Vietnam - Hanoi

Our mid-autumn school holiday was the perfect opportunity to visit friends in Vietnam, as Autumn really is the best time to visit most Asian countries.  We only had a week, so we decided that we would focus on the North of Vietnam and leave the south for another time.  Alex and Sylvana live in Hanoi, which was our first stop.  We really enjoyed discovering the the city on foot on the Saturday and Sunday.  We enjoyed walking around the old quarter and meandering through the streets, even though there were bikes and scooters flying by constantly and you really needed to have your wits about you.  Watching the street sellers struggling with huge bamboo baskets and all the people enjoying the lake area for exercise and socialising was great.  We stopped and had a cold $0.80 beer on the side of the street and watched the Vietnamese world go by.  Hanoi is definitely a city that can be enjoyed on foot and we certainly did that covering over 10km on day one.

Alex and Sylvana’s apartment block had a pool on the rooftop, so that was ALL the boys had on their mind.  An afternoon of fun in the sun was just what was needed after a long walk around the city.

Sunday was Max’s 9th birthday, and we enjoyed a Food Tour by Scooter.  This was an absolute highlight of our trip. The vietnamese food was fantastic and the scooter ride made it so much fun.  The boys loved being able to see the city without having to walk more, or sit in the back of a car.  We managed to see more of the city and got to taste the following Vietnamese delights.  I think we all had different favourites, but the Egg Coffee was a huge winner with us all.

Nộm bò khô       beef jerky salad

Phở ga Trộn      mixed chicken salad

Bún chả             barbecue pork noodle

Phở Cuốn         rolled Phở

Phở Rán           fried Phở

Banh mi            vietnamese sandwich

Cà Phê Trứng   Egg Coffee

and some Vietnamese sweets which we were not that keen on.

The scooter fun had to come to an end, leaving us with some more pool time and then we headed to the train station to catch the overnight train to Sapa.  The train ride was actually really comfortable and the boys fell asleep before we left and had to be worked up at the other end.

Jack learning to play games with some local University students.

Max praying for a new Mum

Green Rice Ice Cream

A quick pit-stop for a cold beer on the side of the street

Max and Alex

Shops selling - everything' - this one was ribbons and tinsel

buttons, buttons, buttons

what a lovely dinner together with Alex and Sylvana

around the lake

donuts anyone ?

Jack went missing, and we found him in a local tug-o-war

bikes, bikes, bikes

morning 'face yoga'

our food tour

Mike, Jack and Max

The river running through Hanoi

The railway running through the streets and 'homes' of Hanoi

Our cabin in the train - a bunk on either side.