First Full Day in Hanoi


Today is Sunday and the streets of Hanoi are more quiet than during the week. Or so we were told!  Everyone seems to be out relaxing and enjoying family time.  

Hanoi is located on the banks of the Red River and is one of the most ancient capitals in the world, dating back to 1010.  The city is divided into two sides by a lake; the French Quarter and the Old Town.  We are staying right on the border of the two in the French Quarter.  Hanoi is an old city with well-preserved colonial buildings, ancient pagodas, and unique museums within the city centre of more modern buildings.

The sights, sounds and smells of the streets heighten the senses. Streets are blocked off and children ride battery “cars”, vendors take over the sidewalks with makeshift markets and small plastic stools.  These vendors are not paying rent or taxes on a facility and the plastic chairs can be quickly stacked and moved.



The streets are so hectic and busy and yet you walk by and see narrow alleyways that lead to quiet “villages” of people who live just off the hectic streets.  In these “villages” they also sell prepared foods but mostly for the neighborhood families.  Rice paper, meats, sticky rice, seafood pho, fresh pineapples, chicken - you could buy it all.  One woman was cleaning a fish in the curb on the street.  After seeing the fish, we came back to the hotel and ordered pho and spring rolls for lunch! Pho is pronounced “fuh” for the noodle soup or “fho” (long o) for a street.






There are 16 people on our tour: eight are from Connecticut, two from New Jersey, two from Pennsylvania, two from Massachusetts, and us.

 Tonight we had our welcome reception and dinner.  Tomorrow we will meet bright and early for breakfast and then the actual tour will begin.

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