Goodbye to Da Nang and Hoi An — an incredible run of golf, food and hospitality we won't forget. We'll meet again. A quick flight up to Hanoi, and one of the first things you notice on landing is a row of old MiG fighters parked in decaying hangars right by the runway — a good taste of the history ahead.
Hanoi is a different beast to Da Nang and Hoi An — a real hustle-and-bustle big city. We loved the Old Quarter, and stayed at the Hanoi Pearl, which had a brilliant location and great staff, including Rachel, who ran around after us the whole stay.
Do as many of the tourist things as you can. Train Street is worth it, but don't sit down at the first bar or coffee shop whose owner pulls you in off the street — and find out when the trains actually come before you commit, because every bar owner will tell you “15 minutes,” no matter what the actual time is. Grab a beer on Beer Street while you're at it.
We also went to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the crashed B-52 still sitting in Huu Tiep Lake since it was shot down there on the night of 27 December 1972 during the Christmas bombing campaign, and Hoa Lo Prison — better known as the “Hanoi Hilton” — for another side of the story on what the Vietnamese call the American War. Nearly 600 American POWs were held there during the war, including a young Navy pilot named John McCain.
We also got to the Temple of Literature, Tran Quoc Pagoda out on West Lake, and the One Pillar Pagoda — all well worth the visit and each completely different from the last.
The people here are remarkably friendly for a country that's been invaded so many times over — the Chinese, the French, the Americans, to name a few. They seem to genuinely like the Americans and French now, and don't hold a grudge the way plenty of other parts of the world would. Out of all of it they've built a country with a great mix of architecture and food — and some of the best pastries we've had anywhere, a legacy of the French years. They also know exactly what tourism can do for them. The latest wave of visitors is Russian, though we didn't see many in Hanoi — apparently they mostly head south.
We rode on the back of a Grab scooter, took a tuk tuk, and hit a few rooftop bars. We felt safe walking around at all hours. That said, there's a lot to be said about how they drive — barely any stop signs, give way signs, traffic lights or roundabouts, and nowhere near enough room for the volume of traffic in the central city. Picture a packed supermarket with everyone pushing trolleys in every direction and somehow nobody crashing, because everyone is courteous and looks out for each other. Vietnam's road toll per head of population is comparable to plenty of other countries, but we didn't see a single crash the whole trip, despite everyone darting in and out of what are only loosely lanes. And no road rage — anywhere. Refreshingly different.
A few of us went out most mornings for a run or a walk around the lake — for some reason you're always up early here, which works out well since it's before the heat sets in. We also went to a water puppet show — rookie mistake not grabbing the headset for the English translation, so get one if you go. Two days in Hanoi is enough to see what you need to see. It's a city of happy, friendly people who don't earn a lot but seem to genuinely enjoy life. We loved Vietnam, and we'll be back.