Hanoi Vietnam is a complete assault on the senses.
A city where it’s survival of the fittest.
Sink or swim.
And nothing is what it first seems.
I’m just trying to figure out what the pavements in Hanoi are actually for because it seems
to be for everything except for walking on.
This is a city where local life bleeds out onto the street.
Making the sidewalks one of the main attractions.
It’s used for parking, for selling stuff.
For cooking.
For eating.
There’s just no space to actually walk on it.
This is the workplace, the living room, the kitchen.
The local people are a product of their environment.
I mean how else do you explain this?
Casual maintenance work in the middle of rush hour traffic on roads that seemingly have
no rules.
Yep in Hanoi you will see it all.
Hello guys Ryan here and welcome back to the One Shot Adventures channel.
And these are my first impressions of Hanoi Vientnam.
Let’s move onto an obvious one, it’s pretty busy here.
Hanoi has a population of 7 million people with an astounding 5 million motorbikes crowding
the roads.
That’s 3 million more bikes, than Paris has people.
Hanoi is the sort of city that forces you to raise your energy levels to match it’s
own.
There’s just a madness to everything.
Got to try and cross the road now which is no easy feat let me tell you that.
Ok go go go.
Oh f**k!
The streets are not just packed with people and bikes.
There are buildings crammed into every available space.
You can even find a residential street which is built right on the edges of a railway line.
Where the train barely has enough room to squeeze between people’s houses.
Funnily enough the city that Hanoi reminds me of the most is Paris.
Now I know that sounds crazy but let me explain.
France first colonised Hanoi in 1873 and the influence is still clear today.
The gothic churches like St. Joseph’s Cathedral.
The Artdeco style architecture and the wide leafy boulevards are very reminiscent of the
French capital.
In fact, it really does look like Paris.
Paris if it was dipped into a sticky Vietenamese glaze and had 5 million motorbikes running
through it.
But as you walk around, you realise that these roots run far deeper than just the architecture.
The road side cafes and eateries, the coffee culture.
These things have been infused into modern Vietnamese tradition.
And the two cultures collide into one unlikely epicentre.
The Banh Mi.
This is a traditional Vietnamese sandwich, which you will see for sale all over the city.
The French brought the bread and the pate and the Vietnamese took those and ran with
it.
Adding delicious fresh local herbs and vegetables.
Trying at least one Banh Mi on your visit is a must.
So this Banh Mi with all of the trimming costs 25,000 dong which translates roughly as 80p in pounds.
Very good deal.
Oh and that’s another thing about Vietnam.
For only £30 you can become a millionaire which will get you a lot of banh mi.
So good.
Another must try french Vietnamese crossbreed is egg coffee.
A combination of whisked egg yolk, sugar, condensed
milk and of course coffee.
It’s actually more like a dessert!
Ok let’s get away from the madness for a second.
When it all gets a bit too much, there are some peaceful spots to be found in Hanoi.
The many rooftops bars offer an interesting perspective on the chaos below.
And once you’re above the sea of buildings you can catch some really lovely sunsets.
Which go great with a drink in hand.
There are also some quieter back streets with cafes hidden from view.
In fact, you really have to know where these places are.
There are a number of amazing spaces to get some work done or just to sit down, relax
and escape the madness outside.
And if you’re looking for a bit of nature you can find Hoan Kiem lake right in the middle
of the city.
Which is also a great place to see some of Hanoi’s Chinese heritage on display.
The Jade Mountain temple is yet another example of a cultural blend fusing Confucian and Taoist
beliefs with a tribute to a national Vietnamese hero.
And that was my first impressions of Hanoi.
A crazy amazing city and a great introduction to our time in Vietnam.
Over the next 5 episodes we travel all over the country seeing the remote waterfalls in
the far north, beautiful rice fields, caves and everything in between.
So make sure you get subscribed and I’ll see you next time.