Happening HANOI by Filipe Martins

After saying goodbye to Thailand which we all loved and an airasia 1 hour or so flight we arrived in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi in the north. The airport is reasonably small for a capital and a country of this size. The officials in Vietnam are dressed in a very typical communist way like an old soviet commissar. Except instead of having a brut 6ft4 Russian body builder it was a 5ft5 Vietnamese man. We left the airport and took the taxi to the old quarter where we had booked a hotel. I really cant put my finger on it exactly but I really like Hanoi, its got a great buzz and atmosphere. It has a greater Chinese influence than Thailand but at the same time it is heavily fused with French colonialism. I shall give you an example; the first morning in Hanoi we scoured the streets for a cafe, somewhere to have the amazing Vietnamese coffee that I heard so much about. We found a great cafe near the lake not too far from our hotel; it was on the 5th floor with an esplanade with a great view of the central lake. The menu was scattered with French delights, the last time I had a Croque Madame was when I was in Paris years ago. It was delicious, what really made my week was the expresso, how I miss a good expresso. I have to admit I really miss normal breakfasts i.e. non rice or noodle based.
That day we decided to walk around the city but four hours in we bought a lonely planet, sorry. Well it was a fake and we bartered down to 2£ a steal really. I have got so used to bartering that I think when I go back to London I will probably go into PC World and do the same. Every street in Hanoi is a high street, full of little shops and cafes. If I was to make a comparison it reminds me of old London high streets. I am sure if you think back far enough you will know exactly what I mean, the local high street with the local butchers, cafe, newsagents, sewing shop etc for those to young they are where you find Sainsburys local and Tesco expresses. The Vietnamese are both very skilful and very good with their hands. Completely different from other cities, everyone seems to have a trade i.e. metal polisher, mechanic, key cutter, polish shoes and other traditional trades. This was last Saturday and of course we had to find a place to watch Chelsea vs Aston Villa to satisfy Mr Elmi. This was of course an episode in itself, Weli was sure there was a great place to watch it, however when we got inside the Taxi these are the very words that came out of his month. “take us to Puntang Bar on Puntang Road”. Thats right folks he didn’t have a clue where we were going, not even the road. I suggested that we play it safe and go to a place called “le pub”, although anglais I knew it would show the footy. All this wasn’t helped with the fact that the taxi driver really didn’t know the difference between his arse and his elbow, he was useless. Well after various discussions, of course Weli fought to the death but was proved wrong we ended up in “le pub”, it had a projector , yeahhhhhh.
It seems like the opportune moment to talk about Vietnamese taxies. They are truly a joke, sitting in your chair at work, home or maybe you have decided to take the laptop and sit on the loo. They take the biscuit, not ordinary biscuits but the chocolate coated one dipped in diamonds. They have a button behind the steering wheel which speeds the distance meter at least 40 times the normal rate. An example would be travelling 10m but the taxi meter records 2km. Prices are so variable when it comes to Vietnamese taxis. They have no shame, when we confronted a taxi driver about this he wasn’t even embarrassed he accepted half and drove off with a big smile on his face. One taxi driver had a piece of fruit glued right in front of the distance meter. You can only laugh, I told Weli who was sitting on the front seat, he then tried to remove the apple and the taxi driver refused to do so, we walked out in the middle of the road. Now a days we tell Taxis and they seem not to rip us off (as much). The real hidden secret in Hanoi is the Bier Hoi, its fresh beer made daily. It’s really weak maybe 2-4 % but it’s lovely and refreshing. You can drink this in the old quarter on little plastic chairs and watch the world go by. The best is yet to come they cost 3000 VND thats about 4p guys. Me and Mark have gone there several times and have stumbled home in a happy state, I don’t think we have ever left more than 1£ sterling there.
The Old quarter has a very Parisian feel, the French definitely left some great buildings here. I didn’t see dog carcases like ducks in China town this is because of its a lunar year and they don’t eat dog for a while, ahhh what a shame (NOT). There is a lot of site seeing to do in Hanoi, such as the mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh has been embalmed, his museum and the grand palace, which was the previous palace for the governor of IndoChina when the French were here. We also visited the Hanoi Hilton, again a French building (prison) which was later used to house American POWs like the failed Presidential candidate John McCain. Oh yeah how could I forget the B52 lake, during the war in the 70s Vietnamese soldiers with the help of flying turtles brought down a B52. There is a wreck in a lake smack bang in the middle of a residential area. Well I don’t know about the flying turtles hypothesis hmmmmmm.
I guess that’s why I love Hanoi, it is so rich in culture and modern history. Its not the kind of history that is ancient (which they have to i.e. with the Chinese) but modern history which has had a direct impact on our lives today especially the way Americans go about doing things. They are very proud of their victory and rightly so. Propaganda is amazing in Vietnam they refer to America as the Imperialistic armies etc. The Vietnamese are super resilient, from the French and their various uprising under colossal suppression to the Yanks. I would think twice before confronting the Vietnamese.
Did I mention that their coffee is aromatic, tasty and just out right good. Everyday Mark and I have our daily coffee. So we have stayed in Hanoi for 5 days, mainly site seeing as well as having a taste of the Hanoi night social scene. We have heard from many backpackers that the south is even better, I really can’t wait.
So we decided to go to Sapa, a small town well concealed in the Vietnamese mountains in the north. It would be an overnight train, two days trekking and an overnight train back. Sapa is so beautiful that I will not even attempt to describe it........ ok here goes the town reminds me of an alpine ski resort situated in the middle of a valley. They mountain slopes are covered in terraces which the locals use for agricultural purposes mainly rice. The trek was a welcome break, it was so refreshing to walk amongst nature and to sample and see the life of the local tribes. The mountain range is overwhelming more so the terraces. It’s a geological dream and nightmare, landslides have occurred everywhere, I am really glad that we didn’t visit during the winter because heavy rainfall would make slopes run like a slurpy chocolate milkshake. We booked an organised tour guide, it was something we haven’t really done, it is something we will do more of. You get to see great places and more importantly meet people who 9 times out of 10 are in the same walk of life. We met a really nice guy from Watford called Ross, his travels were coming to a conclusion, he had travelled Australia and New Zealand and gave us a lot of vital information and tips.
I am currently typing this on the night train back to Hanoi. I am so glad we done the tour of Sapa somewhere I would love to return to in the future, it would be an ideal place to relax. The plan is to spend a few days in Hanoi and book a tour to Ha Long Bay where we will stay on a junk boat and sip gins and tonic from the deck as the sun goes down. Ahhh its a hard life out here people I am so jealous I am not stuck in an office staring at a computer screen, only kidding. We have been travelling now for 2 months, it has been great we are doing fine as a group just in case you are wondering. It works a tiny bit like this, Weli and I argue over everything, absolutely everything and Mark doesn’t say anything. In fact where is Mark I haven’t seen him since Bangkok ................ only kidding he is sleeping on the top bunk. Ross mad me really excited about Aus and NZ.
Well people hope all is well and that you are having successful careers.