Good Morning Vietnam!

Hoan Kim Lake

 Bring on the heat! Hanoi was busy, noisy and exotic. It was quite what I imagined it to be and I loved it. The traffic was as insane as in any Asian city, but I fell in love with the relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Best capital I've ever been!

 The old center is quite small and Hoan Kim lake in the middle felt like the center of all Hanoi. Jade island and Ngog Son Temple on the north side of the lake are beautiful and very calming place to escape the busy streets. And if you are lucky enough, you might spot a turtle in the lake. The name of the lake means "Lake of the returned sword". The legend tells that the emperor won a battle against Mongolian invaders with a magical sword and the sword is now taken to the deeps of the lake and returned to the gods by a giant golden turtle. That is why seeing a turtle in Hoan Kim is a good omen.

   

   From Jade island

Ho Chi Minh mausoleum

One Pillar Pagoda

 In Hanoi it was easy to walk everywhere. On my way to West lake I visited the cute and little One Pillar Pagoda for some "Long lasting happiness and good luck", saw the old Hanoi Flag Tower which was lucky enough to survive the French administration and checked that Uncle Ho was still asleep in his mausoleum.
 By the West lake, in a small island there is Tran Quoc Pagoda. It is the oldest pagoda in Hanoi and a cultural symbol of Vietnamese Buddhism.

   

Old Flag Tower

By the West lake

Tran Quoc Pagoda

 Enough with walking. After some haggling I got the price I wanted so I jumped on the backseat of a scooter. Scooter ride is fun, nice and cool, but I got to admit, a tiny bit scary. I could't help myself thinking what could happen riding a scooter wearing just a top, mini shorts and flip-flops. Accidents do happen, often, and the thing they call a helmet around here wouldn't save anyone. But I just hold on tighter and enjoyed the ride, what else could I do?


 My hostel owner was a nice small guy who gave me a scooter ride around the city on the evening I arrived. Showed the best places to go. It was pretty easy to make friends in Hanoi cause it was full with backpackers and tourists.
 There was plenty of small places selling food and drinks. In the old quarters there is crossroads which seemed to be the center of nightlife in Hanoi. Tiny plastic chairs were spread outside the small "bars" selling drinks. The beer was cheap and people happy and friendly. By the law the chairs were only allowed on the sidewalk. Every once in a while someone came shouting Vietnamese and huge hassle started. First timers were always confused. Police were coming so all the chairs had to be piled from the street to the sidewalks and the owners were pretty fast doing that. So there we all stood with our beers in our hands by the bars like the police wouldn't know what was going on. After the police were gone the chairs were spread to the street once again.

At the crossroads

 Some of the bars stayed open later than they had permission to. They had scouts in street corners to warn about the police. In case the police was coming, they closed the window blinds, switched off the lights and turned the music off. So there we all sat in the darkness silently waiting the police to drive away. Once they were gone the party was back on! Crazy Vietnamese.

 After the sightseeing, cold beer and wild scooter rides it was time to escape the heat to the coast, to Ha Long Bay!