Finally my last post on this trip. Phew!

29th January 2008
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Waking up early in Old Quarter is a blessing. This is the only time that the streets are void from the honking of vehicles… well at least just for a little while.

Peaceful morning

Locals could be seen getting their goods ready for the day’s trade. People flock nearby coffee shops for a shot of caffeine before a strenuous day ahead.

I look like a need to go to the loo

Hawkers could be seen at every streets corners with steaming pots and delicious smell of food enticing passerby. It was especially inviting in this cold weather. Nothing is better than a bowl of hot soup or noodle for breakfast to warm the tummy.

Steaming hot

Just across the road from our hotel was a lady selling some sort of noodle. It turned out to be the best bowl of seafood noodle ever! Seriously.

Seafood noodle with escargot and all

The bowl of noodle looks strange because it had so many ingredients all at once. Tomatoes, escargot, minced beef, bean sprouts,green onion and fried onions. It was the first time i had tasted escargot and it was not bad at all. The food in Hanoi never fails to amaze me.

Selling Loh Mai Fan (sticky rice)

There are also many kinds of Loh Mai Fan (sticky rice) in Hanoi. Some are plain and some are brown or yellow.

Yuck!

The lady had a hard time understanding us. We brought a packet of the rice back to our hotel room. Unfortunately, the rice had cool by then and it was tasteless. LOL *the peanuts so little only ler…

Mobile chee cheong fun

On another side of the street, we spotted a lady selling Chee Cheong Fun (rice noodle roll). Known as Bánh cuốn, the Chee Cheong Fun here is different from those we normally have in Malaysia. Instead of the sweet sauce, it comes with diluted fish sauce and pieces of tauhu.

Cold chee cheong fun

Actually there are many different types of Chee Cheong Fun you could find in Old Quarter. Some have ground pork fillings and served with bean sprouts. The one we had was just plain thin sheets of of rice noodle with sprinkles of fried onions on top. I’m not sure it’s because the hawker haven’t have the time to prepare our plate coz the rice noodle was cold. But it was refreshing and tasted just as good. *yum yum!

Spot the old hag?

Our short stroll brought us to Hong Giay Street (Coffee Street) once again. We decided to have another drink of Vietnam coffee
before we leave.

Vietnam black coffee and cream coffee

I have no idea how many cups of coffee while i was in Hanoi. I had so much coffee, i lost count. Trust me, it’s so good, it’s addictive.

Fresh roses on the streets

While everyone were enjoying breakfast and setting up shops for the day, the wet market was lively and buzzing with people. The place is so packed that we had to elbow our way out. I think i have few bruises to show after that.

Lively wet market

It was quite narrow and the fresh produce were spilling onto the street. But still locals ride their motorcycles into the wet market, stopping at each stalls to check out the goods. Even in the market, they couldn’t stop honking.

Selling all kinds of fresh produce

However, it was a good experience battling through the market. Fresh produce and goods comes in abundance… even seafod! It’s really wonderful watching the trade. I wonder if bartering is acceptable here *hehehe

Fishes anyone?

Remember i wrote a post on the non-profit restaurant in Hanoi named KOTO (Know One Teach One)? Well, we actually went there for lunch to show support… and out of curiosity.

The food looks tempting right? Read my review to find out :P

Food At Koto

There are many weird interesting incidents that happened in Hanoi. We got conned by a kid, then by a lady selling donut (the most expensive donut i’ve ever bought!), saw a giant penis and much more. One incident that i’ll definitely never forget is our desperate hunt for the loo. *yeah we went toilet hunting -_-”

Most expensive donut!

We had checked out early from our hotel and hired a taxi at a tourist agency nearby to take us to the airport later in the noon. It was still early went for a walk. When we got back we asked to use the loo but the staff told me the building have NO toilet!!! *wtf??!! We ran around looking for a toilet but failed! It was hilarious.



Toys!

They DO NOT have toilets! Period. Most of the tiny shops in the town don’t have a toilet. It’s either that or they are reluctant to let you use it. In the end we had to return to our hotel to borrow their toilet *so paiseh!



Guess what’s this… it’s mobile stoves!

Enough about toilets and such already!

Well, finally our taxi arrived and we had to leave.



Ready for home

We passed by streams of cherry blossom and kamquat tree seller trying to earn more income for the coming New Year. It was a perfect sight before we left the unique town.

Cheery blossom…sigh…

Although we were reluctant to leave, we were looking forward to be back home. It’s one thing to visit Vietnam but another thing to live here. Life in Hanoi is stressful and exhausting. For the first time i am glad to be a Malaysian.

Souvenirs

With Hanoi behind us, i’m ready for a new chapter.

Bye bye Hanoi

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Note: All photos are taken with my Panasonic Lumix F8.