Hanoi
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2008
1
65
93
Trip End
Jan 31, 2009
Hanoi,
Vietnam
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Checked in for my flight to Hanoi. As I was sipping my Coffey in front of the gate, a Vietnam Airlines employee announced my name. When I went up to her she told me that the mosquito repellents in my luggage would have to be discarded. I had previously boarded quite a few planed with my 2 cans of Johnson's Off with extra deet. I guess this airport had an awkward policy. I was pleased to later notice that they hadn't touched one of the cans.
The Vietnam Airlines was much more comfortable than my Aeroflot flight
A Typical Scene from the Old Quarter
. The plane was a new A330 and the service was excellent. How ironic... Before buying the ticket I was seriously questioning the airlines' safety.As we were descending at the end of 4 hours and 45 minutes, I noticed that Hanoi looked bizarre. The land was frequently divided by rivers and most of the tropical vegetation that covered it was bright green.
The airport felt like the Kars Airport in Turkey. How could a world capital afford to have such an airport? It was easily comparable to its counterpart in Damascus. Since there were only 2 baggage carousels, it took 1.5 hours to get my backpack.
Having read terrible stories about Vietnamese cab drivers, I had arranged an airport pickup. A cheap hotel called "Hanoi Phoenix" sent a new Toyota van to pick me up. I got in touch with the Phoenix through a booking website called hostelworld.com.
Spotted a Canon factory along the way.
The weather in Hanoi was terrible
Every Vietnamese is a Biker
. 17 degrees C with rain. The supposed highway between the airport and the Old Quarter was a regular 2-lane road. Tropical plants were everywhere. The colorful 5-storied buildings on both sides of the road looked quite European. Probably a legacy of French colonialism... The only uniqu aspect of the buildings were the large vertical nail-like objects sprouting out of a few parts of their roofs. The underdeveloped infrastructure, the tropical plants and these buildings made me feel as if I was somewhere in Latin America.The staff at Phoenix spoke good English and they made recommendations about what to do. My room was pristine. It had a private bathroom, 2 beds and a new LG TV. Seems to be great value, because for $18 you could only get a clean room without a private bathroom, in the Middle East.
Started walking around the Old Quarters. You couldn't walk on the pavement either because it was blocked by motorbikes and people sitting on it or because it didn't exist. The streets were full of various animal bones and piles of other garbage. I had never seen such an underdeveloped city center.
Also, I had never seen so many motorbikes and scooters together. It feels as if every single inhabitant if this city owns at least one. Crossing streets is extremely dangerous, as the motorbikes don't even slow down for pedestrians.
The most interesting thing for me to see is the fashionably dressed young Vietnamese bikers and the poor fruit sellers with the wide, straw hats, standing side by side. Moreover, their numbers are pretty comparable. In my experience, the poor and the wealthy are usually separated into different quarters. Even if they interact their numbers are disproportionate with the poor solely consisting of a few sellers and beggars. This doesn't seem to be the case in Hanoi.
Visited the Ngoc Son Temple (18th century) right by the Hoan Kiem Lake. This was the first Confucian temple that I have seen. It was colorful like a Korean Buddhist temple, had dark roof tiles and upwards-curving roof corners like a Japanese Shinto shrine, but it was also very different. The inverted-U-shaped gates were no more; the curved roof corners had long, tentacle-like pieces protruding from them, and the statues of Bodhisattvas had been replaced by statues of Confucius.
For drivers here honking is as essential as shifting gears. They honk whenever they pass by another vehicle, which makes the city unbearably noisy.
Also visited the neo-Gothic St. Joseph's Cathedral (19th Century). Although the exterior had been completely worn-out, it was impressive. The ceiling was very high and the corridor that lead to the altar seemed to be extending into infinity.
In the evening, went to a water puppet show where traditional music underscores the actions of the puppets. 40,000 dongs for a second class seat. The puppeteers were in the water tank up to waist height and were operating from behind a bamboo curtain. Some of the puppet moves were quite elaborate. The art was discovered by Vietnamese rice farmers at least 1,000 years ago.
Had dinner at 68 Bar- Restaurant, which came highly recommended by both the hotel staff and by LP. It probably was the most luxurious restaurant setting one could find in the Old Quarters, but the food was no good. The dish that I ordered was listed as a Hanoi specialty, but it turned out to be greasy meatballs and tasteless noodles. About $5 with a fresh pineapple juice.
As I was trying to make my way back to the hotel, I cannot tell you how many times I was asked if I was interested in riding a motorbike, spending the night with a Vietnamese prostitute and in doing heavy drugs. My most interesting encounter was with the counter-fit Lonely Planet seller who tried to sell me heroin after I told him that I already had an LP.
Everything here is counter-fit. Hotels are named after the more popular ones; there is a Gloria Jean's Coffee"s" that looks just like a legit one from the outside etc. I saw a KFC and a Calvin Kline Jeans that looked just like the real thing, but I'm sure that they are fake like everything else.
The Old Quarters stink. There are way too many tourists. Hence, there is no authenticity left. Everything has been re-oriented to fit the needs of the tourist. The end product is poor imitations of Western cafes and counter-fit travel guides. I may not be able to stand this place for too long...
