Hanoi seems to be the tourism center of Vietnam, maybe because of it’s proximity to Sapa and Halong Bay. The city is loaded with rich history and tourist facilities that cater to different kinds of travelers. My adventure in Hanoi started when I arrived from an arduous overland crossing from Laos which I mentioned in my previous blog, “Border Crossing: From Laos to Vietnam”.
As soon as I wake up, I immediately went out to explore the Old Quarter. I liked it so much because it’s full of small streets which are loaded with some novelty shops. It’s like every corner I turned to would give me a nice surprise.
As I was prepping up to cross the street, I was amazed with a huge number of motorcycles, scooters, bikes and cars. I couldn’t believe that it took me twenty minutes, yeah that’s right, twenty minutes, just to cross the street, but mind you, it’s not just an ordinary street though.
It’s a very small road packed with speeding cyclos. I was terrified that a motorcycle would run over me. It was very intense. I took a deep breath and pulled out all the courage I have in my body and crossed the road.
Wheeew! I never thought that crossing a street would give me such an adrenalin rush. I was talking to some tourists about the same stuff and the advice that they gave me was, when you cross the street, do not hesitate, just cross it and do not step back and forth. They said that it’s safer that way, because you would not confuse the drivers. They would just steer away from you.
The first signboard that I saw was pictures of bloody motorcycle accidents. It was posted beside a hospital so I guess it was ok, except that it’s in full color. I won’t go into further details though. But I guess it’s a good reminder for everyone to stay alert when crossing the streets of Hanoi.
There are numerous lakes in Hanoi. The only one that I’ve been to was the one near the Old Quarter with a small pagoda in the center.
Tour agencies, money exchange shops, tons of vendors, cheap food stalls and loads of cheap hostels abound in the Old Quarter. This is like a Backpacker’s Mecca in the making. And don’t forget to watch the Water Puppet show. 
Some facts about Hanoi from Wikipedia
Hanoi with an estimated population 6,232,940 (2008), is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam. It was eclipsed by Hue during the Nguyen Dynasty as the capital of Vietnam, but Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina from 1902 to 1954. From 1954 to 1976, it was the capital of North Vietnam.
October 2010 will officially mark 1000 years of the establishment of the city. On this occasion, Hanoi has been named as one of the world’s “Top Destinations 2010″.
I would probably go back for their Millennium celebration on October.
Here are some pictures of Hanoi’s Old Quarters.
