Hanoi: Hot, Humid, Hectic

The Hanoi Opera House

Growing up in the '60s and  '70s, I formed my impressions of Hanoi through the media coverage of the war and the fact that my Dad, a Marine Corps pilot, served for more than a year in Vietnam at the height of the war.  In other words, Hanoi was not necessarily high on the list of places I wanted to visit.  On the other hand, I find Vietnam's history in pre-war French Indochina intriguing, giving me a curiosity to learn more about the culture there.  Just 90 minutes by air from Hong Kong, Hanoi is an easy trip, so we decided to go for a visit.

Typical street congestion in Hanoi

Following the war, Vietnam spent a number of years as an international pariah before adopting reforms in the mid-'80s that would restore diplomatic relations with other countries and begin to stabilize its economy.  Those reforms have paid off and in recent years, Vietnam's economy has been one of the fastest growing in the world.  We saw creative, entrepreneurial energy springing up nearly everywhere on the back of an aging infrastructure built under Communist rule.  Following a Tchaikovsky performance by the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, we were greeted by a tropical downpour when we emerged from the Opera House.  Vendors suddenly appeared from nowhere selling rain ponchos to the audience eager to get home.  Hanoi is filled with westerners, and they are the targets for citizens looking to sell everything from rickshaw rides to t-shirts.  But we found nearly everyone that we came in contact with to be helpful, polite and kind.

The park around Hoan Kiem Lake

Central Hanoi is a 45 minute drive from the airport, and the landscape was largely rural, with development springing up at random intervals.  Fields of corn, rice and other crops were dotted with oxen and periodically broken up by sprawling construction projects that look like they might be years from completion.  Interestingly, we noticed that many of the large projects (such as a new terminal under construction at the airport) involve partnerships with Japanese firms with engineering expertise. 

Ngoc Son Temple

Motor scooters dominate the roads in and around Hanoi - an unfortunate dilemma in that they clearly represent an affordable means of transportation, while fouling the air with exhaust and noise and endangering the children riding helmet-less on the backs of them.  Cars and motor scooters share the narrow and crowded streets with bicycles rigged up to carry large quantities of anything that can be sold - examples we saw included flowers, large baskets of fruits and vegetables and even sets of dishes and kitchenware.  Traffic is best described as a chaotic free-for-all, to our way of thinking at least.  Drivers seem to view whatever lane markings and traffic signals that exist merely as suggestion or rough guidelines, rather than hard and fast rules to be followed.  We saw many near-misses, some involving us during our attempts to cross the busy streets.  But the lack of actual collisions likely means there is an unwritten set of rules that govern the chaos.  Even driving on sidewalks, on the wrong side of the road or against traffic on one-way streets all seem to be tolerated.

The golden tortoise with the magical sword

During our visit, we spent most of our time wandering around the Old Quarter and French Quarter of the city.  In the center of the Old Quarter is Hoan Kiem Lake which means Lake of the Restored Sword.  The name comes from the legend of a giant golden tortoise who grabbed a magical sword from a mid-15th century emperor and returned it to its divine owners.  The lake is surrounded by a park and walking path with beautiful landscaping, interspersed with occasional, socialist-looking monuments.  The park and path were filled with locals enjoying some time outside.  At the northern end of the lake is a small island, on which the 18th century Ngoc Son Temple sits.  We wandered around the island and through the temple, taking in the beautiful architecture and elaborate alter.  Offerings on the alter included everything from incense to money to a tin of Danish butter cookies.

The Vietnam National Museum of History

We also visited the Vietnam National Museum of History with collections that date from ancient periods through the end of French rule in 1954.   The museum occupies a beautiful example of French colonial architecture adapted for the local climate.  The building's design and thick walls allow for air circulation and insulation.  Despite the heat and humidity and lack of air conditioning, we were comfortable during our visit.

One of the real highlights of our weekend in Hanoi was the food.  While it's possible the weather just made us grateful each time we sat down, I think I'm correct in saying they really know how to cook in Hanoi.  Restaurants are plentiful, casual and inexpensive, but offer sophisticated dishes that seem to marry the best of local ingredients with French preparation technique and presentation.

Prawn and Egg Spring Rolls at Bamboo Cafe

Our brief visit to Hanoi will be memorable for the experience of seeing the how entrepreneurs try to succeed in a socialist society, how French history continues to influence an Asian society and for the kind people we met during our stay.

Green Mango Salad with Spicy Shrimp at Bamboo Cafe