Reflecting on Hanoi

My trip is over now, and I am already transitioning back into what I refer to as “real life,” but an account of my trip would be incomplete without any mention of my time in Vietnam.

My only stop in Vietnam was Hanoi, and only for a couple of nights.  I have to say, of all the places I saw in my four weeks, Hanoi was my least favorite. There could be a lot of factors that play into that attitude–I was having to deal with a problem at home while simultaneously trying to enjoy the last few days of my trip, I was getting pretty tired after four weeks of travel, and my malarone was starting to give me a bit of an upset stomach. But after the peaceful, natural beauty of Laos, Hanoi was a bit of a shock. We went from not quite 7 million people in an entire country to a city with just over 7 million people! The transportation of choice in Hanoi is motorbikes, and the city is not all that pedestrian-friendly. There are not many traffic lights or crosswalks. Want to cross the street? Just start walking across into oncoming traffic! Don’t worry, the motorbikes won’t hit you (but the cars and buses might)! And don’t run across–just walk at a steady pace so they can judge how not to hit you the best. Sidewalks aren’t all that useful in many places, either, and more often than not, I was wandering around in the street! I knew of several people back home who would not be too thrilled with this image, but sometimes there’s not much of a choice! Anyway, once I started getting used to it, it wasn’t so bad, knowing that the drivers seemed pretty alert and had no intention of hitting me. Really, I didn’t see any accidents, surprising since there are not a lot of traffic lights, but maybe this makes drivers more alert, knowing they have to pay attention? Nonetheless, it was still stressful!

Additionally, our guide warned us about bag-snatching gangs. He recommended not carrying any sort of shoulder bag or backpack, and instead keep small amounts of money in a pocket, with passports and other valuables locked away in the hotel safe. While he said that this is a very rare occurrence, the fact that he needed to mention it was enough to make me more careful.

Street vendors were kind of pushy. They wouldn’t take no for an answer when trying to sell us their fans or pastries. They would stand around and keep asking us, shoving their goods in our faces. Then there were the ladies selling fruit in those big baskets they carry on a stick across their shoulders. Their plan seems to be to make money by conning tourists into taking their picture while holding the stick basket! I would just glance over at one of those ladies, and she would rush up to me with the stick, asking, “Picture?” I would decline, but she would not give up, and try to place the stupid stick on my shoulders anyway. I would continue to decline, but she would not listen! Once I was pretty much pushed up against a wall by one of those ladies and her stick, and I had to run away from her yelling, “No! No picture!” I knew what would happen–once she took my picture holding the stick, she would try to charge me an exuberant amount of money for taking that picture, and honestly I had no interest in having a corny picture of myself holding her baskets on a stick.

But Hanoi wasn’t all bad. It really is an interesting city with a lot of beautiful architecture and interesting historical landmarks. I got to see an embalmed Ho Chi Minh, the presidential palace, some interesting temples, and the “Hanoi Hilton”–the prison where POWs were kept and tortured during the Vietnam War. The food is delicious! The clay pot fish was the most flavorful fish I have ever had! The water puppet show was incredible. And the lake was a surprisingly peaceful haven amongst the bustle of the city.

I did not hate Hanoi, but when compared to the other places I visited on my trip–the clean and modern Taipei, the mysteriously beautiful Alishan, the cultural diversity of Malaysia, the convenient public transportation of Bangkok, the fascinating Chiangmai, and the friendly, beautiful, and peaceful Laos–I think it is safe to say it was my least favorite stop. Maybe the city was trying to tell me it was time to go home!

All in all, I do think this is by far the most interesting and exciting trip I have ever been on! I saw such a variety of places, with a perfect mix of busy cities and quiet countryside. I had many opportunities to gain insight into local life, from meeting up with old friends, to the experiences provided through my GEEO trip. I ate a lot of really tasty food (and did not get sick from any street food). And I think two weeks traveling on my own and two weeks with a group was a perfect balance of time alone and time in a group. While I surprisingly did not fill my passport completely, I am pretty close. But with a couple of blank pages, does this mean I need to travel again sometime before it expires in October of 2016? We will have to see!