What to Do: Hanoi
I don't know about you, but I love hostel travel. I've been spoiled in meeting great people and hanging out with them during my stays and I end up becoming long term friends with a lot of them. It’s really great to meet new people whether you are a solo or paid traveling together. There are sometimes bedrooms available in the hostel and for couples, this is a good choice to have privacy but also the ability to meet people.
I lucked out in Hanoi, staying in the Old Quarter at the Old Quarter View Hostel, right in the heart of the happenings of Hanoi and right where all the food and activity was. It was so nice to be able to look out your door and see the millions of food options and bars that awaited you, but be removed enough from that street that you could get sleep at night.
The hostel itself was awesome, the people were even better, and I think that made my stay in Hanoi so special. One thing I did not do was look up what to do and where to go before getting there. I sort of arrived, and then decided to walk around, which sounds great and usually works, but for here I wish i’d learned a bit more before venturing out.
There is a free walking tour that you can arrange through most hostels, and that give you a good idea of where you are situated and a better idea of where you want to explore more of later on. One member of our group did that, and he was happy he got the general knowledge of it all before having to explore more the second day. We walked around ourselves during the evening to acquaint ourselves with the area and see what the Old Quarter had to offer.
Hanoi is used as a gateway to other locations and so this is where you book your bus and train tickets and tours if you want to Ha Long Bay or Sa Pa.
Don’t forget about the tourist haven that is the markets and shops there where you can find fruit clothing galore. There are also plenty of places you can pick up a SIM card to get connected even though WiFi is pretty much in every cafe or hostel. I picked up a SIM from Mobifone that gave me 150 GB of data, 90 minutes local calling and unlimited local text for 30 days. Perfect for those staying for the full 30 of their visa and perfect for those that want to be connected when they’re out of range or civilization.
Take a look at my other posts on Vietnam below!
