[Travel] 5D4N to Hanoi - DAY 4 and 5

Horrible Street Vendor

We randomly stopped at a street stall, just to try what most locals are having.
These prawn fritters were good but unfortunately we were scammed :(
We were slow to realize as we were still not used to the large values and conversion and also foolishly did not expect to be overcharged. The Hanoikids tour guide had mentioned it does not occur and we dropped our guard. For this plate of assorted fried stuff, we were charged approximately a whopping VND100,000. In Malaysia we can easily get this for half the price.

West Lake

Spent an hour just sitting by the lake enjoying the view and beautiful breeze.

Also visited a small temple by the lake. Beautiful short stop.

Random Walk
We spent the rest of the day wandering around Hanoi. Just relaxing and enjoying the sights and sounds.

Never seen this fast food before. Decided to give it a try. Decent.

Hanoi seems to have a lot of people lazing in the afternoon.

Nice wide walkway lined with trees on both sides.

Mandatory coffee 

Finally we returned to Hoan Kiem lake for sunset.

Pho Ga


Wonderfully chicken flavored broth. Ended the night with a Pho Ga dinner.
Looks a lot like our Koay Teow soup but the broth is heavily chicken flavored. Pretty much a chicken version of beef Pho.

Dessert again at Cong Caphe

The next day was an early morning flight back. It was a nice relaxed trip. Bye Hanoi! 

Rare sight of an empty street.

For DAY 1 and the trip itinerary click HERE

[Travel] 5D4N to Hanoi - DAY 3

Pho Thin

Location : https://goo.gl/maps/wxyVQGNc6Wo

Not sure if this is the right famous one as google maps does show another one further away. This looked very old school with only locals around so I thought i'd give it a try.

Price wise surprisingly expensive for such a dingy place. 50000VND. The taste? Did not blow me away. It is a good bowl of pho but I have tested stronger beefier noodles in Penang. Maybe that is my preference, I just prefer strong beef taste in the soup. Pho is more of a weaker taste, mixed with some Vietnamese herbs.

A Walk Around Hanoi
It feels to me that we can probably see Hanoi in just a day or two. We walked around Hanoi for a day and pretty much covered most of the major places.

I dunno why, but I LOLed

Yes, shithole

Escape route. Or as those who watched Initial D know, longkang running style (hang kui pau fat)

US Senator John McCain was prisoner here.

Quan An Ngon
Website : http://ngonhanoi.com.vn/index.php/en

Quan An Ngon has multiple branches in Vietnam. This place seems to be a collection of most if not all Vietnamese cuisine. Tastes great as well. The selections are really, really extensive.

Continue Walking Around Hanoi
Love just walking around in a foreign country, just taking in the different sights and cultures.

Young Coffee
Website : Young Coffee FB

Lovely place! I really like the iced coffee here. Nutty, chocolatey awesome Vietnamese coffee. And very affordable (20000 - 25000 VND).

Water Puppet Theatre

I think this should be a must see. I have not heard of this anywhere else. A nice experience. Be warned it is in Vietnamese.

Xoi Yen
Location : https://goo.gl/maps/JxzUNEXnWgs

Glutinous rice with pork. Whats not to love? nice savory rice topped with I think pork lard? It was like a velvety mash potato with slight pork taste. The fried onion really adds wonderful aroma to it. Try the pork pate as it works really well with the rice. Highly recommended

Banh Mi Hoi An
Website : Banh Mi Hoi An FB

Super awesome banh mi. Bread is crunchy outside and soft inside. The ingredients are wonderfully flavored and balanced. And just enough so it fits my mouth. It was easy to bite and each bite full of flavor. Awesome!

For DAY 1 and the trip itinerary click HERE