We arrived back in Hanoi about an hour before we could check into our chosen airbnb apartment, so we had a little time to kill. As we'd been dropped off at the office of the travel company that transferred us from Cat Ba Island, we asked them if we could leave our backpacks with them while we went off in search of lunch - much easier than lugging them around with us. As always, the streets of Hanoi's old quarter we bustling with cars, mopeds and tourists filling up the narrow streets. Luckily, we didn't have far to wander for lunch as just around the corner was Banh Mi Long Hoi, a cafe specialising in Banh Mi's - exactly what I fancied. Whats better, it was the best banh mi I had on my entire trip.
Wanting to see a different side of Hanoi, we chose to stay in the up and coming area between the old quarter and the fancy area of Westlake. It was a quiet residential area full of coffee shops and pho cuon restaurants, situated next to a small lake which our apartment overlooked. I much preferred this subdued version of Hanoi, the character was still there without it feeling overwhelming.
We spent our afternoon walking around the lake's edge before heading towards Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Not actually wanting to see his embalmed body on display inside, we just walked around the area, noting the architectural differences from other parts of the city. It was strange to see the French colonial buildings with their over-the-top decorative columns and pediments, with the addition of a large hammer and sickle crest hanging proudly front and center. Adjacent to this area filled with French mansions, empty except for visiting dignitaries, was a neighborhood full of dilapidated and visibly pollution-stained buildings - really showcasing how well this corrupted way of communism works for the masses.
Feeling like we had seen enough of the area, we hopped into a taxi and headed to the flower market over by Westlake. I'm sure that it's normally a wonderful market, full of vibrant colors and smells; however, when we arrived, it was in the midst of closing. Oops. That one is definitely on us. Not wanting to waste the trip, we headed into the nearby suburb of Westlake, where we wandered along streets filled with gated residences and fancy hotels that cater to foreign diplomats. We eventually found a lakeside bar where we could grab a couple of drinks while watching the world go by.
With numerous pho cuon joints in the area we were staying, it seemed to be the natural choice for dinner that evening. Pho cuon, a distinctive type of fresh spring roll found in Hanoi, features rice paper sheets as thin as pho noodles, filled with minced meat, peppers, and herbs. While my mum and Ben found it just average, I thoroughly enjoyed the vegetarian option. What really made the meal special was the amusing antics of the restaurant greeters; our restaurant seemed to have a friendly rivalry with the one across the road with greeters competing to attract the most passersby. There was singing, there was shouting, and most dangerously, there was leaping in front of moving traffic - it didn't really seem to work but at least they looked busy I guess.
When deciding on how to travel back to Ho Chi Minh City (where we all had departing flights from), there were two clear options: a two-hour flight or a lengthy thirty-six-hour train ride. Choosing convenience, we obviously chose to fly, and we chose to fly with Vietnam's cheapest airline, VietjetAir. While it worked out well for us when we traveled from HCMC to Da Nang, we weren't as lucky this time. VietjetAir has a reputation for pushing back flights, and with our flight being rescheduled at least three times that day, we can definitely confirm this is a common practice for them. Eventually, around 5:30 pm, we arrived in HCMC only 6 hours later than we were supposed to. Well... it was still a day faster than taking the train.
Just like in Hanoi, we chose a less touristy area of HCMC to stay in - this time to a less favorable result. It wasn't that the area was bad; it was just the busiest part of Vietnam that we had seen so far. We spent our last day relaxing, wandering around the area, and having one last dip in the pool (at least while it wasn't thundering). For lunch, we hopped into a taxi to District 3 to visit my favorite vegetarian restaurant of all time, the imaginatively named Viet Chay (Translates to Vietnamese Vegetarian). The setting is beautiful, and the food even better. We chose a large selection of dishes to share for our last proper meal in Vietnam.
And that wraps up our time in Vietnam, all that was left was for us to head to the airport and go our separate ways. As luck had it, our flights were at the exact same time on the exact same day, so we could spend the last few hours together. Eventually Mum headed to her gate that would take her back to England, and we hopped on our flight heading back to Australia to continue our adventure.
Trip date: May 2024
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