changing my opinion of ha noi
My first two journeys to Ha Noi – the first in 2004 and the second in 2005 – were arranged for me. I didn’t have to worry about where I would sleep, what I would eat, who I would hang out with, and how much money I would need; that had all been organized for me by the School for International Training. So it was with a sense of excitement and newness that I traveled to Ha Noi alone for the first time on May 10th of this year. My stay in the city has lasted ten days and, at the time of writing, I will be returning to Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow evening, May 20th, 2009.
I remember being dreadfully underwhelmed by Ha Noi the first time that I came here in ‘04, primarily due to the misguided stereotypes that I had learned about the city before ever laying eyes on it – namely that the people in Ha Noi are cold and a little standoffish and that Ha Noi is not as exciting or interesting as Ho Chi Minh City. Additionally, my study abroad program was approaching its conclusion and many of the students were at our boiling points, no longer able to stand the company of each other for longer than was absolutely necessary. So Ha Noi was in a sense a self-fulfilling prophecy; I didn’t think it would be good and went out of my way to prove the point, looking for the negatives instead of seeing Ha Noi for everything that it was or could have been to me.
Suffice it to say then that this solo jump from Ho Chi Minh City to Ha Noi could not have come at a better time. I’ve been reevaluating whether or not Ho Chi Minh City is a place that I am comfortable calling home and deliberating alternatives. Ha Noi, the political and cultural capital of Viet Nam, has for the last several months been at the top of my list, and I have a strong feeling that after returning to Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow, the impetus for a relocation to Ha Noi will be even stronger. The more I visit Ha Noi, the more I like it. Negative preconceptions about Hanoian people and culture have all but disappeared and been replaced by real considerations for where I would live in the city and how I would make it happen, were I to make the move.
Before I leap too far ahead, though, I’d like to summarize the highs of the last ten days. Other than my first full day in the north, which was spent entirely in Ha Long Bay with my best friends from the United States, my trip was devoid of most touristy destinations. Having been to the north of Viet Nam two times already, my goal for this stay was to eat good food otherwise unavailable in Ho Chi Minh City, spend time talking to as many expats and Hanoians as possible about the logistics of living here, and finally to spend time thinking about my future in Viet Nam.
Ha Noi is a better fit than Ho Chi Minh City
When tourists go to Ha Noi after visiting Ho Chi Minh City, they tend to immediately notice that the pace of life in Ha Noi is much slower than the pace of life in Ho Chi Minh City. There’s an almost sedative-like quality to Ha Noi, what with its four seasons, calm lakes and mountainous skylines, unending rice fields, and laid back citizens. The motorbike drivers here are less pushy, the street sellers and shop owners alike are less intrusive of one’s personal space, and, compared to Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi is clean, even in the most tourist-populated areas.
Over the last several years I have been conditioned to accept the trash, traffic, lack of privacy, and culture of money in Ho Chi Minh City. So traveling from Noi Bai International Airport to the Old Quarter of Ha Noi, near Hoan Kiem Lake, was a shock to my senses. I noticed not the pollution but the mountains in the horizon. I noticed women and men in conical hats knee deep in rice patties, crouched down in positions that seemed to have been sustained for hours. And, above all, I noticed the attitude of the Hanoians, who seemed to gaze upon me with a metered curiosity that was not at all overbearing.
Ultimately, the only thing that has kept me glued to Ho Chi Minh City for so long has been the friendships that I have made there over the years. Ho Chi Minh City feels like a first love who I’m not yet ready to let go of, despite there being better locations and alternatives for me. With that in mind, feeling so strongly compelled to relocate to Ha Noi leaves me with a sense of guilt, as if I am abandoning everything that I’ve built with others – relationships and memories – in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ha Noi has an established expat community
Every single visitor to and potential long-term resident of Ha Noi should be aware of The New Hanoian. I found out about this website shortly after arriving in Ha Noi last week, and it has proved itself to be the most valuable source of information on the city available. The Ha Noi article on Wikitravel and information provided via Lonely Planet simply do not compare to the depth of knowledge and guidance from Hanoian expats available on The New Hanoian website.
I make strong mention of The New Hanoian to segue into another important consideration. Ha Noi, the cultural, historical, and political capital of Viet Nam, has an established expat community that is willing to help itself out. Ho Chi Minh City, despite having the largest population in Viet Nam and being the fifth richest city in Southeast Asia, does not have an expat community that provides information to its members as well as it should. This makes navigating Ho Chi Minh City more difficult than navigating Ha Noi. It also means that while the expat community in Ha Noi may be smaller than its counterpart in Ho Chi Minh City, there are easier ways to get in touch with new contacts, friends, and hobbyists in Ha Noi.
What I ate in Ha Noi
Tourists don’t come to Viet Nam to eat pizza, but expats in Viet Nam eat pizza to stay sane. Vietnamese food is excellent, but eating it every day can become burdensome. It was that thought which led me to eat good food in Ha Noi, no matter the origin. I enjoyed French, Vietnamese, and Italian cuisines alike, and have the extra pounds to prove it.
Luna d’Autunno: For the last 14 months I have been searching for excellent pizza in Viet Nam. Sadly, the pizzas here are depressing reminders that I’m no longer in the United States, where superior pizza pies are readily available. Imagine my surprise, then, when my mouth tasted the brick oven baked crust from Luna d’Autunno’s this week. Luna d’Autunno delivered a pizza so good that after my first bite, I thought, “I would move to Ha Noi for this.” I don’t know if that says more about the quality of pizzas at Luna d’Autunno or the lack of good pies in Ho Chi Minh City.
Lá: My other favorite restaurant trip during my time in Ha Noi was my visit to Lá, an expat owned and operated spot that serves soups and salads, Western cuisine, and Vietnamese food alike. The food stood on its own legs and was good enough to warrant a second visit, but what really stood out to me was the familiar atmosphere of the restaurant-slash-bar. On both occasions that I ate at Lá I felt at home. The owner, a tall Canadian man with an agreeable disposition, impressed me with his attentiveness to his guests. And the other expats there – one gentleman in particular from Kansas City who has been in Viet Nam for the last ten years – were welcoming, talkative, and engaging. Suffice it to say that if I do make the leap to Ha Noi, Lá will be one of my most frequented restaurants.
Other food stops in Ha Noi included Quan An Ngon, Angelina’s at the Sofitel Metropole, Bobby Chinn’s, Green Tangerine, and Khazaana. Reviewing these locations was a formidable task in and of itself.
A final, brief summary from my trip to Ha Noi
The hotel: I stayed at the Golden Sun Hotel, located at 23 Hang Hanh in Ha Noi’s Old Quarter. The hotel was a tad pricey, but given its quality of service, its endearing staff members, and its location in relation to Hoan Kiem Lake, I was happy to pay for my ten days there.
The lakes: My favorite part about Ha Noi, other than its proximity to the mountains, are its lakes. West Lake, a location heavily populated with expats, and Hoan Kiem Lake, a morning exercise route for many Hoanians, fast became two areas in Ha Noi that I was drawn to. I created videos of both locations (West Lake video; Hoan Kiem Lake video).
I am undecided
My journey to Ha Noi was as much about enjoying a somewhat new location in Viet Nam as it was about reflecting on my future in Viet Nam. I have been having serious doubts about the sustainability of a life in Ho Chi Minh City, for a number of reasons, and Ha Noi pushed me even closer to making the decision to relocate.
When I arrived in Viet Nam for the third time 14 months ago, I settled down in the Mekong Delta. That was far too rural for me, so I moved to Ho Chi Minh City, which has become far too hectic, noisy, and dirty for me. Perhaps the next logical jump will be to Ha Noi.
Each time that I come here, Ha Noi’s positives show themselves to be stronger than I first remembered them, and that is a fact that I must not ignore. Time will tell where I end up, but if I do pull the trigger and move to Ha Noi, if only for a year, I have a feeling that it will be a decision I will not regret.