Welcome to Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi,
where the people are filled with kindness and joy,
the traffic might make you say "oh boy",
but overall we think it's a city you'll enjoy.
In this video we're going to show you the great things about the city,
discuss a few things that maybe aren't so great,
all to help you decide if you would ever want to visit or maybe even live here long term.
My name is Ryan, my wife Emily and I are the Snail Travelers
Hanoi is a very bustling and chaotic city, I'll talk more about that a little later,
but if you want a quick escape from all of the busyness then head to one of the lakes.
There are two main lakes in the central part of Hanoi, you've got Hio Hoan Kiem here,
and the bigger Ho Tay up a little further north here,
Let's start with the smaller lake which is a little bit closer to the old quarter
and is a slice of tranquility amongst the mayhem.
It takes about a half an hour or so to walk around the lake,
and this seems to be the place where local people come to get photo shoots, that was fun to watch.
Then the bigger lake is actually an area where a lot of expats live,
some of the high-rise apartment buildings overlook this lake.
But yeah the lakes are a great feature of Hanoi definitely
worth a visit and gets a thumbs up rating from us.
Bun cha is a food dish that is local to Hanoi and it consists of grilled pork and rice noodles.
Ours was served with bean sprouts on a sizzling skillet.
We got ours at Hong Hoai Restaurant located in the heart of the old quarter.
We also got banh xeo which is a rice flour pancake filled with meat,
in our case chicken and bean sprouts.
Our server had to show us how to eat our food properly.
You take a piece of rice paper, load it up with the meat,
add some lettuce, cucumber, carrots, pineapple, cilantro and mint,
and then you roll it up and eat it kind of like an egg roll.
This was a great meal, a little pricey here at about US$13 for the two dishes,
but this was a nicer restaurant and yeah a definite thumbs up here.
Alright if you saw our video where I complained
about the drivers in Malaysia and Turkey, I take it all back.
I lost count of how many times we almost died trying to cross the street in Hanoi.
There are absolutely no traffic laws that are obeyed here.
Do you see a red light up ahead? Just totally ignore it, it's not important.
Are you driving on a one-way road?
In practice there are no one-way roads because you can go any way you want it, doesn't matter.
You can even ride your scooter on the sidewalk if you want,
and when you want to cross the street you literally have to play Frogger.
The drivers aren't going to stop for you and you
don't wait for the traffic to clear because it won't clear,
you just slowly start walking into the traffic one slow step at a time,
put your hand out and hope that the swarm of scooter
drivers will swerve around either side of you
as you hold your breath and try to weave your way through the split second of empty space you get
before another scooter comes whizzing by.
It's not quite as chaotic once you get out of the old quarter,
and almost civilized once you get onto the highway.
But crossing the street Hanoi's old quarter is one of the most
terrifying experiences I've ever had in my life.
One thing that Hanoi is famous for is the water puppet shows.
These shows are performed in a small theater,
there are several of these theaters around the city.
They last just under an hour and cost between US$4 and US$8.
The puppets are made out of wood and the puppeteers are in the water behind the screen.
It seemed like the puppets had quite extensive mechanical controls
because they had so many movements and the ability to dance and swim.
Don't miss this when you come to Hanoi, and it easily gets a thumbs up.
Hanoi is the capital of the country and a bit expensive compared to other parts of Vietnam,
but by International standards yeah it's dirt cheap.
If you're going to be living here long term you can rent a one-bedroom furnished apartment
in a modern high-rise building on a one-year lease for easily US$400 per month.
Most Airbnb apartments in the old quarter are
going for five or six hundred US dollars for the month right now.
Food prices are extremely inexpensive if you eat Vietnamese food.
A sandwich, which is called bahn mi here in Vietnam, is just a tad over US$1.
A bowl of pho which is a noodle dish is usually around US$1.50.
If you're living in Hanoi long term and start craving international and American grocery items,
then head over to L's Place Supermarket.
But get your wallet out, any food item that is imported is going to be expensive.
If we were living here in Hanoi based on our personal lifestyle
we think we could live comfortably here in the US$1100 to US$1300 range per month
including rent in a modest apartment, food,
transportation within the city, and a few activities each month,
and we think this is a very reasonable cost of living.
Okay listen to me here, you absolutely have to go
to Ha Long Bay if you come to this area of Vietnam,
it's not optional. It's actually a couple of hours outside of Hanoi,
and if you have time to spend several days there go for it.
I don't need to tell you how beautiful it is because you're
seeing it for yourself in the video clips here.
Our tour did include a stop at a cave with all kinds of
stalactites and stalagmites in different shapes.
And yeah you can see it's crowded and touristy
but we didn't feel like that took away from the experience.
The tour also included lunch on board the boat.
There was a variety of food to choose from,
but yeah like I said don't miss this experience, promise me,
it is one that you will always remember and there is no hesitation in US recommending it to you.
I've been to Hanoi twice now, once in the summer and once in the winter,
and wow what a difference between the two.
Most of Southeast Asia is hot all year but not Hanoi.
It gets quite chilly here in the winter and you probably noticed
in some of the video clips I've shown you that many people are wearing jackets.
We like that the weather does have some variation
and there is at least a short period of time when there is a break from the heat,
and so we give a thumbs up to the weather here in Hanoi.
I know I'm not even coming close to pronouncing it correctly,
but Banh Cuan Ky Dong is a great place to eat.
It's something in between street food and a small family-run restaurant.
If you know anything about Vietnamese food you
know that pho is like a chicken noodle soup or a pork noodle soup
and this is a great place to get some of that.
Usually when I eat soup at home I'm not full when I finish,
but the pho here is a mighty and enormous portion.
They have great wontons and dumplings and a whole variety of Vietnamese food
actually as you're seeing on the menu here, and the prices are great too.
Here's where this place is located on the map if you want to find it,
and you definitely should and we give this little restaurant a thumbs up.
Alright so there are three museums that I want to tell you about quickly here.
The first is the Vietnamese Women's Museum.
Here you'll learn about the women's traditions, prominent woman in Vietnamese society,
and the role that women played during times of war.
Next is the Hoa Lo Prison where you will learn about
the stories and the experiences of past prisoners.
The most famous American to be imprisoned here is John McCain,
who of course was eventually released and went on to have a prominent role in American politics.
And finally don't miss the Imperial Citadel
where there are exhibits explaining the various
roles that this complex played throughout Vietnamese history.
We spent several hours here during our visit.
The great thing about this cafe is that it is on Hanoi's famous train street,
where the train tracks pass through a narrow alley
with buildings and houses in the neighborhood built right up to the tracks.
When we were there the police had closed the tracks to tourists,
so it was necessary to let the friendly owner know that we were coming ahead of time
so that he could escort us through the police block.
You can find contact information on Google Maps.
Take a look at how close the train comes, a little exciting but also a little scary, don't you think?
So there you have it. We love Hanoi and already know that we want to come back here someday,
and we hope that you'll consider coming to Hanoi sometime
because it is one of the world's highlights and should not be missed.
Hey we've got more videos on the playlist you see on the screen there from all over the world,
and we have more videos from Vietnam coming soon so hit that subscribe button.
Thanks for traveling with us!