One of the other backpackers at the Farm Stay, a North to South traveler, had said that he loe Hanoi because the city was so alive. And alive it was as I stepped off the train and into the streets. Dozens of taxi and motorbike drivers clamored at the exit for my business. I had been warned by a friend to avoid all but two taxi companies, since others use rigged meters or no meter at all, so I fumbled about in a grumpy daze trying to find an appropriate vehicle. Half-asleep, all of the people trying to rip me off just made me grumpier. All the while, drivers that I had ignored were tugging on my bags and sleeves, shouting to get my attention. After just a few days in the country, the city was a foreign place.
Soon enough, I was pulling up to my new hostel, which features a swanky lobby but is otherwise just a normal hostel. The dorm beds are still bunked with little unused space, the towels are for rent, and the rooms are only $5 a night. I had arrived just before 10, though, so only the lobby was available to me. With a weak wifi signal and a free map, I managed to orient myself and plot out the day's destinations. Food blogs provided landmarks for sustenance. Trip Advisor alerted me to the "must see" sights. The map kindly highlighted the location of the hostel and had "Please take me to the hotel" translated at the top. It was time to get lost.
But first, I needed breakfast. I tried to get the "best" beef pho (according to some of my favorite foodies) at 49 Bat Dan Street, but sadly they had stopped serving breakfast and I had to get my pho fix elsewhere. In Hanoi, that meant stopping at one of the dozen vendors on the same street, squatting on tiny red plastic stools at a child-sized table and slurping to my heart's content. I made sure to get an order of dau chao quay, or fried donut sticks, to dunk in my pho bo. They soak up the beef and lime juice broth and it is heaven.
The next stop was a step outside of my comfort zone: coffee. I do NOT like coffee that has not even diluted to about 90% milk and sugar, but so many people had raved about Vietnamese coffee that I decided to try a sip. But on my terms. And mine are terms of adventure. So it was off to Cafe Pho Co for a cup of ca phe trung, or raw egg coffee. The egg is whipped into a frothy meringue and poured atop a small serving of black Vietnamese coffee. Cafe Pho Co is tucked on the fourth floor of a building, with the entrance squeezed behind a souvenir shop and a tailor shop. The sign was more prominent than the one I had seen in picture, evidence that this gem has grown in popularity since its discovery by food bloggers a few years ago. But half the fun is scaling the many steps that wind up through the floors of the building, peering into each new space. I pass through an open courtyard, a shrine, and some residences. Finally, the stairs open onto a wonderful view of Hoan Kiem Lake. The coffee, ordered before the ascent, arrives promptly.
The meringue topping is delicious, and a little mixing brings in just enough coffee flavor. The coffee alone, I discover, is definitely not up my alley. But I am happy to have dessert in the guise of an American morning essential. And even happier to follow it up with one of the sugary confections sold on the street, another lingering sign of French colonialism.
And then it is off to see the sights! I stopped by the Temple of Literature first, a beautiful former school dedicated to studying Confucianism.
It was quite a prominent university for hundreds of years until a new royal academy was opened in central Vietnam and it only drew regionally. Still, it is pretty incredible to imagine the university occupying this space for nearly a thousand years. If you ever go, Wikipedia provides quite a good guide to each courtyard and the meaning behind each one. Each gate and courtyard has a fancy name, like "The Gate of Great Synthesis". They took this naming process quite seriously. The other thing they took seriously? Plant art.
These turtles were inscribed with the names of excellent scholars and also praised the king for founding and supporting the university. The turtle is one of the four national animals and is a symbol of longevity.
Next I stopped by Hoan Kiem Lake to walk the beautiful park around the edge.
Since it was the weekend, tons of locals relaxed on the benches and by the water's edge. The lake is known for its participation in an old folk tale. The sword of Emperor Le Loi was grabbed by a giant turtle while he was out on a boat on the lake. Neither the turtle nor the sword could be recovered. The king eventually concluded that the Golden Turtle God, who had lent him the sword for an important battle, was merely taking back what belonged to him. Le Loi even got a species of turtle, one that exclusively lives in this lake, named after him. As a result of this tale, a monument in the center of the lake was erected to the turtles, appropriately titled Turtle Tower. Along the north edge of the lake is another monument, this one the Ngoc Son Temple.
While it has represented different things since it was built in the 13th century, since the 18th century it has honored a 13th century Vietnamese military hero. Again, each part of the structure has meaning. I love it when so much thought goes into a building.
Another fun fact? The bats depicted flying around symbolize happiness, because the Chinese word for bat (phuc) means happiness in Vietnamese.
Mostly, though, I spent the day wandering the small streets of the Old Quarter, soaking up the everyday life in Hanoi.
For dinner: Banh cuon, thin rice rolls stuffed with ground pork and woodear mushrooms.
Spotted: the strangest raincoat things in the world. All of the women wear raincoat-like outerwear while riding on motorbike. The hood is pulled over the head and drawn tight. The sleeves extend to the wrist, and then a long oval flap covers the tops of the hands. I can only imagine that this is a part of the obsession with white skin, since these are not used as raincoats. In the rain, a giant poncho is worn instead. And, as in other part of SE Asia, all of the skin products (soap, lotion, etc) have whitening agents in them and promise a fairer complexion. It was difficult to snap a picture, but I did my best! The girl on the right is wearing a perfect example of the ubiquitous female motorbike coat.
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