The Lost Paradise

Hanoi, the lost paradise, seems somehow like an old traditional city which has been modernized fastly in the recent years. Its atmosphere is quite particular, since in the center its crowded and dominated by motorbikers, its buildings are not tall, streets not really clean, and seems quite chaotic.
See the crowd going here and there, most people take the bike and do not walk, you can easily imagine how the city looks alike.
It is said that once you want to cross a street in Hanoi, you have to start crossing straight away without stopping till you reach the opposite border. I agree. Since there are many motorbikes and each of them going at a different speed, once you stop walking its more dangerous because then the riders cannot predict how you will react... so just keep moving and pray to God you're not hit by motorbikes... :)

Other than this chaotic starter, which is also part of the city, and a hint to see how quick some asian cities have been influenced by the history of colonization, I found that there werent any foreigners around, almost... it was quite empty and this is one of the things I enjoy, because firstly, I dont want to mix up with foreigners when I am on a trip, and secondly, by all means you got to do one thing: SURVIVE.
Survive to the traffic, survive to communicate and try to understand most locals do not speak english, try to arrange your holiday in the best way possible.
Thats challenging and funny, in a way, cause being surrounded by vietnamese who dont speak english means by all means you have to make yourself understood about directions, foods, places to visit, etc... quite a nice experience :)
What I liked was that I could feel the atmosphere there, amazingly influenced by western cultures and on the other hand, still people not very comunicative, and I felt, some people a bit disgusted to see foreigners around.
I found that vietnamese can be very polite and easy going but as soon as you request something from them other than the things they can answer properly, they become a bit upset and staring offensively... a thing to keep in mind for my next trip :)

Still a lot of people in Vietnam were very helpful and friendly to me, especially the car driver who took me to the Ha Long Bai and Perfume Pagoda was very friendly even he didnt speak even a bit of english.

Hanoi is, despite my previous description, a unique place worth to visit. The people is unique and everyone seems rushing here and there. The night market is very convenient and beautiful, and you can find anything you need there, even kebabs for a few cents. The day market is fulled with lots of fresh fruits and food, and while walking around you can really feel how the vietnamese lifestyle is.

Hoan Kiem Lake, a huge lake where vietnamese go for exercicing everyday from 5.30am is a good place to listen to traditional vietnamese music while people does jogging, yoga and other activities. It is beautiful to see the sun rising in the early morning, when still darkness covers the lake but still can listen to the people walking around you even you cannot see their faces. The quietness and to see how much vietnamese people care for keeping a healthy life is worth to admire.

When the day starts the city becomes very busy and everyone rushes here and there. It is the time you can start walking around the city and visit as many temples as you can: the Temple of Literature, where the wisest students took their lessons, the Presidential Palace, the Tran Quoc Pagoda, located in a nice place surrounded by other small temples, the cathedral of Saint Joseph, surprisingly built and a good place worth to visit during christmas because it really reminds western countries christmas alike.

And also the Long Bien bridge, the oldest bridge build up on 1902, which used to hold 4 or the 5 main major rail lines in Hanoi and which was severely attacked and defended during the war at the end of 1960's.

Going outside Hanoi, the Halong Bay is probably one of the spots no tourist should miss.
It is unbelievably beautiful to spend one or two days just to see the bay on a local boat, stop around to see the beautiful caves and have a nice and quality relaxing time. An experience that I will surely not forget. The story of Halong Bay is quite interesting to hear, as it tells in the ancient ages, when the vietnamese were fighting chinese invaders, god sent a family of dragons to help them defend the bay. These dragons descended from the sky and started spitting out jewels and jade which turned into islands that transformed into barriers against the invaders.

And so the bay was named Halong Bay, which means "The Bay of Descending Dragons".

Such a nice history that even these days reminds me of Dragon Ball animation, for those who like manga, I found Halong's bay history matching the cartoon as there are dragons descending on a bay at the beginning and end of each chapter intro, surrounded by tall and curvy islands which I found in Vietnam so far.

Also, the Perfume Pagoda and other nearby temples, in where you have to go by taking a local boat, are amazing. Its views, its natural sights, its quietness, I really love to see those historical things that even today are still part of the vietnamese daily life.

All in all, Hanoi was a unique city to explore, surrounded by beautiful temples and landscape spots, worth to visit and explore. The chaos in the city is also unique and as a foreigner, I was very happy to feel its atmosphere, enjoy the local foods, the temples and the beauty of its people.