The Streets of Hanoi

Posted November 28, 2019

Our Hanoi Hotel

A rooster stood on the front step of our Hanoi, Vietnam hotel as we were leaving for dinner.  I asked Steve to go out first, as sometimes roosters can be aggressive, and you never know. But this rooster just moved aside as we passed. All was well. 

The Old Quarter

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We are in the “Old Quarter” of the city. It’s a bustling, chaotic, colorful, loud, active, crazy place to be spending 10 days. I thought the traffic in Bangkok was impossible, but little did I know it could get even worse. 

The Pep Talk

I have to give myself a mini pep talk every time we leave our hotel for the streets of Hanoi. “It will be ok. You will (probably) not get hit by a motor scooter, motorcycle, or bicycle. It’s unlikely you will get burned by a red hot muffler grazing your calf as it veers within a mere inch or two of you, if you keep moving. Your lungs will not explode from the thick exhaust fumes you are breathing in. Just remember that once you start crossing a street, you must keep moving at a steady pace and not look at the onslaught of vehicles, large and small, coming straight for you, often from multiple directions. If you look, your pace may falter, which is when you are most likely to hesitate and get creamed.”

Yes, it’s a lot to remember, but it’s my daily mantra in Hanoi. And it’s not relaxing. At all. 

The Chaos

But it is kind of amazing. The city exudes energy. People cooking in woks on the side of the street, the nonstop traffic, the chaos of constantly honking horns, bright lights and signage, dozens of people eating while hunched down on tiny stools in the street, and ladies carrying baskets full of freshly made donuts (on a stick) for sale, having a hard time taking “no” for an answer.  

Donut On A Stick

The donut ladies deserve a special shout-out. I must say they are persistent, cunning, and annoying, but in the end most have a genuine, sincere smile, whether you buy from them or not. 

While eating lunch or dinner, typically at an outdoor table, they walk by carrying their donuts in two hanging baskets balanced on each end of a stick across their shoulder. At first it’s a cool look, from the perspective of a foreigner. “Wow, isn’t that interesting?  Did you see how that woman is carrying her donuts?” But then it all starts to unravel as the donut ladies get more aggressive. 

And they do get aggressive. We started spotting them from afar. “Oh no, it’s a donut lady up ahead. Quick, move to the other side of the street.” But, if you’ve read above, a quick move across the street is never a good, or easy, option. Sometimes they hit me (probably more like a double tap), with the end of their donut stick as I’m walking by. That really irritates me, as I don’t want donut grease smeared on my limited shirts, unless of course I have the pleasure of eating said donut. A walk-by “donuting” is never welcome. 

Maneuvering in Hanoi

Almost every sidewalk is used as a parking lot, housing tightly packed motorcycles at just the right angle and perfectly ordered, so as not to waste an inch of space. This forces pedestrians to walk in the street. 

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Trust is an important factor in making your way on foot through Hanoi. Most people walk with the traffic, and you just have to have faith that the myriad vehicles coming up behind you will maneuver and miss you. It seems to work for the locals, and we cross our fingers and do like they do. 

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We see motor scooters carrying crazy things, but if it’s your only option, you make do. A ladder, a huge flatscreen Sony TV, dozens and dozens of fresh eggs, and entire families of three or more top the list, so far. I’m sure we’ll have more to add before we’re out of here. 

Vietnam Military Museum

We visited the Vietnam Military Museum yesterday morning. Seeing the “American War”, as it’s known here in Vietnam, through Vietnam’s lens, was interesting. From their perspective, it’s the last chapter in a thousand year struggle for independence for the Vietnamese.

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Hoan Kiem Lake

In a break from the hectic streets, we made our way to Hoan Kiem Lake, just outside of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. It reminded me of Green Lake, back home in Seattle.  

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No Vehicles Allowed

Once there, we realized there was some kind of celebration going on and the city had closed several major streets to vehicle traffic. It was liberating to walk freely in the wide, tree lined streets without threat of injury or worse.

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Families strolled along, children ran and twirled, bubbles were in the air, and the occasional street musician played. It was a lovely afternoon. 

English Speakers Wanted

As we made our way around the packed walkways near the lake, we were stopped three times by small groups of children with their English teachers, asking for a few minutes of our time to practice speaking English.  It was a fun opportunity to interact with local kids, and we had good chats. I shared some pictures from home. One in particular, of our house covered in snow, got lots of oooh’s and ahhhh’s. It’s hard to think of winter at home when we’re in this humid, hot part of the world. 

Thanksgiving 

Today is November 28th, Thanksgiving Day, on our side of the world.  Back home it’s still Wednesday, the 27th. I’m sure you’re getting your turkey, or vegan substitute, ready for your Thanksgiving feast.

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We’ll be celebrating by attending a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show. Not what one typically associates with Thanksgiving, but we’re excited to check it out. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all those back home. We’ll miss not seeing you this holiday!  

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