Stroll, Sip and Snack in the streets of Hanoi! - Part 1
I’m a countryside traveller who never really understood the meaning of city breaks - until I landed in this charming city!
Every year, our family of four—me, my parents, and my brother—goes on vacation. It has become an annual ritual now. So, when ideas were floating around, mainly for Indian locations, it was me who suggested Vietnam.
We had never gone abroad together, and I believed Vietnam would be a great start.
As the family's avid travel blog reader, I did the research and made the itinerary and bookings, taking everyone’s interests into consideration.
I decided on North Vietnam - covering the capital city of Hanoi first, then the countryside in the Ninh Binh area and ending it with a bit of luxury on a cruise at Halong Bay!
Being a slow traveller and countryside lover, I was most excited about the mid-part of the trip to Ninh Binh! (story coming up soon)
My folks like exploring crowds, hustling energies and city tours while I can be content with peace and quiet, away from the noises, ready for a traffic-detox for days! Being from India and being used to the crazy traffic scenes in almost all of its cities, I really never understood why people take city breaks! But I was in for a surprise!
Getting charmed by a bustling city was never on my bucket list!
We landed in Hanoi and stayed at the Old Quarters as all the travel blogs suggested (especially for first-timers in the city) for the convenience of exploring around. Everyone said that the city had a lot to offer, so we were ready to explore in an impromptu way. The only thing however that I was truly excited about was to try the coffees and local food that the city is famous for!
My first impression of the Old Quarter of Hanoi was that it kind of resembled the vibe of the Colaba area of Mumbai - with hotels in the narrow lanes, a variety of places to eat, street shops, hustling people and lots of tourists.
I have always used words like crowded, loud and noisy for cities but, here in Hanoi it surprisingly felt lively and vibrant!
It was crowded but I couldn't believe that I loved the crowd. Why? I’m still trying to decode properly.
Maybe it was the streets that had a unique vibe, that was not the same as the Indian streets that I am used to.
Maybe because the smells were different, thanks to the food stalls around.
Maybe it was the language, which kept reminding me that I’m a guest here, on a holiday!
Overall, maybe it was the difference in culture in general!
After all, travellers like me who are into culture and food, seek all things local wherever we go! We don’t seek familiarity - what excites us are just little new things. Like how the people in Vietnam softly say “It’s ok” instead of “okay” while conversing.
The first sip of coffee in Vietnam!
There are cafes everywhere in Hanoi, and they all serve good coffee!
But my first sip of coffee in Vietnam during my first breakfast in Hanoi was one of the top highlights of not just this trip but all my travel and cafe experiences so far!
You might know that I love coffee. This New Year, I went for my first proper coffee plantation tour in Coorg, that was a dream come true experience. You can read the story from the below link:
Waking up to coffee!
It was sometime between 2016 and 2018. I was still active on Facebook then, and my cousin uploaded a photo with her arms stretched out amidst coffee plantations with the caption “Woke up to coffee”. I immediately made a mental note to add it to my travel bucket list!
Coming back to my first sip in Vietnam, the highlight I was talking about was the Egg Coffee!
If you eat eggs, I recommend you to try it as weird as it may sound to you.
Because it was DELICIOUS!!!!!! And I miss it so much!
There’s also Coconut coffee which was also really good but I loved the egg coffee much more.
We also ordered two Banh mi and shared. Banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich made out of crusty bread rolls with a loaded flavourful filling made out of meats, pickled veggies and condiments. And yup that was delicious but I have no proof of that because we were too hungry to remember for a picture. When in Vietnam, grab one - it’s available everywhere!
I’ll stop here for today, and continue going ga-ga about Hanoi in my next newsletter.
Meanwhile, I’ll go and figure out the egg coffee recipe!
See you again next week. Thank you for reading!
I am Namrata Gohain, a designer-turned-storyteller, writer and content producer. I document stories on responsible travel, crafts, cuisine, slow living and my creative journey.
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Love this! It was Vietnam that actually made me a coffee person and I’d never forget how my mind was blown when I had the first sip of egg coffee!
Hanoi is a vibe in itself. But next time you visit Vietnam, do take your time to visit Ho Chi Minh City. It’s very different from Hanoi but soooo charming in it’s own right!
Great read. Vietnam has been on my list for far too long. I cannot wait for that first moment when I step out of the airport and can finally proclaim "I made it!" Thanks for sharing.