Hanoi
I heard so many good things about Vietnam, I decided to go!
I also didn’t want to miss out on seeing the iconic Halong Bay islands. So, I have one day in Hanoi + three days on a Halong Bay cruise + 1 day in Hanoi, before I head to Bangkok for New Years.
Hanoi is (tied w/Kyoto) my favorite city I’ve seen so far. I can’t explain exactly why… I think the main thing is that it has so much greenery – trees everywhere – and also water everywhere. It’s a huge city, but it feels small. It’s not particularly clean, but it’s not dirty either. It reminds me a little of San Francisco, a little New Orleans. The food is ridiculous too.. I’m thinking Vietnamese food might officially be my favorite type of food now😋 I just love Hanoi. Wish I had more time here.
I went to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, but I didn’t go in because the wait was so long. I really liked seeing the building!
ho chi minh mausoleum
Another major attraction in Hanoi is the Hoan Kiem Lake. It has a really beautiful park around it, which adds to the greenery in the city center, and it offers a bit of a peaceful respite in between busy streets.
turtle tower
park around lake
Huc Bridge over Hoan Kiem Lake
Hoan Kiem Lake
Here are some other buildings and statues…
Hanoi Opera House
Lenin statue
building by the lake
hanoi
hanoi buildings
view from my FREE hotel room
I booked a free room at the Sheraton with Starpoints. Super nice, great room and view, and totally free. LOVE points and miles game☺️ I have around 20 free nights used/booked right now. It feels so amazing to stay in a nice hotel and pay absolutely nothing! Workin’ the system. I’m glad I was able to learn about points and miles from a friend, I’m so grateful for that. Love it!
Hanoi streets::
hanoi street – welding
cute streets
more motorbikes!
happy NY
There is a really great restaurant (four or five locations) called Highway4 (thanks for the referral Jackson😘). I had the most delicious lunchhhh!!!! All this for $7.
spring rolls & tofu w/pork & szechuan
lemon juice w/salt!
I’m extremely excited for Halong Bay tomorrow!!! I have a 3d/2n cruise that I booked last minute. It was quite a bit cheaper b/c I booked so late. AND, I booked and paid for a mid-level class of boat, but then, it turned out that the boat wasn’t full enough, so I was upgraded for no additional cost to a higher level boat AND upgraded room😏!! !!Que suerte!! It is supposed to be foggy – I’m hoping I’ll still be able to see some cool stuff despite that.
SO EXCITED!
Next up: Halong Bay
wordsmakesentences 
Your meal looks so good ! Isn’t it great when friends can recommend places to visit around the world ?!?!?!? 😉 Hope the fog lifts for an even better trip !
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