A New Start in Old Hanoi

St. Joseph's Cathedral

Hanoi, Vietnam

We landed in Hanoi after a smooth 1.5 hour flight from Bangkok. I had been feeling so calm in the weeks leading up to the move to Vietnam, but on the morning of the flight, I woke up feeling a little bit of panic. It's funny, moving all the way to Bangkok didn't phase me, but then again, I had a large group of friends and a support network waiting for me in the Big Mango. This time, Pinky and I are totally on our own. Maybe things had been so busy lately that I never had the chance to think about what I was doing until that morning.

By the time we landed, though, my nerves were gone, replaced with excitement and determination. I'm ready to do this! I'm determined to make our new lifestyle work! I've got several online classes lined up, and I'm willing to work as hard as possible at my online English teaching.

heading to the Old Town from the airport

In town, we are staying at a small guesthouse down a tiny little alleyway, barely wider than three feet across. The owner, a very dad-ish man, doesn't speak a word of English, but he carries his iPad everywhere, and we can communicate almost perfectly through Google Translate and the voice-to-text feature. He just speaks into the iPad, I read the translation and speak back. It's an imperfect system, but it works! Technology really is amazing, isn't it? Here we are, two people who don't know a word of the other's language, and yet we can speak directly to each other, understand, and be understood.

narrow little alleyway

There's not much privacy. The bottom floor, in fact, is the owner's family's private residence (the amazing aromas of delicious food are constantly wafting up the stairs). It's ok though! It's a fun experience living like this until I really get established here, and I'm happy to live cheaply and save money. Besides, you just can't beat the location! Just outside the front door is Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter.

our alley looks out onto Hoan Kiem Lake

Hanoi is an endlessly fascinating city. I've been just once before, on a five-day trip four years ago, on my one and only previous visit to Vietnam. That time, too, I stayed in the Old Quarter, and I wanted to stay in that area again, so that I wouldn't be totally lost just starting out in a new city.

The Old Quarter is mysterious, enticing, atmospheric, and absolutely enthralling. On every corner of the tight and narrow streets there is another mystery to be discovered; a tiny little Confucian temple tucked away in some dark alley, some sizzling meal being prepared to be served to patrons sitting on tiny plastic stools right on the street, an antique shop or tea house, or cafe.

Vietnamese flags

The plan isn't to stay in Hanoi for the full three months though. We want to be semi-nomadic! Right now, we are planning to spend all of May in Hanoi, then head to the central regions in June, and finally spend a few weeks in July down south in Saigon. For now, we want to feel like we really live in Hanoi, and aren't just here as tourists.

Emperor Ly Thai To

We got settled, and took a walk around the lake. We will be working hard, but exploring the city as much as we can. We really want to rely on local food from street-side stalls and tiny restaurants. Of course, in Hanoi, you can't miss the coffee! Vietnam is famous for its vibrant coffee culture!

dinnertime

Our first Vietnamese dinner was a hot bowl of pho ga (chicken pho soup) and a can of Bia Siagon. Not a bad start to our latest adventure.

chicken pho