Hanoi Part I: First Impressions

Last week, I took a lovely 9-day holiday to Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh province. It was thoroughly enjoyable. I had wanted to travel to the north of Vietnam for quite some time now; and my friend's mother coming to visit from England was the perfect excuse to do so! I set off a day before them to explore as much as I could.

Hanoi is such a charming city. It reminds me of Washington (D.C.) in that it has quite streets with pretty row houses. However, there is definitely more of a rustic feel here than in D.C. The paint on nearly all the row houses is chipping away in such a graceful way. French-colonial style balconies line the streets where a new generation walks with new-aged flare in their "Boy" hats and imitation Burberry ensembles. There is a symphony of time-periods and cultures on blast here that doesn't quite make for a smooth harmony, but it somehow creates this uniquely Vietnamese character. So many unexplained things here are answered with "only in Vietnam" and though it can be comically frustrating at times, it is something that I love about Vietnam.

It's incredible how drastically different yet similar the North is to the South--which is also true for my own country. They speak the same language, but even with my lack of Vietnamese it is apparent that their accent is extremely different. Things I say routinely without a problem in the South were not translated easily in Hanoi. And I had a chatted about this with many Hanoians and Saigonese and they both confirmed that even they can't understand each other. And I thought it was interesting to note that a  Hanoian told me it was easier for a Saigonese to understand a Hanoian than for a Hanoian to understand a Saigonese.

   In addition to language and cultural differences between the two, there is also a major difference in scenery. There is also noticeably more green space in Hanoi than in Ho Chi Minh City. There are many parks in HCMC, but they are widely spread out and you don't seem to flow into them as effortlessly as you do in Hanoi. The scenery is much more cohesive and blended whereas in HCMC the lines are more refined. The French influences has endured much more strongly in Hanoi. Colonial architecture stands in harmony with the surrounding scenery. Hanoi took advantage of the beauty the French had left and made it their own by moving into the colonial-style row houses and opening up cafes serving Phở, Bún chả and fresh spring rolls. 

I loved this graffiti on the wall. It means "iced tea"

Along Hoan Kiem lake.

The "Eiffel Tower" as seen from Lenin Park

Everywhere in cities and beach towns in Vietnam, you are sure to find a balloon vendor toting about. I've only bought a Hello Kitty balloon once--on New Year in Saigon.

Lots of statues of children reading throughout Lenin Park. It reminded me of the Mall in Central Park, which is lined by statues of the writers 

This adorable little girl said hello to me and we were walking side-by-side along the quaint little streets I was exploring in the old Quarter. I asked to take her picture and she was beyond thrilled about it.

The famous Red Bridge at Hoan Kiem lake

Oh boy do the Vietnamese love their over-the-top, flat-brimmed hats