Hey there, guys! It's been a while. I really wanted to finish my Vietnam posts this past weekend but I spent some time with my sister on Saturday and then our terrace was renovated as well. So we had to clean up yesterday because our home got a bit messy. Anyway, new week, new post!
What to do in Hanoi
The last stop of our Vietnam trip was Hanoi, the country's capital, where we stayed about three days. We had lots of time and spent most of it just chilling at our homestay, the Dreamcatcher Homestay, and doing some sightseeing. Hanoi is smaller than Ho Chi Minh (where we started our trip) so two days is really enough to see most of it. We spent our first day just walking around and exploring the city. I especially loved the old town, even though it was pretty packed and noisy. We visited the Hanoi cathedral, the Hoan Kiem Lake Park, the Dong Xuan Market, the old town and lots of narrow alleys, little shops and cafés. My favorite café was by far The Note Coffee, a cute and colorful café that is covered in sticky notes that have lovely quotes and short messages on them written by locals and travellers from all over the world. Miguel and I had a yummy matcha latte and chocolate egg coffee that were both served with a wonderful note from the staff. Of course we left a little love note too ;-)
Hanoi is a shopping paradise for those looking for some souvenirs, local food and traditional Vietnamese products. There was an abundance of stores selling Vietnamese coffee, pottery, hats, clothes and other wonderful things. We bought a beautifully painted traditional hat for our memory wall at home and some other souvenirs. I also got myself a beautiful basket bag. If you're into hardcore shopping visit the Dong Xuan Market. I personally got a bit crazy there, living a more minimalistic lifestyle I felt quite overwhelmed by all the mass consumption and millions of products offered there. Nevertheless, I think it's a great place to go for shopping fans and bargain shoppers. I simply prefer shopping at smaller stores.
At night we visited the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. We had gotten tickets earlier in the afternoon for a 7 pm show. It was really nice to sit down and lean back after a long day of walking. The show lasted for about an hour and was a fantastic and entertaining mix of traditional live music and singing accompanying the water puppets' fun performances. We were looking for an authentic and traditional experience to finish our trip and were surely not disappointed by this show!
Stay tuned, my next and last Vietnam post is coming up soon!
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| Enjoying a matcha latte at the Note Coffee |
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| Vendors at Dong Xuan Market |
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| The water puppets at the Thang Long Theater |
