Street eating

I never took much notice of the number of people perched on child size plastic chairs on the pavement consuming their daily dose of pho. It was only when a Japanese tourist pointed out the common site I’d seen all over Vietnam, I raised my camera.

Vietnamese English Vinglish

While travelling from south to north in Vietnam, I came across some signs that made me smile or completely confused me. The top one was off the front of a menu in Ninh Binh.

People watching in Vietnam

I decided to do nothing, so as I idled around Hoan Kiem Lake, I was stopped several times by people wanting to practise English.

The Old Quarter’s Hang Bac Temple

This was definitely the last temple of my Vietnamese visit. At least that’s what I told myself during my final days in Hanoi. I was enticed by the narrow passageway and then up steps.

A Hanoi Traditional House

Inside Ma May’s traditional two-storey house I ran my hand over the iron wood trimmings. I walked to the back of the hundred year old house where the kitchen stood in an open courtyard, sun streaming down from the open square.

Foods I’d never tried (or maybe wouldn’t)

I didn’t notice any fruits or vegetables I hadn’t seen before as I wandered through Hanoi’s Old Quarter. As for meats, I didn’t want to go there, especially after walking past barbequed dog. When I approached brains or large chunks of meaty red legs, I looked the other way.

How much can you pile on a bike?

I took the Lonely Planet’s suggested walking tour through the Old Quarter of Hanoi. I zigzagged from footpath to road to avoid bikes and cars or because there was no sidewalk at all.

Hanoi traffic

I was warned about Hanoi’s traffic.

“Cars won’t stop for you.”

“It’s madness.”

“I just walk and try not to look.”

I was expecting the worst. Instead, because many of the main streets were one way and there were plenty of traffic lights that motorists obeyed, I found crossing streets far easier than Ho Chi Minh City.

Halong Bay

I know. This was about as touristy as it got. It sure felt like it when I arrived amongst the countless people, buses and boats blocking the bay. Out on the sea, the congestion continued with small boats passing through a cave. Did I wish I’d never bothered coming?

A Hanoi lake

Hanoi had several lakes. Hoan Kiem Lake was the closest to where I stayed in the Old Quarter. Rising from one end was a stone structure, turtle tower, while up the other end was Ngoc Son Temple.