Friends in Hanoi

Throughout December both my schools were off, so I decided to take the opportunity to visit my friend, Claire, who was doing a similar job to me but in Hanoi. I had been to the capital two years ago, so this time round was more about seeing my friend than about sightseeing. Despite this, we saw some pretty cool places and I have some great recommendations for western food.

I arrived late on Thursday night after a classic flight delay of VietJet Airlines. We allowed ourselves a lie-in before heading over to the Old Quarter for brunch. We went to The Hanoi Social Club, a quirky café with old posters and mismatching furniture and a great burger. We stayed there for a couple of hours catching up and exchanging our different experiences in Vietnam. Claire had to work the afternoon, so I decided to walk around the Old Quarter by myself. It was weird to be back, a lot of thing had changed in two years, yet it was very much the same. The last time I was there was in August 2015, when it was hot. This time round, I was shocked by the December chills. It was like being in a different country compared to the constant heat and humidity of Saigon.

I walked to the two main markets in the Old Quarter; Hang Dao Street Market and Dong Xuan Market. and then up to the famous Hoàn Kiếm lake that has a Temple situated on an island in the middle of the water. I remembered my way about this area as we had spent Vietnam’s Independence Day at the main square to watch the firework show two years previous. After buying some souvenirs and walking down to the Cathedral, I stopped for a Vietnamese Coffee (cà phê sua đá) and enjoyed the views from a nice café terrace. Once I was done, Claire was finished school so I headed back to her apartment to meet her.

We then headed to a local Bia hơi bar, a place I was yet to experience since being in Vietnam. It is a small street vendor shop that sells draught beer for 7,000VND; around 22p! We stayed there and drank with her other colleagues which was nice as it allowed me to meet the group. There were around 20 of us, all squeezed into this small shop, celebrating the end of the week. From there, Claire and I, with two other girls heading in a taxi to a Street Sushi place near a main Shopping Centre. I got a platter of sushi for only 100,000VND (£3). Obviously we were full after that, and nobody was keen to go out, so we settled for chilling in her room to catch up some more.

On Saturday, we met some of Claire’s friends back in the Old Quarter for another brunch, this time at the Xofa café. Again it was a very cute and cosy restaurant with adorable Christmas decorations and a great selection of sandwiches and pasta. From there, we walked about half an hour to a Christmas Market held in the courtyard of a bright yellow church. There we got to eat some cake and drink mulled wine! Just like being back home! After, we decided to have a bit of a bar crawl through random bars found along our travels. Claire and I headed back in order to have a nap before the night.

A large group of us headed out. We went to the Beer Street and ended up in a club called Hair of the Dog. It was a fun night as many places were playing Christmas songs!

The next day we went for our final brunch at The Moose and Roo Pub &  Grill. I got a delicious full English breakfast for the first time in months! Claire and I then headed for a Harry Potter themed café called Always for a themed cocktail and some pictures. From there, we then went to the Tây Hồ District– the western area, similar to that of District 2 in HCMC. It was nice just to walk through.

From there we headed to see the famous train tracks of Hanoi. Everyday a train passes through the tiny, house lined alleyway at various points of the day. We went to the corner of Tong Duy Tan and Dien bien Phu street to see the train pass at 3:30. It was crazy how big and fast the train goes in such a narrow space; we were less than a meter away from it! It’s definitely worth the visit if you plan on going to Hanoi.

We headed back to The Old Quarter and popped into The Note Cafe for some famous Egg Coffee. IT's a really cute cafe full of colourful post-its with messages written by hundred of people, at different times, in different languages.

By that point of the day we decided to head back for a fried rice dinner from the local vendor as my flight home was fast approaching. I decided it would be a good idea to get a grab bike to the airport instead of a car as it as half the price – bad idea. The journey took about 40 minutes in the freezing cold, windy, night air! I felt awful for the driver! By the time I got to the airport I was frozen and couldn’t wait to get back to the heat of Saigon. Of course when I got to the terminal, my VietJet flight was delayed by an hour so I was late back to HCM. Nevertheless, it was great trip and a much needed catchup with someone from home.

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