Exploring Old Hanoi 2020

Chris Edwards
Oct 13, 2020
2 min read

Updated: Jan 4, 2021

Hanoi on Jet lag Time

When we departed for our eighth annual Vanishing Act, we did not have any inclination about how much the world would change - and especially international travel.

Even though it was called COVID-19, 2020 would be the year of disruption, social distance and masks. Before we became stranded in bali, we enjoyed almost three months of travel, starting in Vietnam.

Come along for the ride!

ree — Elaine's brother Howard customarily drives us to the VIA Station in Windsor

ree — It is always a mad scramble to get out of town but a great feeling- queuing for train

ree — Arriving at Toronto Union Station - snow on train- yikes!

ree — Our congenial host in Toronto- David Grafstein

ree — Last flight of the day out of town - we prefer night flights for long hauls- this one is 15 hours!

all aboard Eva Air Flight to Taipei

ree — Eva Air is one of the best if you gotta fly cattle class

ree — Taipei Taoyuan International Airport

ree — Is it breakfast, lunch or dinner time? Who the hell knows?

ree — Pretty light traffic from the airport to Hanoi Old Town

ree — First glimpse of old town from our way cool hotel

ree — Charming Room- Centraltique - Bespoke French Colonial House $40

ree — Packing like a boss- oh wait- Elaine is the boss!

Worst thing one can do after a long haul flight is to go straight to sleep. We force ourselves to stay awake and get adjusted to local time by walking the streets and eventually sitting down for our first meal in Vietnam. Food being one of the main reasons why we travel. So pull up a tiny red plastic chair and enjoy a plate of noodles and spring rolls.

ree — Xic Lo- a common sight throughout Vietnam

ree — Rub a Dub Dub- time for some grub! Happy Man!

ree — Get yer Pho On.... Blood Sausage Stylee!

Street Food Amazes - and it's only our first day!

ree — Vietnamese Students Love to Practice Their English- they are so sweet- OMG!

Organized Chaos!

HANOI: DAY 2

Breakfast of Champions: Noodles, fried shallots, green and fish sauce $2

Jet lag becomes a normal event after one has experienced numerous international flights- you learn how to roll with it, to accept it is going to take a while to be back to a normal routine so the best thing is to avoid fighting it.

ree — Vietnam is the number two producer of coffee in the world- you know who number one is...

We like to walk everywhere- the weather was warm but not too muggy. January in Hanoi can often be cold - when we were in Vietnam in 2016 it was actually too cold to visit; but this year we hit on almost perfect weather. Outside our door in the old town, it is a very different world then the one we left behind- a portal into a separate place and time.

ree — Many locals wore masks which prepared them for what was to come

ree — Buildings in the old town are very narrow so they tend to build up

ree — Lots of clothing in the latest fashion

Narrow streets of old town - fruit vendors need some business

ree — Hard to imagine hauling this around town

ree — Locals work incredibly hard and grab a moment's rest whenever possible

Is this for real?

We walked to the Long Biên Bridge, designed by Gustav Eiffel, built in 1899-1902 by French architects Daydé & Pillé of Paris, opened in 1903. At 2.4 kilometres, it was, at that time, one of the longest bridges in Asia. More than 3,000 Vietnamese took part in the construction.

It was heavily bombarded during Vietnam War due to its critical position (the only bridge at that time across the Red River connecting Hanoi to the main port of Haiphong). The first attack took place in 1967, and the center span of the bridge was felled by an attack by 20 USAF fighter-bombers. CIA reports noted that the severing of the bridge did not appear to have caused as much disruption as had been expected.

Some parts of the original structure remain intact, while large sections have been built later to repair the holes. Only half of the bridge retains its original shape. A project with support and loan from the French government is currently in progress to restore the bridge to its original appearance.

Today trains, mopeds, bicycles and pedestrians use the dilapidated bridge.

It was quite a remarkable place to visit.