Hanoi, Vietnam: A Love Letter, Part 2

Read "Hanoi, Vietnam: A Love Letter, Part 1" here.

After our side trips to Ha Long Bay, Sa Pa, and Ha Giang Province, Louise and I joyfully returned to my beloved Hanoi. I prepared to experience the city’s charms more fully during this longer stay. I couldn’t wait to learn about the Vietnam War at the Hanoi Prison, see a traditional water puppet show, taste test more egg coffee, and explore the famed Ceramic Village. 

But what charmed me more than these experiences was Hanoi’s hospitality. The city and its inhabitants make it easy to live there, if you don’t mind jumping into the frenzied fray or having five cups of coffee every day. 

Louise and I settled into a routine quickly. Every morning, I woke up early and hopscotched to a new coffee shop to write. Then Louise met me for yoga at different studios throughout the city. We set aside the afternoons to tick off the activities on my list. Sprinkled in were lunch dates with local friends and shopping for Christmas (we mailed packages home in October so they would make it in time for the holidays). 

For the first and only time on the trip, I settled in to a place. Hanoi felt comfortable and familiar, though it was of course still new to me.

It was paradoxical.

It was love. 

Child-sized tables and rich coffee are the norm in Hanoi's cafes. 

 

My own little corner of the world.

 

Who do you think has the right of way here?

 

Louise is pumped to try her first coconut coffee at Cong Cafe.

 

Louise leading the way through the dizzying stalls at Hanoi's Ceramic Village.

 

Me, squatting significantly to pose with the maker of the serving dish I bought my sister for Christmas. 

 

We followed the fried food scent down a side street and almost lost it, thinking we found those amazing donuts from Chiang Rai. They were not quite the same, but delicious nonetheless. 

 

Hanoi's version of a drive-thru.

 

The egg coffee at The Hanoi Social Club. Sugar and caffeine are not in short supply in this city.

 

Our Christmas presents to ourselves? Paintings! Louise's is getting wrapped up here.

 

This one's mine, to remember the busyness and bossiness of Hanoi (as if I could forget).

 

The Somehow-Familiar Fray

To love Hanoi, you have to find beauty in the streets. You have to love thousands of mask-wearing, helmet-less people zipping around on their motorbikes with ridiculously-sized packages attached. You have to love street vendors in their conical hats and sidewalks made impassable by squatting cafes. You have to love honking and caged birds chirping and smells wafting. You have to love looking everywhere at once, lest you trip on the uneven road or get hit by a bicycle coming up behind you. 

Luckily, the streets captivated me. Cell phone video was the best way I could capture it.

By Mel Grau