A day at sea before we pulled into port
Unfortunately, something attacked my system and I was sick for three days.
Happily, it was not contagious.
Aaron was solo that night.
This is my "making the best of it" face.
After breakfast we disembarked for a day in Hanoi.
We walked into Ha Long International Cruise Port where we met our prearranged driver Trần Mihn Phương (Hanoi Transport). Our destination? Hanoi—a two hour freeway drive through rural Vietnam.
Our first stop in Hanoi was for lunch. Our driver took us to a restaurant famous for their bún chả AND the fact that former President Obama enjoyed a meal there once.
The buildings in Vietman are tall and narrow. We climbed all the way to the fourth floor before we found an open table. Each floor had its own food prep station with wait staff.
Bún chả is a simple meal of grilled pork, rice vermicelli
and herbs with a broth of fish sauce.
Bún chả (50,000d) + beer (25,000d) =
75,000 đồng (d) = $3.00
Back down the stairs to the street
Sidewalks are for parking scooters. Walking is secondary.
So much activity in the street
Family transport
Thê Húc Bridge spans from the bank of the lake to Ngọc Sơn Temple.
After lunch, we were dropped at the edge of Hoàn Kiếm Lake, also known as Sword Lake. It is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as a focal point for public life.
Coffee shops everywhere
A break from shopping
Nature in the city
Everything is sold on the streets
Our driver advised us to leave the city early since President Xi Jinping of China was making his state visit to Vietnam. Sure enough, we were blocked at an intersection in front of the Hanoi Opera House so that his entourage could pass through.
The Vietnamise transport almost anything by scooter, even a washing machine.
At the close of the day, our driver (above) dropped us at Nhà hàng Hồng Hạnh 3, a restaurant near the port. The restaurant was an experience in itself. Let's just say, no one wanted to wait on us because they didn't speak English and we didn't speak Vietnamese. We could see them at their station saying "You go! No, you go!" And then we ordered way too much food since we had no idea of the portion sizes.
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Our story continues…
Images courtesy of
Aaron + Christy Sutton
Curtis + Kathleen Laux
To be young! That looks like so much fun. Sorry you weren't feeling well. You faked it good. Food was cheap. Was the driver cheap. 2 hours on freeway! Beautiful pictures.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry you weren't feeling good for a few days. You were a trooper though and forged ahead. The buildings are so interesting and loved the artist man with his feet on the canisters. What a cool experience. The tree in the middle of the city was very artsy.
ReplyDelete