Hà Nội
The city was the capital of Đại Việt. In 1802 the last imperial Vietnamese dynasty, Nguyễn dynasty, moved the capital to Huế and in 1831 the city was named 河內, Hà Nội, meaning ‘inside the rivers’. It was in 1976 when Hà Nội became the capitol of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
I arrived midday on a domestic fight from Ho Chi Minh. My first impressions were that the amount and noise of motorcycles was even greater than in Ho Chi Minh. Or maybe it was just because the houses in the narrow streets of the old quarter echoed the sound back to the streets. There was no escaping the noise.
After checking into my hotel I wasn’t too sure whether to explore the city by foot or by a Grab bike or car. I choose to walk. I walked until I got tired. I had an address for a restaurant which served Chả cá Lã Vọng, a famous dish made of grilled freshwater snakehead fish with fresh turmeric, galangal, ginger and dille. When I got there the restaurant was closed. I kept on wandering and settled for a narrow side street and a tiny food stall, where a lady sold boiled pigeons in a dark and sweet soy based broth. The bird was stuffed with leaf vegetables. But even in the narrow side street the motorcycles were zooming past me.
The next day was a Sunday. Early in the morning the sidewalks were already filled with breakfast street food shops. I opted for a bowl of sticky rice topped with chicken, Chinese lạp xưởng and French patê. This shows the cultural influences of China and the French in Hanoi.
I soon realised that on Sundays the roads around Hồ Hoàn Kiếm (Hoàn Kiếm lake) were blocked from car traffic. This meant droves of local people and Vietnamese tourists were strolling around the lake. Every few hundred meters I was stopped by a child or student asking me to practice English. Sometimes the parents pushed their child forward. I happily obliged and had fun talking to many different children and a bunch of young students. My walk around the lake lasted more than an hour.
I got so caught up in the leisurely Sunday atmosphere that I almost forgot to make a plan for the next week. But the city was still hot and very noisy. The only quiet place I could imagine, apart from my hotel room, was a tea house. I choose a random tea house on Google Maps. I was not disappointed. Hien Minh Tea was established in 2016. The tea house has a peaceful courtyard. I ordered the Huyền Lão Trà 1992, a black puerh.
To decide what my next move would be I talked to the girl serving me the tea and she told me the owner travelled to the Ha Giang mountains often to harvest and process tea. I decided on the spot that the next day I would travel to Ha Giang. I booked a bus ticket on my phone and decided I would find a hotel only after arriving in Ha Giang.
For a few days I remembered her name, didn’t write it down, and now I only remember she is a graphic art student. Working in the tea house was her student job.
The last few hours of day light I spent on Jade islet and in the Temple of the Jade Mountain (Đền Ngọc Sơn). In the temple are two preserved Hoàn Kiếm turtles on display. According to legend Lê Lợi, the founder of the Lê Dynasty, had a sword named Heaven's Will given to him by the Golden Turtle God, Kim Quy. After the Chinese accepted Vietnamese independence, the Golden Turtle God surfaced on the lake and Lê Lợi gave back the sword. Lê Lợi then renamed the lake Hoàn Kiếm, meaning “The Lake of the Returned Sword.”
Preserved turtle in the Temple of the Jade Mountain. The turtle is likely the rare Yangtze giant softshell turtle.
Goodbye Hanoi
After visiting Ha Giang and Cát Bà Island I spent a third time and final evening in Hanoi. Due to a lengthy evening rush hour traffic jam, when arriving from Cát Bà, I had only a few hours before nighttime. The third visit I had grown accustomed to the noise and I was happy to be back in Hanoi and feel the energy of the city. No time for fancy restaurants, I found a place with cold beer and a cheap platter of fried tofu, rice noodles, assorted meats and herbs.
I felt a bit hungry afterwards so I had some grilled shells with fried onion, mỡ hành (oil scallions) and fish sauce. I finished the night with a cold ice coffee sitting on a tiny chair, on the sidewalk, soaking up the noise of city and wishing I could have more time in Hanoi.
The people in Vietnam are early risers. No matter how early you wake up, you can always find breakfast on the street. Before I took a Grab car to the airport to make my way back to HCMC I had my last beef noodle soup in Hanoi.