The China Eastern flight and transit through Kunming and Hanoi airports could not have been quicker or smoother. We were in our apartment in downtown Hanoi by mid-afternoon and sitting in the famous train street with a cold beer an hour later.
This major tourist spot is where the trains heading into Ga Hanoi pass through a tiny street lined with bars and cafes, where you can sit just inches away from the rolling stock. Our timing could not have been better as we arrived about five minutes before the train did and were ushered onto a tiny seat with an overpriced beer, but it was a good introduction to Hanoi after almost 15 years since our last visit.
The following day, we wandered through the embassy district over to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, which was a highly guarded affair that was closed to tourists. From there, we grabbed a Grab over to the old quarter for less than $2 to see how it had changed since our last visit. All the quaint pho and beer hoi places with tiny plastic stools and the vendors selling baguettes on the street from baskets carried on their shoulders had been replaced with swanky air-conditioned coffee and ice cream shops.
I was after a day pack for the camera gear, and Hang Gai Street was the place to look for quality copies of North Face, Patagonia, and ArcTeryx gear at very low prices. We hit a liquor store for some road juice for the cooler mountain climes (single malt is less than half the price compared to Thailand) and grabbed a baguette and beer before heading back.
That evening was spent back in the train street where we found more reasonable prices, places to grab a beer, and watched the world go by as the skies opened and the trains trundled through. There was very little in this part of Hanoi when we were last here in 2021; now all the tiny houses, living rooms, and local shops have been converted into tourist coffee shops, bars, and restaurants, for the new generation of trainspotters. However, there have been mutterings online that the authorities wanted to close down the train street for safety reasons. I could see why as tourists scrambled for selfies in front of an oncoming locomotive.
Next: Sapa
