Hanoi Havoc

Hanoi, Vietnam, March 30th ~ Founded in 1010AD, Hanoi is one of the oldest capital cities in Southeast Asia; the ancient Old Quarter dates back 600 years and abuts a century-old Colonial district. Hanoi is known as the "City within the river's bend," which sounds tranquil. In reality, it is one of the most chaotic scenes we've encountered.

A cacophony of horns, toots and bells saturates the steamy air as millions of motorbikes, cars, trucks, buses, tuk tuks, richshaws and bicycles jockey for position on crowded, narrow streets. Brushing knees with passing motor bikers as they eradically crisscross is common.

Crossing the street is not for the faint hearted. After waiting patiently on the curb for the tiniest break in traffic, you realize the onslaught is unending. The only choice is to utter a silent prayer, extend your hand out waist-height, fingertips up in a “stop” gesture, and step into the tangled web. Some motorists ignore you completely or swerve close enough to momentarily arrest your heart. Others reluctantly slow or stop. All toot and honk endlessly. Somehow, everyone gets to where they are headed relatively unscathed. 

The disparity between the Old Quarter and the French Quarter is glaring. The prior is gritty, crowded, run down and littered with trash. And yet, beneath the grit and grime it exudes a cultural richness, often found in the mundane. People young and old perch on tiny stools, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner – which often look surprisingly similar – at plastic tables along the sidewalk, much like their neighbors in Thailand.

Comprised of a labyrinth of slender allies, the Old Quarter is the city's oldest and most lively commercial district. Streets are lined with merchants selling everything imaginable – and occasionally unidentifiable. Nicknamed "36 Streets' from the 36 distinct craft guilds that concentrated in the area -- each street specializing in a particular product -- today the Old Quarter is jam packed with small shops, restaurants, tube homes, and ribbon alleyways.

French and Chinese cuisines mingle with Viet traditions, reflecting the city’s culinary legacy, and we indulged in one particularly delectable meal at a hopping spot offering regional dishes from the north to the south. Hanoi's Angel Palace Hotel is our home base for the next few days, a place we will return to two more nights in between sojourns elsewhere in Vietnam. Despite its rough edges, Hanoi is a lively and spirited place.

Motor biker procuring flowers from a street merchant--a very common scene.
White and yellow lilies seem the perennial favorites.

The same merchant selling long stems from her bicycle.

A produce merchant and her laden bike. Despite widespread poverty,
most people seem to find a way to acquire a cell phone. 

A banyon-like tree miraculously grows from the city sidewalk.

Men sharing a meal street-side. I suspect that the tiny plastic stools now replace the traditional squatting position.

First built in 1428, tube houses can be as narrow as 6.5 feet wide up to 260+ feet deep. The front room consists of a shop; behind it are living spaces, possibly a work area and//or courtyard.

Hanoi traffic.

A motor biker carrying multiple parcels.

A view from behind.

A rickshaw for hire.

On the other side of town, in the upscale French Quarter, kids take to the road early in motorized cars, jeeps, tanks
and motor bikes remotely controlled by their parents on a pedestrian boulevard.

"Hello Kitty" is popular among the girls.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of remote controlled kiddie cars.

People watching TV inside their tube house.
It is not uncommon for a multigenerational family of 8 or more to occupy a single room.

Sounds of Hanoi as performed by street musicians. 

An archway by the lake in the French Quarter.

Hanoi was the capital of French Indochina in the 19th century.
Architecture in the affluent French Quarter has an opulent European flare.

A French Quarter building.

This French Quarter hotel stands in sharp contrast to the Old Quarter's ancient tube homes.