A Postcard from Hanoi, Vietnam
Where everything feels like adventure and crossing the street is an extreme sport
This is the 4th edition of Postcards & Daybreaks. It’s a special travel feature that I’m sharing once a month. I’ll focus on just one destination, share some personal travel stories, describe the daybreaks there, give you the top 3 recommendations I have, and provide other ways to dive into that destination even if you aren’t able to book a flight right away. These will live in their own section on the Substack homepage. Hope you enjoy!
One of the most extraordinary things that happened to us when we took a year off to travel was having a couple of friends who decided to meet us along the way to check a country off their bucket list. Two of our best friends joined us in Vietnam for a few weeks, and it was great fun exploring together.
Hanoi was our last destination in Vietnam, and we saved the best for last. After feeling overwhelmed and overheated for a few weeks, this city felt like an oasis. Many of the streets are lined with trees that provide relief from the sun and cleaner air. Nothing is laid out in a grid, so we were perpetually lost, but it felt like such a welcome adventure.
We had found our groove in determining what foods we could eat and found a balance between trying new things and embracing creature comforts. It felt normal to walk through a convenience store through the back door to the stairs to our apartment. We were used to having fans pointed in our sweaty direction every time we sat down in a restaurant with our shoes sitting at the front door.
This felt like the spot where we could slow down a bit and take it in. So many stories and so much history in this city, and yet, it felt like secrets hidden away underneath the flavors, sounds, and colors. Being an American in Vietnam was an interesting experience. Everything we had learned about the war was from our US education system. Going through museums there and seeing it from a different angle was an important reminder. It’s good to be skeptical and seek out multiple perspectives. Whether we were having a smoothie at a lakeside cafe while realizing that it was the same lake that John McCain’s plane went down in, or a Vietnamese news channel wanting to interview us as Americans in the Ho Chi Minh museum, it was strange to see just how history and people are perceived from a different angle.
This is why it’s so crucial that people seize any opportunity they can to experience other places and hear different perspectives. Travel teaches us to be interested, be curious, and be empathetic. Hanoi helped me shift my own travel perspective and seek out information about the perception of Americans throughout time, and learn more about other cultures from their institutions instead of relying on things I learned in middle school.
Also, travel with your friends whenever possible. I laughed so hard those few weeks and experienced things more intensely and beautifully with those two alongside us. I’m forever grateful for that time we got to spend together.
Now, let’s get into some of the details of Hanoi, Vietnam.
I’m an early morning person (even on vacation), and it’s often my favorite time of day. I want to give you a quick glimpse of what mornings looked like in this little section each month.
Mornings in Hanoi were spent out and about. With the heat and humidity kicking in shortly after sunrise, it’s essential to get out and move around a bit early in the day. We would head out and walk to find a coffee spot.
There is nothing like Vietnamese coffee. We tried multiple flavors and styles while we were there. Egg coffee, coconut coffee, ca phe sua da, and so much more. Everything was sweet and refreshing at the same time.
We sat quickly and enjoyed the coffee. Watching the amount of fruit people can balance on a bicycle was next level. Once we finished our first cup and chatted about the day ahead, we would typically run any “errands” and pick up supplies we might need before grabbing a canned iced coffee and a pastry and heading back to the cool apartment for some downtime as the heat of the day started. Getting in some exercise early in the morning was the only way to do it. Sometimes it was a nap, and other days, we would lounge and read for a while.
Morning routines finished with a cold shower before heading out to find a lunch spot and an adventure for the day.
If you are planning a trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, here are my top three recommendations for the city. I’m sharing these reluctantly because part of the beauty of this place is the small, narrow alleyways and winding roads that beg you to get lost. Leave plenty of time to wander and explore without a end destination and you will not be disappointed.
Eat on the street. Street food in Vietnam is a massive draw for visitors and locals alike. It’s a wild experience to sit on small plastic chairs with beers that cost less than $1. Banh Mi, heaping bowls of noodles, and spring rolls every day. In addition, we loved all the pastries in the mornings. If you are going to do a food tour (and you should), do it early in the trip to familiarize yourself with some of the local dishes you might not have heard of before. And if you have a sensitive stomach, take a Pepto to help coat your stomach before eating something new to you.
Train Street. This was one of the strangest experiences we had in Vietnam, but we loved it so much we did it multiple times. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a train runs directly down the middle of a street lined with businesses and homes multiple times each day. Cafe owners have made the best of the situation. Visitors now flock to those areas to enjoy food and cold beverages (sometimes even on someone’s patio), and then they quickly shoo everyone to the side when the train comes, and you flatten yourself against the wall while it moves down the street.
Unique museums. The middle of the day gets very hot, and it’s nice to have some indoor activities. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum offer a deeper understanding of this political leader and Vietnam's history. There are student guides who speak English who will take you around, and you can even tour Ho Chi Minh’s home. Another favorite was the Vietnamese Women’s Museum. Using the audio guide, you can learn more about cultural norms for women throughout history in Vietnam. There’s an entire floor dedicated to the revolutionaries.
Not all of us can hop up and get on a plane, but that shouldn’t stop you from immersing yourself in Thai culture more. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Our staple while in Vietnam was Morning Glory, which is a water spinach. Make it at home with this recipe (as long as you can find the vegetables).
A good cheesy romantic comedy Netflix movie is often a fantastic idea. A Tourist’s Guide to Love stars Rachael Leigh Cooke, and it’s about the tourism industry in Vietnam.
20 reasons why you should plan a trip to Southeast Asia (and some of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken.
This Vietnamese cookbook was one of the best cookbooks of 2024, according to multiple sources. It’s on my library list and I cannot wait to try some of Tue Nguyen’s recipes.
Create your own coconut coffee, inspired by Cong Ca Phe in Hanoi, using this recipe on TikTok.
Ha Long Bay is a popular destination in Vietnam, and we did a cruise there. Read all my unfiltered thoughts on whether I would recommend this to others.
One of Anthony Bourdain’s most popular episodes of Parts Unknown was from Hanoi when he met with President Obama. If you haven’t seen it, watch season 8 episode 1. It provides a fantastic glimpse into the city's food scene.
I think about this section of the trip often and while Vietnam wasn’t my favorite in SE Asia, the fact that we got to experience it with friends made the memories stick in a special way.
Comment if you have any questions about Hanoi or if you’ve been and have any favorites to share with other readers.
Cheers!
Steph
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