OUR FIRST TRIP TO HANOI
Southeast Asia has a real grip on me. From the very first time I went there, it was a fulfillment of my childhood fantasies of the way travel should be.
- Anthony Bourdain
Exploring the Vibrant Streets of Hanoi
Before heading to Vietnam, we went through our usual list of things that are necessary for any trip outside of the U.S.:
Passports
Visa on Arrival (VN Website for visa for US Citizens)
$500.00 petty cash to convert to local currency
The above are the essential top items we always make sure to have before heading to the airport. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all had an incident or two where we almost forgot something that could have ruined a dream trip we’ve been planning months for.
With everything packed, checked, double-checked, and triple-checked the morning of, we made the long journey from our beautiful home base of Los Angeles to Hanoi, Vietnam.
Hungry, tired, and everything else that comes with long plane journeys, we arrived at our AirBnB in the French Quarter, a quarter past 10:00 p.m. We quickly walked around our AirBnB to assess our neighborhood and soon after found a local bun cha spot.
It wasn’t the prettiest or cleanest establishment; yellow-fluorescent lightbulbs hung by an electrical wire tethered to hundreds of other wires, floating above low long tables, surrounded by plastic seats that were hardly big enough for children, let alone for me.
But it wasn’t the aesthetics of the bun cha stall that attracted us; it was the undeniable smell of grilled meat to perfection.
The food was being prepared in a small kitchenette that appeared haphazardly put together but magically operating without imploding. The food quickly arrived as soon as we sat and we knew from our first bite that the next two weeks were to going be a trip for our stomachs as much as it was for our hearts and minds.
The next couple of days, we spent our time in Hanoi trying to adjust our jet lag, checking out some more local cuisine, and mentally and physically preparing ourselves for our epic four days of Exploring Ha Giang.
If you love food just as much as we do, you can check out our list of top spots we recommend while you’re in Hanoi.
