Scary FIRST time experience In Hanoi - PART 1

There were many Scary FIRST Time Experience when we were in Hanoi for 26 days.

Initially we wanted to stay for 28 days but because of our harrowing experience in our first week we cut it short by 2 days. It could have been longer if not because Air Asia only allowed free flight changes for those dates.

DAY 1

WISE did not work

We were spooked when we discovered that our WISE payment using the traveler card couldn't go through as we tried to purchase a SIM card at the airport. Half of our travel funds were in the WISE account.

We only learned later that WISE wouldn't approve the payment if the merchant scanned it with a mobile phone but it is accepted only if a portable card reader is used like the ones used in the Supermarket. 

If you use the WISE card, remember that withdrawing from a Vietnam bank is only possible through AGRIBank, incurring a transaction fee of 22,000 dong. Withdrawals from AGRIBank are limited to 2.5 million dong each time, which can be inconvenient. However, considering that 2.5 million dong is still a huge amount, especially if you don't indulge in expensive foods regularly.

Not that private

In Hanoi, we opted for an Airbnb where we shared the house with the host and other travellers. Despite being a bit away from the Old Quarters, it offered a spacious room with a balcony. The bathroom was shared with other travellers. It was cleaned daily and provided with free toilet paper and believe it or not PANTENE quality shampoo. The price for this lodging was unbeatable at RM1138 for 28 days – we thought it was a great deal. 

We had high expectations, thinking we could cook our meals at the Airbnb where we were staying. However, it turned out to be awkward since the host was also staying there and cooked in the evenings  too. 

Despite the host's generosity, offering us the use of oil, salt, and pepper, we still found it uncomfortable.

This got us worried. We were wondering how to cut down cost if we cannot cook at home which was our plan for this long trip in Hanoi

Clueless Where To Eat

We consoled ourselves, thinking we could always find food in restaurants nearby if we couldn't cook at home. However, this marked the beginning of our third concern. As we explored the neighbourhood, we discovered that the restaurants primarily catered to locals. As a non-local, we had reservations about the ambiance, cleanliness, and hygiene of these local eateries.

After a 40-minute walk, we decided to try a restaurant serving noodle soup that seemed appealing. We ordered what we thought was Pho Bo but turned out to be Bun Bo Hue, a dish we didn't know existed at the time. Despite a few flies around the table causing concern, the hot broth brought relief, knowing it likely killed any bacteria present.

Someone should kill the Rooster

Our first night was quite challenging. The mattress, while not as hard as those in Longhai, Xiamen, was still uncomfortably firm for us. We chose to stay outside the city for quieter nights, hoping to escape the noise of honking bikes and cars. However, a rooster, oblivious to day and night, started crowing at 3 am, setting off a chorus of barking dogs. It was annoying and disrupted our sleep multiple times. Our first night in Hanoi was definitely sleepless, and unfortunately, this pattern continued for many nights thereafter.

A Blink of Hope

Despite the challenges on our first day in Hanoi, the silver lining was having a small grocery store, WINMART, just 300m away. We managed to grab fresh fruits, milk, and cereal for breakfast. 

WINMART is conveniently scattered throughout the city, making it easy for locals to access basic food items without traveling far.

Additionally, there's the Cho Yen Phu wet market nearby, offering a variety of fresh produce, including vegetables, fish, and meats. This market captures the typical hustle and bustle of Hanoi, with buckets and trays lining gravel roads, occasional dirty water puddles, and an unorganised mix of vendors in narrow streets. The atmosphere is filled with the smell of cooked food, buzzing flies, motorbikes, and human traffic jamming up the alleys.

The market doesn't look big from the front, but as you walk deeper, you'll realize Cho Yen Phu is quite extensive, resembling a maze with turns and corners between the alleys.

Adjacent to the inner streets, you'll find vendors selling DONER Kebabs and Banh Mi. Opting for the DONER kebab at just 25000 dong, it proved to be both affordable and delicious. The unique triangle-shaped rice flour bread provided a soft texture, contrasting with the harder and tougher Banh Mi bread.

DAY 2

Should we move?

On our second day, after exploring the surroundings, we discovered that this was a local neighbourhood, more like a housing area. There weren't many tourist-style restaurants, and we debated whether to move to the Old Quarters or not. It turned out to be a mistake choosing to stay outside the tourist area for our first time. In the future, we'll be wiser and consider spending a bit more to stay within the city to avoid this issue. Now, we have to balance the budget between paying extra for moving to new accommodation in the city or using the money to purchase flight tickets and return home early.

Scary Road Crossing

Our Airbnb is situated right next to Nghi Tram Street, a 6-lane road with 3 lanes going forward and 3 lanes backward. If you've been to Vietnam, you'll know how incredibly daunting the roads can be. We discovered that the only way to cross a road of this size is to imitate the mobile phone game called CROSSY ROAD – lane by lane, focusing only on vehicles with four wheels and not the motorbikes. Fortunately, vehicles and motorbikes in Hanoi move at a very slow speed, which is a relief.

Wrong Bus

On our first outing, we decided to go to the hypermarket at the mall and buy the necessary groceries. The Hanoi Bus App was technologically advanced for a country like Vietnam, but as tourists unfamiliar with the roads, it proved tricky and led us to board the wrong bus a few times.

Once realising our mistake, we quickly got off at the next bus stop. Proper bus stops with overhead covering and benches are rare; most stops have only poles to indicate their purpose. Waiting for a bus without shelter is blistering hot in the summer, adding to our dilemma of considering cutting short our holiday.

The bus fare was surprisingly cheap, costing us 7000 dong. All buses are air-conditioned and have a conductor who collects the money and provides a ticket. The best buses are the electric ones, which are newer and look classy to us. Vietnamese people generally respect the elderly, and you'll often see young people giving up their seats for seniors. When you want to get off the bus, simply stand up and head to the middle door exit; there's no need to press the bell, as this is the customary way people disembark in Hanoi.

Day 3

Someone stole our money

Days 1 and 2 didn't leave us with a good impression of Hanoi. However, Day 3 brought a positive vibe with our first Coconut Coffee, a water puppet show, and drinks in Hanoi Beer Street. Yet, in the evening, a setback occurred – someone pickpocketed us, stealing 5 million dong!!! 

It was dismaying and shocking for both of us.

One might think this would be the final straw, pushing us to head home immediately, but that wasn't the case. After checking available flights, we found that free flight changes were only possible two days earlier; booking earlier would incur an extra cost. After more discussion, we decided to give Hanoi another shot until the end of the week. We felt that three days were too soon to give up on the city.

Language Barrier

The language barrier in Hanoi was overwhelming, especially compared to Ho Chi Minh, which had more English speakers, likely influenced by American presence. Fortunately, we had downloaded the Vietnamese language into our Google Translate, enabling us to use it even without an internet connection. We relied heavily on this app, whether we were ordering food or directing our Grab driver.

Language proved to be one of our frustrations in Hanoi, taking some time before we adjusted to the local lingo and even resorting to sign language at times.

Sweltering Summer

Never come to Hanoi in the summer months. Despite arriving a few weeks before the start of autumn, it was still unbearably hot—every day felt like living in a sauna. Even indoors with Air conditioning going full at 26C could not bring down the room temperature of 30C.

The scorching heat tempted us to quit and head home, but amid that, there were also many moments that made us persevere.

We weren't quitters. Read on in our Hanoi Adventure Part 2.