Hanoi, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City is the most populous in Vietnam, but I had way more fun in the capital. I stayed near the city’s Old Quarter, where historical buildings meet aggressive street food vendors and at night the streets are filled with people sitting in plastic chairs enjoying mugs of beer for 5,000 dong (about 20 cents USD).

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Most of my time in Hanoi was spent walking around the city and eating food. On ‘Train Street’, a train passes right through a row of cafes and coffee shops twice a day. I also got to watch (seemingly millions of) motorbikes narrowly avoid crashing into each other, get $5 mani/pedis, and sample street donuts sold by aggressive Vietnamese women in traditional conical hats. I also spent a really cool afternoon at the Vietnam Women’s Museum learning about women’s history and roles in Vietnamese culture.

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Hanoi was a really cool city with a lot going on, but my absolute favorite part was the egg coffee. Egg coffee (made with condensed milk, sugar, egg yolks, and coffee) is available in many places in Vietnam, but I hadn’t gotten around to trying it until Hanoi. After that, there was no going back. I had egg coffee every single day. It was made more fun by the coffee shop we frequented that was recommended by a local. The entrance was hardly noticeable in an entryway shared by a luggage store. From there it was a climb up a back stairwell to reach the unassuming shop. The pictures below should give you an idea of the concern/confusion I felt walking into the shop the first time. But wow, it was worth it.

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