man". I couldn't fathom that it was believed that the more a man could drink, the stronger they appeared. It angers me, saddens me, and stirs up a lot of other emotion. I came away from that night with a whole new perspective on these women that sold fruit on the side of the road, the women who walk around with heavy loads bearing down on their shoulders, and also the women who end up in prostitution. We thanked our guide greatly for her time and I was happy to get a big hug at the end of the night. Here are some photos of some of the food we ate that night:

Testing out the local brew with our very sweet tour guide.

Main part of the meal, banh cuon

EGG COFFEE. Espresso with a "whipped egg topping" on top! It was actually really tasty and super creamy.

Yogurt dessert with black jelly

Okay, so as if this post wasn't long enough already, I'll end with some more of my favourite photos. There is just so much to see here in this city, that "my head felt like it was on a swivel" (quoted from the one and only Cam Brock who said this when he visited us in Chiang Mai).

Next up on the surprise? A change of plans and an impromptu trip to Nimh Binh.