View of Ma May Street from my terrace...
Woke reasonably early and walked to Hoan Kiem Lake. Quite close.
Had to cross a very wide road which was scary. I had done my research and knew to walk slowly and be predictable. Still scary the first time. The scooters are fine as they weave around you but the cars don't stop. The fact that it was a zebra crossing made no difference.
Hoan Kiem Lake...
I paid VND30,000 to enter the Ngoc Son Temple on the lake. It's just another temple and not really worth paying for, although VND30,000 is only about USD1.50.
Bridge to pagoda...
Then started to walk around the lake. It's not that big. I was approached by a young guy who was a student and wanted to practice his English. I had read about this on TripAdvisor. He then offered to take me for a tour on his scooter. I said no, and he asked if he could walk with me. I learned a lot about Vietnam from him including their view of the Chinese (negative) and the Vietnam War's impact on the people, even though it was many years before he was born. As I became comfortable with him, I agreed to do a scooter tour and we agreed on a price of VND300,000. About USD15.
That was great, a bit confronting being on the back of a scooter in the crazy traffic.
We went as far as West Lake and stopped and walked through Tran Quoc Pagoda which was free to enter. It was nice to do it with a local.
Drove past the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum but didn't stop.
The funniest thing was when he made a turn and cut across some traffic. He got pulled over by a policeman and fined. The cop asked for VND2 million and they settled on VND200,000. The way it is done !
This is the intersection where my guide got booked...
His scooter...
He dropped me back and I went for coffee at a place I had researched. I wanted to try egg coffee. It was hard to find but I persevered. Cafe Dinh, overlooking the lake, near the fountain. It wasn't very welcoming and you have to walk down a dodgy corridor and up some dodgy stairs.
Would you have kept going ?
It's very local and not flash but I walked past the old lady behind the sort of counter, and took a seat. Wasn't sure how to order but a local came up, asked me what I wanted, and ordered for me.
It was great. I had it a few times after at other places, but this was the nicest, and cheapest at VND17,000 (about A$1).
I then walked around the Old Quarter through many streets and markets.
They call this 'The Big Church'...
Lady on street is gutting a fish...
Got sucked into this by street seller...then I had to buy her pineapple...
In the afternoon, I walked to Long Bien Bridge and half way across. It was very hot and a long bridge over the Red River. Only scooters allowed on the bridge. Famous as it was designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. In the war it was the only bridge over the Red River, and so bombed several times by the Americans.
Red River from Long Bien Bridge...
Red River from Long Bien Bridge...
Back to the hotel for a 1 hour massage. Cost me USD11. There's a dual currency system here so you can pay for most things in dong or USD. I changeed my USD for dong and paid that way. Easy to change at jewellery shops in Hang Bac Street. I went into an ANZ Bank but their fees made it not worthwhile.
Had a beer at a bar I had seen overlooking the large roundabout - Legend Beer...
Dinner at a local restaurant and had noodles for VND30,000 and then had a few beers on Bia Hoi Corner (beer corner) where you sit on little stools on the street. Han Noi beer is quite nice and ranges from VND20,000 to VND25,000. About A$1.50. There is also a local beer I found out later called Bia Hoi for VND6,000. It's served from jugs and made fresh each day as it has no preservatives. They don't advertise it as they probably don't make much money from it.
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