Back in Asia – Discover Hanoi

Back in Asia!

After being away from Asia for a while, it was a special feeling to come back. As soon as I arrived in Hanoi, I recognized that special atmosphere that I always associate with Southeast Asia. The heat, the sound of the scooters, the smell coming from all the small restaurants and the people moving everywhere made me feel like I quickly got back into travelling again. Hanoi was also considerably more intense than what I had experienced in several other parts of the trip, which made the first impression quite strong.

The first thing I noticed was the traffic. Scooters came from almost every direction and at first it felt completely impossible to cross the street. After a while I started to understand how the traffic worked and realized that you basically just had to start walking and trust that the traffic around you would adjust. It might sound a little strange, but after a few days it almost became a natural part of the trip. Standing by a street and watching hundreds of scooters drive past became almost part of the Hanoi experience itself.

I spent a lot of time walking around the older parts of the city. That was probably where I enjoyed myself the most. Narrow streets, small shops, restaurants, street food stalls and people sitting outside eating meant that there was always something to look at. I did not always have a specific destination in mind and could simply walk around and see where I ended up. That was often when I found the small places I would never have discovered if I had simply followed a tourist map.

The Old Quarter quickly became one of my favourite parts of Hanoi. This was where the city felt most alive and it was almost impossible to walk a few metres without something happening around you. One street could be full of restaurants while the next had small shops, cafés or workshops. It could be quite crowded and noisy, but at the same time that was exactly what made the area so interesting. I really enjoyed simply walking around and taking in everything that was happening.

Food naturally became a big part of the trip. I ate at several smaller restaurants and also tried food from different street food stalls. Something I really appreciated about Hanoi was that there was food almost everywhere and that you could eat really well without spending much money. I often preferred the smaller places where local people were eating rather than the more touristy restaurants. It felt more genuine and was also an easy way to try new dishes.

One thing I quickly became fond of was Hanoi's café culture. After a few hours of walking around in the heat, it was perfect to find a small café, order something cold or a coffee and simply sit down. I like when travelling is not only about running between different attractions. In Hanoi, a long coffee break could almost be as enjoyable as the sightseeing itself. I could sit and look out at the street and watch scooters, people and everyday life continue right outside.

The heat also meant that I had to adjust my days a little. Around midday it could become really hot, especially when walking around the dense streets. Because of this, I tried to do more in the morning and later in the afternoon and take it easier when the sun was at its strongest. There was a lot of water, cold drinks and breaks along the way. In the evening it became much more pleasant to be outside and it almost felt like the entire city came even more alive.

I also enjoyed simply sitting somewhere and watching people. It is something that I think is easy to forget when travelling because you often focus on seeing all the famous places. In Hanoi, I did not really need to do anything special to feel like I was experiencing the city. Sitting at a café, walking along a street or standing and watching the traffic could be enough. It was the everyday life around me that made the city interesting.

Hanoi also had an interesting mix of old and new. On some streets it felt like time had stood still, while other parts were considerably more modern. Old buildings, temples and narrow alleys were mixed with modern restaurants, hotels and shops. I really liked that contrast. It meant that the city never felt monotonous and I could discover new things almost every time I went outside.

The evenings became one of my favourite times. When the temperature started to drop, it became much more comfortable to walk around and at the same time the city filled with even more people. Restaurants became busy, street food stalls started serving food and scooters continued driving through the streets. I could walk around without any particular destination, stop to eat something and then continue onwards. It was during these evenings that I appreciated Hanoi the most.

At the same time, it took a few days to get used to the pace of the city. Hanoi can be quite intense and sometimes almost overwhelming. There is a lot of noise, a lot of traffic and a lot of people in the same place. But after a while I started to appreciate exactly that. There was always something happening and it was almost impossible to get bored. You only had to walk out the door and suddenly you had something new to discover.

What I mainly take away from Hanoi is the feeling of really being in the middle of everyday life. It was not only the major attractions that made the trip special, but all the small moments in between. Getting lost on a smaller street, finding a café that I had not planned to visit, eating something from a street food stall or trying to cross a busy street became almost as much a part of the experience as the places I had planned to visit.

After a few days in Hanoi, I had really regained that special feeling of travelling around Asia. It was hot, intense, sometimes chaotic and at times quite tiring, but at the same time incredibly exciting. Hanoi therefore became a very good start to this part of the journey. I managed to experience a lot, eat good food, walk around and, above all, enjoy being back on the road.