Vietnam Part 1: Hanoi (Feb. 18-24, 2014)

Maybe we didn't give Vietnam much of a chance.  I mean, we only stayed in Hanoi.  But, our impression of Vietnam is not that great.  We were told that Hanoi could easily be done in one day.  I didn't believe those people, but I definitely should have.  My advice - visit Hanoi for a day or two and then move on.  We didn't go to Halong Bay or Sapa (two places I really wanted to see_ because we spent a good chunk of money on our cave trip (post to come).  I would like to go back and explore other parts of Vietnam to give it a chance, but we were not impressed with Hanoi.  Here's what we did on our trip.

We explored the Old Quarter.  Motor bikes were everywhere in the Old Quarter - it was tricky trying to cross the street.  You pretty much had to take a deep breath and just go for it.  It was like playing a human game of Frogger!  We were told that the following week, either parts of or all of the Old Quarter would be vehicle-free.  Man!  We just missed it.

We visited Hoan Kiem Temple and Hoan Kiem Lake.

We took a 3-hour, walking food tour around Hanoi.  I highly suggest taking a tour.  We took our tour on the first full day we were there to get a feel for the food and the area.  We used the tour group Hanoi Street Food Tour.  I was so full by the end!  Two other couples were on our tour; we had so much fun with them.

We saw Thang Long - Hanoi Imperial Ancient Citael (Flag Tower, Doan Mon Gate, Kinh Thien Palace, Back Pavilion, Northern Gate, and an archaeological site).

We went to the Temple of Literature.

We took an overnight train from Hanoi to Dong Hoi for our cave trip (post to come).

After our cave trip, we got a massage with hot stones at NQ La Sante Spa.

We also went to Hoa Lo Prison, but we didn't take any pictures.

While in the Old Quarter, we were able to buy new shoes, backpacks, and hiking gear for really cheap.  Yes, everything was knock-offs, but you can't beat it for the prices!

We also just spent a lot of time sitting around drinking coffee or beer, people-watching, and taking in the city.