Food in Hanoi was glorious! Bursting with flavors and almost similar to the tastes in Thailand, one can easily forget the waistline! Food aside, coffee is a big thing too. Our hotel was very central in its location for food and shopping.
During the day, nothing was out, but by nightfall, tiny chairs and small tables lined up along the sidewalks in front of all the buildings, ready for customers to dine in these pop-up street restaurants. It must be the French influence that has all the chairs facing the street for people-watching. Correct me if I am wrong on this.
The narrow streets became more narrow when the dining furniture was all placed outside. Yet, vehicles of all sizes still come into the streets from both directions! Yikes. Even the big canopies were insufficient to deter the traffic from the area. It was quite a sight to behold.
The ushers of the pop-up eateries were rather aggressive, fighting for customers to patronize their places. The trick not to succumb to their pushiness is to avoid eye contact and walk as fast as possible on the crowded street. Don’t even peek at the menu shoved in front of your face.
The few streets near our hotel had all sorts of offerings. Besides food at a proper restaurant, by the sidewalk, or from the street stall vendors, drinks or dessert in a café, tourists were spoilt for choice for shopping, massages, pubs, and even pharmacies. The only thing stopping one is the lack of money from going all out at everything!
For us, we tried some here and there. We ate, drank beer, and sat on short chairs. We also shopped, had ice cream, and drank coffee but skipped the pubs and foot massages. All these were achieved in just the two streets near the hotel after golf, unlike in Bangkok recently, where we walked so much and everywhere to do the same things.
Hanoi was fun. We also managed to take in some sights, visiting the One Pillar Pagoda, Tran Quoc Pagoda, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and the Vietnam Military History Museum.
Would I return? Most definitely, but plans have to factor in which time of the year for the nice cooling weather. Then, only the experience of Hanoi for its flavors, sights, sounds, and golf would be the best!
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