Well, actually, it was more like Good Evening. We arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam around 7pm and took a airport shuttle bus to our hotel (about an hour away) for a whooping price of about $2 per/person. I like Vietnam already. Once arriving to our hotel, oh before I talk about the hotel, I must add the traffic in Vietnam is INSANE! Scooters, taxis, cars, trucks, human beings, all in the street; vehicles honking their horns informing you to move out of the way, human beings walking SLOWLY across the street to avoid being ran over. It’s pretty intense to say the least. Okay, now the hotel. The hotel was really nice, on the small-side, but the man working the front desk was so friendly it made up for it.
Jeremy & I were starving and what else is better than Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup) for your 1st dish in Vietnam. We weren’t sure where to go for our 1st bowl of Pho, so we asked the front desk guy at our hotel. Soon after asking where to eat for a good bowl of Pho Bo (Beef Pho), the man replies “just one moment, I’ll have my brother bring you to a good Pho restaurant down the street.” Ummm….OKAY! This Pho joint was authentic as it gets. The brother had to order for us because the workers spoke no English. On the sidewalk of a busy street, here we sit on tiny plastic stools squatting at a plastic table ready to eat our Pho. The Pho was good, spicy, and infused with cilantro I was a happy girl. After eating and paying only $2 for two bowls of great beef Pho, it’s time to wash it down with a 333 (Vietnam’s beer). This beer may be one of my favorites, it’s a shame they only sell it in Vietnam. It’s light, creamy, and doesn’t leave you feeling stuffed. This 333 brand of beer was only .30 cents. Yes, 30 cents. Next, it was lights out.
The next morning, we woke up pretty early to get the day started. We toured the Ho Chi Minh Masoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s tradition Vietnamese home, Hoan Kiem Lake, and a few temples. 1st on the agenda, was Ho Chi Minh’s Masoleum, were you can see Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed body, even though his dying wishes were to be cremated there he lies for all to see.
We worked up an appetite running around Hanoi, so we decided to stop at a Vietnamese restaurant that got some rave reviews according to our travel book. The book was right, it was amazing. The restaurant setting was outdoors but had wooden terrace roof to protect against the rain. The restaurant was sectioned off into cooking stations. A station for Pho, hot pots, spring rolls and grilling, etc. Jeremy ordered Bahn Xeo (Vietnamese Pancake) and I ordered Pho Bo (beef Pho). I should add, my primary diet consisted of Pho while in Vietnam. Both dishes were amazing; to the point we ate here 3 times of our 4 day Vietnam trip. Just as amazing was the price, great food in a very nice setting only cost us about $2 a dish!
Day Two: Day Trip to Halong Bay. We first had to take a 3 hour bus trip to the city of Halong, from there jump onto our Chinese Junk, that’s what these boats are called, but far from being junk we boarded and started our trip with a nice lunch. We toured Halong Bay, in addition to cave exploring and kayaking, for 4 hours. After all this, returning to the harbor for our 3 hour bus trip back to Hanoi. For some brief history: Halong Bay means "Descending Dragon Bay"; and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The bay consists of a dense cluster of over 3,000 limestone monolithic islands (although locals claim there are only 1,969 as this is the year of Ho Chi Minh's death), each topped with thick jungle vegetation, rising spectacularly from the ocean. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. Words can’t do it justice, but Halong Bay was absolutely stunning. We arrived back at our hotel roughly around 8pm, went to dinner (Pho one more time) and hit the sheets.
Our last day in Hanoi, we met up with our friend Heidi who is currently teaching English in Vietnam. Because we had pretty much seen everything in the first two days, our last day was spent catching up over lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant, coffee at a cool café, and finally great pizza and red wine for dinner. It was a nice relaxing day/evening, especially needed since we needed be at the airport at 5am the next day for our flight.
We had 5 hour lay-over in Ho Chi Minh City (Still called Saigon by nearly everyone) before heading to Singapore. We left the airport and did some brief exploring. In Saigon, we explored a busy market that had everything you can imagine: from Durian (stinky fruit) to jewelry and everything in between. Then we ate our last bowl of Pho in Vietnam. Pho 2000’s claim to fame was that it’s Pho fit for a President. Bill Clinton himself dined there in 2000 and they proudly display pictures of him posing with the staff. The Pho was indeed delicious. Here in Southern Vietnam they serve Pho with Hosin sauce just like the Vietnamese restaurants do in MN. I felt right at home and I blissfully enjoyed my last bowl of Pho in Vietnam.
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