Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam has so much to offer. From One Pillar Pagoda to Ho Chi Minh Museum and from night markets to epic party in The Old Quarter, Hanoi has everything that a traveller might look for. Here is my what I felt about the city after spending a day there.
"It’s been raining in Hanoi. Mornings start slow with people rounding up around the Banh Mi and Pho stalls. The streets smell of freshly baked bread. Women wearing Non La (conical hats) appear with fruit trolleys and they smile as you pass by. As the day progresses, tourists start to appear on the road and you hear indistinctive chatter, some asking for directions, others asking for prices. As I said, life is rather slow in this part of town. You’d see people covering long distances on their feet, as if the Old Quarter refuses to accept the cab-culture. By evening, everyone rushes towards the Hoan Kiem Lake to see the water twinkle with city lights. Kids performing around the lake insist you to join them. As you return to the centre of the Quarter, the lazy corner now seems to be hosting an epic global party. Colour, race, country, age, gender, nothing matters, just a bunch of tipsy heads, clinking their bottles, drinking to good health and fortune. And that’s exactly how I will remember Hanoi."