Hanoi's charms -- November 20-21, 2007

After 12 days of scrambling up cliffs and lazing by the pool, it was time for Shannon and I to strap on our backpacks, bandage up our wounds and head to Vietnam for a whirlwind glimpse of this enigmatic country. Like everyone else, I was familiar with its recent history and I had heard rumours of its astounding natural beauty. Unfortunately, we had only 10 days to spend in Vietnam so we decided to concentrate on two of the more popular destinations in the north (Halong Bay and Sapa).

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First stop of course was Hanoi, Vietnam's capital city and the political centre. It's also one of the more charming cities that I have visited in Southeast Asia -- the numerous lakes and trees provide a tranquil antidote to the city's hustle and bustle, especially in the early mornings when you can spot crowds of Vietnamese playing badminton and performing Tai Chi along the shores.

The Old Quarter is an especially intriguing area to explore on foot with street side vendors hawking every kind of merchandise along tiny winding lanes. We were delighted by the street food - in addition to the ubiquitous (and delicious) pho and spring rolls, we enjoyed the baguettes and pastries (we can thank the French colonialists for something!), the Vietnamese coffee with sweet milk and the "do-it-yourself" barbecued beef dipped in a pungent spicy sauce.

One of the more memorable Hanoi exploits involved renting a motorcycle and heading out into the chaotic yet controlled traffic. We quickly learned that red lights are just a suggestion, names of streets change without warning and size really does matter -- we deferentially gave way to the transport trucks, SUVs and cars lest we ended up on their windshields.



I also had the chance to meet up with an old university friend (Mike Coleman) who has been working for the UN in Hanoi for the past three years. It was great to catch up and find out what's been going on in each others' lives since Ryerson, plus he took us out to a few of the city's hotspots. Warning though - the nightlife shuts down pretty early in Hanoi with the streets virtually deserted by midnight.