We landed at about 7pm and got a taxi that our hotel arranged. We are staying in the same place we stayed before flying to Cambodia, just for one night; a cute little local hotel called Kecho Legacy in the heart to the old quarter of Hanoi.
It somehow became 10pm before we knew it so we just got some smoothies by our hotel and went to bed.
During the night there was an absolutely horrendous storm, it seemed to be directly over the hotel for about an hour.
It woke most of us with crashing thunder and lightning and rain pummelling down. Jonathan said he thought he’d get up to find us (those on the higher floors of the hotel) dead in the morning. Didn’t think to go and check we were alright though!!
But worst of all, it collapsed the little hut of the local bike company we used in Cambodia the other day, rendering their business unusable for the foreseeable. They only had 6 bookings for the whole month as it was, because it’s low season, so they were already struggling to get by.
They messaged me – I think for financial help though they were very indirect – so if anyone would like to donate towards repairing it, it would be hugely appreciated by them and their families, so they can get the business operational again.
The owner Sam uses 50% of the proceeds from the bike tours to support a local village school. I saw a QR code for donations towards the school on the wall of the hut while we were there, so have asked him to send it to me for any donations, in case anyone would like to join in supporting them.
Anyway, after a nice little breakfast at the hotel and some posing on the hotel’s roof, we went out for a day of lethargic, meltingly hot, exploring.
The plan was just aimless strolling for most of the day, seeing the city with a couple of specific locations to visit but otherwise no plans. The kids’ FAVOURITE kind of day 😂
Directly out of our hotel was a little back alley with small local eateries, full of locals eating. Ideally, this is where I wanted us to eat. But as most of you with kids will know, that’s not really reality when on holiday with kids. And happy/ fed kids ultimately makes life more bearable. So while I wanted to eat Pho and Bun cha, the reality is more… chips.
I try and mix it up so they experience some authenticity but so far, they actually eat more varied and international food at home than here!
It’s especially difficult in Vietnam, because proper local eateries specialise in just one dish – and that’s what you go to the place for. And when it’s sold out, it’s done for the day. I did not get to eat in any of those little places sadly, so we’ll save it for another time and not be bitter!
First stop was tourist-tastic train street. You’ve probably seen it on social media, you sit in the little coffee shops/bars and the train comes past close enough for you to touch. We found a little place about 45mins before the train came, lured in by an aggressive lady with zero customer service skills nor patience.
We happened upon it all by accident because we had no idea what the timetable was, as Google has about 4,750 versions.
We thought we’d just walk down the track for the vibes but lucked out that it was coming so soon. So we settled in with some smoothies and spring rolls and watched the train roll by.
After train street we meandered towards the Temple of Literature. An historic 11th century complex built by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong to honour Confucius, founder of Confucianism.
It then became a learning center exclusively for the king’s sons and other aristocrats. Obvs. Over time, the Temple of Literature evolved into Vietnam’s first university and is today a UNESCO site.
It has retained much of its original architectural layout, with restorations made to repair damages caused by wars.
One of its most iconic structures, the Khuê Văn Các, has been chosen as the symbol of Hanoi and is on one of their bank notes (which we found out by eavesdropping on someone else’s conversation).
Tim was still dying so I sent him back the hotel on a Grab motorbike (57p) so he could just lie in the aircon and get some rest. It was also his first time on a motorbike, so he was quite excited about that, especially as I didn’t tell him til it pulled up.
And off we went again, on an aimless exploration of the city. Walking down any old random street. We found some art under the railway arches by train street but largely just took in the bustling city vibes.
The kids have become pro’s at crossing the roads here. Basic rule is – just walk out and the traffic will weave around you. If you wait until the coast is clear, you will never cross. The traffic is great at either pausing or going round you, and the kids have become completely unphased. In fact, keeping Rai from just walking out blindly in to traffic is more of a challenge.
We had an hour or so before our train, so we popped in to the Always cafe – a Harry Potter themed cafe – and got some drinks and snacks.
After that we crammed in to a 6 seater car, which was full to the brim with 8 people (+driver) plus a gazillion bags, and headed to the Hanoi train station for our overnight train to Dong Hoi, leavin at 8pm.
4 people to a compartment, it was clean and quiet enough for sleep and a decent loo too!
We arrived at our station just after 6am and had a car waiting for us to take us to our next destination: Phong Nha.
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