Xin chào! Cảm ơn! Tạm Biệt!
A very short lesson in Vietnamese:
Xin chào! - Hello!
Cảm ơn! - Thank you!
Tạm Biệt! - Goodbye!
Those were the three words that I mastered in my fun-filled, action packed, went wayyy too fast 9 days in the absolutely beautiful country of Vietnam!
Two out of three of those words I learned before I ever left the Hanoi airport thanks to the immigration officer. Safe to say that the people in Vietnam were a great deal friendlier and more helpful than many that you encounter in China. Not at all meaning to stereotype, but there is certainly a difference in the attitudes of the people between the two countries.
Our trip began in the bustling northern city of Hanoi! It took no time at all to realize that mopeds and scooters rule the roads and everything you were ever taught while growing up about looking left and right before you cross the street does not apply. It's actually opposite, just do as the locals, and walk without hesitation into oncoming traffic. And I'm not talking one lane of traffic with three scooters, I'm talking up to five lanes of traffic with hundreds of scooters, mopeds, cars, buses, bicycles...you name it it's probably there. If I had not been a quick learner I might still be standing on a street corner in Vietnam waiting to cross the street safely. Big thanks to the local woman who probably (judging by the fact that we were 1) foreign and 2) had frightened looks on our faces) could tell that we didn't know what we were doing for giving us the go ahead to step off the curb with her wise words of advice "you just have to go."
Our hostel in Hanoi was located in the Old Quarter. A charming neighborhood filled with backpackers and locals alike with small streets and endless shops, markets, street food, and subtle french architecture. A thought that crossed my mind as I passed a woman selling live snakes from a bucket next to several others cleaning produce and selling it from woven baskets sitting on the dirty street was that Vietnam is not as quite as developed as I had thought it would be. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I loved what I got anyways!
Our first day was spent pouring through shops as we explored the Old Quarter. We had no real destination in mind - just to see what we could see. Along the way we stopped in King Pirates Pub - a bar for the biggest fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. We met the owner who said she really liked the movies (obviously) and Johnny Depp. I didn't admit to her that I had never seen the movies before. From there we went for dessert at Kem Trang Tien, a famous ice cream shop in Hanoi, shopped some more, walked around Hoan Kiem Lake, and later on had dinner with our two Canadian roommates from the hostel at a nice little restaurant called Linh's Kitchen. I had the Vietnamese beef rice noodles and spring rolls - both of which are delicious - but during my time in Vietnam I probably had spring rolls every single day. I became a bit of an addict.
Our trip was off to an amazing start! Stayed tuned for posts on Halong Bay, Sapa, more from Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City!
Xin chào! - Hello!
Cảm ơn! - Thank you!
Tạm Biệt! - Goodbye!
Those were the three words that I mastered in my fun-filled, action packed, went wayyy too fast 9 days in the absolutely beautiful country of Vietnam!
Two out of three of those words I learned before I ever left the Hanoi airport thanks to the immigration officer. Safe to say that the people in Vietnam were a great deal friendlier and more helpful than many that you encounter in China. Not at all meaning to stereotype, but there is certainly a difference in the attitudes of the people between the two countries.
Our trip began in the bustling northern city of Hanoi! It took no time at all to realize that mopeds and scooters rule the roads and everything you were ever taught while growing up about looking left and right before you cross the street does not apply. It's actually opposite, just do as the locals, and walk without hesitation into oncoming traffic. And I'm not talking one lane of traffic with three scooters, I'm talking up to five lanes of traffic with hundreds of scooters, mopeds, cars, buses, bicycles...you name it it's probably there. If I had not been a quick learner I might still be standing on a street corner in Vietnam waiting to cross the street safely. Big thanks to the local woman who probably (judging by the fact that we were 1) foreign and 2) had frightened looks on our faces) could tell that we didn't know what we were doing for giving us the go ahead to step off the curb with her wise words of advice "you just have to go."
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| A bit of the traffic in Hanoi! They do put crosswalks on the roads but I don't know why they bother... |
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| This guy! He was my favorite! Peace. |
Our first day was spent pouring through shops as we explored the Old Quarter. We had no real destination in mind - just to see what we could see. Along the way we stopped in King Pirates Pub - a bar for the biggest fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. We met the owner who said she really liked the movies (obviously) and Johnny Depp. I didn't admit to her that I had never seen the movies before. From there we went for dessert at Kem Trang Tien, a famous ice cream shop in Hanoi, shopped some more, walked around Hoan Kiem Lake, and later on had dinner with our two Canadian roommates from the hostel at a nice little restaurant called Linh's Kitchen. I had the Vietnamese beef rice noodles and spring rolls - both of which are delicious - but during my time in Vietnam I probably had spring rolls every single day. I became a bit of an addict.
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| The Old City Gate of Hanoi. |
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| Park your scooter and grab a snack! |
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| Need another snack? You can't actually walk into this little shop as there isn't any room so I'm assuming you just point and let them climb over everything... |
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| King Pirate's Pub! |
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| Hoan Kiem Lake...I should have done my research on this one so I could tell you what that little building is all about... |
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| My travel friend, Erin, and I at Hoan Kiem Lake! |
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| Dinner at Linh's Kitchen! You took your shoes off and sat on a cushion on the floor. Beef noodles, spring rolls, and fresh pineapple juice through a fun, curly straw! |
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| P.S. I could not forget to mention the most thrilling cab ride of my life. It was beyond humid, we were hot and sweaty and ready for some AC, and these pedicab drivers practically followed you around wanting to take you wherever your heart desires...so we let him! For about 2 bucks this guy got a workout pedaling Erin and I all the way back to our hostel. I thought it was great fun, she was scared to death thinking we were going to get run over because we were going snail speed in comparison to everything moving around us. We survived anyways and got our driver in on our selfie. |
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