It was Feb 02 when I visited Hanoi, Vietnam. This trip was again one of those routine duty travels, in fact it was to attend a meeting as well as undergo a training course. So the duration of stay was about 10 days, which is verrrrrrrrry lengthy compared to my other trips. So I was as it is bugged, and the agony started with the flight being very exhausting. Its even worse when the organizers forgot to pick you up. Language is a major problem and to find a taxi and arrive at your hotel was an exercise in itself. Bao Son Hotel is supposed to be one of the best in town although I didn’t much appreciate the ambience and food. Oh, there is another big one near by, I don’t exactly recall the name (must be Regal or Regency something..) and thats where Bill Clinton stayed during his visit it seems.
Hanoi has its own charm. It was just after winter and before rainy season and the weather was perfect. What attracts you most about Hanoi is its striking resemblance to any Indian cities. In fact, it reminded me so much of my hometown Bangalore a few years ago, with all its 2-wheeler population. You can find bikes, bikes and more bikes everywhere. The roads are not wide and traffic gets bad at times. But the people are very hardworking, sincere and warm, and go out of their ways to please you. The younger generation has become so net savvy that every nook and corner you find cyber cafes which is thronging with gen-Xers and Chatting is the most happening thing in Hanoi right now. Although the standard of living is not very high, its amazing to see that you can exchange your dollar bills even with small vendors and roadside shops. Silver antiques, Thread work and embroidery, wooden handicrafts are best deals for shopping. The place is swarming with tourists and buzzing all the time, especially the central market which is ideally located around the banks of a beautiful lake. There are quite some places of tourist interests like the Mausoleum of Uncle Ho (yes, they ’ve Ho Chi Minh all preserved and displayed..), Royal palace, Buddhist temples, Parliament house, gardens, war memorials, embassy avenues etc.etc. The major problem I faced was food. Being a vegetarian does not help at all.. and I managed with fruits, french fries and yogurt for dinner. One of the most enjoyable things of this trip was the dinner party hosted on board of a sailing boat. There are many such big boats which are converted into restuarants and they take you around the lakes in rounds while keeping you entertained with their traditional songs, dance and music. It was good!
Go visit sometimes guys, not at all a bad choice!