Hanoi – Vietnam’s surprising capital

On arrival at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport, it’s hard not to be impressed by the order, coordination and cleanliness that greets international air travellers.

A first-class facility by any standard, arrival procedures were conducted quickly and courteously by the Vietnamese officials.

Within minutes of collecting my checked bag, I was being greeted in the arrivals’ hall and speeding away to my hotel in the Hanoi city centre, 25 km away.

Incident free, the 45-minute journey was a rapid introduction to a sprawling Asian metropolis, made even more alive by the many thousands of cars and scooters tooting and interacting like the converging currents of some wild mountain stream.

As soon as we arrived in the CBD however … what had seemed like a never-ending flow of mainly cars suddenly morphed into a slow-moving gridlock that now included motor scooters, buses, tourists, locals (and cars), jostling to occupy the same overcrowded strip of bitumen.

Spoiler alert: if you don’t relish the prospect of sharing the streets with an estimated 6.5 million motor scooters, don’t go to Hanoi. There is simply no avoiding the daily open-throttle melee that cavalcades through the city streets in every direction of the compass.

When combined with the seasonally warm daytime temperatures and high relative humidity, the blast of noise and exhaust from this hornet’s nest of scooters was enough to send one feint-hearted traveller scurrying back to the safety of his air-conditioned hotel room.

That said, my five-night stay at the Silk Path Hotel in Hang Bong Street was carefree and enjoyable thanks to the friendly staff, overall cleanliness and excellent food.

Initially, however, I checked into a gloomy third-floor room with a not-so-charming view of a solid brick wall, about a metre from the window.

Not wishing to spend an hour, let alone an entire week in my room of gloom, I’d requested a room change. Fortunately, reception didn’t sound at all surprised that I didn’t like my room and allocated me an excellent room on the top floor with skyline city views.

It was May 2022, and while Covid-19 was still a very real phenomenon, the situation was slowly getting back to normal in many parts of the world, including Vietnam.

I had no real way of knowing for certain, but the Silk Path Hotel didn’t seem that busy during my stay.

There were rarely ever more than one or two guests in the dining area, and we were always attended by two or three serving staff.

In the small rooftop gym and spa area, where a standard rowing machine and weights apparatus was set up, I didn’t see another guest all week.

My room was clean, the bed was comfortable, the air-conditioning worked, and the room was serviced regularly.

As for exploring Hanoi on foot, you will need to gird your loins and cross the street, Hanoi style.

Once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature to walk purposely into the oncoming traffic, wending across what might easily be three or four fast-moving streams of vehicles to reach the comparative safety of yet another over-crowded footpath, replete with wall-to-wall motor scooters parked on every spare centimetre.

Pedestrians are obliged to either take their chances on the verge or wade through whatever effluent blocks their progress in the spoon-shaped roadside gutters.

Tip: if you do plan to walk the streets of inner Hanoi, be sure to remove your shoes before entering anyone’s shop or your own hotel room. Don’t be too surprised if your favourite gym shoes take on a whole new ‘distressed’ look. You might even decide to shout yourself a new pair of shoes before you leave. There are many shoe shops in Hanoi; ask around.

Unfortunately, walking long distances won’t be much fun however. The once great city of Hanoi has been transformed into a kind of motor scooter inferno.

‘Hats off’ to the guy I noticed delivering a full-size wardrobe on his scooter, and the young mother breast-feeding her infant while sitting side-saddle on the back of another.

Of course, the locals living in this blue haze of exhaust don’t have much choice.

Some people wear a face mask in an attempt to reduce the amount of fumes being inhaled. But it’s pretty much unavoidable in central Hanoi.

Despite what seemed like chaos, I didn’t see one motor vehicle accident.

People are supposed to wear helmets, but many don’t. In some respects, the way Hanoi residents just get on with their lives, ignoring the obvious dangers and problems, is another testament to the strength and resilience of the Vietnamese people.

One tour guide I spoke with said the city had plans to convert to electric scooters but he wasn’t confident it would happen within the next 20 years.

Because I’d prefer to write about the aspects of Hanoi that I enjoyed, I’ll not labour the point any further than to say that the traffic congestion in Hanoi is a huge problem for the authorities, and an obvious health risk to all who live there.

In my next, I’ll offer a frank insight into the joys of Hanoi street food and share with you my delightful visit to the Temple of Literature.

Also, be sure to follow if you'd like to read of my adventure on a boat cruise across the famous Halong Bay.

Ron N. Hohenhaus (C)

#vietnam, #travel, #hanoi,