Vietnam: a story of the city of lakes, bicycles and beautiful chaos

Looking for suggestions on what to do in Hanoi (Vietnam), money saving tips, food suggestions and useful information about the city and locals? You are in the right place!

Before visiting Hanoi, I heard that the city has 8 million inhabitants and 8 million bicycles. After my visit, I'm sure there are even more of the latter. That was the first thing I learned about this city from Day 1. Everyone rides bikes here, including the taxi drivers. And my first interaction with a local was with the taxi driver. Little did I know that the Grab taxi (a local app similar to Uber) I booked would turn out to be a motorbike. But my luggage was no problem for the taxi driver. His response to my wondering "how the hell am I going to get on that bike with those bags" was, "Come on, what are you waiting for"?

Location

The city is geographically located in northern Vietnam and has been the capital for most of Vietnamese history. Hanoi's geographical location makes it either the first or the last point of travel for most tourists visiting Vietnam. For me it was the first point and I think I made the right choice because I learned so much about Vietnam here.

Historically, Severn and South Vietnam had differences even before the Cold War. And my impression is that the north managed to keep its authentic culture intact while the south was subjected to strong western influence.

Hanoi travel tips for first-time visitors

Hanoi is famous in the region for its lakes, which give the city a special charm. And the translation of the name Ha Noi is "city inside the rivers". But this city has much more to offer than its lakes. From completely chaotic streets and crowded roads to beautiful architecture, charming night markets and wide, long bridges, Hanoi is a city of contrasts. This city is the face of Vietnamese stubbornness and stubbornness over the years.

The city is very difficult to get around. I relied mostly on Google Maps, but my phone let me down on the first day and I got lost. Getting lost in Hanoi can happen to anyone. Something that caught my eye was the streets. I know it sounds weird, but I can swear I never once saw two streets meet at 90 degrees. So yes, I sincerely recommend you get a local sim card ($ 3 only) and use Google Maps and hope you don't get lost.

I know I made those chaotic streets sound scary, but that's part of the authenticity of Vietnam. If you are the type of traveler who can always find beauty in chaos, Hanoi and Vietnam in general is the right place for your next trip. Hanoi is the city that makes urban jungles like Phnom Penh and Vientiane look like quiet suburbs. It definitely seems more chaotic than Bangkok and is almost as chaotic as Delhi and Mumbai.

Average cost of travel in Hanoi

Dormitories – VND 80,000 and up (USD 3 and up)

Hotel rooms – 250,000-450,000 VND ($ 10 – $ 20 USD); but if you want to save even more, use this to get 15% off all Hanoi accommodation rentals.

Street food – 30,000-80,000 per meal ($ 1 – $ 3 USD)

* Street food is quite safe and not very spicy. I can personally say that I liked the street food even more than the restaurant food.

Bus transportation: 1,000 dong per trip (less than 10 cents). If you are planning a day trip or a trip to another city, use Bookaway to organize your transport. It's affordable, easy and hassle-free.

Use bicycles: about 2000 dong per kilometer, but they are very fast and you will get out of traffic more easily;

Taxis: around VND 10,000 per km;

How do the Vietnamese treat tourists?

Vietnam is a poor country and the prices of everything are quite cheap. There is a 500,000 dong note that costs $ 25 USD. However, some people will openly try to blackmail you. While traveling in Vietnam, I met a French lady working as an English teacher. She said she has been living in Vietnam for 5 years and shared with me a very interesting observation:

"Vietnamese people are taught that Western countries are to blame for all the country's problems and that we 'owe' them." So they expect us to spend a lot of money when we visit, and when you try to bargain, they get upset and treat you badly."

Fortunately, I didn't run into any of these issues, but I've heard some people complain about it. People were generally friendly and helpful.

The story of a traveler