I am thrilled to be visiting Hanoi again after nearly a decade since my last visit. This time I was back with my husband to explore this city that has stayed on my mind since 2011. One difference this trip, was the heat. This August visit was oppressive with temperatures around 95F at all times with nearly 70% humidity. We explored the city in short bursts, traded walking for tuk-tuks when possible and enjoyed air-conditioned naps and cold showers each afternoon. I have decided to reissue this blog post and combine by two experiences since each trip was unique and offered special experiences.

EXPERIENCE

Our Hanoi itinerary included the highlights from my last visit. We hit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Which is sort of underwhelming but necessary while here. Then we spent time at the War Museum, which was not the museum I so fondly remembered from my last visit. Turns out, that was in Ho Chi Minh City. We walked the Old Quarter quite a bit both at night and by day. The Train Street is super fun to visit with its narrow passages. This is a great place to grab a beer or coffee and take in the vibe. After dark this city transforms into a late night food and shopping Mecca. We visited the famous night market upon arrival and took in the local smells and sights while being careful what we ate on this visit.The heat and humidity were out of this world while here in August. Walking around was bearable in 3 hour stints, but if you plan to visit this time of year, pack light clothes and plan to shower often, we were completely sweat drenched just minutes after leaving the hotel. Our visit to Hanoi allowed my first time visitor husband to get a good feel for the vibe of Vietnam. He got to experience the motorbike traffic crossings, street food and wonderful people that make this destination exciting and worth revisiting at least once a decade.

On my last trip here, we arrived to Hanoi after our excursion from Halong Bay. I must say Ho Chi Minh City was preferable to me, but we also had a great time exploring this city. Highlights included some hilarious mud bathmassages at a local parlor, the amazing street foodand the lively night markets.We also checked out the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where the country’s former leader is embalmed under a glass casket — strange but worth seeing. Take a walk around the Hoan Kiem Lakein the center of the city, while it’s not exactly picturesque, it is a hub of activity and it’s an exciting spot to witness the bustle. We also checked out St. Joseph’s Cathedraland the Old Quarter. 

Two of us took an exciting day trip from here to a place called La Mat. This is a snake village outside of the city that raises many of the snakes for eating. This is not very frequented by tourists. Our cab driver was so shocked we wanted to visit this place that he decided to join us. This ended up being a good thing since no one spoke English and it was not clear how to see the snakes. The cobra farm ended up being terrifying, yet highly entertaining. The day ended with the owner of the farm letting us sample some of his snake wine, made from the exact cobra that paralyzed his maimed hand. 

STAY

While in town most recently, we stayed at the O’Gallery Majestic Hotel and Spa. This location worked out great. It is situated in the Old Quarter and right at the center of where the other quarters converge. This makes is ideal for sightseeing by foot at an hour of the day. The breakfast here was incredible and the pool would have been great with its city view had the temperatures been reasonable enough to make even swimming appealing. The staff here was overwhelmingly accommodating and even provided us hospitality rooms to shower before and after our overnight train trip to Sapa.

In 2011 tourism was a bit less developed and the options for nice hotels were more limited. While here tthen, we stayed in the Golden Sun 4 Hotel. This was a nice enough spot — clean and in a nice location. We were finishing out trip while staying here so looking for comfy beds more than anything. The staff was welcoming and kindly helped arrange our airport transfer and visit to La Mat. They even provided a fashion critique, and informed us we needed to change from our shorts before heading to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (strict dress code for that one).

EAT

Incredible street food was a hallmark of my last visit to Vietnam and something that this country is certainly famous for. Being five months pregnant this visit, I had to approach my adventurous eating with a little more trepidation. We did manage to sneak in plenty of what we deemed “safe” looking pho, Hanoian spring rolls and bahn mi. Favorite spots included the Choo Choo Railway Cafe on Train Street and the Jasmine Restaurant right in our hotel. Breakfast, served here was a three-hour affair each day, including pho, omelets, fresh fruit, pancakes, cheese boards, Vietnamese spring rolls, noodle dishes and of course Vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk.

That said, I signed us up for a cooking class at Rose Kitchen. This is something we had done in Thailand years ago and really loved. Our day began at a local market and ended with an delicious and authentic meal created by us. The food was the best and freshest we had our entire time in Hanoi. In class we prepared banana flower salad, pork and tofu spring rolls, vegetarian and pork pho, egg coffee and finished with delicious fresh fruits. We discovered the mangosteen this trip, which is a new favorite when it comes to fruit! This was a highlight of our time in Hanoi and a perfect way to end our stay here before boarding the overnight train to Sapa with full bellies.

In 2011 I was equally impressed with the food, describing it as a highlight! We ate well and often tried street food or ate from local vendors in night markets. The Tamarind Cafe stands out as a favorite. We also loved Quan An Ngon,which has a food stall vibe and allowed us to sample lots of local goodies and mingle with a really great global crowd. Our final meal at La Placeended hilariously, when we enjoyed ourselves so much we all decided to buy a t-shirt. Upon informing our server we would each like one, he shouted across the entire restaurant to the front desk, “I need four SUPA SIZE!” Haha, clearly we enjoyed the cuisine.

All in all this was a great city to revisit and to share with someone else. Given our great experience in Vietnam, I’d imagine we will be back yet again in the future to visit Hoi’An, more indigenous people in the north and perhaps visit neighboring Laos.