Hanoi wrap up; And Overall thoughts on Southeast Asia

We had four days left in Hanoi before heading off to Korea - Probably four days we didn't really need. Fortunately there is no lack of homework and trip planning to fill the void.

Hoan Kiem Lake weekend night faire:
Hanoi has a wonderful weekend tradition of shutting down the main streets around Hoan Kiem Lake to traffic and turning it in to a walking promenade. The locals (and tourists alike) fill the streets with mini car and hover board rides, Da Cau* circles, street performers, and flash mob style dancing lines.

https://youtu.be/aeBXTCHVaWc

https://youtu.be/AcKfInws_HA

Thang Long Water Puppet Show:

A right of passage in Hanoi is to watch a water puppet show. This was originally a show put on by local villages to pass the flood times. Even though we couldn't understand a bit of the dialog, it was quite enjoyable to see some Vietnamese tradition.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum:
Ho Chi Minh is a real hero around these parts, and locals and visitors from all over line up around the block to pay respects to his preserved body entombed in a glass case in the mausoleum. We joined the queue early one morning and waited patiently for 90 minutes to do the walk by viewing. Uncle Ho is heavily guarded and the procession is quite serious and swift. After the viewing, we toured the complex where Ho Chi Minh presided over the nation. Having spent time here and throughout northern Vietnam, I sure don't understand why we destroyed all those lives (Vietnamese and Americans alike) back in the 60s and 70s. They were, and continue to be, a completely non threatening people just trying to make ends meet.

Shot from the hip. Seriously, cameras were not allowed, so this pic was shot from the hip...

This is where Ho Chi Minh met foreign dignitaries and presided over the country. Was cool to see pics of him sitting in a chair that was about 3 feet away. 

Spread about the complex, and other parts of Hanoi are these really disturbing PSA billboards. This was relatively tame compared to the one I saw of the perils of riding a scooter in Hanoi. 

They were quite serious about keeping your hands out of your pockets and straight down along your sides. 

Train Street & Sitting Around:

Our final day consisted of the kids staying in the house all day vegging out, while Nicole and I scouted out the old quarter for a street side table to have some drinks and watch the city madness. It was New Year's Eve day in Hanoi, and most people have fled for the countryside to be with their families. It was decidedly mellow in town today. The food was terrible, but the beer was cold, the weather was grand, and the passersby were plenty entertaining. It was a good lunch. Afterwards we hoofed it over to Train Street, a short section of roadway just wide enough to squeeze a full sized passenger train with homes on either side. This was truly a scene you'd never find in the states.

Sitting at a street side mini table on mini chairs and watching the world go by is very entertaining in Hanoi. The food was awful, but the little girl dancing behind us was adorable. The house dog, So-So was quite lovable too.  Oh, and Bia Ha Noi was my favorite cheap beer. 

It's just crazy. The locals' front doors are literally two feet away from a massive passenger train. 

Except for the fact that we literally have no wall space at home, we were quite tempted to buy this ginormous (8ft x 3ft) painting for $400. The paint was thick and made this look 3D. Hanoi is full of shops like this. 

Grandma, Grandson, and a little pom. And train tracks for a front yard. 

Infamous Long Bien Bridge. It's the bridge we blew up over and over to try and cut off Hanoi from the north. It's a tired old thing that shuttles a procession of scooters and trains. 

Shopping tips:
They say a trip to Bangkok or Singapore is a shopper's dream. I suppose that would be true if the goal was to experience the same thing as one could find in any Westfield Mall in any major U.S. city. Shopping in Hanoi is all about honing your bargaining skills and knowing that everything you see is fake and will likely fall apart after a dozen wearings. It took me a little while to gain the knowledge and confidence to properly do the dance. We came away with a small bounty of apparel to gear up for the coming sub-zero temperatures in Korea and Japan. For a detailed tutorial on how to haggle, see the end notes**

Hanoi Final Thoughts:

The following is the sole opinion of Steve Long and does not necessarily reflect the feelings or opinions of the rest of the family...

Hanoi is the most un-American city we have visited. I don't mean that in a negative or derogatory way. I simply mean this place exists in a way that you would never find in America. And it's wonderful. When we first arrived two weeks ago, we kept wondering why don't they add street lights, ban the scooters, clean up the streets, tidy up the power lines, and confine the food prep to sterile kitchens (I ran passed a chicken blood letting on the sidewalk this morning).

As I wrapped up my final morning run, which followed the train tracks that cuts thru the old quarter, I began to see the city in a different light. We travel the world to see and experience unique and wonderful things that we could never see from the comfort of our home. And without question, Hanoi is unique. We heard that the government is looking to ban scooters from the old quarter by 2030. I now see that as a shame. Without the scooters and chaos, Hanoi becomes just another Singapore or Bangkok. It's the chaos that makes this place so special and I hope it lives on forever. Admittedly, it's not for everyone (ie the rest of my family), but I quite like it. 

Addendum... Keep the chaos, but find a way to contain the garbage. It's filthy here and ruining the surrounding nature.

One more comment... Despite what we were told and what we read, we were not big fans of the Vietnamese food. Whereas nearly every meal from every little hole in the wall shop in Thailand and Malaysia was at least pretty good, we were often disappointed with the Vietnamese faire. The best meals we had were actually the Western type restaurants.

Finally, a real milk shake. Most of the "milkshakes" in SEA are really just smoothies without milk or ice cream. We found a really great burger joint in Hanoi for our last dinner. 

Final Southeast Asia (SEA) Thoughts:

Southeast Asia has been tough on us. While we can't speak for others, in our opinion, it is not a great place to travel with children. The food, the sites, the smells, the sounds, the getting around, and the climate are all so very foreign and overwhelming. Trying to keep everyone fed and happy was not easy. Southeast Asia is the perfect place for couples and 20 / 30 somethings (I still consider Nicole and I to be around 25 years old, BTW) that can be nimble and quickly adapt to change. A family of five is neither nimble, nor adaptive. I am so very proud of how we all made it through and had a great time, but it is a relief to be moving on to a world that is more predictable. 

We're now about 8 months in to our 12 month journey and the homesickness has really taken hold. This SEA section has exacerbated the hardship and created an unfortunate tendency to focus on the negative. Over the past five days we have started something new that we intend to continue for the next four weeks. Every night at dinner (one of the wonderful advantages of this trip is the fact that every dinner is a family dinner), we go around the table and each person talks about three things that made them happy or thankful during that day. We can already sense a positive vibe growing (or perhaps that is just us knowing were about to leave SEA....)

For all the challenges, there is still a curious urge to make a return trip to SEA some time in the future. 

All for now... Next Stop, Seoul, South Korea

Goodbye SEA... for now. 

* Da Cau is basically hacky sac but with a make shift badminton shuttle cock.

** How to haggle, Hanoi style...

- Nothing has a price tag, so the first step is to ask, "How much?". 

- You would be tempted to fork over this initial amount because frankly, it's already 25% of what you would pay in the states for the same thing. But if done right, the final sell price should be around 60% to 70% of their original quote.

- Don't buy anything from the first shop. This is just a fact finding mission. Look interested, ask how much, then walk away. I found that many vendors will then cut the number to entice you back. Turn, show some interest, then walk away again. This will solicit an even lower number. But again, just walk away. We're just trying to figure out the bottom dollar. 

- Your advantage is the fact that within a 3 block radius, the exact same merchandise is being sold in another 20 shops. No joke. Exact same stuff right next door.

- Repeat the same process with another shop for the same item, and then again with another shop. After three or four times, you'll get a real sense of what the price should be. 

- Another important reason for going to different shops is the fact that the quality control on this fake merchandise is skeptical. I tried on one jacket, put my hand in the pocket, and there was no pocket. Make sure you try everything as there is no return policy. It's the ultimate in buyer beware. 

- Now that you have found the right thing, use your knowledge and undercut the lowest number just a little. You have to be able to move up on your number so that there is a little back and forth. Leverage the other shops by saying that you can get the exact same thing next door for less. 

- If you have a couple of things to purchase, try to bundle. The vendors are just trying to move as much product as they can, so more items, the better the deal. 

- Note, having kids around can make for difficult bargaining. I started walking away from a jacket purchase for Zane, and he looked very disappointed. The vendor jumped on that and started making me feel bad for not getting something he really wanted. 

Post Script: 

Had we to do SEA over again, our itinerary would look a little more like this:

Bali - 1 week (we missed it this time around)

Singapore - 5 days (add two days.. There's more to see and do)

Penang - 3 days (shortened it, but still a funky place worth a visit)

Chiang Mai - 5 days (2 weeks was way too long, but it's definitely worth some time)

Bangkok - 4 days (add a day)

Siem Reap - 7 days (3 days was way too short. Could easily stay a week and pace things out)

Hoi An / Denang - 4 days (didn't go, but regret not seeing it. Should have done this instead of two weeks in Hanoi)

Hanoi - 4 days (would try to come in April next time for nicer weather)

Halong - 1 night (two nights was nice, but not really worth the extra time to appreciate the scenery)

Northern Vietnam - 4 days (would come in October next time)

Laos - 4 days (didn't go, but have heard such great things)

I think we would skip the Thai beaches...