The buzzing city of Hà Nội in Vietnam

Arriving to Hà Nội gave me a small culture shock. Even though Hà Nội has half of the people of Seoul - where I arrived to Hà Nội from - it didn't feel like it. There were people everywhere, cars and scooters driving by fast and me in the middle trying to figure out how to cross the road. I did get the hang of it quite quickly - the most important rule is not to stop in the middle and let the drivers know where you are going. Be confident but not cocky.

I was glad to find my way to Buffalo Hostel located perfectly in the middle of the old town district. It is a big hostel with a lot of backpackers, but still I felt so welcomed. The front desk always remembered me and everyone else by name, or at least it felt like it. I have a story about this, but you can read it at the end of this post after I've shown you some sights.

The Hà Nội Night Market was just around the corner from the hostel, and during the whole trip I think I went there on three different occasions. I tried out many different street food portions and explored the stalls selling souvenirs, clothes, art and handicrafts. As per my previous posts, there will be a separate food post from Vietnam with lots of delicious pictures.

About an hour later these seats would be taken and the street would be full of people.

One day, maybe the day after my arrival, I walked my way through all the main sights of Hà Nội. Below some pictures and information on the places I went to.

Trấn Quốc -pagoda

Trấn Quốc pagoda is the oldest (over 1500 years old) Buddhist temple in Hà Nội located on a small island near the southeastern shore of Hà Nội's West Lake. The weather was extremely hot and the sun was burning my skin. Walking in Hà Nội is not common, and it is quite affordable to ask for a quick ride from the local scooter or motorbike drivers.

Ho Chi Minh's tomb and Ba Dinh Square

Ho Chi Minh's tomb and Ba Dinh Square was the first place where I felt calm after a while. The area is restricted and to get to the square you have to go through security. There were people, but you could not hear the cars and the motor bikes sounds and no one was shouting. Everyone was enjoying their time taking pictures and looking at the guards as they changed shifts in front of the tomb. I think I stayed here for almost a couple of hours just standing and sitting, enjoying the weather and my time.

One Pillar Pagoda

One pillar pagoda is a Buddhist temple in the middle of Ba Dinh district. I came here during my visit to the Ho Chi Minh's tomb and as it was late in the evening, the place was quiet and calm.

Ngoc Son temple and the Hut Bridge

Ngoc Son Temple (The Jade Mountain Temple) is located in the middle of the lake Hoan Kiem. There is a small entrance fee to enter this beautiful temple and cross the red Huc Bridge.

Hanoi Events

Hà Nội old town was also filled with events and street artists. On the few days I stayed there I got to take part in Hanoi Book Fair, Yamaha Grande Festa, maybe some sort of an after party of a Hanoi Marathon, Classical music performances, techno DJ duo playing music to the audience and multiple street performances from local groups and artists. I enjoyed the eventful atmosphere to the fullest and so did thousands of other people from locals to tourists.

Hà Nội is a big city, but even according to the hostel owner, one should not spend too much time in Hà Nội, and go explore the countryside. I spent quite many nights in the city, at least compared to the various room mates I had. Everyone seemed to stay for a day or maximum of two nights, and went on their way again.

I wasn't in a hurry, though. I wanted to take my time, even if I had only two weeks in Vietnam to spend. I didn't need to see and experience everything in one go. I could always come back. I seemed to be the only one thinking so.

After staying at Buffalo hostel for three nights, I was meant to take a night bus south to the coastal city of Da Nang. Unfortunately, a strong typhoon was approaching from the Philippines and Da Nang was directly on its route, so all the buses and transportation was cancelled. I didn't mind, and the morning of the news I went downstairs and booked one more night in the hostel and swapped the bus tickets to the next day.

Something very peculiar happened next. After three hours I got a WhatsApp message from the hostel owner, and he requested me to come downstairs to the reception. He seemed worried.

He was very sad to hear that I had booked one more night and couldn't start my travels to the southern parts of Vietnam. So sad, that he ended up creating a completely new travel plan for me, and did it all just to be a nice person. He cancelled my following night and suggested that instead of taking the night bus to Da Nang, I would take the bus just a couple of hours south of Hà Nội and go see the sights there. He even introduced me to another solo backpacker who had been struck with the same unfortunate event and ushered us to travel together. And so we did.

This was one of the first experiences of the Vietnamese friendliness I encountered. Even during the rest of the trip, I messaged the hostel owner and let him know that he had managed to match me up with a great travel partner and we were enjoying our time with all of his great tips. I did end up returning to the same hostel at the end of my trip, and it was a happy reunion.

On my next post, I'll tell and show you what was the beautiful destination the hostel owner sent us to!