Hanoi, Vietnam

Hey All! After an amazing couple weeks with the Fitz/Duvall crew, they are safely back in the States and Michael and I are settling back into our normal routine. As I noted in our recap of our time spent in Singapore {here} we all headed to Hanoi and Hoi An (Danang) Vietnam for a wonderful holiday. Our trip purposely coincided with the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday (Tet in Vietnam), when much of the region is shut down. Those who celebrate spend time with their families and those who do not commonly travel during the 4-5 day public holiday. The official celebration, I learned today, lasts for 14 days. Many restaurants, shops and businesses can be closed up to a week!  Recap below: 

I have so many photos to share I decided to do two separate posts, one for Hanoi and one for Hoi An. Lots of motorbikes, amazing food, history and memories to last a lifetime.  

From the moment we touched down you could feel the New Year buzz in the air. Everyone

was dressed to the nines, smiling, and elated to be reuniting with their families.

On the drive in we passed countless people buying and carrying New Year's flowers and plants. If only we weren't driving a million miles an hour and weaving in between insane motorbikes, I could have gotten a few snaps of all the flower stands and people carrying full trees on the back of their bikes. We saw a tree, I kid you not, sticking 10 feet off the back of a motorbike. The mandarin orange tree in particular (or kumquat) symbolizes luck and wealth for the new year and they are EVERYWHERE. Michael and I actually have one at our apt. We thought it was a lime plant, but now enjoy it for its year-round good vibes.  

We ventured out on foot just before sunset to check out the city before dinner and a midnight firework show. We stayed at the Hotel Metropole and would not recommend staying anywhere else! Great cental location, awesome bar, and over the top friendly staff. The hotel is located in the heart of the French Quarter, or as the internet calls it, 'the cultural heart of the city.' (Hanoi was the former capital of French Indochina and the current capital of modern day Vietnam). When you step out of the hotel and do a 360 turn you would swear you were in Paris. Tres chic y'all.  One of my fav pics below~

Attention. This is literally how one must cross the street. There are pretty much zero road rules in Vietnam. You just kind of slowly creep across the street and the bikes will either stop, or go around you. It's actually safer to walk really slowly as opposed to running across the street. We did a flailing combination of the two. 

Below is one of the many centers of celebration near our hotel. There were kids all dressed up and running around, parents chasing after taking photos and holiday decor strung all about. It was a wonderful welcome to the country.

Chúc mừng năm mới! 

Means happy new year in Vietnamese. Greg and Laura broke the all-time record for most times 

spoken within a 2-day period with an impressive 930,673,096 tries :) We had a good laugh and it 

always brought a smile and reciprocated chuck-mun-ma-moi in return. 

Lots of little kids in the traditional Vietnamese dress - Ao Dai. 

Although we were in Vietnam, the current holiday song of choice blaring over the loudspeakers - Celine Dion, My Heart Will Go On. We also passed a random kiddie carnival playing Jingle Bell Rock(?). 

In the heart of the Old Quarter where we stayed is the beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake. It is also refered to as Sword Lake or the lake of the returned sword. Wiki link here for your further edification.  

In Vietnam there is street food at literally every turn. We were often catching the Duvall men stopping (or trying to stop) for some kind of roadside mystery meat. Not exactly sure what the items pictured below are. 

We've heard Hanoi has a great street food tour, but we unfortunately didn't have time on this trip. It's certainly something we would want to do on a return visit. (Don't forget to pack the charcoal pills, kids!) 

We concluded the evening with a great dinner at the Ly Club, a DJ rave party outside the Opera House and a midnight firework show, at which we were so close to the explosions I have no idea how it was legal. We certainly rang in the lunar new year in style!   

The next morning we were up early to check out the city's historical landmarks. We were told that many things would be closed, but to our surprise were able to see most everything we wanted to - with just a little help on directions :)

We began our walking tour at The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and museum. Ho Chi Minh had actually requested to be cremated. However, after he died, against his wishes, a mausoleum was built to house his body - this followed the tradition of other deceased communist leaders. 

The grounds were pristine and the military honor guards were a site to see.  

Incense is often used in Asia - especially in Vietnam - as an offering and way to connect and pay respect to one's ancestors, family and deities. 

The Presidential Palace. Very yellow in color. Very French in design. 

Wide angle view. 

Okay, now on to something more light...

Dogs on scooters! Dogs on scooters! This gal - and her 2 y/o, Roy, were so sweet to let us fawn all over them and take pics. She even offered for me to sit on her scooter with the dog and pose. I literally almost passed out. 

Relationship goals. I am very seriously considering creating a coffee table book. I am workshopping the titles, Goldens of SE Asia, or simply, Dogs on Motorbikes: Get On My Level. 

As we continued to walk, I tried to capture as much of the city as I could. It was made even more difficult while trying to trail the group without getting lost or hit by a motorbike. One could spend an entire afternoon photographing just one street in Hanoi.  There is something beautiful and intriguing to see in every little nook and cranny (and there are certainly lots of those). 

The city is such a wild and unique combination of French, Soviet and Vietnamese architecture and culture. 

I have about 200 photos of these beautiful shuttered colonial homes. 

It's not Vietnam without the balloon vendors. Can we please take a moment and look at the  little boy in the bottom right corner? Too. Cute. 

Next we stopped and toured the Hỏa Lò Prison, also known as the Hanoi Hilton. The prison was first built by French colonists in the late 1800's to house political prisoners. Much of it has been torn down so the remaining museum area is pretty small, but it was a really powerful and thought-provoking remnant of history to see firsthand. Most of the area is now surrounded by office buildings and housing. (Random note: there is in fact a massive, actual Hilton hotel in the center of the French Quarter). 

View from the outside. 

View of the top wall looking out a window from inside. 

After the museum we headed back towards the hotel as our time in Hanoi was coming to an end. We ended up stumbling upon the cutest little lunch spot here on the third level. By chance, it end up being a top-tier meal. I cannot sing the praises of Vietnamese food enough. It is a nice departure from other SE Asian cuisines - it is much lighter and centered around more greens and fresh herbs. I took some pics, but my food photog skills are not up to par. Do you know how hard restaurant lighting is to work with?! 

View from inside. 

Overlooking the lake. 

It is truly astonishing to see and feel just how much change has taken place in Vietnam in just one generation. I am not exaggerating when I say that it is home to some of the most friendly and welcoming people we have encountered in all of our travels. I could give multiple examples of wonderful people we met and spoke with during our time in Vietnam. All past stigmas aside, if you ever have a chance to travel to the country, I highly, highly recommend it. 

It was only fitting we were treated to a spectacular sunset on our way out. Onto the next one! I look forward to sharing photos from our time in Hoi An. 

XO,

CD