21st
Another travel day, but we are flying this time, with Qatar airlines. We arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare. Our flight departs on time and its a 1.5 hour flight to Hanoi. We are not sure what to expect in the way of delays when we arrive at the airport, as we are applying for Vietnam Visa's on entry. Well it all goes very smoothly. We only have to wait about 10 minutes for them to issue us with a Visa, and then its another 10 minutes to clear immigration.

Walking to collect our bags, we are taken by surprise at the airport. Its not that busy, but it is a very new and modern airport. It has only been opened since 4th January 2015. Plus there is a brand new highway and a massive new bridge crossing the river that takes you most of the way into the city. Now we know why there were so many people on the bridge taking pictures.

We are staying in a hotel for the next 4 nights. Was hard to get an airbnb place due to the Chinese new year holiday here. Hotel is nice and we are surprised at the high level of service.
After unpacking we go for a walk to Hoan Kiem Lake. in the old quarter, where there are thousands of people enjoying the Chinese new year celebrations. Most shops are shut but the atmosphere on the street is amazing.

22rd
Quiet day today as Shauna is not feeling the best, so we stay at the hotel for most of the day.

23rd
Shauna is a little better so we head out for some walking. Its a holiday weekend here in Hanoi for the Chinese new year, so the lake area is buzzing with huge crowds. Atmosphere is great. The lake is very picturesque. Unfortunately for us most shops are shut including cafes. We find a rooftop cafe with a great view over the lake. food here is ok, view is better.

Weather in Hanoi has been good. Mild to warm days, little humid, no rain to speak of. But when the sun comes out from the clouds, it heats up very quickly and shade must be sort out.

24th
We need to buy the tickets for the bus to Cat Ba island in Ha long Bay. Its a 3.5k walk through the newer part of the city. So nice to be able to walk on the very wide foot paths. Unlike the old quarter where everybody parks their scooter on the footpath, so you have to walk on the road. This is fraught with danger. Even crossing the road when you have a green light is still a dangerous event. The best thing to do is not look at the oncoming traffic, just walk. The scooter riders will then avoid you. So far so good.

The lovely tree lined streets in the newer part of town are also very quiet compared to the Old Quarter. Lots of new buildings and cafes everywhere. Finally we make it to the bus station, and with tickets in hand we walk back, stopping for some sustenance on the way.

The food here is nothing special, almost bland. Not sure if they tame it down for us white people, but i havent been over excited about anything we have eaten yet. Went to a rather large market, but that was a waste of time. Dirty, messy and everyone selling the same stuff.
Went for a walk to the big lake in the city and had lunch on the lake edge in a rooftop cafe. Nice view, but the food was not that good, and the service was bad. Probably as its a short distance form the tourist area, they just dont care as much.

By now we have had enough of the suicidal scooter/motorbike riders, and the car drivers. They all have tunnel vision and would rather not stop or slow down for red lights, intersections or pedestrian crossings. I was even nearly run over by a guy backing his car into a park. He just didnt look. But it seems to work for them as we have only seen 1 person knocked off their scooter. It was a nicely dressed lady, and she was tapped from behind and the scooter went down but she managed to stay upright.

Tomorrow we are taking the bus and then a ferry to Cat Ba Island. Its in Ha long Bay, a world heritage listed site. The weather is also looking good for us. Cat Ba is a small island, mostly national park, so that will be good to explore on a rented scooter for $5 per day.