Hanoi: the city of real life frogger, where traffic rules are made up and the points don’t matter. Seriously, Hanoians make the most aggressive New York City drivers and cyclists look like they’re going backwards. Despite the chaos created by 8 million people, we were able to keep our heads on a swivel and enjoy the tasty cuisine and rich history that the nation’s capital had to offer.
We started our journey at the Hoa Lo prison that was built in 1886 by French Colonists. On our tour, we learned how the prison was used to detain, torture and execute Vietnamese nationalists during the August revolution (i.e. Vietnam’s revolution against France). Once Vietnam gained independence in 1945, the Vietnamese used this same prison to “hold” American POW’s during the Vietnam war, including their most famous inmate John Sidney McCain from 1967 to 1973.
We later ventured to the streets to try an array of Vietnamese food led by our awesome guide Jenny. Our tour consisted of 8 spots where we tried: Nem Lúi (fresh pork rolls), Phó Gà Trón (noodles), Nóm Thį Bí Khô (beef salad), Nem (deep fried spring rolls), Bûn Chá (Kebab rice noodles), Bánah Mí (Vietnamese bread), ice cream with sticky rice and Egg Coffee.
With our bellies full and our eyes heavy, we managed to roll through a strip of bars known as the beer quarter to celebrate a successful first day.
In addition to spending time in Hanoi we also made a day trip to the province of Ninh Bính. We began our day kayaking through the grotto caves and rivers of Tráng An, known as the Ha Long Bay on land. After indulging in a lunch consisting of rice and goat (yikes) we spent the rest our day biking through the ancient capital of Hoa Lú, home to Vietnam’s largest Buddhist worshipping complex.
Matt: Hoa Lo Prison
Erin: Street food tour
La Siesta Diamond Hotel in Old Quarter
Hoa Lo Prison
Street Food Tour with Jenny and Minh
Night market
Day trip to Ninh Binh providence to see Trang An
Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum && museum
The Gourmet Corner
A few from our street food tour:
Egg coffee: Giang Coffee
Deep friend spring rolls: Hoyen
Dried chicken noodles: Phở Hong
Dried beef salad: Nộm thị bì khô
Fresh pork rolls: Nem Lui
Drinks:
“Beer quarter”
Diamond Sky Rooftop Bar
