Welcome to another wonderful and sunny morning here in Vietnam.
Right now I'm in the current capital city of Vietnam, Hanoi,
and I say that because if you've been following the videos,
you'll know that at the beginning of the trip,
we were in the old colonial capital of Ho Chi Minh City.
Just the other day we were in the old imperial capital of Hue,
and this is the actual capital: Hanoi.
I am standing next to Hoan Kiem Lake,
which I've probably just butchered the name of, and it's absolutely beautiful.
And right now, because there was an event yesterday, I think a marathon,
all of the roads around the outside of the lake are closed, which is really nice.
It's like being able just to walk around freely
without having to worry about bikes and cars and stuff,
and the lake itself is absolutely beautiful.
There's this like very old Asian-looking structure
on an island in the middle of the lake, which is beautiful in its own.
And then towards the north side of the lake, there's also a really beautiful red bridge
that leads to another amazing building
that you have to pay to go on. I don't know if I'm gonna go in that today,
but today we're going to be exploring this beautiful capital city of Vietnam,
and I also have a few side quests as well.
So, I want to get my hair cut and my beard trimmed,
because I'm starting to look a little bit too rugged,
and I need to book a bus for me and a friend to go to Hai Giang tomorrow evening
because we're going to be riding the Hai Giang Loop,
which will probably be either the next video or the video after,
but anyway let's hop to it and start exploring Hanoi.
So right now it's currently about 9:30 in the morning,
and this lake is so busy with life.
There's actually a ton of photographers here with women in really nice dresses,
both modern and traditional Vietnamese, holding flowers.
There's loads and loads of vendors out as well trying to sell their wares,
there's like older gentlemen sitting down playing board games.
It's a really beautiful place to be, but we're actually gonna head around to the west of the lake
and head into the city a bit,
because there's a train that I've really wanted to see actually here in Vietnam
for a very long time.
I was just on my way to Hanoi train street and I came across this.
This is St. Joseph's cathedral here in Hanoi,
and it was built in 1886 by the French,
and it's named after Joseph the patron saint of Vietnam.
And you guys know how I love an old religious building,
and I think entrance is free,
so I think we should go inside.
Okay, I didn't spend too long in there because I started to hear the organ go,
and then I realized it's almost 10 o'clock on a Sunday morning.
They're about to start a service and I didn't want to be interrupting that, so...
but it was really beautiful inside, so many awesome statues,
the architecture is amazing.
Every single time I go into a cathedral, I absolutely love it.
All right, to the train street.
So the train street now, you're not really allowed to walk on it,
and then there's a security guard up there.
But I think if we follow it down to this road,
we can meet the tracks at the crossroads here.
So this behind me was once Hanoi's famous train street.
It was lined with cafes, and you used to be able to walk up and down and stop at the cafs to have drinks.
But I think a couple of months ago, some tourists got hurt here actually,
so they've closed it down, and as you can see behind me, there's security there
to stop people going up and down the tracks.
I heard that if you find a coffee shop owner,
and say that you're going to go to a shop, then you're allowed,
but I don't really know how to do that.
Apparently the security are trying to stop us, but the guy said "just go, just go",
cause we're gonna go to the cafe, so apparently,
if we stick close to the wall,
we're absolutely fine.
Can I get the egg coffee?
Ice is good, iced coffee.
You know about rainbow cafe?
No.
Oh, so sorry for you.
If you check on Google the rainbow cafe,
you will see I'm the first guy who opened a coffee shop here.
Their coffee is Da.
Coffee is the best,
because this is the traditional coffee of Vietnam.
Yeah that's why I wanted to try in Hanoi, because it came from Hanoi.
The egg coffee is traditional in Hanoi, yeah.
But I don't like coffee.
So we'll see.
Thank you!
Like I said, I hate coffee.
All right, the train's coming, but let's try this foam.
I can taste the coffee, but only very slightly.
And it's very sweet.
But the train's coming, so let's see that and then we'll go back to this.
Pretty dope, though.
I'm very glad I got to experience that, considering I'm supposed to be closed now.
Let's try the coffee, again.
The foam was really good.
I'll mix up,
get a good scoop from the bottom.
I still don't like coffee.
My verdict on the coffee.
The foam is really sweet, it barely tastes like coffee,
but if I get deep inside and actually get the coffee,
it's not for me.
But it was almost for me, which is really surprising.
So that was Hanoi train street.
I mean, the egg coffee and the coke together was about 80k, which is a bit expensive,
but I don't mind, because these guys have pretty much lost all of their customers
since they closed the street down.
But it turns out if you stand by the entrance of the train street on the main road,
the cafe owners will come up and down,
and eventually one of the guys will be able to take you to the caf.
So you can still get on it, it's not as accessible as it used to be,
but if you're here, it's definitely worth the wait.
I decided to wait for 2 trains, so I videoed one, and then I got some photos of the second one.
The photos weren't really as good as I was hoping they were going to be,
but you know, it's better than nothing.
Now I'm gonna go get my haircut. I'm gonna try and find the barber's I walked past earlier.
I have no idea where it is, but I'm gonna give it a go.
So, how do I look?
Do I look handsome? Did it make me look handsome?
By the way, the only answer to that question is yes.
It costs like 250, so 150 for the haircut and 100 for the beard,
which was a bit more expensive than I was expecting,
but I'm happy to pay that, I think they've done a pretty good job!
What do you think?
Did he do good? Would you get your hair cut there?
I'll leave the Google map location in the description below,
if you do want to go get your hair cut there.
But yeah, it was pretty good, he shaped me up with a razor, which I really like.
I got a head massage at the end.
This woman was giving me a head massage, then she started cleaning my ears,
and by cleaning my ears, I mean she stuck her fingers
so far into my lugholes that she I think she might have been able to touch my brain.
But yeah, it was good, and the guy said I look like Harry Maguire,
which I don't know how to take that, but...
the plan now is I need some food, I haven't eaten yet,
so I'm gonna find some food, but I want to go to the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh.
The guy was the leader of the rebellion back in the 90s,
and he's buried here in a massive building,
so I want to go see that and then I've got some other pinned locations throughout the city as well.
So I might just stop my way through to there and grab some food along the way.
And tonight I want to go to a water puppet show, which looks really cool actually,
and I also want to take you guys to the night market,
so that's the plan for the rest of the video.
All right, I was just walking to the next spot and I saw this street
with loads of chairs out the front,
and you know if there's loads of chairs out the front the food's gonna be good.
So I pulled over to this little place,
I got a Pho Bo, which I've learned over time
Bo is beef.
So I've only got a tiny little table to work with,
but I think I'm gonna put a little bit of this chili in,
just a little bit, I don't want it too spicy.
And usually they give you lime.
I'm gonna squeeze some lime in.
My chopstick skills have got phenomenally better since I've been here in Vietnam.
This is my Tra Da.
It's iced tea.
Not as good as the one I had in Hoi An, but still pretty good.
And these chopsticks are really difficult to use, actually.
It was 50,000 for the Pho,
5,000 for the tea.
I'd call it a good deal. I'm gonna enjoy this,
and then carry on to the tomb, the tomb of Ho Chi Minh.
55?
Pho Bo, 50.
Tra Da, 5.
How much?
So it ended up being 65 for the little donut things I didn't order.
I thought those were complimentary, but hey, for 10,000 dong they were pretty good,
and helped fill me up a little bit more.
Time to get back on the hunt for things to do in Hanoi.
So I've just got here to the central sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long Hanoi,
and I was going to go in,
but it looks very official, it looks like it's going to be quite expensive to go in,
sort of like the mausoleums in Hue,
which were like 150k,
and there's tons of coaches coming in, so I think it's also going to be really busy.
So I think all of that together, I'm gonna give this one a miss
and I'm gonna head straight to the mausoleum.
I was going to go in here first and have a look,
but considering it's supposed to be like some old ruins,
they're sort of inside this really modern-looking building,
so I think that one's worth missing.
Also, I wasn't going to mention it on the vlog,
but I just had to take a gojek back to McDonald's
because I was having a bit of a toilet emergency,
and while I was there, I treated myself to a McFlurry, as you do.
And I was sitting around the lake, and these kids came up to me to practice their English,
and they've done a really good job and it was so cute!
And actually, walking around the lake, that's the third time that's happened to me,
and twice I've been able to help out and give someone my time,
which is really good, because I know when you're trying to learn a foreign language in your country,
it's really difficult to find people to practice with, so...
but they've done a very very good job, shout out to those kids.
If you're ever around the lake that I was at this morning, if you have time,
help out the kids.
I feel like it could really help them, like a trajectory to a good career and a future
if they can speak English.
But onwards to the mausoleum.
I think that building there is what's inside the Citadel.
I think it's like a collection of like few buildings a few old-looking buildings
and a big courtyard in the middle,
so I think I'll come and go there next time I come here when I can afford to spend the time and the money.
Just not today.
Okay, the first security checkpoint wouldn't let me in, I can't find another one.
So this place is very very official if you come to this side of town
because of all the government buildings around.
So much security around.
However, that behind me there is the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh,
all the way in the distance, because the guys won't let me in because I'm wearing shorts.
But Ho Chi Minh was a revolutionary leader of the Viet Cong, I think.
The northern Vietnamese army during the revolutionary war in the 1950s.
I learned this back in Ho Chi Minh, the dates and everything, but they've completely slipped my mind.
I would love to get closer and have a look, but I can't!
Okay, so we got out of that very very official looking area.
I made it to the temple of literature.
I have to say though, as I was walking out of that very official area,
there were so many like fancy buildings and security around.
Probably wasn't a good idea for me to like just start walking around
with a big camera and microphone in my hand and my big camera bag on.
I imagine that it wasn't the shorts that were the issue trying to get into the Ho Chi Minh muslim.
I think maybe they just didn't like the look of me, I don't know.
I think if you come, then maybe be a little bit more incognito
if you're gonna vlog maybe on your phone or your GoPr.
Wow, this is already stunningly beautiful, and I've literally all through the front door.
This garden is immaculate, like immaculate!
And it really ticks the boxes for the symmetry freak inside of me.
It's completely symmetrical.
Okay, so this is called the Great Middle Gate,
I just read on a sign,
and we're moving into Thanh Duc courtyard,
which is this. Still immaculately beautiful.
Damn, isn't this gate just a beautiful piece of Vietnamese architecture?
And there's this guy in the middle of it in like complete traditional Vietnamese wear,
he looks beautiful.
But I think there's some sort of ceremony going on here today
because I've seen lots of people dressed up really nicely.
Some people in like graduation gowns and then some people like this guy.
Gate of crystallization of letters.
This is a very, like I said, temple of literature, it's a very educational place.
Oh, wow!
Damn, take a look at this!
It was built in 1070.
This place is almost a thousand years old!
That's probably why it's so beautiful.
It was also reconstructed between 1225 and 1400.
This has been the Imperial Academy where the royals used to study in the past,
and it was also recognized as Vietnam's first ever National University,
so that's why it's important.
And it represents characteristics of architecture of ancient Vietnam.
I suppose one thousand years ago is ancient Vietnam.
And it looks like the students still come here for luck,
they come here to pray for good exams,
and they also come here when they graduate as well.
This part of the temple is absolutely beautiful.
It's got a little bit quieter but it's stunning, very very pretty.
That was really cool in there, really quiet, but really cool.
Like, the statues were beautiful.
I have no idea how old they are, whether it's part of the restoration or not.
And there were students in there praying for good luck, I' imagine.
Good luck to them, I hope they do well!
So, I'm in the last section of the Temple of literature,
there's a bunch of these white boards up, which I assume had things on them earlier,
and this is where the ceremony was.
I can imagine that's why all these kids are in this like a graduation gown,
blue and red thing, congratulations to them.
So that's just a whole ton of calligraphy art in here, which is crazy.
I've heard that calligraphy is really really difficult. I have never ever tried it,
I wouldn't even know where to start when it comes to writing characters like this.
I've heard it's really really good and this stuff is beautiful,
so I can sort of appreciate it, it's almost like a work of art.
Well, it is a work of art. Very very talented skill.
One last beautiful room: I'm assuming this feels like more like a museum.
It's got things on display to see, like I think this is a model view of the temple of literature.
A very very old steel calligraphy grip from 1442.
This was a pen stand and an inkwell.
These would hold paper, these hold old books.
So these are just remnants of roof tiles.
Just bear in mind that a lot of this stuff is written in Vietnamese,
so I have no idea what it says, but it looks old and it looks cool.
There's still some offices in use in this place.
That's really cool, I'd love to come to a place like this and work every day.
Beautiful!
I saw this from outside.
I didn't realize that was inside here.
All right, that was really cool!
I think that's definitely worth the 30,000 dong I paid to get in, for sure.
That's like 1.30 dollars, so do it if you're around here for sure.
I'm now gonna get a Gojek back into town,
and I need to try and find a place to book my coach to High Gian tomorrow,
and I need to go to the Puppet Theater, the water Puppet Theater, to book my ticket.
Alright, let's do that first, and then we'll do the coach.
Just one observation: I've definitely found Gojek to be more reliable in Vietnam than Grab,
but that's also the case in Indonesia as well.
I don't know, I think Grab might be owned by Uber,
but for some reason it just doesn't run particularly well here.
The maps don't really go to the right places.
But Gojek runs perfect.
Yeah, that's me. Yeah, yeah.
Thank you.
Damn, I didn't expect that to be so busy honestly.
The person in front of me was booking for tomorrow, so like I thought fuck,
I'm not gonna get a ticket today.
Luckily they had plenty for the 6:30 showing, so that's when I'm going.
But it looks dope!
I don't really know what I'm gonna do now to be honest.
My girlfriend rang me when I was on the Gojek, so I'll probably ring her back
and see what's going on over there.
And then I might just grab a couple of drinks, maybe a beer,
and then head back to the show.
So if anything interesting happens, you'll see it.
If it doesn't, I'll see you at the puppet show.
And here we are back!
Back at the Puppet Theater.
It's time to go watch the Puppet Theater show.
Very interested to see how they manage to move the puppets inside the water.
Like, they must be outside the water but they're moving the puppies inside the water.
Show time in five minutes and I'm gonna swap the lens,
so I can get some good video for you.
All right, that was done!
That was pretty cool!
I'll give him that! Some information and tips for you, though.
If you come to do it for yourself, it only lasts about 45 minutes,
so it's not very long. Get the type 1 ticket,
so like 200k. I got the type 2 tickets, which are 150k.
But get to as close to the front as you can,
because the water is very very low,
and the seats aren't at that much of an incline, so...
a lot of my view actually look like this,
which you know, I was trying to reach around and see stuff.
And then some more tips would be: a lot of it's in Vietnamese so...
you don't really know what's going on, but you get the gist of the fact that
there's like adventures, there's like sacred animals,
and there's princesses and stuff.
But you can really really admire the puppet mastery.
It's really really cool, but there are audio guys if you want the extra information.
Other than that, really good!
I think I preferred Teh Dar, I think it's called, that I saw in Hoi An.
It was a lot more expensive, about three times the price,
but that was really cool to see, that's a nice bit of culture.
And they said it's been around since since like about 1,000 so...
it's pretty culturally rich.
And they've traveled the world, which is awesome.
Anyway, I'm gonna end here, I'm gonna go meet a uni friend now that I haven't seen in like 5 years
and you guys are not coming along with me for that.
So I hope you enjoyed this video, subscribe if you want to see more.
I got quite a few videos of Vietnam to come up yet,
probably another 4 or 5.
And I'm trying to hit 10,000 subscribers by the end of the year,
and it'd mean a lot if you subscribe, and I'll see you in the next video.
Either another video in Hanoi, or I'll be on the Hai Gian Loop.
I'm not sure what yet.
So, I'll see you next video!