Hanoi and Halong Bay, Vietnam

Only 3 hours by plane from Singapore, we arrived in Hanoi early on a Sunday morning. The hotel had arranged a car to pick us up from the airport and take us to the Hoa Binh Palace Hotel in the Old Quarter. After a tranquil drive past rice fields, all of a sudden we found ourselves in the midst of organized chaos.

The Old Quarter is the old merchant’s quarter where every street is named for the merchandise they offer: Hang (merchandise) Bac (silver) is the street where the silversmiths originally settled and cast silver coins and bars. Today the street is lined with shops selling silver wares. Hang Non (conical hat street) Hang Manh (curtain street)…well, you get the idea. There was activity on the streets from early morning until late at night.

We never really ventured into other parts of the city as we were fascinated by the Old Quarter. Crossing the street was a bit scary, as my guidebook put it: “Step out like Moses, and behold, the red moped sea will part before thee. Tarry not at the curb, lest thou grow old and incontinent before thy allotted time”. The key was to keep a steady pace and the mopeds went around you, but one hesitation, and you were screwed. The traffic was crazy. One day, we took a two-seater cyclo, which was really nice, but the exhaust fumes were murderous. Most Hanoians wear a mask; I wished I had bought one at the market.

We joined a tour to Halong Bay, a World Heritage Site, about three hours by bus from Hanoi. Once we arrived in Halong Bay, we were led to our junk, a wooden boat with ornate carvings. 500 junks leave Halong Bay daily to take to cruise the waters against a backdrop of limestone karsts and secluded coves. The meals on board were amazing and our group of 18 was great. Our sleeping cabin was even air-conditioned! We hiked through a huge cave, went kayaking and swam in the bay, which was still very warm. The following day we returned to Hanoi for one last day (power shopping!) before returning to Singapore.