Mr. & Mrs. Vandebilt + kids

We arrived in Hanoi Sunday in the late afternoon and were
immediately impressed by the chaos. We’ve spent a lot of time in Asia and have seen a lot of traffic and big crowds of people but nothing quite like this. Hanoi is a whole new kind of beast. We got dropped into the thick of it and for the first time on our trip we did not have a hotel pre-booked. Fortunately though we were able to quickly find what has turned out to be a great place to stay. We have a room all to ourselves and our own bathroom. Which may not seem like a big deal, but trust me it is. The fact that it’s only $10 a night is also a huge bonus.

We are going to be in Hanoi until Monday night with a brief visit to Ha Long bay starting tomorrow so we’ve been taking the city in at a relatively leisurely pace. To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled with the place when we first arrived. It was loud, there were a lot of people and it just didn’t have the character that I had been hoping for. But now that we’ve been here for a couple of days its really starting to grow on me. It’s still loud and busy but there seems to be a method to the madness.

The city is full of contrast and contradictions. All of the streets are littered with small cafes, restaurants and bars that just beg to be sat in for a long time and enjoyed on a relaxed schedule. While outside the streets are plugged with motorcycles racing around and blaring their horn at every opportunity. The food has been great, the coffee even better and the longer we stay, the more I like it.

While the city is definitely improving everyday we spend here, we’re both more than excited to be escaping for a few days. Tomorrow we head off to nearby HaLong Bay for some much needed nature and beaching. I can’t wait to just sit on the sand and take it in. HaLong bay won’t necessarily be exactly what we’re looking for as it’s a major tourist destination but it will be closer. As an added bonus, we met some girls last night while we were having coffee and we’ll be traveling with them on the tour tomorrow. It’s always great having some new people around to share stories, experiences and just have some company.