Several Close Shaves In Hanoi(se)

We rode the metro to Taipei’s Airport, which was quicker and more comfortable than the bus. It was also a more scenic ride; we saw lots of green space, including bush clad hillsides. Once at the airport we checked in, went through security, and then immigration. It got interesting here; apparently the Kraut was in Taiwan illegally. Her entry hadn’t registered properly so her exit was prolonged. But it was all ok in the end.

Then we had lunch and got on the plane. They fed us on the plane too, which was fine as we were both hungry. Upon landing in Hanoi they told us the outside temperature was 35°C. We looked at each other in mild horror.

Once in the terminal things got interesting. We had applied for e-visas and got a reply back very quickly, which Kiwi thought was just a confirmation of the application being received. This caused some worry as we didn’t think we had visas. But he was wrong, it was the approval letter we needed to get a visa. So, thinking we were sorted we queued in the “Foreigners” area. Once at the desk we were told we had to go the “Visa Application” area, so off we went.

The guy there was having a bad day I guess, because he told us rather grumpily that the letter had to be printed (Kiwi’s fault, he didn’t read the email). He told us to fill in the application form and print the letter. We spotted an internet kiosk, but finding no printer (or computer), asked the nice lady at the “Health Quarantine” desk, who told us there was no printer. We finally asked a policewoman. She pointed us back to the “Visa Application” area. So back we went.

This time we encountered a friendlier official who told us “next time print the letter” and then noted the reference number from the letter by looking at it on the phone. He then took our passports, paperwork, and ID photos . I reckon they could make some money by putting in a computer and printer and charging US$5 to use it.

So we waited with the several other foreigners. When someone’s visa was ready they put up that person’s ID photo (cringe) and name and nationality on a monitor above the “Passport Retrieval and Fee Payment” desk and a computerised voice called the name out. Kiwi’s name came up quite quickly, and when he went to get his passport the bloke called the Kraut over as well. We then had to pay for the visas. Apparently when we paid online it was only for the approval letter. So we handed over some US$s. Welcome to Vietnam.

Now, we could, and did, go through immigration. Then it was off to the carousel where we found our bags on the floor. We eventually found our prearranged ride and we were on our way to our accommodation.

On Thursday we left our nicely air conditioned accommodation to explore some of Hanoi. Outside it was hot, very hot. It was already 34°C, not to mention the humidity. A local told us later it was the hottest day so far this Summer. She also said Friday would be hotter. Joy.

Anyway, we set out to walk to Ho Chi Min’s mausoleum. To do this we went via the edge of a small lake north of our room. The lake is polluted but, judging by the number of locals fishing, appears to have a decent population of fish. Whether the fish are edible or not is open for debate. We resolved to avoid eating fish in Hanoi.

We got to the mausoleum at about 1045, it closes at 1100. The entry fee covers the whole grounds, not just the actual mausoleum. It would have taken us more than 10 minutes to walk from the entrance to the main event, making us too late to have a look at the man himself in all his embalmed glory (apparently he wanted to be cremated, but he is in no position to argue). So we continued on towards the Old Quarter.

We thought our accommodation was closer to the Old Quarter than it actually was. The walk was extended due to the police blocking some roads, we weren’t sure why, but we weren’t going to argue. But we got there eventually. We found the narrow alley where the train goes through at 1900 daily, forcing the locals to stay out of the way. By this time we were hungry, thirsty (we had drunk a lot of water already), and worn out by the oppressive heat. So having found a nice juice bar we sat on their rooftop in front of the fan and enjoyed juice, iced coconut coffee, and a bread roll. We also had a nice chat with some other travellers.

 

Feeling better, we continued on our way, stopping off at Sword Lake (something to do with a myth about a sword buried in the lake, turtles are also involved) where we crossed the small pedestrian bridge to visit the temple on the small island in the lake. It was nice, and offered some shade to rest in and relative peace.

Then onward. We found ourselves in the Old Quarter. It was nice too. Some traditional buildings have survived, alongside the ones from the French era. We explored a restored-to-its-former-glory traditional house, and generally tried to avoid being run down by a local on a scooter or in a car. To say the Old Quarter is touristy would be an understatement of enormous proportions. Most of the shops were targeted at tourists, and we were constantly accosted by people trying to sell us something, including in one case, marijuana.

Then we headed back to our room, stopping at a (French influenced) bakery to get some rolls for breakfast, and at a larger than normal convenience store (labelled ‘supermarket’ by Google Maps) to buy some snacks. We were glad to get back to our room.

The most sensory experience of the day was the noise. Hanoi is noisy. The constant roar of all the 4-stroke scooters becomes tiring, especially when combined with the constant sound of car, truck, scooter, and bus horns. Add in tired legs and sweaty bodies and it really is an endurance test. In some areas we found some peace. By the lake wasn’t too bad, the temple on the island and the park around the lake/pond were nice and peaceful and the square where we found a large neglected-looking Catholic cathedral was also quieter (this is also we chatted to the first Israeli Buddhist we have met). Parts of the city are lovely, and the French architecture is beautiful, if a little neglected. But the noise!

The most ‘interesting’ part of the day was learning to cross a busy Hanoi road. Where there are no traffic lights there might be a waste of white paint called a pedestrian crossing. No-one on wheels takes any notice of a pedestrian crossing. At intersections with traffic lights you can cross when the crossing signal is green, but must still keep an eye out for scooters. The trick is to keep walking at a steady pace as the scooter drivers will go around you. If you stop or move quicker it causes problems. Cars and anything bigger don’t care about you at all, let them go first. Also before stepping on to the road, don’t just look left, you must look in all directions as scooters are often on the wrong side of the road (and the footpath). We had a few close shaves, but managed to escape Hanoi unscathed.

On Friday we had a leisurely start to the day before walking about 30 minutes down the road to a nice big supermarket. They had peanut butter! After buying a few things we retreated to our room. We just could not bring ourselves to face the heat, humidity, traffic, and noise. We did venture out again in the late afternoon to buy a sim card for Kiwi’s phone (the one we bought at the airport for Kraut’s phone was potentially dodgy), get some passport photos taken for visa purposes, have dinner, and get a haircut for Kiwi.

The passport photo taking was interesting, and much more time consuming than you would think possible. But it got done eventually. The haircut was also fun. We found a hair salon, and using google translate, asked if they would cut a man’s hair. The four or five ladies inside giggled and welcomed us in. The hairdresser was out but we sat there in front of the fan and chatted to one of the ladies who spoke some English.

When the hairdresser showed up, he went to work. A very thorough and neat job was done on the hair, and Kiwi opted for a shave too. For less than NZ$3.50 he got a very close shave and a haircut. In the background Kraut was having a good chat to the hairdresser’s wife.

Our biggest mistake in Hanoi was not staying in the Old Quarter. But if we had we wouldn’t have seen the lake, found the railway alley, found the big supermarket, or met the nice people in the hairdresser shop. Having said that, when we return to Hanoi we will stay in the Old Quarter.

Here are a couple of short videos; the first one shows Hanoi traffic (watch for the scooters on the wrong side of the road) and the second one is us starting to cross a road.

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If anyone has any questions about travelling in Taiwan or Vietnam (not that we have travelled much in Vietnam yet), feel free to contact us at thekiwiandthekraut@gmail.com