Hanoi is an amazing place! The people were friendly and not at all pushy or aggressive as we had been informed by fellow travellers. The Old Quarter, where we stayed, was full of character, hectic streets and street vendors. We were fortunate enough to catch up with my former colleague, Chris Short, for a few drinks whilst we were there.
We took in some of the sights, including the embalmed body of revered leader Ho Chi Minh at the mausoleum, and the pretty Hoan Kiem Lake.
From the Hanoi Central Backpackers, we arranged our trip to the spectacular Halong Bay for 2 days 1 night. Here, we took in the incredibly busy (it was a national holiday!) Halong Bay caves, canoed around the limestone cliffs and watched a stunning sunset from the roof of our boat.
Back to Hanoi the next day followed by another killer bus journey south to Hue.