GOOD MORNING HANOI

TRAVEL • FEB 2017 • HANOI, VIETNAM

It was seven years ago when I first set foot in Hanoi, and this second trip had me struggling to retrace the charms that I so remember the city to have. Perhaps the gradual awakening of the economic powers has opened the floodgates of modernity, or perhaps it was just my considerably more well-travelled self now upping the standards for approving what memorable travel experiences should consist of, but the car-bike ratio has definitely skyrocketed, the streets considerably cleaner and neater, and the chaos not quite as overwhelming. There were thankfully still some authentic experiences to savour, like the street vendors, the glorious pho, and drip coffee on short stools. So still a fun trip for the eight of us? Definitely!